,transcriber's ,notes ,obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected4 ,variations in hyphenation have been standardised but all other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged4 ,there is no anchor for footnote #e on page #ce 7containing paras #abb1abc and #abd71 so the anchor has been placed at the end of para #abb4 ,vail has been corrected to veil throughout4 ,the footnotes are located at the end of the book4 ,italics are represented thus italic1 and superscripts thus yen4 ,,experimental ,,investigation ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ,,manifestations1 ,,demonstrating ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits ,,and ,,their ,,communion ,,with ,,mortals4 ,,doctrine ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ,,world ,,respecting ,,heaven1 ,,hell1 ,,morality1 ,,and ,,god4 ,,also1 ,influence of ,scripture on the ,morals of ,christians4 ,,by ,,robert ,,hare1 ,m4,d4 ,,emeritus ,,professor ,,of ,,chemistry ,,in ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,pennsylvania1 ,,graduate ,,of ,,yale ,,college ,,and ,,harvard ,,university1 ,,associate ,,of ,,the ,,smithsonian ,,institute1 ,,and ,,member ,,of ,,various ,,learned ,,societies4 ,verba animi proferre1 vitam impendere vero4 ,denounce dark ,error and bright ,truth proclaim1 ,though ghastly ,death oppose1 with threat'ning aim4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,partridge ,,brittan1 #cdb ,,broadway4 #ahee4 ,entered according to act of ,congress1 in the year #ahee1 by ,,margaret ,b4 ,,gourlay1 in the ,clerk's ,office of the ,district ,court of the ,united ,states1 for the ,eastern ,district of ,pennsylvania4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i4 ,,plate ,i4 ,engraving and description of the apparatus1 which1 being contrived for the purpose of determining whether the manifestations attributed to spirits could be made without mortal aid1 by deciding the question affirmatively1 led to the author's conversion4 7a7 ,,plate ,i4 ,,fig4 #a1 is an engraving from a photograph of the apparatus above alluded to4 ,the disk ,a is represented as supported upon a rod of iron forming the axis on which it turns4 ,to the outer end of this rod1 the index ,b is affixed1 so as to be stationary in a vertical position2 the upper termination situated just in front of the letters4 ,these are placed around the margin of the disk4 ,the cord ,c encircles the pulley situated about the centre of the disk1 like a hub to a carriage wheel4 ,the ends of the cord are severally tied to weights1 which1 when the table is tilted1 react against each other through the pulley2 one being so large as to be immovable1 the other so small as to be lifted4 ,of course a hook in the floor may be substituted for the larger weight4 ,,pease',s ,,apparatus4 7b7 ,the relative position of the medium1 and that of the screen intercepting her view of the disk1 are too conspicuous to require particularization4 ,,fig4 #b1 represents ,pease's disk1 or dial apparatus1 associated with a vibrating lever and stand contrived by myself4 ,the whole1 thus modified1 has been named the ,spiritoscope4 7c7 ,the apparatus thus designated consists of a box ,f1 which is a miniature representation of a low1 square1 four sided house1 with a single sloping roof1 but without any floor closing it at the bottom4 7d7 ,on the outside of the part serving as the roof1 the alphabetic dial is depicted4 ,on the inner surface of the roof board1 the spring1 pulley1 and strings are attached1 by which the index is made to revolve1 so as to point out any letter4 7e7 ,g represents the vibrating lever upon which the medium's hands are placed4 ,when test conditions are not requisite1 her hands should be situated so as that merely one-half may be on each side of the fulcrum wire1 on which the lever turns4 ,when test conditions are requisite1 the hands should be altogether on the portion of the board which is between the exterior end of the board and the fulcrum4 ,when thus placed1 it is utterly impossible to move the lever so as to cause it to select letters1 or to control the selection1 by any spirit who may be employing them to make a communication4#a 7f7 ,not only are the letters of the alphabet printed equidistant1 in due order1 on the margin of the disk or dial-face2 there are likewise words1 the digits1 and notes of music4 7g7 ,the words are as follows3 ,yes--,doubtful--,no--,don't know--,i think so--,a mistake--,i'll spell it over--,a message--,done--,i'll come again--,good-bye--,i must leave4 ,these words are printed on equidistant radial lines1 nearly dividing the area between them4 ,the digits are printed on radial lines intermediate between those on which the words appear4 ,five concentric circular lines1 dividing the margin into as many smaller portions1 as in music paper1 serve for the inditing of musical notes2 respecting which the directions are given by ,pease upon a printed slip of paper pasted inside4 7h7 ,the index in this instrument is secured upon the outer end of a pivot supporting a pulley of about of an inch in diameter4 ,the spring consists of a coil of brass wire1 of which one end is fastened into the inside of the roof-board 7c7 of which the outside forms the surface for the letters1 c41 while the other end of the wire is prolonged beyond the coil to about #b inches1 and1 by means of a loop1 has a string of catgut tied to it securely4 ,this string is fastened to a perforation in the pivot4 ,another piece of the same kind of string is fastened to the circumference of the pulley4 ,the pivot being turned so as to wind upon it the string proceeding from the spring1 and thus constraining it so as to make it capable of effectual recoil from the pulley1 the latter may1 with a little care1 be made1 as the spring recoils1 to wind about it another string duly attached to its circumference4 ,the strings being thus wound1 7one to the right1 the other to the left17 when the string attached to the pulley is pulled from the outside of the box1 it is unwound therefrom1 and meanwhile winds that attached to the spring upon the pivot4 ,the reaction of the spring1 when left to itself1 reverses this process1 producing the opposite revolution in the pulley4 ,the index attached to the pivot of course turns in one direction or the other1 as the pivot is actuated by the drawing out or retraction of the string which proceeds from it4 ,this1 at the outer end1 is tied to a ring1 which prevents it from receding into the box4 7i7 ,it is surprising with what readiness a spirit1 even when unused to the apparatus1 will1 by moving the lever1 actuate the index1 causing it to point to the letters1 words1 or figures distributed on the face of the disk1 as above mentioned4 7j7 ,the apparatus of ,pease above described1 agreeably to the design of the maker1 operates by means of a string extending from the brass ring1 in which the pulley string terminates externally1 to a weight situated upon the floor1 so as to be taut when at rest4 ,when this arrangement is made1 tilting of the table1 by raising the end at which the box is situated1 causes the weight to pull the string1 and of course to induce the revolution of the pulley1 its pivot1 and corresponding index4 ,the restoration of the table to its usual position reverses the motion4 ,hence by these means the index may be moved either way1 as requisite for the selection of the letters required for communicating4 7k7 ,the other figure in the same plate represents ,pease's disk apparatus1 so arranged1 as to be affixed to any table of moderate dimensions4 ,the fulcrum on which the lever vibrates is so made as to be affixed to one of the table's edges by clamps1 while the disk1 situated in a vertical plane1 is supported by a bar which has a clamp to secure it to the table1 while to the disk it is fastened by being introduced into square staples1 made to receive it securely1 in a mode resembling that by which a square bolt is secured4 ,under the vibrating lever1 a hollow wire is fastened by staples1 so as to receive a solid wire1 which can be made to slide farther in or out1 and thus adjust itself to the distance4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii4 ,,plate ,,ii4 ,description of the instrument by which spirits were enabled to move a table under the influence of mediumship1 yet in no wise under the control of the medium employed1 even clairvoyance being nullified4 7i7 ,the table is about six feet in length1 and sixteen inches in width1 so contrived as to separate into three parts for conveniency of carriage4 7j7 ,the pair of legs under the right side are upon castors4 ,those on the left side upon an axle1 passing through perforations suitably made for its reception4 ,the axle consists of a rod of about of an inch in thickness4 ,the axle serves for two wheels of about six inches diameter1 of which one is grooved4 ,a disk1 already described as appertaining to apparatus in a preceding page1 is secured upon a pivot affixed to a strip of wood1 which is made to slide between two other strips attached to the frame of the table just under the top board4 ,by these means1 the band embraces both the hub of the disk and the wheel2 when this turns in consequence of the shoving of the table horizontally along the floor1 the disk turns with the wheel1 and as much faster as the circumference of the groove in the hub1 is less than that of the groove in the wheel4 7k7 ,the index is in this apparatus situated precisely as in that described in ,plate ,i42 and any mortal having due hold of the table1 may1 by shoving it one way or the other1 bring any letter under the index1 so as to spell out any desired word4 ,but no person1 sitting as the medium is in the engraving represented to sit1 with the plate on two balls1 can actuate the disk so as to spell out words as above mentioned4 ,utterly incapacitated from moving the table1 it were manifestly impossible to actuate the disk1 or to interfere with the movements otherwise imparted4 7l7 ,in the employment of the apparatus 7,plate ,i47 it has been suggested that through clairvoyance the medium might see the letters1 despite of the screen1 or might learn them from the mind of the observer2 but in this case the medium sees the letters without the aid of clairvoyancy2 but this power does not account for the regulation of the manifestations2 since1 even seeing the letters1 they cannot control the movements so as to give to the intuitive power thus exercised any efficacy4 7m7 ,on the surface of the table1 on the right1 may be seen a board upon castors4 ,this was contrived as a substitute for the plate on balls4 ,the castors1 of course1 perform the same office as the balls in allowing a solid material communication between the hands of the medium and the table1 without giving the power to induce or control the movement4 ,evidently1 though by any horizontal impulse the medium might cause the castors to turn and the board to move in consequence1 the force necessary to effect this must fall short of that requisite to move the table4 7n7 ,in point of fact1 the board1 when under the plate1 balls1 and hands of the medium1 was often moved rapidly to and fro1 without moving the table4 ,to move this under such conditions without moving the board or tray1 required a distinct spiritual process1 of much greater difficulty1 and which some spirits were either unwilling or unable to employ successfully4 ,see 8,mediumship0 in this work4 ,see also #afd1 #aff4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii4 ,,plate ,,iii4 7o7 ,on the opposite page is a representation of an experiment1 in which the medium was prevented from having any other communication with the apparatus1 actuated under his mediumship1 excepting through water4 ,yet under these circumstances the spring balance indicated the exertion of a force equal to #ah pounds4 7p7 ,a board is supported on a rod so as to make it serve as a fulcrum1 as in a see-saw1 excepting that the fulcrum is at the distance of only a foot from one end1 while it is three feet from the other4 ,this end is supported by a spring-balance which indicates pounds and ounces by a rotary index4 7q7 ,upon the board1 at about six inches from the fulcrum1 there is a hole into which the knob of an inverted glass vase1 nine inches in diameter1 is inserted4 7r7 ,upon two iron rods proceeding vertically from a board resting on the floor1 so as to have one on each side of the vase1 a cage of wire1 such as is used to defend food from flies1 of about five inches diameter1 is upheld inverted by the rod within the vase concentrically1 so as to leave between it and the sides of the vase an interstice of an inch nearly1 and an interval of an inch and a half between it and the bottom of the vase4 7s7 ,the vase being filled with water until within an inch of the brim1 the medium's hands were introduced into the cage and thus secured from touching the vase4 7t7 ,these arrangements being made1 the spirits were invoked to show their power1 when repeatedly the spring-balance indicated an augmentation of weight equal to three pounds4 ,the relative distances of the vase and balance from the fulcrum being as #f to #cf1 the force exerted must have been #c #f #ah pounds2 yet the medium did not appear to be subjected to any reaction1 and declared that he experienced none4 7u7 ,it was on stating this result to the ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 that ,i met with much the same reception as the ,king of ,ava gave to the ,dutch ambassador1 who alleged water to be at times solidified in his country1 by cold1 so as to be walked upon4 7v7 ,the belief in spiritual agency was treated as a mental disease1 with which ,i1 of course1 had been infected2 those who made this charge being perfectly unconscious that their education has associated morbid incredulity with bigoted and fanatical credence4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4 ,,plate ,,iv4 7x7 ,the apparatus of which the opposite cuts afford a representation are spiritoscopes1 under modifications to which ,i resorted subsequently to the contrivance in which ,pease's dial is employed4 ,for ,pease's 8dial10 disks are substituted1 resembling those originally employed by me1 as represented in ,plates ,i4 and ,,ii4 ,these last mentioned1 however1 were made to revolve under the index2 while in ,pease's apparatus the index revolves1 the disk remaining at rest4 ,the advantage of having the disk to revolve is1 that the letter is always to be looked for1 within the same space2 whereas in operating with the other the eye has to follow the index through all its rapid movements4 7y7 ,the convenience and economy of casting the disks of iron was deemed a sufficient motive for resorting to the rotation of the index2 as when made of that metal the disk becomes too heavy to be rotated with ease1 first one way and then another4 7z7 ,in ,,fig4 #a the vibrating lever is resorted to1 and the process is precisely the same as that already described1 in which ,pease's dial is associated with the same mechanism4 7aa7 ,the words on the dial faces in ,figures #a and #b are somewhat abbreviated4#b 7bb7 ,the rod ,r slides in staples1 so as to be made to extend farther or nearer from the fulcrum4 ,the legs on which the disk is supported1 which are a part of the casing1 terminate below in a socket which fits upon a plug screwed into the base-board2 upon this plug it may be fastened by the set screw 7s74 ,by sliding the rod 7r7 inward1 the disk may be turned half round upon the plug1 so as to place the lettered surface out of the sight of the medium1 whose power to influence the communications is thus nullified4 ,this is one mode of attaining test conditions2 in other words1 those conditions which make it impossible that the communications received should be due to any mortal1 7#aea to #aff17 unless1 as gratuitously and erroneously1 as ,i believe1 alleged1 the medium by clairvoyancy sees the letters4 7cc7 ,by another method test conditions are obtained which are not exposed to this evil4 7dd7 ,the method to which ,i allude has been explained in the description of ,plate ,i4 in reference to the spiritoscope formed with the aid of a ,pease's disk1 paragraph 7e74 ,the process is the same in the employment of ,fig4 #a ,plate ,,iv4 under consideration4 ,it may be better understood in this case1 as the illustration of the lever board ,l is more conspicuous4 ,in the ordinary mode of operating without test conditions1 the hand of the medium is so situated as to have nearly half of it beyond the fulcrum1 marked by the line ,f ,l4 ,when test conditions are imposed1 the tips of the fingers only reach to that line1 without going beyond it4 ,situated as last mentioned1 the medium to whom they appertain cannot move the rod ,r1 because it is already against the lower edge of the disk1 which prevents it from moving upwards4 ,in the opposite direction the medium can create no pressure1 since her efforts could only tend to lift her hand1 per se1 from the disk4 ,it is important that the reader should pay attention to this exposition1 as the conditions thus made evident are often appealed to as one proof1 among others1 that my information and credentials are from the immortal worthies of the spirit world4 7ee7 ,,fig4 #b is analogous in its mode of operating1 to the apparatus represented in ,plate ,,ii4 ,it is in the substitution of a small board for a table that the principal difference consists4#c ,the board requires only to be large enough to allow the hands to rest upon it in front of the disk4 ,the index is actuated by a horizontal motion to and fro1 which1 as in the apparatus1 ,plate ,,ii41 causes the rotation of a supporting wheel1 which by means of a band communicates rotation to a pulley supported behind the disk on the pivot to which the index is secured in front4 ,the sliding pulley ,p being fastened at a due distance from the disk 7o71 is used to keep the band tight4 7ff7 ,this instrument is preferred by the spirits1 and is easier for a feeble medium to employ effectually4 ,i cannot as yet avail myself of ,fig4 #a2 through ,fig4 #b ,i have had some interesting tests4 7gg7 ,this form1 then1 is best for incipient mediumship4 7hh7 ,,fig4 #b may be employed under test conditions1 by so situating it as that the dial shall be on the side opposite to that where the medium sits2 under these circumstances she cannot see the index or the letters1 and consequently cannot control the spelling of spirits1 so as to give results from her own mind instead of theirs4 ,this mode of testing does not preclude the subterfuge1 so often resorted to1 of clairvoyant power1 enabling the medium to see through the cast-iron1 or read the letters in the minds of the bystanders4 ,this power ,i have never witnessed2 yet it is absurdly attributed to media who1 as well as all their friends1 are ignorant of the existence of any such power4 7ii7 ,another mode of testing is that illustrated in ,plate ,,ii41 where a plate upon two balls supports the hands of the medium1 and forms the only means of conducting communication between the medium and apparatus4 ,it may be easily conceived that instead of the hands being placed upon the board1 the plate and balls being interposed1 the hands of the medium may be supported over the board of ,fig4 #b4 as they are represented to be supported over the table in ,fig4 #a1 ,plate ,,ii4 ,see #afg1 #afi1 #agb1 #agg1 #aif4 7kk7 ,,fig4 #c1 ,plate ,,iv41 is a representation of an association of serrated strips of iron in a wooden frame1 which sliding on the lever board of ,fig4 #a1 so as to have the saws just above the back of the hand of the medium1 is found to increase the efficacy of the mediumship4 ,it is only of importance to use it when test conditions are requisite1 as explained already1 ,fig4 #a1 7hh74 ,the rationale1 so far as it can be suggested1 will be stated under the head of mediumship4 ,it will be perceived that the size of the frame is not in due proportion to the lever board1 being upon a larger scale4 ,but this renders it more conspicuous1 and the reader can easily conceive its size to be such as to allow the grooves in the wooden sides of the frame to receive the edges of the lever board ,l1 and thus to be secured firmly thereupon4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,,preface4--,letter from ,j4 ,f4 ,lanning1 ,esq4--,spiritual communication1 through the mediumship of ,mr4 ,lanning1 to the author--,author's ,reply--,communication from an assembly of eminent spirits1 sanctioning1 under test conditions1 the credentials transmitted through ,mr4 ,lanning--,postscript by the author--,supplemental ,preface #c ,,introduction4--,the evidence of the existence of a ,deity1 by the author--,theological ,axioms #ag ,,intuitive ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits4--,narrative of the author's experimental investigation of ,spiritualism--,letter in reply to an inquiry respecting the ,influence of ,electricity in ,table-,turning--,of ,manifestations founded on ,movements without contact1 or such contact as cannot be sufficient to cause the result--,hymn chanted1 and reply #ce ,,corroborative ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits4--,evidence afforded by the ,rev4 ,allen ,putnam1 of ,roxbury1 ,mass4--,evidence of ,dr4 ,bell1 of ,somerville1 near ,boston--,his errors1 arising from ignorance of facts1 7#aaj1 #bhc1 #hfd47 #ee ,,foreign ,,corroborative ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits4--,manifestations which occurred in ,france in #ahea--,letter from ,t4 ,r4 ,p4 ,ventura--,letter of ,dr4 ,coze--,letter of ,m4 ,f4 ,de ,saulcy--,spiritualism in ,paris--,spiritual ,manifestations in ,france and ,germany--,spiritualism in ,great ,britain--,letter of ,robert ,owen1 ,esq4 #ff ,,communications ,,from ,,the ,,spirit ,,world4--,remarks introductory to my spirit father's communication--,my father's communication--,communication from a spirit son of the author--,additional communications from spirits who died while infants--,communication from a very young spirit child to its parents #he ,,of ,,spiritual ,,birth4--,narratives given by spirits of their translation to the spirit world--,narrative of his spiritual birth1 by ,w4 ,w41 a most benevolent spirit--,the spirit ,maria's narrative--,my sister's account of her translation to the spirit world--,my brother's account of his spiritual birth1 c4 #aja ,,convocation ,,of ,,spirits4--,sixty-four queries addressed to a convocation of worthies from the spirit world2 also their replies to the same1 7through the mediumship of ,mrs4 ,gourlay17 confirmed under conditions which no mortal could pervert #aac ,,exposition ,,of ,,the ,,information ,,received ,,from ,,the ,,spirit ,,world #aai ,,apology ,,for ,,my ,,conversion4--,reasons for my change of opinion1 and belief in the existence and agency of spirits--,on the whereabout of heaven--,correspondence with ,mr4 ,holcomb1 of ,southwick1 ,massachusetts #abe ,,moral ,,influence ,,of ,,spiritualism #acf ,,the ,,heaven ,,and ,,hell ,,of ,,spiritualism ,,contrasted ,,with ,,the ,,heaven ,,and ,,hell ,,of ,,scripture #ada ,,instinctive ,,impression ,,as ,,to ,,heaven ,,being ,,overhead4--,discordance as to the whereabout of the scriptural heaven #adi 8,,the ,,true ,,doctrine40--,the ,rev4 ,h4 ,harbaugh's opinion respecting heaven #aea ,,of ,,mediumship #aei ,,of ,,counter-,,mediumship4--,on the influence of the ill-treatment of media on spiritual manifestations--,the author's discovery of his powers as a medium #aff ,,on ,,psychological ,,explanations ,,of ,,spiritual ,,manifestations #afh ,,alphabetic ,,converse ,,with ,,spirits4--,modern process for alphabetic converse with spirits as new as that of electric telegraph #agc ,,influence ,,of ,,mundane ,,wealth ,,in ,,the ,,world ,,to ,,come4--,according to the spiritual code1 riches elevate or degrade according to the morality displayed in their acquisition and employment #agf ,,mrs4 ,,gourlay',s ,,narrative ,,of ,,her ,,conversion ,,to ,,spiritualism #agi ,,practical ,,benefit ,,of ,,spiritualism4--,illustration of the practical benefit of ,spiritualism1 in the happiness imparted by the conversion of an unbeliever to a belief in immortality--,letter from a spirit daughter--,correspondence with a spirit brother #aib ,,marriage ,,on ,,earth ,,and ,,in ,,heaven4--,the hymeneal tie in the spirit world grows out of the necessity of the connubial union in the mundane sphere--8,free ,love0 imputation refuted #bjd ,,influence ,,of ,,scripture ,,on ,,the ,,morals ,,of ,,christians4--,the morality of ,christendom being irreconcilable with the ,new ,testament1 cannot be its legitimate offspring--,inspiration can have no higher authority than the human testimony on which its existence is arrogated--,injurious influence of unreasonable restriction--,no one would believe that a capable farmer would make such a mistake as to sow garlic instead of wheat2 yet ,god1 while represented as having intended to sow ,protestantism1 is considered as having caused throughout ,christendom a crop of ,catholicism1 in the ,roman or ,grecian form1 for more than a thousand years3 those weeds still occupying more than half of the whole soil--,letter of ,william ,pitt1 afterward ,earl of ,chatham--,offer of guidance by a mundane spirit--,improper use of the epithet ,infidel--,on ,atonement--,on the massacre at ,sinope--,opinions of ,god held by ,sir ,isaac ,newton--,on ,god and his attributes1 by ,seneca--,on the better employment of the first day of the week--,additional remarks respecting the observance of the ,sabbath1 so called--,if creatures be not so created as to love their neighbours as themselves1 precepts can no more alter them in this respect than change the colour of their hair or the number of cubits in their stature--,attacks upon the authenticity of ,scripture cannot endanger the prevalent morality1 which1 while superior to that of the ,old ,testament1 indicates a recklessness of the precepts of ,christ1 excepting so far as faith is upheld as a counterpoise for sin--,the doctrine of a peculiar belief being necessary to salvation1 and a counterpoise for sin1 a source of discord originally confined to ,judea1 expanded with ,christianity and ,islamism3 verifying ,christ's allegation1 that he came 8as a sword1 not as a messenger of peace0--,superior morality and far less questionable certainty of the communications from the spirit world--,quotation from ,mosheim--,quotation from ,gibbon--,for more than a thousand years1 the ,grecian or ,roman ,catholic clergy were the solo depositaries of the word of ,god1 so called1 and regulators of religious morals2 yet1 according to ,bishop ,hopkins1 during that time1 the clergy were for the most part pre-eminent in vice1 as compared with the rest of the community2 whence it is inferred that1 like ,pope ,boniface1 the wicked clergy in general were unbelievers in the truth of the gospel--,if the morals of the modern clergy are better1 it is neither from the barbarous example furnished them in the ,old ,testament1 nor the ultra precepts of the gospel2 being too much enlightened to be governed by either--,summary made by ,bishop ,hopkins--,any religion1 like that of ,moses1 which does not make immortality a primary consideration1 must be chiefly confined to worldly objects1 and1 of course1 unworthy of consideration4 ,people profess ,christianity more from a desire to do right1 than they do right in consequence of their professions--,a calumny against human nature to represent men as wilfully ignorant of the true religion--,to appreciate the ,jewish representation of the ,deity1 a reader should first form an idea of this planet and its inhabitants1 comparatively with the hundred millions of solar systems1 and the inconceivable extent of the space which encompasses them1 and which falls within the domain of one common ,deity--,our actions dependent1 under ,god1 on organization1 education1 and the extent to which we are tempted extraneously--,on probation--,world least moral when the ,christian church had most sway--,honour and mercantile credit more trusted than religion4 ,virtue due more to the heart than to sectarianism4 ,bigotry acts like an evil spirit--,progress of literature and science in ,arabia1 under the ,mohammedan pontiffs1 called caliphs #bjf ,,additional ,,corroborative ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits4--,the opinions of ,,mm4 de ,mirville and ,gasparin on ,table ,turning and ,mediums1 7considered in relation to theology and physics17 examined by the ,abbot ,almignana1 doctor of the common law1 theologian1 c4--,mechanical movements without contact1 by ,mr4 ,isaac ,rehn1 ,president of the ,harmonial ,society1 ,philadelphia--,communication from ,j4 ,m4 ,kennedy1 ,esq4--,communication from ,wm4 ,west1 ,esq4--,koons's ,establishment--,communications from ,joseph ,hazard1 ,esq4--,a visit to the ,spiritualists of ,ohio--,letter from ,john ,gage--,the home of the mediums1 and the haunts of the spirits--,what they did1 said1 and wrote--,the house of the ,spiritualists--,presence of electricity--,the room where the spirits manifest their power--,the furniture and occupants--,the manifestations commence--,the spirits play on drums1 harps1 ,french horns1 accordeons1 and tamborines--,the manifestations continue1 and the head spirit writes a communication--,the spirit's letter--,concluding remarks--,an evening at ,koons's spirit room1 by ,charles ,partridge1 ,esq41 ,new ,york--,experience of the ,hon4 ,n4 ,p4 ,tallmadge--,letter from ,mr4 ,d4 ,h4 ,hume--,spiritualism in ,london--,lord ,brougham with the spirits--,evidence afforded by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,b4 ,ferguson--,an exposition of views respecting the principal facts1 causes1 and peculiarities involved in spiritual manifestations2 together with interesting phenomenal statements and communications1 by ,adin ,ballou--,testimony of the ,hon4 ,j4 ,w4 ,edmonds--,testimony of ,henry ,lloyd ,garrison4--,testimony of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,newton--,testimony of members of the ,new ,york circle--,testimony of the ,rev4 ,d4 ,f4 ,goddard1 ,boston--,manifestations at ,stratford1 ,connecticut1 in the house of the ,rev4 ,eliakim ,phelps1 ,d4,d4--,remarkable exhibitions of power--,singular occurrences--,image-making--,destruction of furniture--,incendiary spirits--,the spirits identified--,unhappy spirits1 from the remembrance of wrong done in this world--,wrong doing revealed--,directions given for restoring ill-gotten gains--,discontinuance of the manifestations--,idea of the existence of a spiritual sun1 and a vital spiritual oxygen1 found to exist1 independently1 in the mind of a much-esteemed author #bgc ,,of ,,matter1 ,,mind1 ,,and ,,spirit4--,of matter--,strictures on a speculation by ,farraday respecting the nature of matter--,on ,whewell's demonstration that all matter is heavy--,additional remarks on the speculation of ,farraday and ,exley1 above noticed--,of mundane1 ethereal1 and ponderable matter1 in their chemical relations--,suggestions of ,massotti1 respecting the nature of matter--,on electro-polarity as the cause of electrical phenomena--,of mind1 as existing independently1 and as distinguished from matter--,of spirit independently1 or as distinguished from mind and matter--,of the soul1 as distinguished from mind and matter--,on the odic1 or odylic force #cfc ,,religious ,,errors ,,of ,,mr4 ,,mahan4--,proposition of ,mr4 ,mahan--,of the origin of the ,books of ,moses no higher evidence exists1 according to the testimony of the ,bible itself1 than that of an obscure priest and a fanatical king--,scriptural account of the finding of the ,books of ,moses by ,hilkiah1 the high-priest--,account of the finding of the ,books of ,moses1 by ,josephus--,if the ,pentateuch had been previously known to the ,jews1 it is incredible that it could have become obsolete and forgotten prior to the alleged discovery of it in the temple in the reign of ,josiah--,great importance attached to a belief in immortality by ,cyrus the ,great1 ,king of ,persia1 as contrasted with the recklessness of ,moses respecting the same belief--,the worship of a book1 idolatry--,evidence of ,josephus and ,gibbon vs4 ,mr4 ,mahan--,the worshippers of the golden calf more righteous than their assassins--,just denunciation of the religious imposture and usurpation of ,moses1 by noble-minded ,israelites--,remarkable observance of the golden rule by ,moses1 in his last advice to the ,israelites--,straining at spiritual gnats while swallowing scriptural camels--,the evidence which is insufficient to establish the iniquity of a sinner cannot be sufficient to establish the divine authority of a book--,word of ,god1 so called1 or the golden rule inverted by ,god's alleged commands--,pagan fearlessness of death--,observations of ,mr4 ,huc1 a ,christian priest1 that it is their religion which makes ,christians more fearful of death than the ,chinese--,mr4 ,huc's observations--,conclusion of strictures on ,mr4 ,mahan's religious errors #cif ,,conclusion4--,the ,pentateuch inconsistently represented as the basis of a belief in human immortality--,injustice of representing disbelievers in the ,bible as not having as good ground for belief in immortality as those who rest their belief on a work which1 by its silence1 tends to discountenance the hope of a future life--,those who uphold the ,bible against ,spiritualism1 the real antagonists of the only satisfactory evidence ever given to man of a future habitation in the spirit world #dbc ,,appendix4 ,,letter ,,to ,,the ,,episcopal ,,clergy4--,letter from ,dr4 ,hare to the clergy of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church1 offering to lay before them the new evidence of immortality4 7,submitted to the late convention1 ,philadelphia1 ,may #ae1 #ahee47 #dbg ,a ,,letter ,,from ,,dr4 ,,hare4--,addressed to the ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 at their meeting1 ,august #ah1 #ahee--,preliminary remarks #dcj ,,farraday',s ,,speculation4--,speculation touching electric conduction and the nature of matter4 ,by ,farraday #dcb ,,motives ,,for ,,republishing ,,my ,,memoir ,,on ,,electrical ,,theory #dcg ,,electrical ,,theory4--,objections to the theories severally of ,franklin1 ,dufay1 and ,ampere1 with an effort to explain electrical phenomena by statical or undulatory polarization--,supposed grounds for a theory--,proofs of the existence of an enormous quantity of imponderable matter in metals--,electrical phenomena attributed to stationary or undulatory polarization--,on the perfect similitude between the polarity communicated to iron filings by a magnetized steel bar and a galvanized wire--,process by which the ethereo-ponderable atoms within a galvanic circuit are polarized by the chemical reaction--,difference between electro-ethereal and ethereo-ponderable polarization--,competency of a wire to convey a galvanic discharge is as its sectional area1 while statical discharges of frictional electricity1 preferring the surface1 are promoted by its extension4 ,yet in proportion as such discharges are heavy1 the ability of a wire to convey them and its magnetic energy become more dependent on its sectional area1 and less upon extent of surface--,difference between frictional electricity and galvanic does not depend on the one being superior as to quantity1 the other as to intensity2 but on the different degrees in which the ethereo-ponderable atoms of the bodies affected are deranged from their natural state of neutralized polarity--,of ethereo-ponderable deflagration--,summary4 #dci ,illustration3 ,engraved at ,j4 ,m4 ,butlers establishment1 #hd ,chestnut ,st4 ,philada4 ,robt ,hare ,m ,d4 ,,emeritus ,,professor ,,of ,,chemistry ,,in ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,pennsylvania1 ,,graduate ,,of ,,yale ,,college ,,and ,,harvard ,,university1 ,,associate ,,of ,,the ,,smithsonian ,,institute ,,and ,,member ,,of ,,various ,,learned ,,societies4 ,,preface4 ,as prefatory to this volume1 it may be expedient here to introduce the credentials which ,i have lately received from the spirit world4 ,with the medium of their communication1 ,mr4 ,lanning1 of this city1 ,no4 #abd ,arch ,st41 ,i have had but little intercourse1 knowing him1 however1 by report1 as a good man and a zealous spiritualist4 ,the communication which ,i owe to his mediumship1 was utterly unexpected by me1 never having1 in any way1 hinted to him1 directly or indirectly1 that it would be desirable to receive such an indication of confidence and approbation4 ,the first and only knowledge which ,i had of this1 to me1 stirring appeal1 is comprised in the following letter from ,lanning4 ,the difference between the style of his own language1 though very good for its purpose1 and that which he ascribes to the spirits1 must corroborate his allegation that this address did not originate in his brain4 ,on submitting the address to my spirit father1 he sanctioned the idea of its proceeding from spirits4 ,,philadelphia1 ,june #g1 #ahee4 ,dear ,sir3 ,i send you the following communication1 and think it to be an emanation from the spirit life4 ,i feel not a little reluctance in so doing1 for it is seldom ,i can get any thing for others4 ,how it may suit your mind1 ,i do not know1 nor do ,i wish to impose it upon you for any thing worthy your consideration4 ,i would hesitate much to instruct one so much my senior1 and whose name ,i esteem1 were it not that ,i love a cause so near your heart2 and ,i feel that my mind is only the channel through which ,i have every evidence1 the unseen in the spirit life1 at times give their thoughts to mortals4 ,i have no idea from what spirit it came1 but know it did not originate in my own brain4 ,very truly1 yours1 ,j4 ,f4 ,,lanning4 ,,to ,,dr4 ,,robert ,,hare1 ,,philadelphia3 ,prof4 ,robert ,hare--,venerable and much-esteemed friend1 it is an unwonted pleasure with us to number you as a leading mind in the ranks of this new and better gospel which is being given to the dwellers of earth4 ,we see the many and perplexing difficulties which1 to you1 apparently hinder your progress in this path to light and love1 and we sympathize with you in all your efforts to unfold your mind and to render it useful and happy4 ,could you see the great glory which is to be the issue of your labours in the new unfoldings of spiritual science1 you would not despair of your mission1 nor weary in your devotion to it4 ,let us ask you1 ,if there is any earthly fame or consideration that could induce you to turn back again to the familiar paths in which a life of patient labour has been spent8 ,if there is any earthly joy or brilliant attainment which you have ever enjoyed1 worthy to be compared with the little you have realized since you commenced your investigations in this the most important pursuit of your life8 ,ask yourself how much happiness you have found in the contemplation of that fact which has been demonstrated1 not only to your wishes1 but to your senses1 that the thinking mind never dies2 that the grave1 which is but the wardrobe of the cast-off garment of the spirit1 has no power over the soul2 that it lives on1 lives ever1 and must throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity continue to unfold its powers4 ,ask yourself1 what is earth1 what is fame1 what is the endearment to your present life1 when contrasted or compared with the assurance which you now have1 that there is no death1 no loss of your individuality1 no severing of the ties of friendship and love which shall not be renewed again in that fairer land1 the home of the angels1 whither you and all you love on earth are tending8 ,ponder then1 our venerable friend1 and ask your thirsting soul1 if this knowledge is not worth more than the cost of diamonds to you8 ,we1 who have laid aside the crumbling casket which contained the priceless jewel that is never tarnished1 know full well the value of this gem of knowledge which now sparkles on your vision just opened4 ,there are many things which we would like to say to you1 but the conditions and circumstances which control our operations render it impossible for us to present to your mind the light which it so much seeks4 ,to answer the demands of your spirit is now impossible to us4 ,time and the unfoldings of your mind can only solve the questions you would propound4 ,you are well aware that the growth of your present knowledge is but the effect of earnest inquiry1 of patient toil1 and deep study1 and experiment after experiment in your searchings for truth4 ,such was the only way you reached the position which you now occupy in the science so dear to you4 ,it came in no other way1 it could come in no other4 ,the child is subjected to the necessity of first learning the alphabet before it is prepared to spell1 and must understand the meaning of words before it can comprehend the sentence it reads4 ,so in this investigation4 ,that which is apparently of little meaning must first be learned1 the alphabet must be mastered1 hard words pronounced1 and all must be understood before there is a fittedness for progression4 ,the wisest on earth1 aye1 the wisest in spirit life1 are learners1 students3 none but ,god is perfectly wise2 and it is no humiliation to any mind that it contains not all of wisdom4 ,let us say to you that if patient in your investigations1 you shall in due time obtain that which you so earnestly seek4 ,could we work miracles1 7a thing impossible17 they would astound rather than enlighten your mind4 ,could we withdraw the veil which separates the vision from the things you desire to see in our spheres of life1 you have no data by which you could make plain to yourself or to the eyes of your fellow-man the sights you would behold4 ,go on in your searchings1 our good friend3 the end is not yet with you4 ,brilliant minds with brilliant thoughts are burning to give utterance to earth through you4 ,you are a selected instrument of our own choosing1 and we are watching and guiding in the path and to the goal you seek4 ,you may not only 8speak trumpet-tongued to the scientific world10 but in thunder-tones to those savans who think they are the masters of the keys of knowledge4 ,author's ,reply to the preceding ,address4 ,,philadelphia1 ,june #ae1 #ahee4 ,to my spirit friends1 to whom ,i owe the preceding address3 ,it is quite unnecessary for my angel friends to urge upon my heart1 or upon my reason the nothingness of this world1 in comparison with that of which a description has lately been given to me4 ,so highly do ,i estimate the prospect thus awakened1 that it seems almost too good1 too desirable to be realized4 ,there are so many painful ideas awakened in my mind respecting the lot of humanity1 by the events of past and present times1 that it is difficult to conceive that1 at the short distance of little more than the eightieth part of the diameter of our globe1 there should be such a contrast4 ,but to heighten my appreciation of the inestimable value of such an heirship is utterly uncalled for4 ,if there be any drawback1 it is the misery which pervades this mundane sphere4 ,the sympathy which1 on the one hand1 ties you to this world1 must1 on the other1 cause a participation in the sufferings which pervade all animated nature4 ,while ,i am aware that sympathy1 as above suggested1 would prevent me from flying from a perception or contemplation of the wretchedness in question1 it seems as if the heaven of ,spiritualism were1 in this phase1 in some degree open to the objection to the heaven of ,scripture1 founded on its too great proximity to hell4 ,is not the spiritual heaven too near this sphere1 and too much associated with it by its sympathy1 not to suffer indirectly a portion of its miseries8 ,if there were any thing ,i should deem to be requisite to render existence in the spirit world happier1 it would be the power of removing the miseries of this lower world1 and especially those arising from ,error--the most prolific source of evil4 ,according to ,addison's allegory1 ,death admitted the pretensions of ,intemperance to be superior in destructiveness1 to those of any of the numerous diseases which competed for the honour of the premiership in his cabinet2 but might not ,error have successfully competed with ,intemperance8--,error1 the main cause of intemperance1 of intolerant bigotry1 and of war1 which destroys both by the sword and by sickness which it induces8 ,it is difficult for us to conceive that good1 affectionate spirits are not unhappy at witnessing the distress which they cannot relieve4 ,the prisoners at ,sing ,sing are said to undergo mental torture by the silence imposed upon them4 ,yet this is imposed upon spirits1 when often a word would prevent fatal events4 ,nevertheless1 ,spiritualism1 so far as it prevails1 will make all better3 in the first place1 by removing error and sectarian discord1 and1 in the next place1 by making nature the object of our study1 and1 indirectly1 of our worship1 as the work of the ,being who created all4 ,you need not any more strive to stimulate my estimation of the high office which you bestow on me as promulgator of the knowledge given me of the spheres1 than to excite my appreciation of that knowledge4 ,i would not relinquish my position for any temporal sovereignty4 ,my love of truth1 my desire for human happiness1 would be sufficient for my pay in causing truth to triumph1 as that1 of course1 would be a heaven to me in contemplating the misery obviated and the happiness induced4 ,doubtless1 not to be fairly appreciated would be painful2 while merited applause would be a high gratification2 but1 were that my primary motive1 ,i should not deserve applause4 ,all that ,i would desire would be1 to have that share of honour to which ,i might be entitled in common with other colabourers in the cause of truth3 to exist in the spheres on the same plane with the illustrious ,washington and his coadjutors1 and associated with my beloved relatives and friends1 having access to the wise and good men of all ages and nations6 ,that were a heaven indeed6 ,to be worthy of and enjoy such a heaven1 is the only selfish ambition with which ,i am actuated1 so far as ,i know myself4 ,your truly devoted servant and friend1 ,,robert ,,hare4 ,having suggested to my spirit father that it would be expedient that some names should be attached to the credentials with which the preceding address from the spirits seemed to endow me by appointment1 he induced several spirits of eminence to accompany him to ,mrs4 ,gourlay's this morning1 7,august #d1 #ahee47 ,this gave me an opportunity to read ,lanning's letter1 the address which ,i received through him as above represented1 and my reply4 ,in return ,i received the subjoined communication4 ,communication from an assembly of eminent spirits1 sanctioning the credentials transmitted through the mediumship of ,mr4 ,lanning4 ,,august #d1 #ahee4 ,respected ,friend3 ,we cheerfully accompany your father to sanction the communication given through our medium1 ,mr4 ,lanning1 to yourself4 ,my friend1 we have sought media in various localities through whom to accredit you as our minister to earth's inhabitants1 but owing to unfavourable conditions1 we have1 in most instances1 failed4 ,we perceive with pleasure that your heart is fully imbued with the importance of your holy mission4 ,it needs no fulsome flattery from us to incite you to action4 ,a principle of right and truth pervades all your movements in this spiritual campaign4 ,we truly style it a campaign1 since you are battling fearlessly against ,error1 that hydra-headed monster who has slain his millions and tens of millions4 ,we have looked forward to the publication of facts involved through your experimental investigations with interest4 ,the communication above referred to was given by one who stood high in the estimation of the people of our great republic2 but1 for personal reasons1 he wishes to withhold his name4 ,be it known to all who may read these credentials1 that we sanction them1 and authorize our names to be affixed thereunto4 ,,geo4 ,,washington1 ,j4 ,q4 ,,adams1 ,,dr4 ,,chalmers1 ,,oberlin1 ,w4 ,e4 ,,channing1 and others4 ,postscript by the author4 ,it is a well-known saying that there is 8but one step between the sublime and the ridiculous40 ,this idea was never verified more fully than in the position ,i find myself now occupying1 accordingly as those by whom that position is viewed may consider the manifestations which have given rise to it in the light wherein they are now viewed by me1 or as they were two years ago viewed by myself1 and are now seen by the great majority of my estimable contemporaries4 ,i sincerely believe that ,i have communicated with the spirits of my parents1 sister1 brother1 and dearest friends1 and likewise with the spirits of the illustrious ,washington and other worthies of the spirit world2 that ,i am by them commissioned1 under their auspices1 to teach truth and to expose error4 ,this admitted1 ,i may be reasonably inspired with the sentiment authorized in the preceding credentials1 that ,i hold my office to be greatly preferable to that of any mundane appointment1 and for the reasons above given in those credentials4 ,but how vast is the difference between this estimate and that which must ascribe these impressions to hallucination6 my position being that of a dupe or fanatic4 ,yet there can be no man of real integrity and good sense1 unimpaired by educational bigotry1 who will not respect sincere devotion to the cause of piety1 truth1 and human welfare1 here and hereafter1 however displayed4 ,hence1 although the foregoing prefatory pages should have no other influence1 they may operate to show my own deep conviction of the righteousness of my course1 founded1 as ,i believe it to have been1 on the most precise1 laborious1 experimental inquiry1 and built up under the guidance of my sainted father1 as well as under the auspices of ,washington and other worthy immortals4 ,those who shall give a careful perusal to the following work will find that there has been some 8method in my madness20 and that1 if ,i am a victim to an intellectual epidemic1 my mental constitution did not yield at once to the miasma4 ,but let not the reader too readily 8lay the flattering unction to his soul0 that 'tis my hallucination that is to be impugned1 not his ignorance of facts and his educational errors4 ,the sanction of the spirits1 as above given1 was obtained under test conditions2 so that it was utterly out of the power of any mortal to pervert the result from being a pure emanation from the spirits whose names are above given4 ,it ought to be understood that the sanction given by the spirits whose names are attached to the preceding certificate1 was obtained under test conditions1 as explained in paragraph bb41 dd41 in the description of ,plate iv4 ,moreover1 ,i placed my hand on the instrument illustrated by ,fig4 #b in same plate1 so as to question the spirits directly as to the reliability of the affirmation1 previously given to me1 and the fidelity of the medium generally4 ,in both cases the index moved so as to give an affirmative reply4 ,,supplemental ,,preface4 ,the most precise and laborious experiments which ,i have made in my investigation of ,spiritualism1 have been assailed by the most disparaging suggestions1 as respects my capacity to avoid being the dupe of any medium employed4 ,had my conclusions been of the opposite kind1 how much fulsome exaggeration had there been1 founded on my experience as an investigator of science for more than half a century6 ,and now1 in a case when my own direct evidence is adduced1 the most ridiculous surmises as to my probable oversight or indiscretion are suggested1 as the means of escape from the only fair conclusion4 ,having despatched a spirit friend from ,cape ,island1 at one o'clock on the third of ,july1 to request ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 in ,philadelphia1 to send her husband to the bank to make an inquiry1 and to report the result to me at half-past #c o'clock1 the report was made to me as desired4 ,the subject was not mentioned until after my return to ,philadelphia1 when1 being at the residence of ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 ,i inquired of her1 whether she had received any message from me during my absence8 ,in reply1 it was stated that while a communication from her spirit mother was being made to her brother1 who was present1 my spirit messenger interrupted it to request her to send her husband to the bank to make the desired inquiry3 that1 in consequence1 the application was made at the bank4 ,the note-clerk recollected the application to him1 but appeared to have considered it as too irregular to merit much attention4 ,hence the impression received by the applicants1 and communicated to me1 was not correct4 ,but as it did not accord with that existing in my memory1 it could not have been learned from ,,my mind4 ,wishing to make this transaction a test1 ,i was particularly careful to manage so that ,i might honourably insist upon it as a test2 and1 until ,i learned the fact from ,mrs4 ,gourlay and from the note-clerk that the inquiry was made1 it did not amount to a test manifestation4 ,but1 if ,i had been ever so indiscreet1 would it not be absurd to imagine a conspiracy between any person at ,cape ,island with ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 her brother1 and the note-clerk at the bank1 to deceive me on my return by concurrent falsehoods8 ,i submit these facts to the public1 as proving that there must have been an invisible1 intelligent being with whom ,i communicated at ,cape ,island1 who1 bearing my message to this city1 communicated it to ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 so as to induce the application at the bank4 ,otherwise1 what imaginable cause could have produced the result1 especially within the time occupied--of two and a half hours8 ,the existence of spirit agency being thus demonstrated1 ,i am justified in solemnly calling on my contemporaries to give credence to the important information which ,i have received from spirits1 respecting the destiny of the human soul after death4 ,they may be assured that every other object of consideration sinks into insignificance in comparison with this information and the bearing it must have upon morals1 religion and politics1 whenever it can be known and be believed by society in general1 as it is by me4 ,,introduction4 ,as introductory to this work1 ,i shall make a few brief remarks on the following topics3-- ,objects of religion4--,diversity of opinion as to the means by which they have been attainable4--,every sect1 excepting one1 would vote against any one4--,consequent sentiments of the ,author as embodied in verse4--,reasons for his believing in the existence of a ,deity4--,american priesthood eminently honest and pious4--,if people who have obtained a belief in immortality by one route are better and happier therefor1 why object that others1 by another route1 should attain the same ends4--,the table1 no less than our firesides1 an object of interest4--,inconsistency of those who make their ,deity pass through all the stages of human existence1 from the embryo to maturity1 in objecting to the transient employment of tables4--,use of the tables soon laid aside in the manifestations to which the ,author has resorted4--,inconsistency of accusing ,spiritualists of undue incredulity as to scriptural miracles1 and of the opposite defect as respects spiritual manifestations4--,of certain savans who strain at spiritual gnats1 yet swallow scriptural camels4--,miracles of ,scripture1 if they ever occurred1 can never be repeated2 but the manifestations of ,spiritualism will be repeated with an improved and a multifarious efficiency4--,religion and positive or inductive science having1 under the guidance of devotion and atheism1 been made to travel in opposite directions1 are by ,spiritualism so associated as to travel together in the same direction4--,the atheist ,comte would dissolve the union between theology and science4--,according to ,comte1 where true science begins1 the domain of theology terminates1 being only a creature of the imagination4--,according to ,spiritualism1 it is the domain of ignorance that is lessened1 while theology1 founded on knowledge1 grows with its growth1 and strengthens with its strength4--,an effort to refute the idea of ,comte1 that the phenomena of the sidereal creation can be explained by gravitation2 which1 left to itself1 would consolidate all the matter in the universe into an inert lump4--,suggestions respecting the devil4--,arguments founded on ignorance4 #a4 ,on all sides ,i presume that it will be admitted that the great objects of religion are as follows3-- #b4 ,to furnish the best evidence of the existence of a ,supreme ,deity1 and of his attributes4 #c4 ,to convey a correct idea of our duty toward that ,deity and our fellow creatures4 #d4 ,to impart that knowledge of a state of existence beyond the grave which will be happier as we are more virtuous in this life1 and more miserable as we are more vicious2 this knowledge affording the best consolation amid temporal sufferings of the righteous1 and the strongest restraint upon the vicious indulgence of passion in the unrighteous4 #e4 ,finally1 by these means1 to promote morality and the happiness of man in this world1 and prepare him for a blissful position in the world to come4 #f4 ,it must result1 from these premises1 that whichever is most competent for the attainment of these all-important ends1 will be the best religion4 #g4 ,the above-mentioned postulates being generally admitted1 various recorded traditions1 pretended to have been derived from one or more deities1 have been advanced as best calculated to meet the requisitions in question4 ,each of the religious doctrines thus advanced is tenaciously defended by its appropriate priesthood4 ,if the opinions of the majority of these advocates of their respective revelations be taken as respects any creed excepting their own1 it will be denounced as originating in error or fraud4 ,the opinion being taken successively upon any one1 by all but those to whom it appertains1 each would be condemned4 #h4 ,it was under these impressions that the following verses were written1 more than forty years ago4 ,they have recently been published in a pamphlet on the better employment of the first day of the week4 ,they serve to show that my skepticism arose from my love of truth1 instead of that aversion from it1 ascribed to skeptics by many well-meaning bigots4 #i4 ,oh1 ,truth6 if man thy way could find1 ,not doomed to stray with error blind1 ,how much more kind his fate6 ,but wayward still1 he seeks his bane1 ,nor can of foul delusion gain ,a knowledge till too late4 ,by sad experience slowly shown1 ,thy way at times though plainly known1 ,too late repays his care2 ,while in thy garb dark ,error leads1 ,with best intent1 to evil deeds ,the bigot to ensnare4 ,is there a theme more highly fraught ,with matter for our serious thought ,than this reflection sad1 ,that millions err in different ways1 ,yet all their own impressions praise1 ,deeming all others bad8 ,to man it seems no standard's given1 ,no scale of ,truth hangs down from ,heaven ,opinion to assay2 ,yet called upon to act and think1 ,how are we then to shun the brink ,o'er which so many stray8 #aj4 ,how far ,i was a believer in ,god may be estimated from the following opinions1 which have appeared in the pamphlet wherein the foregoing verses were published3 ,on the ,evidence of the ,existence of a ,deity4 ,,by ,,the ,,author4 #aa4 ,,the existence of the universe is not more evident than that of the reasoning power by which it is controlled4 ,the evidence of profound and ingenious contrivance is more manifested the more we inquire4 ,yet the universe1 and the reason by which it has been contrived and is regulated1 are not one4 ,neither is the reason the universe1 nor is the universe the reason4 ,this governing reason1 therefore1 wherever1 or however it may exist1 is the main attribute of the ,deity1 whom we can only know and estimate by his works4 ,and surely they are sufficiently sublime1 beautiful1 magnificent1 and extensive to give the idea of a being who may be considered as infinite in comparison with man4 ,yet as the existence of evil displays either a deficiency of power1 or a deficiency of goodness1 ,i adopt the idea of a deficiency of power in preference4 #ab4 8,if10 as ,newton rationally infers1 8,god has no organs10 the person of man cannot be made after ,god's image1 since the human image is mostly made up by the human organs4 ,man has feet to walk1 arms to work with1 eyes for seeing1 ears for hearing1 a nose for smelling4 ,it were absurd to attribute such organs to ,god4 #ac4 ,it follows that while we have as much evidence of a ,deity as we have of our own1 we are utterly incapable of forming any idea of his form1 mode of existence1 or his wondrous power4 ,we are as sure of the immensity and ubiquity of his power as of the existence of the universe1 with which he must at least be coextensive and in separatelyassociated4 ,that his power must have always existed1 we are also certain2 since if nothing had ever prevailed1 there never could have been any thing3 out of nothing1 nothing can come4 #ad4 ,the universe1 no less than the ,deity1 must be eternal1 since if at any time1 however remote1 the ,deity existed without a universe1 there must have been an infinite antecedent period during which the divine power must have been nullified for want of objects for its exercise4 ,a ,deity so situated would be as a king without a kingdom to govern4 #ae4 ,i am under the impression that mind is at least as essential to the creation as matter4 ,it seems to me inconceivable that the various elementary atoms of the chemist could come into existence1 with their adaptation to produce the multiplicity of efficient combinations which they are capable of forming1 without having been modified by one mind4 ,the existence of adaptation1 ,i think1 proves the existence of mind4 ,but even were these atoms to possess inherently the adaptation which they manifest1 of what possible utility could be the variegated consequences thereof1 were there no minds to perceive1 appreciate1 or enjoy them4 ,the beauty of colour1 the music of sound1 the elegance of curves or angles1 could have no existence were there no perception of them2 since those attributes are in a great measure attached to objects by mind4 ,independently of mind1 music is mere aerial vibration1 colour mere superficial texture1 or intestinal arrangement producing undulatory waves variously polarized1 which are the proximate causes1 which would be sterile1 were there no mind to be actuated by them through appropriate organs4 #af4 ,could the universe exist without mind1 would not its existence be nugatory8 #ag4 ,the following allegations seem to me no less true than the axioms of ,euclid3 #ah4 ,no evil can endure which any being has both the power and desire to remove4 #ai4 ,any result must ensue which any being has both power and desire to accomplish4 #bj4 ,no rational being will strive by trial to ascertain that which he knows as well before as after trial4 #ba4 ,if ,god be both omnipotent and omniscient1 he can1 of course1 make his creatures exactly to suit his will and fancy1 and foresee how they will fulfil the end for which they are created4 ,wherefore then subject them to probation to discover traits which by the premises he must thoroughly foreknow4 #bb4 ,is it not more consistent with divine goodness to infer that we are placed in this life for progressive improvement1 and that there is no evil which can be avoided consistently with his enormous1 though not unlimited1 power8 #bc4 ,such an inference coincides with the communications recently received1 from the spirits of departed friends1 which it is the object of this publication to promulgate4 #bd4 ,unfortunately1 human opinion is very much influenced by passion and prejudice4 ,hence in questions respecting property1 we often find honest men differing as to what is just4 ,so when any creed is associated with the hope of enjoying by its tenure a better1 if not exclusive1 pretension to eternal happiness and the favour of ,god1 the sectarian by whom it may be held becomes honestly tenacious of its despotic supremacy over all others4 #be4 ,i have no doubt that a large portion of our ,american priesthood are sincere in the advocacy of the tenets respectively held by them4 ,among them ,i have known some of the best of men1 and ,i have generally found them more tolerant of skepticism than the majority of their followers4 ,it has not1 however1 been unfrequently urged by clergymen as a ground of adherence to ,christianity1 that without it1 there is no authentic evidence of a future state of existence4 ,i have seen an argument from an able and respectable ,christian writer1 urging that there is no refuge for the mass of mankind to be found in pure deism1 unaccompanied by any specific evidence of a future state4 #bf4 ,under these circumstances should ,spiritualism afford such a refuge to those who are utterly dissatisfied with the evidence of the truth of scriptural revelation1 it will certainly be a blessing to them2 and those who have heretofore found this essential comfort in one way1 ought not to object should their neighbours find it in another way4 #bg4 ,an effort has been made to throw ridicule on spiritual manifestations1 on account of phenomena being effected by means of tables and other movable furniture2 but it should be recollected that1 when movements were to be effected1 resort to movable bodies was inevitable2 and as generally the proximity of media1 if not the contact1 was necessary to facilitate the movements1 there was no body so accessible as tables4 ,but these violent mechanical manifestations were always merely to draw attention2 just as a person will knock1 or even kick1 violently at a front door1 until some one looks out of a window to communicate with him4 ,the more violent manifestations ceased both at ,hydesville1 at ,rochester1 and at ,stratford in ,connecticut1 as soon as the alphabetic mode of communicating was employed4 ,i never have had any to take place during my intercourse with my spirit-friends1 unless as tests for unbelievers1 when intellectual communications could not be made4 ,it is more than fifteen months since ,i have resorted to instruments which have nothing in common with tables4 ,of these instruments1 engravings and descriptions will be found in this work4 #bh4 ,but is it not a great error to consider our tables as less sacred than our firesides8 ,could any appeal more thoroughly vibrate to the heart of civilized man than that of any invasion of his rights which should render his fireside liable to intrusion8 ,hence1 in the ,latin motto1 8,pro aris et focis10 the inviolability of the fireside is placed side by side with freedom of conscience4 ,but1 with the passing away of winter1 the interest in the fireside declines3 'tis changeable as the temperature of air4 ,it loses all its force in the tropics2 but1 throughout ,christendom1 the table still draws about it the inmates of every human dwelling1 at all seasons1 and in every kind of weather4 ,even when not excited by hunger1 we value the social meeting which takes place around it4 #bi4 ,at tables1 moreover1 conferences are held1 contracts and deeds signed1 and decrees1 statute-laws1 and ordinances are written4 ,treaties1 also1 are made at tables1 on which not the fate of individuals merely1 but of nations1 depends4 #cj4 ,is the renown of the 8knights of the round table0 tarnished by their being only known in connection with the word in question8 ,is any director or trustee ashamed of being1 with his colleagues1 designated as a 8board80--a humble synonym for table4 #ca4 ,it was at a table the ,declaration of ,independence was signed2 and in ,trumbull's picture of its presentation to ,congress a table is made to occupy a conspicuous position4 ,our tables should be at least as much objects of our regard as the vicinity of our fireplace4 #cb4 ,the sarcasms founded on the use of the table in spiritual manifestations proceed1 inconsistently1 from those persons who would bring their deity through all the stages of human life4 #cc4 ,the human body of ,christ must have gone through all the stages from the embryo to maturity4 ,it was worshipped in a manger1 and lived thirty years in obscurity and inaction4 ,why all this delay1 when the angel1 armed with the power of ,god1 might have addressed ,herod1 the ,roman emperor1 and every other potentate on earth in a single year8 ,the ,almighty softening their hearts1 as he hardened that of ,pharaoh1 the conversion of mankind had been the inevitable consequence4 #cd4 ,alluding to his second advent1 ,christ used these words3--8,they shall see the ,son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory40 ,mark xiii4 #bf4 ,wherefore did not his first coming take place in this conspicuous1 glorious1 and unquestionable manner8 #ce4 ,it is often inquired1 ,wherefore were not these efforts to communicate with mankind at an earlier period of the world's duration8 but it may be demanded in return1 ,wherefore did not ,christ come until the earth had been peopled1 even according to ,scripture1 about four thousand years8 #cf4 ,why was not the use of the compass1 of gunpowder1 printing1 the steam-engine1 steamboat1 railway1 telegraph1 daguerreotyping1 electrotyping1 contrived earlier in this terrestrial sphere8 ,let orthodoxy take the beam out of its own eye first4 #cg4 ,had ,christ taught these arts1 they would not only have had a more general influence during the era of their accomplishment1 but have left a durable and irrefragable proof of a towering mental superiority4 ,as they would have gone into use1 there could have been no question as to their accomplishment2 so that every intelligent being might have become intuitively cognizant of their wonderful results4 #ch4 ,the invention of gunpowder1 the telegraph1 and the mariner's compass might have been the means of preventing the inroads of the ,goths and ,vandals1 and1 subsequently1 the success of the ,mohammedans2 since the ,arabians would hardly have availed themselves of these inventions at the time the ,mohammedan conquests were commenced4 #ci4 ,how important would have been the art of printing to the promulgation of a correct knowledge of the revelation which was the alleged object of ,christ's mission6 #dj4 ,of those who believe in revelation1 it may be inquired1 ,why the ,hebrews were preferred1 as the receivers of divine inspiration1 to the more civilized ,greeks1 ,romans1 ,hindoos1 or ,chinese8 ,if revelation was requisite to one nation1 was it not equally necessary to all8 #da4 ,wherefore1 after ,christ had undergone crucifixion in order to make people ,christians1 should ,mohammed have been allowed to massacre or enslave them for being ,christians8 #db4 ,there is even now great difficulty in effecting those intercommunications with spirits in this country of universal legal tolerance4 ,i say legal1 since there is1 as ,owen alleged1 8too much ,christian despotism of another kind40 #dc4 ,almost every editor is1 more or less1 a censor to the press1 and a peon of popularity4 ,the tendency is not to repress1 but to gratify1 and1 of course1 promote existing bigotry4 ,this bigotry and its ,siamese brother1 intolerance1 have1 in all countries and ages1 been exercising a mischievous1 though often a well-intended1 vigilance1 over any innovation of a nature to emancipate the human mind from educational error2 and1 whenever supported by temporal power1 has resorted to persecution--even to the use of the sword1 of the rack1 or the fagot2 and1 in this country of boasted freedom and much-vaunted liberty of the press1 shows its baleful power by defamation1 or alleging disqualification for employment1 wherever its influence can be exerted4 #dd4 ,a conspicuous printer in this city refused to print an edition of my recent pamphlet1 as he would allow nothing to go through his press which was against the ,bible4 ,this shows how far fanaticism will go1 even at this advanced era of science and in this country of vaunted intellectual freedom4 #de4 ,two hundred years ago1 ,spiritualism would have been as much persecuted as witchcraft4 #df4 ,in reprobation of unbelief in the scriptural proofs of immortality1 it has been usual for self-complacent believers to urge that the 8wish was father to the thought20 that a sincere desire to perceive the truth could not exist without conviction2 but the opposite must have been the prevailing weakness among unbelievers in ,scripture who have become spiritualists1 if they are now over-credulous in admitting the evidence on which ,spiritualism is founded4 #dg4 ,i declare solemnly1 that ,i always was intensely anxious to know the truth2 that although1 theoretically1 ,i doubted the possibility of changing the course of things by prayer1 yet ,i did often lift my thoughts up to ,god1 imploring that some light might be given to me4 ,of course1 as soon as the facts admitted of no other explanation than that my father1 sister1 brother1 and other spirit friends1 had been engaged in efforts to convince me of their existence1 and of that of the spirit world1 the most intense desire arose to verify the facts tending to settle the all-important question1 whether man is immortal4 #dh4 ,if the evidence of the truth of revelation were as adequate as represented by its votaries1 my conscientious inability to believe in it would indicate an undue constitutional skepticism2 whence ,i required more proof than the great mass of ,christians1 in order to produce credence4 ,yet1 now having found the evidence of immortality in the case of ,spiritualism satisfactory1 it cannot be urged that my hesitation respecting the evidence of revelation arose from any unwillingness to believe in a future state1 or unreasonableness as to the evidence requisite to justify belief4 ,manifestly1 it would be inconsistent to accuse me of disbelieving in the one case from undue1 hard-hearted incredulity1 and yet1 in the other1 yielding from the opposite characteristics4 #di4 ,fundamentally1 my reasons for not believing in revelation have been1 that it violates certain axioms above stated1 7#ah17 which have been as clear to my mind as those collated by ,euclid4 #ej4 ,it may be shown that the existing system fails to give any evidence which can be subjected to the intuition of each generation successively4 ,it rests on the alleged intuition of human beings who existed ages ago1 and of whom we know nothing but what they say of themselves through history or recorded tradition4 ,it reposes entirely on the testimony of propagandists1 who were interested to give it importance1 or on partial human narrators or compilers4 ,it has been erected on a species of hearsay evidence1 inadmissible in courts of justice4 ,this species of testimony in the case of ,spiritualism is contemptuously set aside4 ,no one will believe in manifestations unless intuitively observed4 ,wherefore this faith in ancient witnesses1 this skepticism of those of our own times1 even when they are known to be truthful8 #ea4 ,on my stating to a distinguished savan a fact which has been essentially verified since in more than a hundred instances1 his reply was--,i would believe you as soon as any man in the world1 yet ,i cannot believe what you mention4 ,he suggested the idea of its being an epidemic1 with which ,i was of course infected2 nevertheless1 that savan1 as a professing ,christian1 admitted facts vastly more incredible1 depending on the alleged intuition of witnesses who lived two thousand years ago1 nearly4 ,this1 doubtless1 was the consequence of educational bigotry1 which would have caused a belief in the miracles of any other religion in which he should have been brought up4 #eb4 ,such persons strain at the gnats of ,spiritualism1 yet swallow the camels of ,scripture4 #ec4 ,in like manner an ,eastern sovereign treated a ,dutch ambassador as deranged1 because he alleged that bodies of water1 in his country1 were capable of solidification1 so as to support people on the surface4 #ed4 ,but if this skepticism is shown with respect to observers of our day1 how can it be expected that it should not be displayed toward observers of antiquity8 #ee4 ,spiritualism will in this respect have a great advantage1 as it will always be supported by the intuition of its actual votaries4 ,it will not rest on bygone miracles1 never to be repeated1 if they ever occurred1 but will rest upon an intercourse with the spirit world which will grow and improve with time4 #ef4 ,one of the pre-eminent blessings resulting from this new philosophy will be its bringing religion within the scope of positive science4 ,this word positive is employed by the learned atheist ,comte to designate science founded on observation and experiment4 ,it will give the quietus to the cold1 cheerless view of our being's end and aim presented in his work4 #eg4 ,professor ,nichol endeavoured1 in the following way1 to comfort his ,christian auditors against the apparent incompatibility of the phenomena of the sidereal creation with the language of ,scripture3 ,having drawn two lines from the same point1 making a right angle1 the learned lecturer said1 ,suppose ,a sets out and pursues one of these routes1 ,b pursues the other1 and both arrive at certain truths2 although these results should not seem to have any thing to do with each other2 yet1 said he1 if they be truths1 they must come together eventually2 they cannot always travel away from each other4 ,but if any person find that1 agreeably to all his experience1 the results thus attained1 tend to greater and greater remoteness and inconsistency1 there would be little comfort found in the idea of a possible ultimate approximation4 #eh4 ,it is upon this actual fundamental discordancy between scriptural impressions1 and the truths ascertained by experimental and intuitive investigation1 that ,comte builds his inference that theology is to be entirely abandoned4 ,but very different is the position of ,spiritualism relative to positive science4 ,it starts from the same basis of intuition and induction from facts4 ,it does not controvert any of the results of positive science within the ponderable material creation1 to which the results contemplated by ,comte belong4 ,it superadds new facts respecting the spirit world1 which had so entirely escaped the researches of materialists1 that they entertain the highest incredulity merely upon negative grounds1--merely because the facts in question have not taken place within the experience of those who have investigated the laws of ponderable matter and one or two imponderable principles associated therewith4 #ei4 ,such was the ground of my incredulity2 which1 however1 vanished before intuitive demonstration4 #fj4 ,it is admitted by ,comte that we know nothing of the sources or causes of nature's laws2 that their origination is so perfectly inscrutable1 as to make it idle to take up time in any scrutiny for that purpose4 ,he treats the resort to the ,deity as the cause1 as a mere abstraction tending to comfort the human mind before it has become acquainted with true science1 and doomed to be laid aside with the advance of positive science4 #fa4 ,of course his doctrine makes him avowedly a thorough ignoramus as to the causes of laws1 or the means by which they were established1 and can have no other basis but the negative argument above stated1 in objecting to the facts ascertained in relation to the spiritual creation4 ,hence when the spirits allege that by their volition they can neutralize gravity1 or vis inerti1#d there is nothing in positive science to confute this4 ,the inability of material beings to neutralize gravitation by their powers is no proof that spiritual beings cannot effect this change4 #fb4 ,thus while allowing the atheist his material dominion1 ,spiritualism will erect within and above the same space a dominion of an importance as much greater as eternity is to the average duration of human life1 and as the boundless regions of the fixed stars are to the habitable area of this globe4 #fc4 ,but although ,comte be a man of great learning1 his fundamental opinions appear to be faulty1 and his distribution of the operations of the mind imaginary4 #fd4 ,in treating of gravitation as the primary law1 does he not commit a blunder8 ,is not vis inerti above indispensable to gravitation1 since it may be conceived to exist without gravitation1 while gravitation cannot exist without vis inerti8 #fe4 ,the power of a body ,a to draw ,b toward it can never exceed that which is necessary to put it into motion1 which must be directly as its vis inerti2 and where the one is null1 the other must be null4 #ff4 ,i cannot imagine how any philosopher so learned as ,comte should not perceive the reduction of the phenomena of the universe to 8different aspects0 of the one faculty of gravitation to be utterly impossible4 ,in the first place1 it has been shown that gravitation could not be the basis of vis inerti1 without which it cannot exist2 and in the next place1 gravitation has always1 at any given point of time1 its possible influence limited to the power of making a body move toward an appropriate centre of gravity1 and afterward remain forever at rest1 unless affected by some extraneous cause4 #fg4 ,it is alleged also that the phenomena of the universe are explained by gravitation4 ,i here quote his own words3 #fh4 8,our business is--seeing how vain is any research into what are called causes1 whether first or final--to pursue an accurate discovery of these laws1 with a view to reducing them to the smallest possible number40 #fi4 ,how is it possible1 ,i demand1 to reduce the orbitual motion of a planet to fewer causes than vis inerti1 motion1 and gravitation8 ,vis inerti and motion are necessary to momentum2 and momentum thus arising1 acting in a tangential direction to that of gravitation1 is indispensable to form1 with the force of gravity1 the resultant which constitutes the orbitual curve4 #gj4 ,yet from subsequent language in the same paragraph1 the idea is suggested of reducing planetary motions to one cause1 gravitation6 ,this will be perceived from his language1 subjoined as follows3 #ga4 8,the best illustration of this is in the case of the doctrine of gravitation4 ,we say that the general phenomena of the universe are explained by it1 because it connects1 under one head1 the whole immense variety of astronomical facts1 exhibiting the constant tendency of atoms toward each other in direct proportion to their masses1 and in inverse proportion to the squares of their distance40 #gb4 ,how can the revolution of a single planet about the sun be explained without the centrifugal or tangential force due to momentum8 ,were not gravitation resisted by the projectile velocity constituted by motion and vis inerti1 would not all the planets fall into their suns1 respectively8 #gc4 ,are there not three essential elements in such orbitual movements1--vis inerti1 motion1 and gravitation8 ,are not these as necessary to an orbit as three sides are to a triangle8 and is it not as great an error to suppose that such movements can continue by the agency of one of them1 as to make one right line serve to enclose a superficies8 #gd4 ,between two philosophers1 both equally learned with ,comte1 one may be1 like him1 an atheist1 the other1 like ,newton1 a believer in ,god2 and yet1 as respects the whole range of positive science1 would there be any clashing8 ,they would attribute every thing to the same laws1 whether these should be ascribed to a deity or not4 ,the origin of the laws recognised by both would1 by one1 be ascribed to an inscrutable ,god2 by the other1 to inscrutability without a ,god4 #ge4 ,because the movements of the heavenly bodies are ascribed to the three elements above mentioned1--an unknown source of projectile force1 vis inerti1 by which that force is perpetuated1 and gravitation1 by which it is modified into elliptical1 orbitual revolution1 operating as laws governing planetary movement1--it does not make the astronomer who adopts this conception less of a theologian2 it only makes him a more enlightened theologian4 ,we ascribe less to the special interference of the ,creator in proportion as our knowledge enables us to perceive results attained by general laws4 ,this1 ,comte conceives1 causes theists to be less theological1 and to lessen what he seems to view as the domain which theology is allowed to have4 ,but is it not more correct to assume that it is only the domain of ignorance which grows less1 while that of theology becomes simpler and more correct1 but not less extensive8 ,it is not that less is ascribed to ,god1 but that the aggregate is more intelligently ascribed as the laws through which his agency is recognised are fewer4 #gf4 ,newton assumed inertia1 gravitation1 and motion as the foundation of his philosophy2 but attributed these fundamental properties1 or states of matter1 to the will of that governing mind of which he held the existence to be as evident as that of the matter governed4 ,comte does not consider that there is any positive proof of the existence of such a ruling mind1 and does not1 therefore1 find it necessary to admit the existence of a ,deity4 ,thus1 the states or properties above mentioned are1 with ,newton1 proximate1 with ,comte1 ultimate1 causes4 ,hence1 when we arrive at the foundation of the ,newtonian doctrine1 we cannot go deeper without admitting the existence of a ,god4 ,without this admission1 we involve ourselves in the irremediable darkness of atheism4 #gg4 ,in this respect1 ,i have always been a follower of ,newton4 ,evidently1 both the governing reason and the creation which it rules must have existed from eternity2 since1 if nothing ever existed exclusively1 it must have forever endured1 and there never could have been any thing4 ,so1 if there ever had been no mind1 there never could have been any mind4 #gh4 ,the human mind1 says ,comte1 by its nature employs1 in its progress1 three methods of philosophizing1--the theological1 the metaphysical1 and the positive1 differing essentially from each other1 and even radically opposed4 ,hence1 he assumes the successive existence of three modes of contemplating the aggregate phenomena of the universe1 any one of which excludes the others4 ,the first1 8is the point of departure of the human understanding2 the third1 its ultimate1 fixed1 definite state2 the second1 merely a state of transition from the first to the third40 #gi4 ,it seems to be assumed that the intellectual progress of the human mind must necessarily be through these three stages4 ,moreover1 it is suggested that each individual1 in reviewing the progression of his mind from childhood to mature age1 will perceive that he was a theologian in his childhood1 a metaphysician in his youth1 and a natural philosopher in his manhood4 ,if this did not come from a distinguished philosopher1 ,i should pronounce it ridiculous4 ,if allowed to be so egotistical1 ,i must say that ,i am not aware that ,i went through these stages in the different periods of my life4 #hj4 ,studying metaphysical works as a part of my education1 ,i took great interest in the theory of moral sentiments1 and published essays on topics of that nature in the 8,portfolio20 but previously1 ,i wrote my 8,memoir on the ,blowpipe40 ,in #ahaj1 my 8,brief ,view of the ,policy and ,resources of the ,united ,states0 was published1 in which it was first truly advanced that credit is money4 #ha4 ,subsequently1 more than a hundred publications were made by me1 for the most part on chemistry and electricity1 yet always intermingled with political1 moral1 and financial essays4 #hb4 ,i am now1 more than ever1 a theologian2 and my first publications touching that subject date after the attainment of threescore and ten4 #hc4 ,but theology and religion were subjects always near to my heart2 and were accompanied by the pain arising from the discordancy of my opinions with those entertained by much-loved relatives and friends4 #hd4 ,i do not understand how any man of common sense can conceive that theological1 metaphysical1 or experimental science can be the separate object of contemplation2 or that the share that either may occupy at any age1 to the exclusion of the others1 will not depend on exterior contingencies4 #he4 ,i became a believer in ,god solely from my intuitive perception of the existence of a governing reason4 ,of course1 all things were to be ascribed to that reason ultimately1 but proximately to the very laws which this author considers as the object or basis of positive science4 #hf4 ,he holds that our inquiries should be bounded by the inscrutability of the well-ascertained physical properties and laws of matter4 ,coinciding1 practically1 with ,comte until lately1 ,i held that inquiry should be bounded by the inscrutability of the ,divine ,lawgiver1 to whom these laws owed existence4 ,but ,spiritualism has opened an avenue to inquiry beyond the boundary thus practically admitted no less by myself than by ,comte4 ,other inscrutable laws and phenomena have to be recognised within a region for the existence of which ,comte1 in denying spiritual agency1 allows no room4 #hg4 ,though1 practically1 this field of inquiry was shut out from me as well as from ,comte1 theoretically1 it was not excluded by my philosophy4 ,although in ascribing the universe to mind1 the unity of its design and harmony of its phenomena led to the inference that it must be due to one supreme mind1 there was still room for the coexistence of any number of degrees of subordinate mental agency1 between that supreme mind and man4 #hh4 ,beside those antagonists to ,spiritualism1 who would set aside the evidence of persons living at the present time and who are known to be truthful1 by the evidence of others who lived some thousand years since1 spiritualists are assailed by such as admit their facts1 but explain them differently4 ,thus the ,roman ,catholic ,church has admitted the manifestations to indicate an invisible physical and rational power which cannot be attributed to human agency4 ,but instead of ascribing them to spirits1 good or bad1 of mortals who have passed the portal of death1 they consider them the work of ,old ,nick4 #hi4 ,if this personage ever did influence the acts of any sect1 manifestly it must have been in those instances in which alleged religious error has been made the ground for persecution1 from the time of the extirpation and spoliation of the ,midianites1 ,canaanites1 and others1 down to that of the extirpation of the ,albigenses1 the auto da f1 inquisition1 massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 fires of ,smithfield1 roasting of ,servetus1 and the persecution of the ,quakers and witches4 #ij4 ,so far as the devil is only an imaginary embodiment of the evil passions of men1 as conceived by many enlightened ,christians1 no doubt those and many other analagous acts were due to the devil2 but when the benevolent language of the spirits respecting sinners is contrasted with the cruel doctrine of the church in question1 as well as by others1 it can hardly be conceived that this language comes from ,satan1 and that of the churches from the 8benevolent0 ,jesus ,christ4 #ia4 ,the following verses1 which have already appeared in my letter to the ,episcopal clergy1 express the sentiments of the spirits--every soul having the privilege of reforming1 and rising proportionally to the improvement thus obtained3 #ib4 ,however late1 as holy angels teach1 ,souls now in ,hades1 bliss in ,heaven may reach4 ,all whose conduct has been mainly right1 ,with lightning speed may gain that blissful height2 ,while those who selfish1 sensual ends pursue1 ,for ages may their vicious conduct rue1 ,doom'd in some low and loathsome plane to dwell1 ,made through remorse and shame the sinner's hell2 ,yet through contrition and a change of mind1 ,the means of rising may each sinner find4 ,the higher spirits their assistance give1 ,teaching the contrite how for heaven to live4 #ic4 ,let these lines be contrasted with those which are given in the work on ,heaven of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,harbaugh--a most excellent orthodox clergyman of the ,german ,reformed ,church--which are as follows3 #id4 8,but the wicked8 alas6 for him at that awful moment6 ,oh6 my soul1 come not thou into the secret of his sorrows4 8,how shocking must thy summons be1 ,o death6 ,to him4-- ,in that dread moment1 how the frantic soul ,raves round the walls of her clay tenement2 ,runs to each avenue1 and shrieks for help2 ,but shrieks in vain6 ,how wishfully she looks ,on all she's leaving1 now no longer hers6 ,a little longer2 yet a little longer2 ,oh6 might she stay to wash away her stains2 ,and fit her for her passage6 ,mournful sight6 ,her very eyes weep blood1 and every groan ,she heaves is big with horror4 ,but the foe1 ,like a stanch murderer1 steady to his purpose1 ,pursues her close1 through every lane of life1 ,nor misses once the track2 but presses on1 ,till forced at last to the tremendous verge1 ,at once she sinks to everlasting ruin40 #ie4 ,but ,i conceive that the existence of a devil is irreconcilable with all goodness and omnipotency2 and that1 were a devil created by ,god1 the ,creator would be answerable for all the acts of the being so created4 ,evidently1 the devil could be nothing else but what omnipotence should make him1 and could do nothing but what prescience would foresee4 ,the acts of the devil would therefore be indirectly those of his maker4 #if4 ,i would inquire of those who rely on the ,bible as the source of their opinions1 how it happens that ,moses makes no allusion to ,satan as an agent in the events of which he is the narrator8 #ig4 ,though ,milton represents that malevolent being as taking the form of the serpent1 ,moses1 far from sanctioning that idea1 makes not only the individual snake1 but the whole genus forever amenable for the part performed4 #ih4 ,in his description of hell1 ,josephus represents an archangel as the janitor1 which is quite inconsistent with ,satan's being the jailor4 ,is it conceivable that an archangel should be doorkeeper to the devil8 #ii4 ,moreover1 in stating the reasons why the doom of the rich man 7broiling to eternity7 was irremediable1 no allusion is made to the satanic despot whose inexorable malevolence would have had to be counteracted4 #ajj4 ,it would seem to be an axiom1 that whenever any event does not take place1 it must be because there is no being who has at once the power and the wish to cause it to happen2 and when any event does ensue1 there can exist no being having at once the power and wish to prevent it from happening4 ,moreover1 consistently1 no agent can exist whose destruction is desired by another being1 who1 having the right1 is competent by mere volition to destroy that agent4 #aja4 ,it follows1 that if there actually does exist any being1 such as is designated by the words ,devil1 ,satan1 ,beelzebub1 to treat him as the creature of ,god1 would be inconsistent either with the attribute of all goodness or of omnipotence4 #ajb4 ,can any act be more devilish than that of creating a devil8 ,would it not be blasphemous to ascribe to a beneficent ,deity a measure so truly diabolical8 ,it has been said that the devil is a necessary agent in ,god's providence4 ,how necessary1 if ,god be omnipotent8 #ajc4 ,does not the necessity of employing a bad agent involve inability to create a good agent8 #ajd4 ,the evils which exist in the creation may1 to a great extent1 be explained by an inevitable limitation of power4 ,thus1 probably1 there could be no virtue were there no vice2 no pleasure1 were there no pain4 ,ecstasy might become painful by unlimited endurance4 #aje4 ,without appetites and passions1 an animal would be reduced to the state of a vegetable1 which lives without perception4 #ajf4 ,the language held by certain sectarians on such subjects1 seems to me often contradictory of the idea they strive to enforce4 ,thus they represent that our sorrows and our pangs are intended for our amendment1 or designed to prevent some greater evil here or hereafter2 but what can justify a painful remedy1 if there be power to adopt one which1 while equally efficacious1 would be painless8 #ajg4 ,god is1 on one side1 represented as the cause of all the circumstances under which we exist2 yet1 on the other1 is under the necessity of afflicting us in order to remove or to remedy them6 ,if possessing both ability and disposition to reform us without causing us to suffer1 could suffering be inflicted consistently with all goodness8 #ajh4 ,of a most excellent ,roman ,catholic ,i inquired whether it was not held by their church that a belief in their tenets was necessary to salvation8 ,the reply was in the affirmative4 ,and yet1 said ,i1 of all who do believe1 only those can be saved who do their ,master's will1--who add good works to an orthodox creed8 ,the reply was again affirmative4 ,of all mankind1 then1 there is but a very small number1 comparatively1 who are not1 according to the creed in question1 to go to hell8 ,again ,i received an affirmative reply4 ,i would then 7,i rejoined7 when ,i die1 rather go into an eternal sleep1 than awake in heaven to find so many of my fellow-creatures in endless misery1 the mere knowledge of which would make heaven itself a hell to a good-hearted angel4 #aji4 ,another species of objection to the existence of spirits is1 that although movements of bodies are admitted to take place without any perceptible or conceivable mortal agency1 the existence of spirits as the cause is to be disbelieved1 because the observers have not been successful in getting replies such as they think would have been given were spirits the source4 #aaj4 ,thus a very distinguished physician1 ,dr4 ,bell1 has alleged that nothing has in his investigations been communicated which was not previously in the mind of one or more mortals present4 ,this is one of the instances in which the assailant of ,spiritualism founds his argument in his error4 ,it is an argument which has no other basis than inaccurate information1 because ,i am enabled to disprove the truth of the conclusion on which the inference is founded4 #aaa4 ,nevertheless1 ,i am not surprised that an inference should have been made1 which holds good as respects certain spirits or media1 though not others4 ,if a pack of cards be so cut that the card exposed cannot be seen by any mortal present1 it may be found that although certain spirits cannot describe the card1 unless seen by some person present1 yet other spirits can describe the card under these circumstances4 ,among my guardian spirits1 there are two who have repeatedly described the card exposed fortuitously by cutting a pack1 as in the process for determining trumps in a game of whist4 #aab4 ,since reading ,dr4 ,bell's remarks1 cards1 taken indiscriminately from a pack1 and laid down behind the medium and myself1 the denomination unseen by any mortal1 have been named correctly by one of the spirits alluded to1 although1 about the same time1 another eminent spirit could not name cards when similarly employed4 #aac4 ,agreeably to my experience in a multitude of cases1 spirits have reported themselves who were wholly unexpected1 and when others were expected4 ,when ,i was expecting my sister in ,boston1 my brother reported himself4 ,lately1 when expecting her1 ,cadwalader was spelt out1 being the name of an old friend1 who forthwith gave me a test1 proving his identity4 ,as this spirit had never visited my disk before1 ,i had not the smallest expectation of his coming4 #aad4 ,my spirit brother referred to a confidential conversation had with my brother ,powel1 in which the former was alluded to1 when nothing was farther from my mind than that he had been present as an invisible listener4 #aae4 ,i will now mention a fact of recent occurrence1 which completely refutes ,dr4 ,bell's inference3 ,being at ,cape ,may1 one of my guardian spirits was with me frequently4 #aaf4 ,on the #c;d instant1 at one o'clock ,a4 ,m41 ,i requested the faithful being in question to go to my friend ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 ,no4 #agh ,north ,tenth street1 ,philadelphia1 and request her to induce ,dr4 ,gourlay to go to the ,philadelphia ,bank to ascertain at what time a note would be due1 and that ,i would sit at the instrument at half-past three o'clock to receive the answer4 ,accordingly1 at that time1 my spirit friend manifested herself1 and gave me the result of the inquiry4 #aag4 ,on my return to the city1 ,i learned from ,mrs4 ,gourlay that my angelic messenger had interrupted a communication1 which was taking place through the spiritoscope1 in order to communicate my message1 and1 in consequence1 her husband and brother went to the bank1 and made the inquiry1 of which the result was that communicated to me at half-past three o'clock by my spirit friend4 #aah4 ,this differed from the impression which ,i had from memory1 and was not1 of course1 obtained from my mind4 ,and it is evident that the medium could not have known of my message until she was made to receive it4 #aai4 ,but independently of the inability to communicate ideas1 not pre-existing in the minds of mortals present1 which has been so erroneously inferred to exist by ,dr4 ,bell1 let this eminent physician suggest any conceivable explanation of the phenomena attested by him1 excepting that founded on the agency of spirits4 #abj4 ,and1 independently of any other proof1 the fact that one of my guardian spirits bore a message from me at ,cape ,may to ,mrs4 ,gourlay at ,philadelphia1 so as to induce her to do what was requested1 is evidently1 of itself1 inexplicable under any other view than that of a spirit having officiated4 #aba4 ,to conclude1 ,i hope that while ,spiritualism will give a quietus to atheism1 it will be found1 agreeably to the facts and reasoning presented in this book1 better sustained by evidence1 and to answer the great objects of religion1 as above stated1 vastly better than any other religious doctrine4 ,,theological ,,axioms4 ,is not the affirmative of any of these queries1 as evidently true as any of the axioms of ,euclid8 ,did not that thought from heaven proceed1 ,according ,god's mercy to every creed1 ,which however pagan1 howe'er untrue1 ,is meant to give our ,creator his due8 ,may not devotion to ,god be shown1 ,whether through ,christ or ,mohammed known8 ,whether men die in holy war1 ,or kneel to be crushed by ,juggernaut's car8 ,mankind would ,god in error leave1 ,yet penally for that error aggrieve4 ,did ,god a special creed require1 ,each soul would he not with that creed inspire8 ,can a glaring evil endure ,despite of the power and will to cure8 ,must not any event arrive ,for which both will and power strive8 ,will not any result obtain ,which power unites with will to gain8 ,if ,god can creatures make to suit his will1 ,foresee1 if they can1 his design fulfil2 ,wherefore to trial1 those creatures expose1 ,traits to discover1 which he thus foreknows8 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,b4 ,gourlay ,,intuitive ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits4 ,,narrative ,,of ,,the ,,author',s ,,experimental ,,investigation ,,of ,,spiritualism4 #abb4 ,,the first fruit of my attention to the phenomena of table turning1 was the following letter4 ,i trust ,i shall not be considered as self-complacent1 when ,i allege it to be an exemplification of wise ignorance1 which is about equivalent to folly4 ,the wisest man who speaks in ignorance1 speaks foolishly to the ears of those who perceive his ignorance4 ,the great mass of men of science appear in this light to spiritualists when they argue against ,spiritualism4 ,men who are only nominally ,know ,nothings have proved a formidable party in politics2 unfortunately1 ,spiritualism has1 in its most active opponents1 real ,know ,nothings1 who will not admit any fact of a spiritual origin1 unless such as they have been educated to believe4 ,in that case1 many have powers of intellectual deglutition rivalling those of the anaconda in the physical way4#e ,letter in reply to an ,inquiry respecting the influence of ,electricity in ,table ,turning4 ,,philadelphia1 ,july #bg1 #ahec4 #abc4 8,dear ,sir3 ,i am of opinion that it is utterly impossible for six or eight1 or any number of persons1 seated around a table1 to produce an electric current4 ,moreover1 ,i am confident that if by any adequate means an electrical current were created1 however forcible1 it could not be productive of table turning4 ,a dry wooden table is almost a non-conductor1 but if forming a link necessary to complete a circuit between the sky and earth1 it might possibly be shattered by a stroke of lightning2 but if the power of all the galvanic apparatus ever made was to be collected in one current1 there would be no power to move or otherwise affect such a table4 #abd4 8,frictional electricity1 such as produced by electric machines1 must first be accumulated and then discharged1 in order to produce any striking effect4 ,it is in transitu that its power is seen and felt4 #abe4 8,insulated conductors1 whether inanimate1 or in the form of animals1 may be electrified by the most powerful means1 without being injured or seriously incommoded4 ,before a spark of lightning passes1 every object on the terrestrial surface1 for a great distance around1 is subjected to a portion of the requisite previous accumulation4 ,yet it is only those objects which are made the medium of discharge that are sensibly affected4 #abf4 8,powerful galvanic accumulation can only be produced by those appropriate arrangements which concentrate upon a comparatively small filament of particles their peculiar polarizing power2 but nothing seems to me more inconsistent with experience than to suppose a table moved by any possible form or mode of galvanic reaction4 ,it was ascertained by ,gaziot that one of the most powerful galvanic batteries ever made could not give a spark before contact to a conductor presented to it1 at the smallest distance which could be made by a delicate micrometer4 ,if there is any law which is pre-eminent for its invariability1 it is1 that inanimate matter cannot1 per se1 change its state as respects motion or rest4 ,were this law liable to any variation1 we should be proportionably liable to perish2 since in that case the revolutions and rotations of our planet and its satellite might undergo perturbations by which the ocean might inundate the land1 or the too great proximity or remoteness of the sun cause us to be scorched or frozen4 ,if the globe did not carry the ,pacific more steadily than the most competent person could carry a basin of water1 we should be drowned by the overflow of the land4 ,i recommend to your attention1 and that of others interested in this hallucination1 ,faraday's observations and experiments1 recently published in some of our respectable newspapers4 ,i entirely concur in the conclusions of that distinguished experimental expounder of ,nature's riddles4 ,,robert ,,hare40 #abg4 ,this publication drew forth the following remonstrance in the subjoined letter1 which does great credit to the correctness of the author's observation and sagacity4 ,it contributed1 together with a personal invitation from ,dr4 ,comstock to attend a circle1 to induce the investigation upon which ,i entered immediately afterward4 ,,southwick1 ,,mass41 ,nov4 #ag1 #ahec4 #abh4 8,dear ,sir3 ,i had the pleasure of a slight acquaintance with you1 something less than twenty years ago1 when ,i exhibited telescopes in ,philadelphia4 ,you will1 ,i trust1 excuse the liberty ,i take in writing to you now4 ,i have seen your letter to the ,philadelphia ,inquirer upon table moving4 ,i never believed it was caused by electricity or galvanism1 but is it not as likely to be these1 as muscular force8 ,you agree with ,professor ,faraday that the table is moved by the hands that are on it4 ,now ,i know1 as certainly as ,i can know any thing1 that this is not true in general1 if it is in any instance4 ,there is as much evidence that tables sometimes move without any person near them1 as that they sometimes move with hands on them4 ,i cannot in this case doubt the evidence of my senses4 ,i have seen tables move1 and heard tunes beat on them1 when no person was within several feet of them4 ,this fact is proof positive that the force or power is not muscular4 #abi4 8,if any further evidence was necessary to set aside ,professor ,faraday's explanation1 it is found in abundance in the great variety of other facts taking place through the country1 such as musical instruments being played upon without any hands touching them1 and a great variety of other heavy articles being moved without any visible cause4 ,if tables never moved except when hands were on them1 the case would be different2 but as they do move1 both with and without hands1 it is plain that the true cause remains yet to be discovered4 #acj4 8,i wish1 sir1 that you had leisure and opportunity to witness some other phases of this matter1 which seem not yet to have fallen under your notice1 and ,i think you would be satisfied that there is less #8hallucination' and #8self-deception' about it1 than you have imagined4 ,the intelligence connected with these movements has not been accounted for4 #aca4 8,if these things can be accounted for on scientific principles1 would it not be a great acquisition to science1 to discover what those principles are8 ,if1 however1 science cannot discover them1 the public are deeply interested in knowing the fact4 ,it is certainly of great importance that these strange things that are taking place everywhere should be explained4 ,it is affecting the churches seriously2 whether for good or for evil is uncertain until the truth is known4 ,no cause has yet been assigned that does not imply a greater absurdity than even to believe1 as many do1 that it is caused by spirits either good or bad1 or both4 #acb4 8,i have examined this matter for the last three years with as much carefulness as possible1 and am not satisfied4 ,if the force is not muscular1 as it is certain that it is not1 ,i wish science to try again4 8,yours1 respectfully1 ,,amasa ,,holcombe40 #acc4 ,it will be perceived that the letter alluded to by ,mr4 ,holcombe1 written in reply to some inquiries respecting my opinion of the cause of table turning1 was published in the ,philadelphia ,inquirer1 in ,july1 #ahec4 ,this letter will show that ,i was at that time utterly incredulous of any cause of the phenomena excepting unconscious muscular action on the part of the persons with whom the phenomena were associated4 ,the inferences of ,faraday1 tending to the same conclusion1 ,i thoroughly sanctioned4 #acd4 ,as no allusion to spirits as the cause had been made by this ,herculean investigator in the letter which drew forth mine1 they were not contemplated in my view of the subject4 ,had ,i ever heard spiritual agency assigned as a cause1 so great was my disbelief of any such agency1 that it would have made no impression on my memory4 #ace4 ,though present on several occasions when table turning was the subject of discussion1 it was not1 within my hearing1 attributed to spiritual agency4 ,in common with almost all educated persons of the nineteenth century1 ,i had been brought up deaf to any testimony which claimed assistance from supernatural causes1 such as ghosts1 magic1 or witchcraft4 #acf4 ,subsequently to my publication corroborating the inferences of ,faraday1 having1 in obedience to solicitations already cited1 consented to visit circles in which spiritual manifestations were alleged to be made1 ,i was conducted to a private house at which meetings for spiritual inquiry were occasionally held4 #acg4 ,seated at a table with half a dozen persons1 a hymn was sung with religious zeal and solemnity4 ,soon afterward tappings were distinctly heard as if made beneath and against the table1 which1 from the perfect stillness of every one of the party1 could not be attributed to any one among them4 ,apparently1 the sounds were such as could only be made with some hard instrument1 or with the ends of fingers aided by the nails4 #ach4 ,i learned that simple queries were answered by means of these manifestations2 one tap being considered as equivalent to a negative2 two1 to doubtful2 and three1 to an affirmative4 ,with the greatest apparent sincerity1 questions were put and answers taken and recorded1 as if all concerned considered them as coming from a rational though invisible agent4 #aci4 ,subsequently1 two media sat down at a small table1 7drawer removed17 which1 upon careful examination1 ,i found to present to my inspection nothing but the surface of a bare board1 on the under side as well as upon the upper4 ,yet the taps were heard as before1 seemingly against the table4 ,even assuming the people by whom ,i was surrounded1 to be capable of deception1 and the feat to be due to jugglery1 it was still inexplicable4 ,but manifestly ,i was in a company of worthy people1 who were themselves under a deception if these sounds did not proceed from spiritual agency4 #adj4 ,on a subsequent occasion1 at the same house1 ,i heard similar tapping on a partition between two parlours4 ,i opened the door between the parlours1 and passed to that adjoining the one in which ,i had been sitting4 ,nothing could be seen which could account for the sounds4 #ada4 ,the medium to whose presence these manifestations were due1 then held a flute against the panel of the door1 and invited me to listen4 ,on putting my ear near to the flute1 tapping was quite audible4 ,on the ensuing evening1 ,i carried with me a sealed glass tube1 a hollow tube of the same material1 and a brass rod4 ,these being successively held against the door panel1 similarly to the holding of the flute1 the rapping was again heard4#f #adb4 ,i have much reason to confide in the disinterestedness of the medium through whose assistance these facts were observed4 ,she would not allow me even to make a present to her child2 and her sitting for me was deemed prejudicial to her comfort and health1 so that by the advice of her physician it was finally discontinued4 ,her parents believed the manifestations obtained through her influence to be caused by spirits4 #adc4 ,sitting at another mansion1 in company with an able lawyer1 7an unbeliever in ,spiritualism17 as well as an accomplished female medium and two other persons1 sounds were heard like those above mentioned4 ,the lawyer alluded to1 though from his profession accustomed to distrust and to scrutinize evidence1 admitted that he found it utterly impossible to account for these sounds by any visible agency4 #add4 ,in order to make my narrative of the evidence upon the subject of rapping continuous1 ,i would state that during the evening of my first visit to the circle of spiritualists1 as above mentioned1 while grasping with my utmost energy a table at which ,i was seated1 two female media1 by merely placing their hands upon the surface of the table on the opposite side1 caused it to move to and fro1 in despite of my utmost exertions4 #ade4 ,visiting another circle under the influence of another medium1 ,i found that tilting a table was substituted for the sounds as a means of manifestation4 ,as one rap signifies no1 two1 doubtful1 and three1 affirmative1 so is it with the motions1 or tippings1 as they are usually called4 #adf4 ,passing the fingers over the letters upon an alphabetic pasteboard1 like those to assist children in learning their letters1 when it comes over the required letter1 its selection is indicated either by a tapping or tilting4 ,by this process1 when the medium's eyes were directed to the ceiling1 as independently observed by the legal friend above mentioned1 as well as myself1 the following communication was given3 #adg4 8,light is dawning on the mind of your friend2 soon he will speak trumpet-tongued to the scientific world1 and add a new link to that chain of evidence on which our hope of man's salvation is founded40 #adh4 ,the lawyer declared that he was utterly unable to conceive how1 by the human means apparently employed1 such sentences could be elaborated4 ,legerdemain on the part of the person who took down the manifestation was the only way to get rid of this evidence without resorting to the agency of some invisible intelligent being1 who1 by operating upon the tables1 at once exercised physical force and mental power4 #adi4 ,but assigning the result to legerdemain was altogether opposed to my knowledge of his character4 ,this gentleman1 and the circle to which he belonged1 spent about three hours1 twice or thrice a week1 in getting communications through the alphabet1 by the process to which the lines above mentioned were due4 ,this would not have taken place1 had they not had implicit confidence1 that the information thus obtained proceeded from spirits4 #aej4 ,subsequently1 ,i contrived an apparatus which1 if spirits were actually concerned in the phenomena1 would enable them to manifest their physical and intellectual power independently of control by any medium4 7,see ,engraving and description1 ,plate ,i47 #aea4 ,upon a pasteboard disk1 more than a foot in diameter1 the letters cut out from an alphabet card were nailed around the circumference1 as much as possible deranged from the usual alphabetic order4 ,about the centre a small pulley was secured of two and a half inches diameter1 fitting on an axletree1 which passed through the legs of the table1 about six inches from the top4 ,two weights were provided--one of about eight pounds1 the other about two pounds4 ,these were attached one to each end of a cord wound about the pulley1 and placed upon the floor immediately under it4 ,upon the table a screen of sheet zinc was fastened1 behind which the medium was to be seated1 so that she could not see the letters on the disk4 ,a stationary vertical wire1 attached to the axle1 served for an index4 #aeb4 ,on tilting the table1 the cord would be unwound from the pulley on the side of the larger weight1 being wound up simultaneously to an equivalent extent on the side of the small weight1 causing the pulley and disk to rotate about the axle4 ,restoring the table to its normal position1 the smaller weight being allowed to act unresisted upon the cord and pulley1 the rotation would be reversed4 ,of course1 any person actuating the table and seeing the letters1 could cause the disk so to rotate as to bring any letter under the index2 but should the letters be concealed from the operator1 no letter required could be brought under the index at will4 #aec4 ,hence it was so contrived that neither the medium seated at the table behind the screen1 nor any other person so seated1 could1 by tilting the table1 bring any letter of the alphabet under the index1 nor spell out any word requested4 #aed4 ,these arrangements being made1 an accomplished lady1 capable of serving in the required capacity1 was so kind as to assist me by taking her seat behind the screen1 while ,i took my seat in front of the disk4 #aee4 ,i then said1 8,if there be any spirit present1 please to indicate the affirmative by causing the letter ,y to come under the index40 ,forthwith this letter was brought under the index4 #aef4 8,will the spirit do us the favour to give the initials of his name80 ,the letters ,r ,h were successively brought under the index4 8,my honoured father80 said ,i4 ,the letter ,y was again brought under the index4 #aeg4 8,will my father do me the favour to bring the letters under the index successively in alphabetical order80 ,immediately the disk began to revolve so as to produce the desired result4 ,after it had proceeded as far as the middle of the alphabet1 ,i requested that 8the name of ,washington should be spelt out by the same process40 ,this feat was accordingly performed1 as well as others of a like nature4 #aeh4 ,the company consisted of but few persons besides the medium1 who now urged that ,i could no longer refuse to come over to their belief4 ,under these circumstances the following communication was made by the revolving of the disk3 8,oh1 my son1 listen to reason60 #aei4 ,i urged that the experiment was of immense importance1 if considered as proving a spirit to be present1 and to have actuated the apparatus2 affording thus precise experimental proof of the immortality of the soul3 that a matter of such moment should not be considered as conclusively decided until every possible additional means of verification should be employed4 #afj4 ,this led my companions to accuse me of extreme incredulity4 ,the medium said she 8should not deem it worth while to sit for me again10 and one of the gentlemen sat himself down by the fireside1 declaring me 8to be insusceptible of conviction1 and that he would now give me up40 #afa4 ,nevertheless1 the medium1 relenting1 gave me another sitting at her own dwelling a few days afterward2 when ,i had improved the apparatus by employing two stationary weights by which the cord actuating the pulley1 as in the drill-bow process1 was made to pull it round by a horizontal motion of the table supported on castors1 instead of the tilting motion4 #afb4 ,the results confirmed those previously received1 my father reporting himself again4 ,he said that my mother and sister were with him1 but not my brother4 ,i inquired 8if they were happy40 ,the disk revolved so as to bring the letter ,y under the index1 signifying the affirmation4 #afc4 ,on the following week1 ,i took my apparatus to the house of a spiritualist1 where a circle was to meet4 ,the apparatus being duly arranged1 a lady whom ,i had never before noticed1 and by whom my apparatus was seen for the first time1 sat down at my table behind the screen4 ,the spirit of an uncle who had left this life was invoked by this medium4 ,her invocation being successful1 the spirit spelt his name out in full2 other names were spelt out at request4 #afd4 ,although the requisite letters were ultimately found1 there was evidently some difficulty1 as if there was some groping for them with an imperfect light4 ,this has been explained since by my father's spirit4 ,he alleges that preferably the eyes of the medium would be employed1 but that1 although with difficulty1 he used mine as a substitute4 #afe4 ,but although1 with a view to convince the skeptical1 spirits will occasionally give manifestations when the vision or muscular control of the medium is nullified1 it is more difficult for them to operate in this way2 moreover1 it is more difficult for some spirits than for others4 #aff4 ,those spirits by whom ,i obtained my test manifestations were interested in my success4 ,others have refused to aid me in like manner4 ,one who has assisted me with much zeal1 has communicated that he would work my apparatus when arranged for a test2 but1 that as it caused much more exertion1 and1 of course1 retardation1 he advised that the test arrangement should not be interposed when it could be avoided4 #afg4g,the table1 at this stage of my inquiry1 was not more than thirty inches in length4 ,i had improved the construction in the following way3 #afh4 ,two of the legs were furnished with castors1 through holes duly bored4 ,through perforations in the other two legs a rod was introduced1 serving as an axle to two wheels of about five inches diameter4 ,one of these wheels was grooved1 so as to carry a band which extended around the pulley of the disk4 ,hence1 pushing the table nine inches horizontally by the necessary rotation of the supporting wheels1 caused the disk to make a complete revolution4 ,it was while the table was of the size above mentioned1 that ,i first saw the violent action to which they might be subjected without any corresponding or commensurate visible cause4 ,the hand of the medium being laid on the table at about half-way between the centre and the nearest edge1 it moved as if it were animated1 jumping like a restive horse4 #afi4 ,having my apparatus thus prepared1 a medium sat at my table1 the screen intercepting her view of the disk4 ,no manifestation took place through the disk1 though other indications of the presence of spirits were given4 ,hence1 inducing the medium to sit at an ordinary table1 ,i inquired if any change could be made which would enable them to communicate through my apparatus8 ,the reply through the alphabetic card was1 8,let the medium see the letters40 ,at first it struck me that this would make the experiment abortive1 as it would remove the condition by which alone independency of interference by the medium was secured4 ,however1 it soon occurred that by means of a metallic plate1 made quite true1 and some brass balls1 like billiard balls1 with which ,i was provided1 ,i could neutralize the power of the medium to move the table1 so that she could not influence the selection of the letters1 though permitted to see them4 #agj4 ,accordingly1 as soon almost as the medium placed her hands on the plate resting on the ball1 and without any other communication with the table1 the disk began to revolve in such a way as to bring the letters under the index in due alphabetic order4 ,afterward various names were spelled1 and communications were made4 ,at subsequent sittings1 the grandfather and brother of the medium manifested their presence successively by spelling their names on the disk4 ,my father1 by means of this apparatus1 gave me the name of an uncle who was killed by the ,arabs nearly seventy years ago4 ,in order that1 without any possibility of contact with the legs1 the medium might sit at the table1 the length was subsequently extended to six feet1 being so made as to separate into three parts1 for convenience in carrying from one place to another4 ,it is under this modification that it is represented in ,plate #b accompanied by a description1 with the medium sitting as when employed in obtaining some of the manifestations herein mentioned4 ,on the left may be seen the wheels and axle4 ,the front wheel may be distinguished1 with its groove securing the band which embraces it1 together with the pulley on the disk4 #aga4 ,the disk represented in this figure differs from the one represented above1 7employed in my first investigations17 in having the alphabet in the usual order4 ,but they are so made as that one can be made to replace the other1 when requisite4 #agb4 ,on one side of the long table1 ,plate #b1 a board or tray on castors is represented4 ,this was used sometimes as a support for the hands of the medium1 by its being interposed between them and the table4 ,on one occasion1 where the hands of the medium were supported by the plate and ball upon this tray1 it was moved briskly to and fro upon the table1 the hands of the medium and the ball and plate accompanying the motion4 #agc4 ,on various subsequent occasions ,i have had this experiment of putting the hands of the medium on a plate and balls repeated1 and with the same result4 ,the interposition of the plate and balls makes it much more difficult for spirits to move a table than when the hands are directly applied4 ,in the latter case1 the spirits actuate the hands primarily1 and the table or apparatus secondarily2 but when the hands are incapacitated from influencing the motion1 the spirit has to assail the inanimate matter directly1 assisted only by an emanation from the medium4 ,in this attack upon ponderable matter1 the spirits of the second sphere are the most capable2 but even with their assistance1 the condition of the medium must be very favourable to render success possible4 #agd4 ,i next resorted to an apparatus like the plaything called a see-saw1 excepting that the fulcrum1 instead of being under the middle of the board1 was situated at one-fourth of the whole length from one end4 ,there was one foot on one side of the fulcrum1 and three feet on the other4 ,the disk and its axle was transferred from the table1 ,plate ,i1 near to the longer end of this seesaw-like apparatus4 ,the cord attached to two weights was employed as above described1 so that as the disk was made to rise or fall with the vibration of the board by the action of the cord1 a revolution took place1 bringing the letters successively under the index1 as already explained to have resulted from the movements of the table4 #age4 ,the disk being situated edgewise to the medium1 the letters could not be seen4 ,under these circumstances1 the hands of the medium were placed upon the surface of the smaller portion of the board outside of the fulcrum4 ,the disk revolved to and fro1 so as to bring the letters under the index in due alphabetic order4 ,moreover1 while this process was under way1 to render the result more unquestionable1 ,i interposed a screen between the disk1 and the eyes of the medium1 without causing any arrestation of the process4#h #agf4 ,afterward upon the table supported on wheels or castors1 and moving the disk by a band1 ,i used a tray on castors to support the hand of the medium4 #agg4 ,when the hands of the medium1 or those of any other operator1 were placed upon this tray1 it was impossible to move the table by means of it1 because much less force would make it move on its castors than would move the table4 ,sometimes the tray would be moved backward and forward with rapidity1 the table remaining quite still4 ,yet1 on urging that the table should be moved1 this desideratum would be conceded1 and the tray would become stationary1 relatively1 to the table4 ,on one occasion1 when an intelligent spirit was manifesting1 ,i interposed a brass ball 7,plate ,i47 and plate between the tray and the hands of the medium1 and then requested that the tray might be moved4 ,my request was obeyed2 the tray moved repeatedly about a foot to and fro1 accompanied by the hand of the medium1 the ball remaining at rest1 relatively1 to the tray4 #agh4 ,having my apparatus at the residence of the lady by whom it had been actuated in the third trial above mentioned1 7#agb7 this lady sitting at the table as a medium1 my sister reported herself4 ,as a test question1 ,i inquired 8,what was the name of a partner in business1 of my father1 who1 when he had left the city with the ,americans during the ,revolutionary war1 came out with the ,british1 and took care of the joint property80 ,the disk revolved successively to letters correctly indicating the name to be ,warren4 ,i then inquired the name of the partner of my ,english grandfather1 who died in ,london more than seventy years ago4 ,the true name was given by the same process4 #agi4 ,the medium and all present were strangers to my family1 and ,i had never heard either name mentioned1 except by my father4 ,even my younger brother did not remember that of my father's partner4 #ahj4 ,subsequently1 in the presence of a medium utterly unacquainted with my family1 to whom ,i was first introduced in ,december1 #ahec1 and who had only within two years previously removed to our city from ,maine1 ,i inquired of my father the name of an ,english cousin who had married an admiral4 ,the name was spelled out4 ,in like manner the maiden name of an ,english brother's wife was given--an unusual name1 ,clargess4 #aha4 ,the principle of my apparatus for spiritual manifestations has been employed on a smaller scale by ,mr4 ,isaac ,t4 ,pease1 of ,thompsonville1 ,connecticut1 substituting the reaction of a spring for that of a weight1 and making the index revolve instead of the disk4 7,plate ,i47 #ahb4 ,by the modification which ,i made for the employment of this smaller instrument communication was greatly facilitated4 ,i had subsequently a copious interchange of ideas with my father1 brother1 and sister1 and other friendly spirits4 7,see engraving and description1 ,plate ,i1 ,fig4 #b47 #ahc4 ,at the house of a spiritualist who had been holding circles for more than a year1 ,i had confirmatory evidence of the intelligence by which spirit rapping is regulated4 ,i was allowed to subject the table employed to a strict scrutiny1 removing the drawer to obtain a more thorough inspection4 ,this table was nevertheless repeatedly agitated with an energy which could not be ascribed to the hands placed quietly upon its surface by a circle of persons perfectly quiescent4 ,often at this circle1 and at others during the chanting of hymns1 have ,i seen a table thus situated keeping time by its vibratory movements with a sympathetic tremour4 #ahd4 ,the spirit friend of a medium present1 who called herself ,amanda ,ford1 used on request to make a sound like that of the hammering by blacksmiths1 designated as 8ten-pounds-ten40 ,this sound would be shifted to that of sawing or sweeping4 ,doubtless1 these manifestations might be imitated by certain ventriloquists2 but ,i had not the smallest reason to suspect ventriloquism1 and ,amanda gave me the following unquestionable proofs of her spiritual existence3 #ahe4 ,taking up the alphabetic card1 and holding it up near my face1 in a feeble light1 with the back toward the medium1 so as not to be inspected by any one else1 ,i asked ,amanda1 as ,i should pass my fingers over the letters1 to indicate those necessary for spelling out her name1 by the usual manifestation4 ,the name was in this way correctly spelt out4 #ahf4 ,in the next place1 at the same time and under the same circumstances1 ,i asked her then to spell the name of ,washington4 ,passing my fingers over the letters of the alphabet1 not regularly but zigzag1 and stopping a short time at the letters adjoining the right ones1 that much-revered name was correctly spelt out1 with one single error1 the omission of the ,g4 #ahg4 ,suspicion that the rapping or tapping could arise from any mechanism concealed in the table1 was precluded when they were made under my own tables1 fitted up with my own hands4 ,of manifestations founded on table movements without contact1 or such contact1 as cannot be sufficient to cause the result4 #ahh4 ,it was at the same mansion1 where the above-mentioned manifestations were observed1 that ,i first saw a table continue in motion when every person had withdrawn to about the distance of a foot2 so that no one touched it2 and while thus agitated on our host saying1 8,move the table toward ,dr4 ,hare10 it moved toward me and back again4 ,at the same premises1 when between the hands of each of two media and a small table a plate upon a brass ball was interposed1 without any other communication with it1 the table was violently overset1 so as to have its legs uppermost4 ,yet while thus upside down1 it continued to vibrate1 a single finger of a medium girl1 about twelve years of age1 being the sole means of human contact therewith4 ,this ,i ascertained1 with the greatest care1 by kneeling on the floor and causing the finger of the medium1 by the tip of which alone her touch was effected1 to be situated between me and the light of a lamp4 #ahi4 ,in the observations above stated1 respecting the movements of the table when untouched1 ,i was aided by the presence of my friend ,joseph ,hazard1 ,esq41 of ,narragansett1 ,rhode ,island1 who occupied a seat opposite to mine on the other side of the table2 so that while he saw all clear on one side1 ,i saw all clear on the other4 ,in my narrative ,i have adverted to two recent instances in which severally1 in the presence only of the medium and myself1 the table moved1 as ,i could judge1 about eight inches1 being at the same time untouched by either of us4 #aij4 ,next in importance to the movements of tables which take place without any contact1 are those in which the table rises under the hands of the medium laid gently upon it4 ,on one occasion ,i saw a large circular table1 supported by three massive claws on castors1 overset several times by the influence of three ladies1 who were media4 ,in order to have this experiment performed with as much precision as circumstances would permit1 ,i seated myself on one side of the table1 so as to be equidistant from two of the three claws by which it was supported4 ,the intermediate medium1 was directly opposite the third claw1 while the others stood one on each side of her4 ,my relative position was such1 that as they were standing upright before me1 ,i could look at their persons partially below as well as above the table4 ,these arrangements having been made1 the three media laid their hands on the table a little beyond the margin1 so that they could not apply their thumbs below the edge and thus assist the table to raise4 ,under these circumstances ,i was enabled to watch the media above as well as below the table1 by casting my eyes upward and downward alternately1 they being all on their feet1 and standing upright4 ,it was under these conditions1 that the table1 in three successive trials1 came over toward me and went back to its normal position4 #aia4 ,it did not slam down quickly1 when on arriving at such a position1 as to make it impossible for the ladies to resist its farther descent2 but descended gently1 rising slowly in recovering its usual upright position4 #aib4 ,i called one morning at the dwelling of a medium to whom allusion has been made more than once in my narrative4 ,i sat down at a table with the medium1 her father1 and a gentleman who accompanied me4 ,i inquired if any of my spirit friends were present2 the table tilted negatively4 8,will the spirit give its initials through the alphabetic card80 ,in reply the letters ,m ,c were indicated4 ,my companion1 whose attention had been withdrawn1 on hearing the result1 said3 8,they are the initials of my daughter's name20 exclaiming1 8,maria1 are you here80 #aic4 ,the table tilted in the affirmative1 vivaciously1 as if the daughter's heart were in the movement4 #aid4 ,maria proving to be a sprightly spirit1 a lively conversation ensued4 ,i inquired if she could not work my apparatus2 she answered through the card1 8,it is impossible for a spirit to work your apparatus2 ,i am very sorry40 ,i replied that evidently it was not impossible1 since it had been actuated by spirits successfully several times4 8,you mean to say10 ,i added1 8that it is difficult40 ,to this she replied affirmatively by three tilts of the table4 #aie4 ,as through the influence of the medium1 who sat at the table with us1 communications had been received through my apparatus several times1 the alphabet arranged from a state of disarrangement1 and names spelt out by the revolution of the disk1 it cannot be imagined that the medium could have influenced the alphabetical communications in this instance1 since the medium1 even if prone to deception1 would have perceived it ridiculous to allege it impossible to work an apparatus which had on several occasions under her influence1 proved the opposite to be true1 in the presence of her father as well as myself4 #aif4 ,it has been already mentioned in the narrative 7#afd47 that my spirit father1 and spirit friend ,w4 ,w41 had alleged that they worked my apparatus with great difficulty when under test conditions1 from their great desire to make me a convert to ,spiritualism4 ,it was1 therefore1 quite consistent that a spirit1 who had no such powerful motive1 should have preferred to find an apology for not actuating my apparatus1 rather than to have studied1 or sought for the means of surmounting the obstacles4 #aig4 ,as all the manifestations1 observed on this occasion1 were by the tilting or partial lifting of the table1 ,i urged the spirit to aid me in obtaining a test that these manifestations came not from the medium1 but from herself1 a spirit4 ,i immediately procured from a basket which ,i had previously brought to the premises1 a brass ball1 turned truly spherical1 like a billiard ball1 and a plate of zinc which had been ground quite true4 ,i placed the ball on the table1 the plate on the ball1 and the hands of the medium on the plate4 ,she had no other communication with the table than that which was thus established4 ,pressing on the ball when situated between perpendicular lines falling inside of all the legs of the table1 would of course only press it downward more firmly on its feet4 #aih4 ,things being thus arranged1 ,i solicited ,maria to repeat the upward jerks which she had employed in the communication which she had been making4 ,her father joined his solicitation to mine1 pointing out that my object was to obtain evidence1 which would satisfy the scientific world that such manifestations were due to the agency of spirits4 #aii4 ,after a little delay the table rose under the ball1 the plate1 and the hands of the medium1 with greater force than had been displayed in any of the foregoing movements4 #bjj4 ,subsequently1 being in company with ,maria's father1 at the dwelling of a spiritualist1 and sitting with a medium at the table supporting an apparatus for alphabetical communications1 the spirit of ,maria1 who seems to follow her worthy father with much filial affection1 reported herself4 ,i inquired whether she remembered our previous meeting1 and what means ,i resorted to as a test4 ,she replied1 8,you used a plate and ball to support the hands of the medium1 which ,i knocked away40 #bja4 ,while receiving communications from my spirit sister1 the table tilting toward the medium1 so as to cause the cord actuating the index1 by being through a string tied to a weight on the floor1 alternately to be withdrawn and returned1 consequently1 winding off and on the pulley which turned the index1 ,i suggested that the relative position of the medium should be reversed1 so that she should be on the same side with the apparatus4 ,by this change the table would have to rise under the hands of the medium4 ,the proposed modification was successfully carried out4 #bjb4 ,i asked my sister how a spirit could work an apparatus with the medium's hands on the upper surface of the table2 the reply was1 that the presence of the hands of the medium enabled the spirit to act in opposition to them4 #bjc4 ,under this head comes the experiment in which a board was supported so as to turn on a fulcrum1 one foot of the board being on one side of the fulcrum1 and three feet on the other1 the longer end suspended on a spring balance4 ,when a medium1 eleven years old1 placed his hands on the short end1 that end rose while the other1 of course1 went down2 in some instances1 showing an increase of downward pressure on the balance1 equivalent to seven pounds4 #bjd4 ,this experiment was subsequently repeated at my laboratory1 in the presence of ,john ,m4 ,kennedy1 ,esq4 ,having a basin of water on the board1 the boy's hands being merely immersed in the water1 and not touching the parietes of the containing vessel2 the balance was affected as in the experiment above described1 although not to so great an extent4 #bje4 ,in one case1 ,mr4 ,kennedy satisfied himself1 that the medium did not touch the vessel1 by placing his own hands below those of the medium4 #bjf4 ,my much-esteemed friend1 ,prof4 ,henry1 having treated this result as incredible1 ,i was induced to repeat it with the greatest precision and precaution1 as represented in ,plate #c4 ,the board1 as already described1 being about four feet in length1 is supported by a rod as a fulcrum at about one foot from one end1 and1 of course1 three feet from the other2 a glass vase1 about nine inches in diameter and five inches in height1 having a knob to hold it by when inverted1 had this knob inserted in a hole made in the board1 six inches nearly from the fulcrum4 ,thus1 the vase rested on the board1 the mouth upward4 ,a wire-gauze cage1 such as is used to keep flies from sugar1 was so arranged by well-known means1 as to slide up or down on two iron rods1 one on each side of the trestle supporting the fulcrum4 ,by these arrangements it was so adjusted as to descend into the vase until within an inch and a half of the bottom1 while the inferiority of its dimensions prevented it from coming elsewhere within an inch of the parietes of the vase4 ,water was poured into the vase so as to rise into the cage till within about an inch and a half of the brim4 #bjg4 ,a well-known medium 7,gordon7 was induced to plunge his hands1 clasped together1 to the bottom of the cage1 holding them perfectly still4 ,as soon as these conditions were attained1 the apparatus being untouched by any one excepting the medium as described1 ,i invoked the aid of my spirit friends4 ,a downward force was repeatedly exerted upon the end of the board appended to the balance equal to three pounds' weight nearly4 #bjh4 ,it will be perceived that in this manifestation1 the medium had no means of communication with the board1 beside the water4 ,it was not until he became quite still1 that the invocation was made4 ,nevertheless1 he did not appear to be subjected to any reacting force4 ,yet1 the distance of the hook of the balance from the fulcrum on which the board turned1 was six times as great as the cage in which the hands were situated4 ,consequently1 a force of #c #f #ah pounds must have been exerted4 ,the board would probably have been depressed much more1 but that the water had been spilled by any farther inclination of the vase4 #bji4 ,this experiment has since been repeated again and again1 but on a smaller scale1 when1 not only the downward force was exercised1 but the spelling of words was accomplished4 #baj4 ,on one occasion1 when no result ensued1 it appeared to arise from the water being so cold as to chill the medium1 because1 on warming it up to a comfortable temperature1 the desired manifestations were obtained4 #baa4 ,at the same time and place1 after the manifestation by means of the spring balances above described 7#bjg7 had been accomplished1 ,i requested my spirit friends to repeat that which has been above mentioned1 as performed by putting the hands of a medium upon a plate and ball supported by a tea-table4 7#aii47 #bab4 ,accordingly1 the attending medium being placed under exactly the same circumstances and conditions1 a similar violent tilting ensued4 #bac4 ,dr4 ,child1 together with the same medium and myself1 placed our finger ends all reciprocally in contact1 and about a quarter of an inch above a tea-table4 ,after an interval of about two minutes1 the table rose1 and was tossed from the legs on one side to those on the other forcibly4 #bad4 ,during a visit to ,new ,york1 ,i entered the apartment where one of the ,misses ,fox was sitting4 ,there were more than half a dozen persons present4 ,on my entrance1 ,i inquired1 8,does any one here recognise me1 so as to know my name80 ,no person answered that ,i was known4 ,as soon1 however1 as ,i inquired1 my spirit sister announced herself1 and indicated my name4 #bae4 ,during a visit made to ,boston last autumn1 on sitting with a medium1 my sister addressed me in the following way1 by spelling the words out upon the disk apparatus just described3 ,brother beloved1 of ardent soul1 ,striving to reach a heavenly goal2 ,wouldst thou attain the blissful height ,where wisdom purifies the sight2 ,where ,god reveals to humblest gaze1 ,the bliss and beauty of his ways ,incline thine ear to angels bright1 ,who radiant from the realms of light1 ,for ever hover near1 ,to offer thee1 sweet words of cheer4 #baf4 ,only the first couplet in these verses differs at all from those which were given in the impromptu1 the words having been too flattering for me1 to have mentioned4 ,soon after being at the residence of a highly-esteemed friend1 who is a medium1 my spirit sister1 who manifests much love for this lady1 reporting herself1 ,i told her of the change which ,i thus desired to have made4 ,the reply was1 8,i give you full liberty to alter my verses2 you know ,i never wrote two lines of poetry while in the flesh40 ,miss ,ellis is no poetess1 still less is ,mrs4 ,p41 the medium4 #bag4 ,after my lecture at the ,melodeon1 being at the residence of ,mrs4 ,hayden1 an accomplished medium1 ,i requested a repetition of the experiment1 of which ,i had given an account on that occasion1 in which the view of the disk was cut off from the medium1 by the interposition of a screen2 and ,mrs4 ,hayden consenting1 an arrangement was made so as to satisfy the bystanders1 as well as myself1 that the letters on the disk could not be seen by her4 ,under these conditions the name of ,washington was spelt out4 #bah4 ,i have had this test repeated under ,gordon's mediumship1 as well as that of others1 several times4 ,afterward1 ,mrs4 ,hayden sitting aloof1 on making the index move successively to each letter1 those required for the name of ,jefferson were selected in due order1 by rapping at the one in demand1 as it came under the index4 #bai4 ,through the influence of ,mrs4 ,hayden1 an uncommon test was afforded by my faithful spirit sister4 #bbj4 ,my charming1 intelligent friend1 ,mrs4 ,eustis1 daughter of the late ,rev4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,channing1 though not a believer in ,spiritualism1 became desirous of seeing the manifestations so much relied upon by me4 ,having accompanied me to the residence of ,mrs4 ,hayden1 ,mrs4 ,eustis was sitting beside her1 while through her influence my sister was making a communication by means of the apparatus described4 7,plate ,i1 ,fig4 #b47 ,when the process commenced1 the hand of ,mrs4 ,hayden was resting on the lever in the usual position1 but was subsequently lifted1 so as to allow ,mrs4 ,eustis1 as well as myself1 to see between it and the wooden surface1 without creating any apparent abatement of the power of indicating the requisite letters4 7,description of ,plate ,i1 par4 e47 #bba4 ,while the process still proceeded under these conditions1 ,mrs4 ,eustis1 having placed her hand upon the surface of the board lever1 alleged that she felt it imparting motion to her hand4 #bbb4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,f4 ,channing has since informed me that ,mrs4 ,eustis's account of these manifestations1 as given to him1 coincide with those given to him by me4 #bbc4 ,sometime after this feat was performed through ,mrs4 ,hayden1 ,i inquired of my sister if she could not perform it through an excellent medium under whose influence communications were making at the time of this inquiry4 ,it was replied that ,mrs4 ,eustis being unconsciously to a certain extent a medium herself1 the power of ,mrs4 ,hayden was augmented by her presence4 #bbd4 ,but as respects the selection of letters without the assistance of the eyes of the medium1 ,i have had many instances of this being done1 although the facility of its performance is various1 not only with different media and with different spirits1 but likewise when the spirit and medium are the same3 it varies with the state of the medium4 ,i sat more than an hour with an accomplished medium1 during an excessively hot evening1 without receiving any communication2 in consequence1 as ,i supposed1 of the effect of the heat upon her organism4 #bbe4 ,the interposition of water contained in a glass vase1 upon the broad part of the lever actuating the index1 so that the hands of the medium can touch nothing but the water1 has an effect analogous to the lifting of the hand as above described1 since the only difference in the conditions is1 that in the one case there is air1 in the other water1 interposed4 #bbf4 ,it has been stated that1 by the interposition of water1 the power of actuating the index was paralyzed2 yet merely warming the water enabled the manifestation to proceed1 so as to empower the spirit to spell such names as were called for4 7#baj47 #bbg4 ,in one instance1 ,i took a book from my pocket which the medium had never seen1 and opened it at a page where the heading 8,publisher's ,preface0 was conspicuous1 without allowing the medium to see any thing more than the back of the book4 ,holding the page exposed to the disk1 the spirit spelt out 8,publish--10 and then seemed unable to proceed4 ,meanwhile1 the medium called to her little son to be quiet2 forthwith the deficient letters1 ers1 were supplied1 so as to finish the word 8,publisher's40 #bbh4 ,the medium alleged that her mind was imbued with the idea that the word 8publishing0 was coming forth1 and with a view to aid the spirit1 lent some muscular aid to the letters necessary to complete that word2 but attention to her child causing her mind to be withdrawn1 the spirit immediately selected the letters above indited4 ,on the same occasion ,i opened the same book1 keeping the back toward the medium1 opposite to an engraving of ,jefferson3 immediately1 ,jefferson was spelt out4 #bbi4 ,on my way to ,boston1 ,i visited ,mrs4 ,ann ,leah ,brown1 formerly ,miss ,fox4 ,at about eight in the morning1 ,i found her under very unfavourable circumstances3 ,mrs4 ,brown had been watching the previous night with a sick child4 ,nevertheless1 considering me as an advocate of the cause of truth1 a short sitting was given to me1 during which my faithful spirit sister manifested herself by comparatively loud knockings4 #bcj4 ,through this ,i learned that ,mrs4 ,brown was not in condition to make it expedient to resort to her mediumship then1 had not the necessity of attending to her sick child formed a sufficient impediment4 #bca4 ,on my return from ,boston1 ,i called again on this interesting medium1 and then saw a table1 situated at the distance of more than a foot from her person1 which was quiescent1 make a movement to and fro of at least eight inches4 ,moreover1 as ,i sat on the opposite side of an intervening table1 ,i felt unexpectedly a slight touch against my leg as if by a human finger4 #bcb4 ,during this visit1 ,mrs4 ,brown created much interest by giving a brief account of the trials which herself and her sister had undergone1 being on the one hand urged to give their services to the community1 as the means of promoting truth1 while on the other they were treated as impostors or jugglers4 ,the impression left on my mind was extremely favourable as respects ,mrs4 ,brown's sincerity in her ,spiritualism and in her goodness of heart4 #bcc4 ,in consequence of her invitation1 ,i attended a circle at her house a few days subsequently1 when ,i saw1 in addition to all the usual manifestations1 the following for the first time3 ,under a table around which the party was seated1 a sheet of paper was deposited on the carpeted floor4 ,a pencil was placed upon the paper2 soon after1 on examination1 ,i found my name scrawled thereon4 #bcd4 ,two small bells situated upon the floor beneath the table were rung1 and subsequently it was found that one of them had been lifted and seated on the other4 #bce4 ,my spirit sister has since informed me that my name was written upon the paper by my spirit friend ,william ,blodget4 #bcf4 ,while at ,boston1 having read to a friend a communication from my father through a writing medium1 ,i placed it in one of my pockets1 and proceeded to the ,fountain ,inn4 ,when there1 ,i felt for it without success4 ,unexpectedly1 ,i went to ,salem by the cars1 and returned the same evening4 ,on undressing myself the scroll was missing1 and ,i inferred that it had been lost between the place where it had been read and the inn above named1 where ,i felt for it unsuccessfully4 ,on going next morning to ,mrs4 ,hayden's1 and my spirit father reporting himself1 ,i inquired whether he knew what had become of the scroll4 ,it was answered1 that it had been left upon the seat in the car on my quitting it at ,salem4 #bcg4 ,inquiring of the conductor1 who was on duty in the car where it had been left1 he said that it had been found on the seat1 was safe at ,portland1 and should be returned to me next day4 ,this promise was realized4 #bch4 ,on one occasion1 sitting at the disk with ,mrs4 ,hayden1 a spirit gave his initials as ,c4 ,h4 ,hare4 ,not recollecting any one of our relations of that name precisely1 ,i inquired if he were one of them4 ,the reply was affirmative4 8,are you a son of my cousin ,charles ,hare1 of ,st4 ,johns1 ,new ,brunswick80 8,yes10 was spelled out4 ,this spirit then gave me the profession of his grandfather1 also that of his father1 and the fact of the former having been blown into the water at ,toulon1 and of the latter having made a miraculous escape from ,verdun1 where he had been confined until his knowledge of ,french enabled him to escape by personating in disguise an officer of the customs4 ,only one mistake was made in referring to my ,english relatives1 respecting an uncle's name4 ,other inquiries were correctly answered4 #bci4 ,subsequently1 the brother of this spirit made us a visit in ,philadelphia1 and informed us that the mundane career of his brother ,charles ,henry1 had been terminated by shipwreck some few years anterior to the visit made1 as mentioned1 to me4 #bdj4 ,no one being present beside myself1 and the medium ignorant of ,latin1 my father spelt out upon the disk the words he had pointed out to me in ,virgil more than fifty-five years ago1 as expressive of the beating ,entellus gave ,dares1 as described by ,virgil--8pulsatque versatque20 also the word which so much resembles the sound of horses' hoofs trampling on the ground1 8,quadrupedante40 #bda4 ,a spirit of the name of ,powel tendered his services1 and undertook to spell ,cato1 but instead of that name1 ,blodget1 my friend1 occupied the disk1 and spelt his own name1 and afterward ,cato4 ,on the same occasion ,blodget spelt out and designated words without the medium seeing the alphabet4 #bdb4 ,the employment of letters to express ideas neither existing in the mind of the medium nor in mine1 cannot evidently be explained by any psychological subterfuge4 ,the name ,blodget being indicated by reference to the alphabet1 instead of ,cato1 which was promised1 precludes the idea that it was learned from the mind of any mortal present4 #bdc4 ,it must be manifest that the greatest difficulty which ,i had to overcome during the investigation of which the preceding pages give a history1 arose from the necessity of making every observation under such circumstances as to show that ,i was not deceived by the media4 #bdd4 ,but having latterly acquired the powers of a medium in a sufficient degree to interchange ideas with my spirit friends1 ,i am no longer under the necessity of defending media from the charge of falsehood and deception4 ,it is now my own character only that can be in question4 #bde4 ,upon this the occurrence of the manifestation to which ,i am about to allude rests4 7,reference to this has been made in the ,introduction to this work1 #aae47 #bdf4 ,the fact that my spirit sister undertook at one o'clock1 on the #crd of ,july1 #ahee1 to convey from the ,atlantic ,hotel1 ,cape ,may ,island1 a message to ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 ,no4 #agh ,north ,tenth street1 ,philadelphia1 requesting that she would induce ,dr4 ,gourlay to go to the ,philadelphia ,bank to ascertain the time when a note would be due1 and report to me at half-past three o'clock2 that she did report at the appointed time2 and that on my return to ,philadelphia1 ,mrs4 ,gourlay alleged herself to have received the message1 and that her husband and brother went to the bank in consequence4 ,with the idea received by the latter1 my sister's report coincided agreeably to his statement to me4 ,all this proves that a spirit must have officiated1 as nothing else can explain the transaction4 #bdg4 ,the note clerk recollects the application1 but does not appear to have felt himself called upon to take the trouble to get the register1 which was not in his hands at the time4 ,hence the impression received by the applicants was not correct1 but corresponded with the report made to me by my sister1 which differed from the impression on my memory1 and of course1 was not obtained from my mind4 ,,hymn ,,chanted ,,to ,,my ,,sister1 ,,and ,,her ,,reply4 #bdh4 ,my sister having mentioned her name in the spheres1 to be ,queen of ,flowers4 ,i substituted this name translated into ,latin in the ,sicilian ,mariners' ,hymn1 replacing virgo by soror1 the ,latin for sister2 seraph for mater2 bonissima for piissima2 carissima for purissima2 and cura for ora4 ,it then read as follows3-- #bdh4 ,oh6 bonissima1 oh6 carissima ,dulcis soror1 amata ,florum regina ,in clo cognita ,cura1 ,cura1 pro nobis ,cura1 cura1 pro nobis ,seraph amata intemerata ,cura1 cura1 pro nobis4 #bdi4 ,as soon as this was chanted1 the following reply was given through the spiritoscope1 at which ,i was sitting with ,mrs4 ,gourlay as medium3 #bej4 8,,dear ,,brother3--,i answer your prayer by saying ,i do watch over you1 and pray for your welfare4 ,i am grateful for your remembrance1 and shall strive to deserve it4 ,o6 brother1 our cause is a common one1 and we feel the same interest in its promulgation4 ,i am daily striving to disseminate its truths1 but can make little progress1 having so much ignorance to contend against4 ,i know that the truths of progression1 with the help of a good and wise ,god1 will ultimately prevail over all the land2 but when that happy time comes to earth1 your freed spirit will rove the endless fields of immortality with those loved friends who have gone a little while before4 ,then will we revel in delights which1 in comparison with earth's joys1 are far more beautiful and sublime4 ,i wish you could look with the eye of prescience1 and see that glorious time1 when all nations shall become as a band of brothers40 ,,corroborative ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits4 #bea4 ,the evidence of the manifestations adduced in the foregoing narrative does not rest upon myself only1 since there have been persons present when they were observed1 and they have in my presence been repeated essentially under various modifications1 in many instances1 not specially alluded to4 #beb4 ,the evidence may be contemplated under various phases3 ,first1 those in which rappings or other noises have been made1 which could not be traced to any mortal agency2 secondly1 those in which sounds were so made as to indicate letters forming grammatical1 well-spelt sentences1 affording proof that they were under the guidance of some rational being2 thirdly1 those in which the nature of the communication has been such as to prove that the being causing them must1 agreeably to accompanying allegations1 be some known acquaintance1 friend1 or relative of the inquirer4 #bec4 ,again1 cases in which movements have been made of ponderable bodies1 either without any human contact1 or with such contact as could not be productive of the resulting motion4 #bed4 ,cases in which such movements of bodies have been of a nature to produce intellectual communications1 resembling those obtained as above mentioned by sounds4 #bee4 ,although the apparatus by which these various proofs were attained1 with the greatest possible precaution and precision1 modified them as to the manner2 essentially all the evidence which ,i have obtained1 tending to the conclusions above mentioned1 has likewise been substantially obtained by a great number of observers4 ,many who never sought any spiritual communication1 and have not been induced to enroll themselves as spiritualists1 will nevertheless not only affirm the existence of the sounds and movements1 but also admit their inscrutability4 #bef4 ,but we have now1 in a matter-of-fact1 business-like publication1 by ,e4 ,w4 ,capron1 a record of the original manifestations at ,hydesville and ,rochester1 in ,new ,york2 where1 as it is well known1 they produced intense interest1 excitement1 and controversy2 which gave rise to successive town-meetings1 and the appointment of committees by these meetings for the purpose of ascertaining whether any other cause could be discovered for the manifestations1 except the spiritual beings who assumed them to be their doings4 ,some of the persons appointed to make the investigation1 were prepossessed with the belief that the phenomena were due to some juggling contrivance4 ,one alleged that he would throw himself over the ,genesee ,falls1 or prove the knockings due to humbuggery4 ,another alleged that the media1 aware of his prepossession1 would not for one hundred dollars have him on the committee2 yet both these persons being put on the committee1 the latter came out in favour of the inscrutability of the noise2 while the former neither accounted for it1 8nor threw himself over the falls10 as ,mr4 ,capron pointedly alleges4 #beg4 ,subsequently1 in the city of ,new ,york1 the mystery was subjected to the ordeal of a public investigation by a number of distinguished citizens1 whose reports confirmed those of the ,rochester committees4 ,fennimore ,cooper was among those appointed on the ,new ,york committee1 and was the means himself of obtaining an unequivocal test4 ,his sister's death1 which had resulted from being thrown from a horse1 was correctly stated by her spirit in every particular1 in reply to mental inquiries by him made4 #beh4 ,again at ,stratford1 ,connecticut1 at a house of a minister of the gospel1 manifestations were made fully as striking as those which had occurred at ,hydesville and ,rochester1 so as to establish in the mind of this estimable clergyman1 and in those of many others acquainted with the facts1 a belief in spiritual agency4 7#affg7 ,corroborative evidence by the ,rev4 ,allen ,putnam1 of ,roxbury1 ,mass4 #bei4 ,as affording support to the testimony which ,i have given1 ,i deem it expedient to cite that of the ,rev4 ,allen ,putnam1 formerly a ,unitarian clergyman and preacher in ,augusta1 ,maine1 having been in the legislature of that ,state1 and for some time editor of the ,new ,england ,farmer4 ,mr4 ,putnam had the advantage of a theological and collegiate education at ,harvard4 ,i heard an able and erudite lecture from this worthy spiritualist1 at ,boston last ,october4 #bfj4 ,mr4 ,putnam entered upon the investigation of the manifestations in ,july1 #aheb1 nearly eighteen months before my investigation commenced4 ,like me1 he began as an unbeliever1 and was converted by communications received from the spirits of his wife and relatives1 who had left this life4 ,in a company ignorant of the fact that he had married twice1 his first wife had made herself known to him1 so as to create a conviction of her identity4 #bfa4 ,in the next place1 his ancestors communicated with ,mr4 ,putnam1 so as to satisfy his mind that they were the beings they professed to be4 ,i do not enter into the detail of the facts which created conviction in the mind of this respectable observer2 my object is to show that other minds have gone through the process which has influenced mine1 in order that sceptics may not 8lay the flattering unction to their souls0 that 'tis my madness speaks in favour1 not their prejudices that speak against1 the conclusions in which investigators of sound understanding have concurred4 #bfb4 ,mr4 ,putnam alleges3 8,some uncommon movements have occurred in my presence4 ,i have seen a table moved without any visible power applied to it40 #bfc4 ,the following narrative is taken from the pamphlet published by the author in question4 ,it is quite characteristic of the variety of character found in the spheres4 ,this juvenile spirit owed his education entirely to his schooling in the spirit world4 ,it will be perceived that he died while yet an infant4 7,page #cd1 ,paragraph #c47 #bfd4 8,entering a medium's room one morning1 ,i saw a gentlemanly1 intelligent man1 apparently about thirty1 sitting at the table and putting questions4 ,soon a tiny rap was heard1 and the name ,natty was spelled out4 #8,who are you8' said the man4 #8,i am your brother2' was the answer4 #8,no1' said the man1 #8,i had no such brother4' #8,you had1' said the rapper4 #8,no1' said the man4 #8,yes1' said the other4 #8,well1 let us see1' added the man4 #8,how old were you1 ,natty1 when you died8' #8,five days1' was the answer4 #8,how long since you died8' #8,thirty-five years4' ,the gentleman here bit his lip in thought1 and said--#8,i believe there was an infant brother who died before ,i was born1 but ,i thought they called him ,oliver4' #8,no1' was the response1 #8they called him ,natty1 and ,i am he4' #8,natty1' said the man1 #8how do you know that ,i am your brother8' #8,by love1' he answered4 #8,by love8' said the questioner2 #8but don't you love others as well as relatives8' ,ans4 #8,we like others1 and love relatives6' #8,what1' it was then asked--#8what is the difference between love and like8' ,the word ,,love was immediately written in large letters1 two or three inches long1 and like was traced under it in very small letters4 #8,natty1' continued the man1 #8you are not my brother1 but are some one else1 attempting to impose upon me4' #8,i am your brother1' was the earnest rejoinder4 #8,then1 will you tell me what sphere you are in8' #8,the fourth1' he said4 #8,the fourth1 ah8 ,now ,i've caught you--for as you died in infancy1 you was fitted for the seventh sphere when you left the earth4' #8,i have been there2' was the response4 #8,have been there1 and yet are now in the fourth6 how is that8 are you moving backward8 coming down8' #8,no1 ,i am an adviser in the fourth4' #8,adviser6 what is that8 a sort of superintendent8' #8,yes4' #8,oh6 you are in office1 then8' #8,yes4' #8,do you get any pay8 ,we pay well for such things here4' #8,yes1 ,i get pay4' #8,what pay8' #8,the pleasure of seeing those under me progress4' #bfe4 8,i then said to the gentleman stranger1 #8,sir1 you have found your match1 if not your brother4 ,i think ,i would own the relationship2' and in continuance ,i remarked1 that this seemed to be a very bright1 cheerful spirit2 when there was written--#8,i am always laughing4' #bff4 8,my next remark was--#8,natty1 ,i should like to make your acquaintance4' #8,hand out your card2' was the instant response4 ,finding no card in my pocket1 ,i wrote1 secretly1 on a slip of paper--#8,mr4 ,allen ,putnam1 ,eustis ,st41 ,roxbury'--turned the paper over1 placing the writing down upon the table1 kept my hand over the paper1 and asked ,natty to make a copy4 ,instantly the medium's hand wrote--,mr4 ,a4 ,p41 ,u4 ,st4 ,rox4 ,the writing on my paper had been seen by me alone1 and ,i was looking for a copy in full1 but received only abbreviations1 and those of every word1 ,eustis being reduced to the letter ,u4 ,this closed my first interview with him4 #bfg4 8,some weeks afterward1 when he was forgotten1 the medium's hand wrote1 #8,mr4 ,a4 ,p41 ,u4 ,st4 ,rox4--,i have used your card4' #8,natty1' said ,i1 #8as you left the earth when very young1 ,i would like to know how you learned the ,english language4' ,he answered1 #8,my mother knew it1 ,i think2' and asked1 #8,will you let my mamma come8' #8,certainly1 with pleasure4' ,and the following was written3 #bfh4 8#8,my friend1 you must not be angry with my darling boy4 ,it ofttimes grieves me to have him1 so pure1 use such wild phrases4 ,i am your friend1 as a soldier in the cause4 ,,elizabeth ,y----4' #bfi4 8,very often this little bright spark comes out with something unexpected1 amusing1 or witty2 but at all times he manifests a very marked disposition to be obliging and kind4 ,once1 when his communication seemed to be closed1 ,i said1 #8,you are not going1 ,natty8' #8,yes--gone--don't you see the dust fly8' #8,where1' ,i asked1 #8do you pick up such phrases8' #8,hear #8um4' #bgj4 8,on another occasion he said1 #8,my friend1 you must not put on a long face when you come to talk with supposed ghosts4 ,you must not believe all they tell you to4 ,you must not go to the end of the world and jump off1 because they tell you to4' #bga4 8,when once ,i said to him1 #8,how do you go to work1 ,natty1 to use a medium's hand8' ,he said1 #8,why1 you see1 we just passes a chain of light around the wrist1 and that sets it to shaking4 ,the next operation is to make it write1 of course4 ,sometimes the words are allowed to pass through the brains4 ,we now have such a power over this medium1 that we can make her shake awfully4' #8,try my wrist1 ,natty1' said a lady who was present4 #8,dear1 beloved aunty1 ,i've got a peck of love for you1 but ,i can't make you trace my purified thoughts on the clean paper4'0 ,for those who endeavour to get rid of the evidence of respectable witnesses1 such as ,mr4 ,putnam1 by representing them as dupes1 and the media as impostors1 it may be well to quote the following passage from the same publication3 7,page #dd47 #bgb4 8,within the last fourteen months ,i have seen twenty-two or three different mediums--all but four of them private ones--taking no pecuniary compensation2 and more than half of them are our own citizens1 several of whom are now present in this assembly4 ,i have spent very many hours in their presence4 ,have seen them at their homes--at my own home--and in the parlours of neighbours and friends4 ,i have met and watched them in the broadest sunlight and at evening4 ,every desirable opportunity has been furnished me for detecting machinery1 jugglery1 or imposture1 and ,i have faithfully1 but in vain1 strove to find something mundane a sufficient cause for all these wonders4 ,that trick or humbug is sometimes attempted by pretenders to uncommon susceptibilities1 no one will have a wish to deny4 ,but very many of the mediums1 private ones1 are as much above these things as are the very best persons among the witnesses4 #bgc4 8,one medium1 an active1 energetic business man1 of more than sixty years1 has submitted himself to be used by me at any time1 however suddenly called upon1 whether in his counting-room or in mine1--whether called in his shirt sleeves from the woodpile1 or coalbin1 or dressed up and ready for company2 and ,i have used him and watched him daily almost1 and that through several successive months4 ,many mediums have been watched for long periods1 and under quite varied circumstances2 and1 though the power exerted through any of them is very far from being uniform1 and though the mode of manifestation is in no two alike1 yet ,i have seen no sign of its being anywhere applied by machinery2 or of its being varied by any preparation or act of the mediums themselves4 #bgd4 8,they deny1 one and all1 young and old1 educated and ignorant alike--they all deny1 and that1 too1 in the most private and friendly circles1 where all the thoughts flow out1--they all deny that they exercise their wills at all in the production of these wonders4 ,and ,i cannot rate that fairness very high which1 in the face of such a fact1 will persist in saying that all of it is trick1 imposture1 humbug4 ,more than one hundred thousand witnesses have looked on1 and yet are unable to prove to any extent the cheats alleged4 ,more than five thousand mediums in this country unitedly and persistedly declare that they use no machinery and practice no trick40 #bge4 ,this charge is utterly futile when we see persons in affluence converted by their own mediumship1 as in the case of two of my most esteemed friends4 #bgf4 ,my conversion was effected before ,i attended any public medium4 ,to the ladies by whom it was effected my requisitions could only have been onerous1 had not the desire for truth to oblige me been a strong motive for the pains which they were made to take4 #bgg4 ,it does not seem sufficiently understood by those who object to ,spiritualism1 upon the ground of the inconsistency of the opinions given by spirits1 that our next state of existence is one of progression1 and that we go there with all our imperfections1 which are removed more or less slowly4 #bgh4 8,many men1 many minds10 is an old adage3 it is equally true as respects the inhabitants of the spirit world1 excepting that as their elevation in that world is higher1 accordance in opinion is more prevalent4 ,in the spirits of the fifth sphere1 and those above that sphere1 ,i find little diversity in important facts or doctrines4 #bgi4 ,allusion is made to this diversity in some communications from ,franklin1 to ,mr4 ,putnam1 which are as follows3 #bhj4 8,the mortals of earth expect truth from the spirit land2 they think that it is perfect1 and that the angels are omnipotent4 ,oh1 how far do they wander in the darkness of their own minds6 ,the spirit home is progressive1 like unto this3 the canting hypocrite passes into the heavens with the same thoughts2 the simple babe too passes into this new-born life with all its childlike innocence4 ,each one has to mount the ladder of progression40 #bha4 8,there are millions in the spirit world that know not of the existence of this planet1 even as the children of this earth know not of the starry world above4 ,but on beholding angels descend to this hidden planet1 they follow1 and in wonderment behold a new world1 and that world inhabited4 ,then do they find whence they originated4 #bhb4 8,allusion has been made to the one-sided support given to ,spiritualism on the part of those who admit many of the most important facts1 yet do not ascribe them to the spirits of the departed4 ,these opponents were alleged to be of different features2 one ascribing them to ,satan1 the other disputing their spiritual origination1 because agreeably to their imperfect information1 certain traits were found to be deficient which should exist1 were the intellectual communications due to the spirits of our departed fellow-creatures4 ,the idea of these spiritual manifestations owing their existence to ,satan has already been noticed1 7#hh17 but from the communications which will be given in this work must appear still more untenable than they have1 as ,i trust1 been proved to be4 ,as one of the most respectable of these1 who deny the existence of spirits1 the distinguished ,dr4 ,bell1 of ,somerville1 ,massachusetts1 has been noticed4 7#aaj47 #bhc4 8,it is conceived that ,dr4 ,bell's positive evidence in favour of phenomena which he has seen1 gives so much more weight in favour of the existence of spirits than his arguments on negative grounds1 as to what he happens not to have seen or learned1 that ,i will quote here his account of the manifestations which he has described1 after having observed them with great circumspection3 #bhd4 8,dr4 ,bell commenced 7at a meeting of hospital directors7 by expressing his surprise that at the meeting1 last year1 of so large a number of persons whose lives were spent in investigating the reciprocal influences of mind and body1 scarcely a single member had given a moment's attention to a topic directly in their path1 which1 whether regarded as merely an epidemic mental delusion1 or as a new psychological science1 was producing such momentous effects upon the world4 ,it was now said to number over two millions of believers1 had an extended literature1 a talented periodical press in many forms1 and had certainly taken fast hold on many minds of soberness and power4 ,he was well aware how easily it was turned to ridicule1 and that there were many who would be ready to ask1 when they saw hospital directors seriously discussing the spiritual phenomena1 ,quis custodiet ipsos custodes8 #bhe4 8,but if there was any class of men who had duties in this direction1 it was those of our specialty4 ,our reports contain the record of many cases of insanity said to be produced by it4 ,it was important1 whether true or false1 or mixed1 that its precise depth1 length1 and nature should be studied out4 ,as is well known1 mystery always loses its terrific character when boldly met and opened to the light of noonday4 #bhf4 8,dr4 ,bell remarked1 that on his return home from our meeting at ,washington1 he had a peculiar wish to verify his previous observations on what are technically known as the physical manifestations of this new science4 ,he could not pretend that he could doubt his repeated personal observations1 addressed to his sight1 hearing1 and touch1 and separated1 as he believed1 from any possibility of error or collusive fraud4 ,yet the offer1 by ,professor ,henry1 of a large sum to any person who would make one of his tables move in the ,smithsonian ,institution1 and the obvious incredulity of many of the #8brethren1' had induced the desire again to see some full and unequivocal experiment in table-moving4 #bhg4 8,an opportunity was not long wanting4 ,on the occasion of the visit of a well-known gentleman1 long connected with the insane1 and who never had seen any of these phenomena at the asylum1 ,dr4 ,bell invited him to go to a family where a medium of considerable power was visiting4 ,the family was one of the most respectable of the vicinage1 the head of it being a gentleman intrusted with millions of dollars of other people's money1 as the financial manager of a large banking institution4 ,he and his wife had for some years been perfectly convinced of the spiritual character of these manifestations4 ,the medium was a young lady of eighteen or twenty1 of very slight figure1 weighing eighty or ninety pounds1 and had discovered herself to be a medium while on a visit to these distant relatives4 ,a family1 from character and position1 more entirely beyond the suspicion of even winking at any thing like fraud or irregularity1 does not exist in the world4 ,they were so fortunate as to find the medium at home1 and the circle was made of the five persons mentioned4 ,the ordinary manifestations of raps1 beating of musical tunes1 and responses to mental and spoken questions1 were very completely presented1 as well as the movements of the table under the mere contact of fingers' ends4 ,finding that things appeared very favourable to a full exhibition of what he wished to see1 as evinced by the very facile movements of the table under contact1 ,dr4 ,bell proposed trying the grand experimentum crucis of the physical manifestations--the movement of the table without any human contact1 direct or indirect4 ,he was permitted to arrange things to suit himself1 and began by opening the table more widely1 and inserting two movable table-leaves1 which increased the length from about six to perhaps nine or ten feet4 ,this1 he felt1 also gave him an opportunity to see and upset all wires and mechanism concealed1 or1 at least1 to answer positively as to their non-existence4 ,the table was a solid structure of black walnut1 with six carved legs1 the whole of such a weight that when the castors were all in the right line of motion1 he could just start it by the full grasp of the thumb and fingers of both hands4 #bhh4 8,the persons stood on the sides of the table1 three and two1 and back from its edge about eighteen inches4 ,as ,dr4 ,bell is some six feet two inches in height1 he averred that he had no difficulty in seeing between the table and the persons of all present4 ,the hands were raised over it at about the same height1 of a foot and a half4 #bhi4 8,at a request1 the table commenced its motion1 with moderate speed1 occasionally halting1 and then gliding on a foot or two at once4 ,it seemed as if its motion would have been continuous1 if the hands above it had followed along pari passu4 ,on reaching the folding-doors dividing off the two parlours1 and which were open1 it rose over an iron rod on which the door-trucks traversed1 and which projected half or three-quarters of an inch above the level of the carpet4 ,it then entered the other parlour1 and went its whole length until it came near the pier glass at its end--a centre-table having been pushed aside by one of the party to allow its free course4 #bij4 8,at request1 for they during this time spoke as if to actual beings1 the motion was reversed1 and it returned until it again reached the iron rod4 ,here it stuck4 ,the table hove1 creaked1 and struggled1 but all in vain2 it could not surmount the obstacle4 ,the medium was then #8impressed by the spirits' to write1 and seizing a pencil1 hastily wrote that if the fore legs were lifted over the bar1 they 7i4 e4 the spirits7 thought they could push the others over4 ,this was done1 and the motion kept on4 ,once or twice ,dr4 ,bell requested all to withdraw a little farther from the table1 #8to see how far the influence would extend4' ,it was found that whenever a much greater distance1 say two feet1 was reached1 the movement ceased1 and a delay of three or four minutes occurred before it recommenced1 giving the idea that1 if broken off1 a certain reaccumulation of force was needful to put it in motion again4 ,the table reached the upper end of the parlour1 from which it had started1 but was left some four feet from the medial line of the room4 ,dr4 ,bell expressed the thanks of the company for the very complete exhibition with which they had been favoured1 but remarked that the obligation would be enhanced if the #8spirits' would move the table about four feet at right angles1 so that the chairs would come right for their late occupants4 ,this was immediately done1 and the performance was deemed so perfectly full and satisfactory that nothing more was asked at this session4 #bia4 8,dr4 ,bell was understood to say that this made some five or six times in which he had seen the table move without human contact1 and all under circumstances apparently as free from suspicion as this just related4 ,he also stated that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,p41 a clergyman of extraordinary sagacious perceptions and mechanical skill1 took this same medium to his own house1 without previous thought1 where she never before had been1 and where his own table1 in the presence of his own family alone1 went through the fullest locomotion without human touch4 ,dr4 ,bell mentioned that in his last experiment1 that just narrated1 the entire space moved through was over fifty feet4 #bib4 8,dr4 ,bell then passed to the topic of responses to mental and verbal questions1 and gave several narratives of long conversations with what purported to be the spirits of persons dead for twenty-five to forty years1 in which every question he could devise relating to their domestic history1 and to events in it known only to them and him1 had been truly answered4 ,some of the subjects put mentally--i4 e41 without speaking or writing--had half a dozen correct replies1 forbidding1 of course1 completely1 on any doctrine of chances1 the contingency of accident or coincidence1 as such mental questions1 per se1 negative the explanation of previous knowledge on the part of the medium4 #bic4 8,a brief abstract of one of these will give a general idea of their character3 ,dr4 ,bell had frequently remarked to his #8spiritual' friends1 that if any medium could reproduce the essential particulars of a final interview which had occurred between himself and a deceased brother in #ahbf1 he should be almost compelled to admit that it came from his spirit2 because he was sure that he 7,dr4 ,bell7 never had communicated it to any living being4 ,hence1 as it never had been known to but two persons1 and was of so peculiar1 well-marked a character1 as not to be capable of being confounded by generalities1 he should hardly be able otherwise to explain it4 ,a few weeks afterward what purported to be the spirit of that brother narrated the essential particulars of that interview1 the place where1 down to the well-recollected fact that he was adjusting the stirrups of his saddle1 preparatory to a distant journey1 when it was held6 ,pretty early1 however1 in his investigations1 ,dr4 ,bell began to find that1 however correct his spiritual conferees were1 in most of their responses1 the moment a question was put involving a response the truth of which was unknown to him1 uniform failure occurred4 ,sometimes1 where he believed at the time that his questions were truly answered1 subsequent information had shown him that he had been mistaken4 ,he had answers which he believed to be true1 when the facts were decidedly otherwise4 #bid4 8,pursuing this train of inquiry1 he found the #8spirits1' while averring that they could see him distinctly1 #8face to face1' never could read the signature to letters taken from an old file1 and unfolded without his having seen the writing4 ,yet as soon as he had cast his eye upon the signature1 without allowing any one else to see it1 it was promptly and correctly reproduced by the alphabetical rappings4 ,and again1 when he had made a previous arrangement with his family that they should do certain things every quarter of an hour at home--he1 of course1 not knowing what--while he was to ask the #8spirit' what was done at the instant1 uniform failure occurred4 ,he proved1 too1 that the theory of the #8spiritualists' to meet such difficulties--viz41 that evil or trifling spirits interfered at their end of the telegraph--was not tenable4 ,for the responses just before and after these gross failures had been eminently and wonderfully accurate1 and the #8spirits' not only declared that they saw with perfect clearness what was going on at his house1 but denied that there had been any interruption or interference4 #bie4 8,dr4 ,bell also gave examples where test questions1 involving replies unknown to the interrogator1 had been designedly intermixed with those which were known4 ,the result uniformly was1 that the known responses1 however curious and far remote1 were correctly reproduced2 the unknown were a set of perfectly wild and blundering errors1 the responses often being obviously formed out of the phraseology of the question1 as a stuck schoolboy guesses out a reply6 #bif4 8,the result of the inquiries of ,dr4 ,bell and his friends--for several gentlemen of eminently fitting talents pursued the investigation with him--was briefly this3--,that what the questioner knows the spirits know2 what the questioner does not know1 the spirits are entirely ignorant of4 ,in other words1 that there are really no superhuman agencies in the matter at all--no connection with another state of existence2 but that it bears certain strong analogies to some of the experiences of clairvoyance1 in that mysterious science of animal magnetism1 as it has been protruding and receding for the last hundred years4 ,dr4 ,bell thought there was some reason to believe that the matter reproduced may come not only from the questioner1 but if in the mind of any one at the circle1 that it might be evolved4 ,he made some observations upon the evidences of spirit existence1 drawn from the character of the matter communicated by the mediums in a state of impression1 when1 as it is believed1 spirits express themselves through the human agent4 ,of course1 the quality of such composition is more or less a question of taste4 ,much of it is elevated1 indicating high intellectual and moral capacities in the mind to which it owes its origin4 ,much more is absurd1 puerile1 and disgusting1 infinitely below the grade of the human productions of the same persons from whom it professedly comes4 ,yet the spiritual revelation has given us nothing of such extraordinary value or novelty as to stamp it1 in the judgment of unprejudiced minds1 as of supermundane production4 ,dr4 ,bell alluded to a treatise which had been put into his hands by an earnest spiritualist1 purporting to be the work of ,thomas ,paine1 the author of the ,age of ,reason1 c41 which was thought would carry conviction to anybody1 as it purported to be a full explanation of the formation and changes of this earth1 by one who1 from his situs1 must know all about it4 ,the truth was1 that the work was the production of some mind1 celestial or mundane1 ignorant of the very first rudiments of chemical philosophy1 in which the most ridiculous blunders were made on every page in matters which are as demonstrable as mathematics1 and where1 of course1 the answer cannot be made that the revelation was too high for common readers4 ,nor does ,dr4 ,bell believe1 from his observations1 that the waters from this fountain ever reach a higher level than their source4 ,the most elevated specimen of the spiritual literature would no doubt be found in the communications from ,swedenborg and ,lord ,bacon in ,judge ,edmond's and ,dr4 ,dexter's first and second volumes4 ,yet1 whoever reads the very elegant and powerful preliminary treatise of these gentlemen1 which ,dr4 ,bell thought would compare favourably with any writings of the kind ever published1 would not be able to feel that ,swedenborg and ,lord ,bacon1 after their nearly one and more than two centuries' residence1 respectively1 amid the culture and refined senses of the superior spheres1 had more than equalled their unpretending amanuenses still in the #8vale of tears4' #big4 8,dr4 ,bell concluded by the expression of his full convictions that1 while the faith in spirits must be given up as being connected with these facts1 it was a topic1 whether regarded as a physical novelty or even as a delusion1 cutting deeply into the very religious natures of our people1 which was worth our fullest examination4 ,there were great1 novel1 interesting facts here4 ,they had not been treated fairly and respectfully1 as they should have been4 ,the effect was1 that the community1 knowing that here were facts1 if human senses could be trusted at all1 went away from those who should have thrown light upon the mysteries1 but who would or could not1 to those who gave some explanation1 even if it was one which uprooted all previous forms of religious faith4 ,he hoped that the members of this association1 who were as much required to examine this topic as any order of men1 except1 perhaps1 the clergy1 would not be afraid of looking it in the face from any apprehensions of ridicule or of degrading their dignity40 #bih4 ,after giving much evidence1 showing that physical movements take place without contact1 and that communications were made to him which could not have ensued without controlling reason1 ,dr4 ,bell finds that in certain instances which have come to his knowledge spirits could not communicate information nor ideas which did not exist in his mind or that of some mortals present4 ,yet it appears that during a manifestation which my learned friend witnessed1 a request to lift the legs of the table was given which did not occur to any mortal present4 #bii4 ,i have already given a brief reply to these objections of ,dr4 ,bell4 ,under this head ,i will only add my regret that my letter to the ,episcopal clergy1 with a sketch of the information derived from my spirit friends1 had not fallen under ,dr4 ,bell's notice before his conclusions were published4 ,it will be seen that the information thus alluded to is irreconcilable with ,dr4 ,bell's inferences4 ,i shall1 however1 postpone this discussion until facts have been more fully presented to the reader4 7#hff7 ,,foreign ,,corroborative ,,evidence4 ,some quotations from a work on ,spiritual ,philosophy1 addressed to the ,academy of ,sciences at ,paris1 by ,james ,c4 ,de ,mirville4--,third ,edition4 ,manifestations which occurred in ,france1 in #ahea4 #cjj4 ,there is a great resemblance between the manifestations which have been described by ,capron and others as having taken place at the mansion of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,phelps1 at ,stratford1 ,connecticut1 and those which occurred in the ,presbytery of ,cideville in ,france1 so as to be verified before a court4 ,the facts in this last-mentioned case were verified by the testimony taken during a trial which grew out of the circumstances4 ,some of the witnesses were persons distinguished by their high character and position in society4 ,none had any interested motives for stating them2 but1 on the contrary1 had to meet the odium which falls upon all who tell truths conflicting with the prejudices of the community within which they reside4 ,rochefoucault correctly urged that it is more politic1 to tell a probable lie than an improbable truth4 #cja4 ,this impression ,i have seen to operate in making people backward to admit their belief in spiritual communication4 #cjb4 ,it is remarkable that in the case at ,cideville1 signals as the means of intellectual communication were employed1 independently of their employment made between two and three years before in ,new ,york4 ,of course1 those who resorted to this expedient1 might have heard previously of the effort in the same way which had been successful in this country ,the signs employed1 however1 differed4 ,at ,rochester one rap was taken for no1 two for doubtful1 three for yes4 ,at ,cideville one rap was received for yes1 and two for no4 ,at the former place1 the alphabet was directly referred to2 at the latter1 reference was made by figures indicating the place of the selected letter in the alphabetic card4 #cjc4 ,of this character is the admission of the ,roman ,church of the spiritual origin of the manifestations2 ascribed1 however1 to diabolic agency4 ,to this allusion has been already made2 but ,i subjoin some letters and expositions1 translated from a ,french work lately published on ,mesmerism1 ,clairvoyance1 and ,spiritual ,manifestations4 #cjd4 ,the following letters1 taken from the work in question1 will require no farther introduction4 #cje4 ,if the ,roman clergy thus advance the inference that the manifestations and intellectual communications come from spiritual agency1 it will be easy for ,spiritualism to show that it is vastly more devoid of diabolic malevolence and inhumanity than the institutions sanctioned by that priesthood4 ,letter from ,t4 ,r4 ,p4 ,ventura4 #cjf4 8,my ,dear ,sir3 ,when you came two years ago to consult me as to the merit and propriety of your labours1 ,i hesitated so much the less to encourage their publication1 that having myself entertained the same ideas for a long time1 ,i had been several times on the point of proclaiming them from the sacred chair4 ,i do not fear then to affirm #8that the publication of this important and serious work would be of incontestable usefulness1 and tend strongly to enlighten opinion on a mass of curious facts1 and thus prepare for the solution of high and important questions2 for1 ,i add1 it is necessary that all the phases of the subject should be first presented by the laity1 in order that the church may thus be enabled to form their judgment with full knowledge of the case4' #cjg4 8,i do not say enough1 my dear sir1 in pronouncing your work useful2 ,i might have called it indispensable1 had ,i foreseen the approaching invasion of that scourge which you so happily designate as a spiritual epidemic3 a scourge whose sudden and universal propagation1 in my opinion1 notwithstanding its appearance of puerility1 will constitute ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,greatest ,,events ,,of ,,our ,,age4 ,but how has it been both received and entertained8 #cjh4 8,commencing with your savans1 it is impossible not to be alarmed by the obstinate incredulity which does not allow them to see what at the present time can be confirmed by anybody4 ,oculos habent et non vident4#i #cji4 8,those individuals alarm me still more1 who having given their attention1 and of course seen1 shake their heads as a sign of indifference and pity1 as if the phenomenon exhibited was of a low character and beneath their notice4 ,when they have descended to the foundation1 they treat it with contempt4 #caj4 8,then1 finally1 and very differently indeed1 ,i feel myself frozen with terror by certain dispensers of truth1 who1 in their blindness1 trifle without scruple with their most relentless enemies2 so far have they forgotten their most serious teachings4 #caa4 8,i do not profess to be a prophet1 sir1 and do not know what the mercy or justice of ,god is preparing for us2 but1 like you1 ,i tremble for the present1 and hope for the future2 for marvellous lessons are already presented to us in these passing phenomena4 #cab4 8,in fact1 the justification of the church and of the faith are emanating from them3 the definite condemnation of a fallen rationalism2 and consequently1 the approaching glorification of all the past in the true church1 and even of that ,middle ,age1 so calumniated1 so ridiculed1 and gratuitously endowed with so much darkness4 ,the political events of these latter times have to justify that ,middle ,age1 as respects good sense in the affairs of government2 and behold these facts of a nature entirely foreign1 coming to avenge its accusation of superstitious credulity4 ,this reparation was necessary1 and after all our own age has nothing to fear from it1 for certainly it will not render injustice of any kind to the objective and useful progress of modern civilization4 #cac4 8,as for yourself1 sir1 you will enjoy the honour of having brought1 by your luminous discussions1 a large stone for the construction of this majestic edifice1 and ,i rejoice in the encouragement ,i have given you4 ,i need not enlarge on this subject1 ,,for ,,success ,,has ,,spoken1 and think ,i am sufficiently acquainted with you to know that you did not anticipate one so brilliant4 ,you have known how to engage the attention of the learned1 and people generally1 by making your work attractive while it is instructive--a quality sufficiently rare to claim my congratulations4 ,i will only add another word3 had this work been confined to the notice of those phenomena whose advent we deplore1 it would probably share their fate2 but what will secure its perpetuity is your discussion of medical science which you put in apposition with your subject1 and which will not long be able to resist the severe stricture of your logic4 ,therefore1 be assured1 it will be the learned1 and especially physicians1 that you will first convert to your doctrine4 ,philosophers will only surrender after them2 but so far there is no doubt that you will have given rise to most serious reflections in all of them4 #cad4 8,i will not speak to you at present of two or three observations which ,i have made in reading your book1 which we will discuss in private1 and which only relate to some inaccuracy of doctrine1 foreign1 besides1 to the principal subject of your work4 #cae4 8,finally1 my dear sir1 ,i do not doubt that the ,god of truth will bless your labours4 ,continue them1 for the subject is vast1 and especially do not suffer yourself to be discouraged by the reasoning of light minds1 #8that in divulging all these things you favour their promulgation1 when they had better be suppressed1 c4 c4' ,a gross error6 ,they might as well accuse the doctors of causing the cholera4 ,and1 beside1 it is worthy of remark that all the cases of insanity lately developed in the midst of these exhibitions are due to thoughtless enthusiasm succeeding to an absolute state of doubt and disbelief4 ,it could not well be otherwise2 the prodigy which was doubted yesterday1 and to-day is firmly established1 will to-morrow be transformed into ,god4 ,truth alone is able to prevent and remedy such disastrous mishaps4 ,receive1 my dear sir1 the assurance1 c41 ,,le ,p4 ,,ventura ,,de ,,raulica1 ,former ,general of the ,monks1 ,examiner of the ,bishops and of the ,roman clergy40 ,letter of ,dr4 ,coze4 #caf4 8,sir3--,you do me the honour to ask my opinion of the book on the ,spirits which you have just published4 ,that opinion ,i have already expressed to our mutual friend1 the good worthy doctor ,paulin2 and true it is1 this book has made a strong impression on my mind1 for ,i had arrived at similar conclusions from the examination of some magnetic phenomena and the moving of tables4 ,i find in your book a chain of very remarkable facts--presented1 too1 with talent and clearness very unusual in this sort of writing4 ,i see1 beside1 that science is brought back to the path which cannot mislead us to that of the sacred writings2 there1 as ,i think1 are to be found the true philosophy and the true light4 #cag4 8,i do not fancy that my opinion can have any weight with the learned world4 ,if1 however1 you think proper to make this public1 ,i consent with all my heart in behalf of a truth which you so well defend1 and ,,the ,,success ,,of ,,which ,,appears ,,to ,,me ,,infallible4 ,i have the honour to be1 c41 ,r4 ,,coze1 ,dean of the ,faculty of ,medicine at ,strasbourg40 ,letter of ,m4 ,f4 ,de ,saulcy4 #cah4 8,sir3--,you desire me to report to you my opinion in writing which ,i have formed as to the strange phenomena1 to say the least of them1 which have been conventionally called table turning and table talking4 ,i am not the man to recoil from what ,i regard as a truth1 whatever sarcasm may be reserved for such profession of faith1 and therefore proceed to satisfy your inquiry4 #cai4 8,it is about eight or ten months since when the public of ,paris was agitated by the late arrival of the fact from ,america and ,germany2 a fact which pure physics was not able to explain a priori4 ,i did as many always do1 and have no doubt done for a long time--received this account with the most determined incredulity1 and1 ,i confess1 with ridicule4 ,i considered its adepts as charlatans or as simpletons1 and refused for a long time to bestow on it the least attention4 ,i became tired of the war1 however1 and after hearing many affirm1 to whom ,i could not apply these epithets1 the reality of these facts1 ,i determined to try for myself4 #cbj4 8,my son and a friend were my two companions3 we had the patience for forty-five minutes1 seated at the table1 to form what is called the chain1 and were not a little surprised1 ,i assure you1 to see at the end of that time the table on which we were operating1 and which was merely the parlour dinner-table1 begin to move1 and after some hesitation to contract a rotary movement1 which1 accelerating1 soon became very rapid4 ,we endeavoured by pressing to make it strike against the bar and arrest its motion1 but could not succeed4 #cba4 8,after repeating the experiment two or three times1 ,i sought to find some cause in physics for the movement1 and battled the whole theory of ,electro-,dynamics with the aid of an electroscope1 compass1 iron-filings1 iron1 c4 ,as ,i could not detect the least trace of electricity1 ,i thought then of impulses due to the volition of the operators1 and of which a sort of integration might cause the motion of the table4 ,on that ,i stopped1 and for several weeks did not give the smallest attention to a phenomenon which did not seem to merit any further notice4 #cbb4 8,finally was commenced the faculty of talking1 and ,i assure you my incredulity was considerably greater than when its moving power was announced4 ,i was sparing1 however1 in my epithets1 for ,i soon found myself an investigator4 ,i watched the rogues1 as ,i suspected1 for two hours1 but left the room a full believer of its reality1 without any further examination1 confirmed too by all subsequent experiments4 7#a47 #cbc4 8,what could be said indeed of the fact witnessed together1 that a crayon1 which was fastened to the leg of a table1 wrote legible words1 while we were pressing it down with our hands8 #cbd4 8,it was then1 sir1 that your book fell into my hands4 ,i have read it with the most lively interest2 have admired your erudition1 and the courage necessary at our epoch to treat such a subject4 #cbe4 8,i believe in the existence of facts which often volition is unable to produce1 and over which ,i declare that volition sometimes appears to have a manifest influence4 ,i believe in the intervention of intelligence ,,different ,,from ,,our ,,own1 and which puts in action means almost ridiculous4 #cbf4 8,i believe that the ,christian religion should not encourage the practice of these experiments4 ,i believe there is danger in allowing them to become a habit1 and at least we may lose the little reason which has been granted man by the ,giver of all things4 ,i believe1 finally1 that it is the duty of an honest man to dissuade others from occupying themselves with it1 in preaching1 by example1 and not allowing it in the least to occupy himself4 #cbg4 8,this is the end ,i have reached after some months' experience2 and1 ask permission to close this letter1 already too long1 by repeating a very wise saying of a man of high intelligence3 #8,either these phenomena are1 or are not real2 if not1 it is disgraceful to lose time with them2 if they are1 it is dangerous to invoke them and to make them a pastime4' ,please accept1 c41 ,f4 ,,de ,,saulcy1 ,member of the ,institute40 ,spiritualism in ,paris4 ,see ,new ,york ,reformer1 ,september1 #ahec4 8,we find the following article in the ,london ,illustrated ,news of ,july #bc2 it is an extract from the ,news' ,paris correspondence3-- #cbh4 8#8,an immense sensation was caused here1 a few days since1 by a revelation given on the authority of some of the most respected and influential members of the clergy1 headed by the ,archbishop of ,paris1 on the subject of table movements4 ,the archbishop1 being questioned as to his opinion of the legitimacy1 in a religious point of view1 of attempting to communicate with spirits through the medium of the tables1 alleged that he had not sufficiently studied the question to reply definitively2 that he imagined that the effects produced were wholly of the nature of physical science1 and in that case harmless2 but that1 in order to form a judgment1 he would attend a meeting composed of certain members of the clergy1 at a place appointed to make the usual experiments4 #cbi4 8#8,the table being put in motion1 one of the party demanded it in reply1 by a certain number of raps1 if there were a spirit present4 ,the response was in the affirmative2 and in answer to a second question1 the spirit represented herself1 by raps indicating certain letters of the alphabet1 to be that of ,sur ,francoise1 deceased a week previously at the convent of ----1 ,paris4 ,the ,abbe ,b---- stated that he had confessed the ,sur ,francoise1 who had1 in fact1 died at the time and place named4 ,general consternation1 as may be supposed1 ensued when the ,abbe ,l----1 rising1 commanded the spirit in the name of the ,saviour to appear4 #ccj4 8#8,the report declares that the spirit hereupon actually became visible1 and replied to a variety of questions put to it1 but of what import we are not informed4 ,on the above details we do not pretend to give either explanation or opinion4 #cca4 8#8,such is the story as related by the members of the ,seance1 two of whom were so affected by the events related as to be some days seriously indisposed1 one of them even confined to bed4 #ccb4 8#8,various narratives mention that1 through the medium of the tables1 communications are held with spirits of all nations4 ,the spirits1 happily1 being excellent linguists1 find no difficulty in expressing themselves in any language chosen by the questioner1 and reveal the secrets of the prison-house with a frankness1 not to say indiscretion1 that would shock the more reserved ghost in ,hamlet1 in no way confirming his statement of the horrors of their temporary abode4 ,many of them describe in glowing terms the beauties and delights of their celestial abodes4'0 ,,spiritual ,,manifestations ,,in ,,france ,,and ,,germany4 ,,the following contribution1 under the preceding head1 is translated by my much esteemed friend1 ,dr4 ,geib1 from the work of ,de ,mirville1 whence the articles under the designation of ,,foreign ,,coroborative ,,evidence have been obtained through the same able translator3 #ccc4 8,toward the end of the year #aheb the epidemic had been imported into the ,north of ,scotland by some ,american mediums2 thence it got to ,london1 where1 according to the latest accounts1 it must have reached1 by the present time1 a pretty extensive development4 ,seeing its progress in this way1 we were led to say1 ,if it ever reaches ,germany1 that whole country will be on fire4 #ccd4 8,the religious gazette of ,augsburg of ,june #ah1 #ahec1 contained an article from which we make some extracts3 #cce4 8#8,again the world is presented with various marvellous appearances1 which1 coming from elevated sources1 force themselves on public notice1 and which1 in every case1 throw a very marked shadow on our own epoch of civilization4 ,it may be appropriate to communicate some of those found in the ,gazette ,gnrale2 and leaving reflection to the reader1 we will give some of the most striking4 #ccf4 8#8,the ,morgan ,blatt 7,morning ,sheet7 announces among its novelties from ,palatinat ,rhnan1 the phenomenon of a young girl not yet pubescent1 who1 they say1 is able at will to command a rapping spectre1 7,klopferle47 ,the spectre raps as often as the little girl orders him1 being obedient in the extreme4 ,what is remarkable is1 that the spectres of the ,old ,world1 as well as the ,new1 have a strong family likeness1 being as much alike as two drops of water4 ,and the ,tribune of ,new ,york1 printed in the ,german language1 has lately contained various communications on this subject4 ,but whence come these rapping spectres1 and why make their appearance all at once8' #ccg4 8,the ,gazette of ,augsbourg then refers to several other facts of the same nature1 which1 at all times1 have caused much embarrassment to the ,german authorities1 either in giving rise to lengthy inquests1 or in causing the condemnation of persons proved afterward to be entirely innocent2 but as for those of the present time1 it fully understands1 proclaims1 and demonstrates them to be of the ,american ,affiliation4 #cch4 8,the ,journal du ,magnetisme of the #ajth of ,march1 #ahec1 had already furnished us with the reported account given in the course of last ,january to the tribunal of ,london1 by the rapping spirit of the house of ,sanger2 the same phenomena1 the same stupefaction1 the same impossibility to discover the jugglers4 ,however1 the subject appeared to rest at this point in ,germany1 when1 in the month of ,april1 the first phenomenon of table moving reached ,bremen1 and then the ,augsbourg ,gazette insisted on its true origin4 #cci4 8#8,for eight days previous1' it said1 #8our good town has been in an agitation difficult to describe2 it is completely absorbed by a miracle which was not thought of before the arrival of the steamer from ,new ,york--the ,washington4 ,the ,,new ,,phenomenon ,,is ,,imported ,,from ,,america4' #cdj4 8,now a certain ,doctor ,andr was the first to describe this first exhibition of table turning2 therefore they called it his discovery4 ,what a discovery6 #cda4 8#8,having formed a chain1' he says1 #8of seven or eight persons1 the right little finger of each touching the left one of his neighbour1 the table they surround will commence turning1 and continue as long as the chain remains unbroken1 and stop when an individual leaves it4' #cdb4 8,a general burst of pleasantry and incredulity first accompanied the revelation of the doctor4 ,but soon experiment begins1 and laughter gives place to a sort of dejection4 ,certain savans1 professors of the ,university of ,heidelberg1 ,,mm4 ,mittermouer and ,zoepfl1 ,m4 ,molh1 brother of the member of the ,institute1 ,eschenmajer1 ,ennemoser1 and ,kerner1 attest the same facts2 and ,doctor ,lwe of ,vienna undertakes to give the theory of it3 #8,this theory consists1 according to him1 in the opposite polarity of the right and left sides of the human body2 hence1 having formed a chain of human beings1 the contrary poles of which1 viz4 the right and left1 touch each other1 and this chain1 exerting upon any body whatever a prolonged action1 conveys to it an electric current1 and converts it into a magnet1 and thus polarization is established in that body2 and in virtue of its tendency to magnetic orientation1 the south pole of the table impressing it with a movement to the north1 the latter commences a continued rotation1 and turns on its axis as long as the indispensable conditions are continued4' #cdc4 8,unfortunately1 the spirits are very soon seen to dispense with these indispensable conditions4 ,thus1 then1 at ,bremen1 ,vienna1 and ,berlin1 there was not a table at rest on its legs1 and still the ,french press observed a uniform inexplicable silence6 #cdd4 8,we ask1 however1 what would have been said1 had we foretold what began to appear unavoidable1 that in less than a month1 table and hat turning would reach ,paris4 ,the announcement was scarcely known when it appears that such a thing has always existed2 that it is a law of nature2 and that tables never had any other destiny6 #cde4 8,again we inquire of all serious minds1 ,what is the faculty by which we predict1 among other coming events1 the turning of tables1 which1 nevertheless1 do not turn till after the arrival of a vessel and a medium8 ,however1 silence becoming impossible1 the ,french press has thought proper to speak4 ,on the #dth of ,may1 the ,journal of the ,empire1 ,le ,pays1 happened to inform us that #8from the ,baltic to the banks of the ,danube1 all ,germany was in a fever4' ,it became then plainer and plainer that we were going to be infected1 and from that time we hastened to prepare our batteries4 #cdf4 8,it was high time1 for about the end of ,april1 the grand mysterious army had this time decidedly crossed the ,rhine1 and in all the large cities of ,france--,strasbourg1 ,marseilles1 ,bordeaux1 ,toulouse1 c4--the turning epidemic broke out like a discharge of musketry2 and better to impress the mind1 it only at first attacked stands1 tables1 hats1 seats1 c41 for all these participated in the demonstration4 #cdg4 8,at ,paris especially1 in repeating the experiments1 they were made a pastime for a soire4 ,children were introduced into the circles1 without considering whether correlative evil might not be coupled with these mysterious amusements4 #cdh4 8,it is true they would not allow the smallest ,leyden jar to come near them2 but what troubles might have resulted from the action of an electricity that could raise tables of eighteen dishes like a feather8 #cdi4 8,it is true1 too1 that ,m4 ,rouilly1 matre de pension at ,orleans1 undertook to give an answer4 ,in the ,moniteur due ,loiret1 he informs us that #8at his house1 even in the middle of the process1 a large young man of twenty-six was seized with a violent trembling in all his limbs1 and that his left forearm began suddenly to oscillate in a frightful manner1 making as many as a thousand movements in a minute2 being able1 he said1 to utter only broken syllables2 staggered like an intoxicated man2 it was necessary to carry him to bed1 and the next day he still felt some nervous trembling4' ,m4 ,rouilly ended in saying #8that he felt it his duty to report this fact for the benefit of those who may enter into these experiments without knowing their possible serious inconveniences4' ,little attention was paid to this1 so much had fashion asserted empire1 so much was this pleasure worth its cost4 #cej4 8,however1 knowing long since all the particulars1 we are disposed to ask ourselves1 ,what is going to result from all this8 what will the savans say8 ,will they allow themselves to be carried away by electric appearances8 will their philosophy allow them to seek independently of the fluids1 which may be imagined to operate1 the real agent of such a variety of effects8 ,no2 they well know1 however1 that in the sciences--medicine1 for example--every investigation that stops short of phenomena1 is of very secondary value2 we may be satisfied1 for want of better1 but still we do not feel ourselves in possession of the truth2 we still seek it4 ,why in this case should we do otherwise8 ,these suppositions were just1 but we say without hesitation our fantastic experimenters committed from the first an unpardonable fault1 philosophically speaking2 that is1 not to have taken the least notice of those facts from ,america which were beginning to sound in their ears from all sides4 ,when we are visited by the plague1 yellow fever1 or cholera1 the first care of the faculty is to have it studied in ,egypt1 ,spain1 and ,poland4 ,these scourges are investigated even at the place of their birth2 we notice their origin1 development1 and termination4 ,well6 in doing the same in this case1 these gentlemen would have seen as clear as day that the ,augsbourg ,gazette was right in telling them that this animal magnetizing was received direct from ,america4 ,but what shall we do8 we take no pleasure in looking at what we do not want to see4 #cea4 8,however1 this affiliation once well established1 well understood1 by thoroughly studying the ,american prodigies1 we should very soon have reached the assurance that there1 at least1 the spirits had exhibited themselves in open day2 and there1 as they were first concealed in tables or behind partitions1 we could have seen immediately what might be reserved for us for the future4 #ceb4 8,but rest assured our ,french science will not yield2 the snare is too gross2 ,french science has no rival in physics and electricity2 it only sees in this a waggish electricity1 and will never consent to be persuaded that it has slept a hundred years at the side of such truths1 or rather at the side of such enormities in physics4 #cec4 8,and then iniquity is exhibited to herself at all times4 ,sir1 then what becomes of the indispensable conditions of ,dr4 ,andr8 that is to say3 #8,all the effects ceasing on the least interruption of the chain4' #ced4 8,this morning1 in a journal of ,lorraine1 there is a notice of a circle formed in a first story1 round a massive table2 as long as the circle continued nothing was done2 but getting tired they all leave for the street1 and a few moments afterward the rebellious table begins to waltz1 as if to bid defiance to the party4 ,what a law of physics1 what electricity6 ,behold1 on the other hand1 cities and countries disinherited6 ,behold the city of ,valence1 who laboured all in her power1 who followed with angelic patience all the prescriptions of the new science2 nothing could produce the phenomena4 ,is it that at ,valence1 perchance1 the human species has no electricity8 ,mon ,dieu6 it has electricity1 but it is not of that accidental and local kind1 the real kind for the occasion1 and which may be therefore denominated erratic2 as the ancients called those gods that moved about from place to place4 #cee4 8,no1 ,science is not to be so deceived2 she is not satisfied with the explanation of the little fingers1 but soon perceives that these little fingers supply here precisely the part of the famous mesmeric trough1 and the chain that was formed entirely round it4 ,then1 also1 the chain was said to be very important2 and the trough1 magnet1 steel1 glass pile all necessary agents4 ,very well1 what has now become of all these necessities8 ,the magnetic effects exceed all those of that time1 and notwithstanding they are not made any use of4 ,much more6 since the passes have ceased to be the fashion1 the phenomena have doubled4 ,in ,germany1 where people go to the bottom of things1 they have desired to look into the heart of it4 ,each master of the magnet--and they are pretty plenty there--has constructed his own trough4 ,that of ,walford consists of an iron box1 furnished with bottles1 iron wire1 ground glass1 c4 ,that of ,keiser was made of beech without bottles1 and filled with water1 which did not prevent the effects from being precisely the same in the two cases4 ,thus it was said3 ,it is magnetism alone which gives them this power1 and they magnetized their best4 ,but one lucky day it was thought proper not to magnetize1 and the trough lost none of its power6 #8,ah6 ah6' they say1 #8the trough is magnetized by the magnetized patients themselves1 and they put a stout man into it1 free from all magnetic influence1 and besides in excellent health4 ,well1 this time6 the magnetic effects exceeded in intensity all the previous experiments1 and never had the phenomena exhibited themselves so brilliantly4' #cef4 8,this is the precise account of the famous report of ,bailly1 of which ,m4 ,arago spoke so highly in his last memoir2 and in one respect he was right2 for these great experimenters did not allow themselves to be caught by any of these electric seductions1 and proclaimed physics to be entirely innocent of all the effects they witnessed4 ,but at the same time they thought proper to refer to the imagination these same prodigious effects1 which no one could understand even after having seen them2 and there was their great mistake2 they were right as savans1 as philosophers inexcusable4 #ceg4 8,moreover1 this absurd explanation by imagination he renewed under these circumstances2 and that of jugglery is not more fortunate4 ,what prejudice6 ,these two words rendered much service1 and covered many retreats6 ,that is1 however1 passed2 it will be necessary hereafter1 not only to admit them1 but to redeem all analogous precedents1 for these are about to be1 at last1 explained4 ,again1 what is to be done8 ,it will be necessary to proclaim that these electric phenomena which are real as an effect1 are not in fact real in their cause2 that they lie when they wish the contrary to be believed1 that they joke when they act by turns with and without a chain in a particular town1 and not in some other1 c4 #ceh4 8,but on the other hand to perceive a capricious and lying cause1 is almost to perceive 444 a mind4 ,a mind1 grands dieux6 ,you represent yourself before the whole ,academy ,arago as recognising spirits1 hobgoblins6 grand experiment6 ,but that itself is horrid to contemplate6 ,not a face at the ,institute can remain uncovered1 and that day will forever be regarded as unlucky for science1 as it robs it of a victory which was thought to have been gained centuries before4 #cei4 8,beware1 however1 of the first supernal intelligence6 for we shall fall back on our ancient and primitive criterion1 our infallible touchstone4 #cfj4 8,all depends on what it is going to give us2 think well of it this time2 an imprudent question might lose all4 #cfa4 8,and already1 what signifies that last phrase of a serious article which we find in the ,courier du ,nord8 #8,in another house the table1 they say1 obeyed the commands of one of the experimenters2 took the direction indicated1 danced in measure to the sound of a piano1 counted the hours1 and told the age of the assistants1' c4 #cfb4 8,what means that other letter from ,bordeaux1 in the ,guyenne8 #8,a hat submitted to animal magnetism appeared more intelligent even than the table2 it indicated1 they say1 by little gambols1 the age of persons1 the number of pieces of money they had in their pockets1 it told the amount of ladies and gentlemen together in the room1' c4 #cfc4 8,what follows is better still3 see in the ,journal le ,pays1 a letter of ,m41 the ,abb of ,moigno1 according to which it follows that ,,mm4 ,seguin and de ,montgolfier1 very distinguished engineers1 ordered the tables to rest on this leg and then on the other1 and made them beat time1 c4 #cfd4 8,we read in ,la ,patrie--#8,explanation given by the savans4' ,ah6 let us see6 this subject is becoming important4 ,according to this journal the following is the hypothesis at which the savans have arrived3 #8,the table and hat turners act mostly in good faith1 7quite a concession17 but they deceive themselves2 they think they cause the motion of an inanimate object by an act of volition1 or an effusion of magnetic fluid from their fingers2 while it is by muscular action1 imperceptible to themselves1 or others4' ,ah6 take notice6 ,it is by a vibratory movement coming from thousands of small nervous branches4 ,add to this1 lassitude1 humidity of the hands1 and you will have an explanation1 if not entirely satisfactory1 at least sufficiently plausible1 of the phenomena which engage our attention4 ,m4 ,chevreul 7of the ,institute7 has analyzed this physiological predisposition1 and has illustrated it by the fact familiar to the billiard player1 who having struck the ball1 follows it with his eyes1 with his shoulders1 and with the whole body1 and makes fantastic motions1 as if to impel it1 though no longer subject to his direct action1 c4 #cfe4 8,it is well ,m4 ,chevreul has used the phrase #8as if to impel it1' for had he been so unfortunate as to say1 and in fact he did impel it1 we should have been lost4 ,in truth we should have been silenced4 ,but that lucky #8as if1' saves us from a very bad predicament2 it brings back to our memory what we were about to forget2 that is to say1 that in the relations of man and matter1 never1 up to the present time1 has all the muscular effort of the world been able to influence1 in the smallest degree1 the direction of an object1 not under its direct action4 ,to the present time all the laws of physics have been based on the grand primordial law1 and the player of ten-pins is not more successful from such efforts1 than he of the billiard ball just named4 #cff4 8,how changed are the times6 ,two years ago1 the whole ,academy of ,sciences revolted against the ,baron de ,humboldt for supposing that at a distance he caused a deviation of the magnetic needle--an experiment1 too1 which could never be renewed at ,paris2 and1 behold6 in place of needles1 all at once heavy tables are seen waltzing about the room1 and obedient to the will2 and all this is easily explained6 ,it is quite plausible6 ,yes1 but this time1 gentlemen ,savans1 we will not allow you to distort the facts4 ,since the commencement of this volume1 we have done nothing but establish1 on good evidence1 all those which your colleagues arrange agreeably to their fancy1 after having absolutely denied them4 ,but now the half of ,france rises with us to convict them1 and to say to you3 ,no1 your nervous branches will never explain it2 neither the physical phenomena which you would refer to them1 nor the intelligence of our tables which respond to our own questions1 nor the super-intelligence of those which probably to-morrow will reveal to us what we are ignorant of ourselves4 #cfg4 8,attending on the morrow1 then6 ,it is truly sorrowful to see a man of the highest merit1 like ,m4 ,chevreul1 expose himself in this way to the weakest scholar who1 cue in hand1 might fairly undertake to answer him4 ,those may hereafter believe in physics who wish4 ,it is most horribly compromised4 ,a science1 capable of thus forswearing all its principles1 loses1 in our estimation1 much of its authority4 #cfh4 8,la ,revue ,medicale1 cited by ,la ,patrie of ,may #bjth1 declares in its turn #8the explanation either by imagination or muscular vibrations1 as represented by ,,mm4 ,corvisart and ,de ,castelnan1 entirely nullified by the fact of the simple change in the relations of the little fingers4' #cfi4 8,as for the ,medical1 they see in it animal magnetism1 and exclaim3 #8,no one is able to foresee the application of which this discovery is susceptible4 ,it is an entire world for explanation4 ,who knows if there is not at the end of this hint the means of illustrating a whole generation6' #cgj4 8,lucky ,magnetism--what a reparation you have a right to demand6 what incense will be bestowed on you to-morrow1 by those who yesterday so cruelly tore you to pieces6 ,but ,la ,presse and ,l',union ,medicale may do what they please1 no one will hereafter believe them on their word4 #cga4 8,a just reward1 gentlemen1 for things here below4 ,you would not believe and you are not believed now6 ,we read afresh in ,la ,patrie of ,may #bast1 the recital of #8tables promenading and upsetting without contact by pure efforts of volition1 or even by a simple magnetic pass--a very superfluous precaution of the experimenter4' ,very superfluous1 indeed6 ,it could not have been better expressed4 #cgb4 8,in the presence of such a fact1 will the magnetizers still maintain that the magnetic rapport results from the mixture of the two nervous atmospheres8 ,the nervous system of tables1 7disgueridons17 to use the language of ,reichenbach1 must be very sensitive2 and in this new dance without contact--what becomes of the explanation by muscular vibration1 and especially by the humidity of the hands8 #cgc4 8,we have some very important communications1 on the #bc;d of ,may1 from ,m4 ,bonjean1 member of the ,royal ,academy of ,savoy1 at ,chambry1 respecting several experiments made at the academy itself1 and establishing the perfect intelligence of the agent in question4 ,m4 ,bonjean1 however1 always refers this intelligence to one uniform process4 #8,these responses1' he says1 #8are not1 and cannot be but the reflection of the thoughts of the person who causes the phenomena1 and the movables are only able to satisfy those questions whose answers are known1 without ever being able to supply an answer that is not known4' #cgd4 8,the idea that the furniture is unable to give satisfaction is charming6 but up to this point it was not understood to be super-intelligence4 ,patience1 however1 for it is bound to happen6 #cge4 8,besides1 ,m4 ,bonjean does full justice to the muscular movements of ,m4 ,chevreul1 by means of that single exception of the table of ,strasbourg turning with all its operators1 or certain tables at ,lyons moved without immediate contact4 ,next1 he passes from the physical to the moral question1 which1 if to be believed1 is certainly not very encouraging4 #8,fathers and mothers1' he exclaims1 #8if you do not desire to develope premature feelings in your daughters1 husbands who regard the peace of your wives1 be mistrustful of the magnetic chain in general1 and of the dancing of tables in particular4' #cgf4 8,it will be recollected that in the famous secret report of ,bailly on mesmerism1 in #aghd1 exactly the same thing was said4 ,there is under all this1 then1 we have good reason to apprehend1 a uniform unrepented sin4 #cgg4 8,in a letter of ,may #bdth from ,m4 ,seguin1 one of our most distinguished engineers1 to the ,abb ,moigno1 who had very ably opposed these experiments in ,le ,pays1 ,m4 ,seguin says1 #8,when ,i reason dispassionately on the real and very positive results which ,i have obtained1 and seen obtained by others before my eyes1 ,i think myself under the control of an hallucination which causes me to see things differently to what they are1 so much does my reason refuse to admit them2 but when ,i repeat my experiments1 ,i find it impossible any longer to resist the force of evidence1 when indeed it confounds and upsets all my opinions4 #cgh4 8#8,how can you expect me to accept your explanation1 when a table touched very lightly by the ends of the fingers1 presses against my hand and against my legs to such a degree as to repel me and almost break itself8 ,how believe that the person whose hands touch it could impart to it a force equal to such efforts1 and especially when that person is myself8 ,accept1 then1 freely and with courage1 the facts as ,,they ,,are1 the facts well seen and satisfactorily produced by myself1 in whom you have1 ,i think1 as much confidence as in yourself4 ,the explanation will come hereafter1 rest assured4 ,believe firmly that in these phenomena of turning tables there is something more than you see--a physical reality outside of the imagination and of the faith of those who appear to make them move4' #cgi4 8,it is impossible1 as we see1 to be more positive1 or better to defend the physical evidence on the ground of facts4 ,m4 ,seguin has a thousand times the advantage over his learned antagonist2 but let us see if ,m41 the ,abb ,moigno1 defeated on this ground1 will not take his revenge on another4 #chj4 8,referring to a communication made to the academy by one ,m4 ,vauquelin1 about one of these enchanted tables1 which in his hands was able to reply to the most mysterious questions1 divine the most secret thoughts1 c41 ,m4 ,meigno exclaims in ,le ,cosmos ,revue ,encyclopdique des ,sciences3 #8,this time it is too strong2 we find ourselves definitively at the mercy of magic1 and the moment has come to proclaim it at ,rome4 ,then there is neither magnetism nor electricity2 not even the influence of human volition on matter2 but supposing the fact to be certain--,,which ,,is ,,hard ,,to ,,swallow--there must be in it the intervention of spirits1 or magic4 ,intelligence that can refuse these deductions of common sense1 would be ,,disordered intelligence1 as useless to dispute with as with fools4 ,if you have not been mistaken1 if the extraordinary facts which you affirm are true1 we ourselves are believers4 ,the intervention of spirits and of magic became the sorrowful but great realities4' #cha4 8,m4 ,agenor ,de ,gasparin1 one of our most sedate philosophers1 writes what follows in ,la ,gazette de ,france3--#8,i will not insist on this point4 ,the phenomenon of rotation1 if alone1 would not appear to me entirely satisfactory4 ,i am mistrustful1 though not an academician1 and1 ,i admit1 that it may be possible 7at a pinch7 that a mechanical impulsion might be communicated4 ,but the rotation only serves to present other phenomena1 the explanation of which it is impossible to refer to any kind of muscular action4 #chb4 8#8,each of us1 in his turn1 gave orders to the table1 which it promptly obeyed2 and ,i should succeed with difficulty in explaining to you the strange character of these movements1 of blows struck with an exactness1 with a solemnity that fairly frightened us4 8,strike three blows2 strike ten blows4 ,strike with your left foot2 with your right foot2 with your middle foot4 ,rise on two of your feet2 on only one foot2 remain up2 prevent those on the side raised from returning the table to the floor40 ,after each command the table obeyed4 ,it produced movements that no complicity1 involuntary or voluntary1 could have induced2 for we should have afterward tried in vain to place it on one foot1 and keep it there by the pressure of the hands1 resisting incontestably the efforts to press it down4 #chc4 8#8,each one of us gave orders with equal success4 ,children were obeyed as well as grown persons4 #chd4 8#8,still more3 it was agreed that the requests should not be audible1 but merely mental1 and whispered to a neighbour4 ,still the table obeyed6 ,there was in no instance the least error4 #che4 8#8,each person desired the table to rap the number of years of his age1 and it gave our ages as indicated only in our mind1 endeavouring in the most curious manner to hurry when the number was large4 ,i must own1 to my shame1 that ,i was rebuked by it1 for having unintentionally diminished my age2 the table gave forty-three instead of forty-two1 because my wife1 with a better memory1 had thought of the correct number4 #chf4 8#8,finally1 having continued these experiments more than an hour1 at which the neighbours and the servants of the farm were present1 ,i felt that it was time to stop4 ,i requested the table to raise2 to raise again1 and turn over on my side1 which it did4 8#8,accept1 gentlemen1 the assurance of my best consideration1 ,a4 ,,de ,,gasparin4' #chg4 8,we stop our citations here2 for those who are not content with the testimony we have furnished1 emanating as it does from philosophers1 or men of serious minds1 the same revelations appearing1 too1 in all parts of the world1 will not be better satisfied by any thing we could add4 ,a day is coming1 however1 that will open every mouth4 ,then from all those parlours so reserved before--from all those cabinets in which experiments had been conducted with closed doors1 the truth will burst forth in its full power4 ,then it will be known that some of the most esteemed men of ,paris1 of the bench1 pulpit1 and men of letters1 have both desired to see and have seen it2 have desired to know and have known it4 ,it will be known that the evil super-intelligence has been revealed to them1 and that if they have been silent on the subject1 or desired to suppress their name1 it was only an act of prudence to restrain public opinion4 #chh4 8,but on that day what will ,science be doing8 ,we can boldly predict3 the facts of to-day which it does admit1 proving to amount to nothing1 and the inadmissible facts being admitted1 its faith will change1 and its language become more modest4 ,like the ancient ,augurs1 two savants will not be able to look at each other any more without smiling1 and often enough to exclaim3 #8,it has been well said1 my dear colleague2 it has always been foretold1 that 8,,he1 ,,who ,,is ,,outside ,,of ,,pure ,,mathematics1 ,,pronounces ,,the ,,word ,,impossible1 ,,wants ,,prudence4'0 ,,arago40 ,,spiritualism ,,in ,,great ,,britain4 ,account of ,mr4 ,robert ,owen's ,conversion4 #chi4 8,while in doubt upon this subject1 ,i heard of the media in this country1 and was casually introduced to ,mrs4 ,hayden1 an ,american medium1 without having any intention to ask a question respecting the spirits2 my object being to purchase a book which ,mrs4 ,hayden had for sale1 written by a valued and most truthful friend of mine in ,america1 ,adin ,ballou1 who has written a plain1 practical1 common-sense history of this new revelation to the human race4 #cij4 8,while conversing with ,mrs4 ,hayden1 and while we were both standing before the fire1 and talking of our mutual friends1 suddenly raps were heard on a table at some distance from us1 no one being near to it4 ,i was surprised1 and as the raps continued and appeared to indicate a strong desire to attract attention1 ,i asked what was the meaning of the sounds8 ,mrs4 ,hayden said they were spirits anxious to communicate with some one1 and she would inquire who they were4 ,they replied to her1 by the alphabet4 that they were friends of mine who were desirous to communicate with me4 ,mrs4 ,hayden then gave me the alphabet and pencil1 and ,i found1 according to their own statements1 that the spirits were those of my mother and father4 ,i tested their truth by various questions1 and their answers1 all correct1 surprised me exceedingly4 ,i have since had twelve sances1 some of long continuance1 and during which1 with one exception1 ,i have had prompt and true answers so far as the past and present1 and very rational replies as to the future2 but these last have to be tested by time4 ,the exception was my own afterward-discovered error40 #cia4 ,from the following quotation1 it seems that ,mr4 ,owen has not had any reason to diminish his faith in spiritualism4 ,the manifestations1 of which his account is subjoined1 are eminently wonderful2 yet they are not more so than those which are recorded as having been realized under the influence of the same medium1 in this country1 or at ,koons's ,establishment in ,ohio3-- ,letter of ,robert ,owen to the ,yorkshire ,spiritual ,telegraph4 ,,seven ,,oaks1 ,april #bc1 #ahee4 #cib4 8,dear ,sir3--,just now1 on my return from ,london1 where1 last night1 ,i had been giving a lecture to ,mr4 ,ronge's party of foreigners and others on ,education1 ,i had the pleasure to receive your #b;d ,number of #8,the ,yorkshire ,spiritual ,telegraph4' ,i have hastily glanced over it1 and ,i feel much interest in your proceedings1 and wish you all success in the good cause4 ,i say good cause1 for it is sure to lead to great ultimate good1 and especially will it destroy the many evils arising from sectarianism1 and other causes of hatred and ruin between man and nations4 ,i must tell you of what occurred to me last night1 after my return from the lecture1 about nine o'clock4 #cic4 8,a ,mr4 ,hume1 a young ,scotchman1 who went to ,america to pursue his studies as a medical student1 four or five years ago1 became a medium1 7he is now about twenty years of age17 and soon became a very superior one4 ,he had engaged to accompany the ,haydens and ,miss ,jay4 ,he took his passage and came1 but the others1 for some cause1 postponed their voyage1 but may now be daily expected4 ,they arrived on the #bb;d4 ,i had heard on my arrival in ,london1 from friends on whom ,i could depend1 of the extraordinary results by his mediumship4 ,i made arrangements to visit those friends and ,mr4 ,hume when ,i finished my lecture1 which ,i did1 and found my two friends and ,mr4 ,hume waiting my arrival4 ,on being seated around a regular full-sized card table1 there were raps immediately1 and because ,i do not hear very well1 the raps increased until they became very loud1 but ,i heard the first raps distinctly4 ,many spirits were present2 some1 relatives of my friends1 and others1 my own relations4 ,my wife and daughters1 my son and brother1 and also my father and mother1 with all of whom ,i have had frequent delightful intercourse through various mediums4 ,my two friends present are husband and wife2 and the first new occurrence to me was1 seeing the lady's silk apron untied by invisible means--a somewhat complicated operation--and taken from her and given to ,mr4 ,hume1 opposite to her4 ,it was then conveyed backward and forward1 from one to another1 and it soon came to me4 ,i held it with much force1 but it was drawn from me with greater force1 for ,i was afraid damage would be done to it4 ,next a flower was taken from the table1 conveyed away by invisible means1 and brought to me4 ,the flower ,i kept for being so presented to me4 ,next ,i had my handkerchief out2 it was taken from my hands1 and in an instant thrown from the opposite side of the table1 not as it was taken1 but made into a large hat1 which ,i also have as a curiosity4 ,then the spirits came and touched each of us4 ,i was occasionally touched on one knee1 then on the other1 and afterward on both at once2 and then one of them shook hands with me1 and ,i most distinctly felt the fingers of them separately4 ,an accordeon was then placed under the table1 and soon the spirit of the daughter of the family played most beautifully several tunes and pieces of music4 ,i asked for one of my favourite ,scotch tunes1 and it was immediately played4 ,the instrument was then raised by invisible power1 and given first to one1 then to another2 it was thus brought to me4 ,the table was then lifted from the floor2 at first1 about a foot1 and immediately afterward1 about three feet4 #cid4 8,after this the medium was put into a trance1 during which he saw beautiful visions of spirits1 and one of them spake through him while in that state sentiments that went to the heart of each of us1 giving us advice1 invaluable in its import1 and in language beautifully and eloquently expressed1 and calculated to make the deepest impression on our memories4 ,while reason remains ,i shall never forget it2 and it was given with many encouraging words1 to pursue my course in the measures in which ,i am engaged2 to endeavour to introduce the millennium1 but also stating the obstacles ,i should meet1 and the great difficulties which were to be overcome4 #cie4 8,much more occurred1 very interesting2 but the post time expires1 and ,i wish you to have this communication by this mail4 8,yours sincerely1 ,,robert ,,owen40 #cif4 ,i subjoin the following narrative of ,mr4 ,rufus ,elmer1 of ,springfield1 ,massachusetts1 concerning manifestations through ,mr4 ,hume1 as corroborating those described by ,mr4 ,owen4 ,thus1 on both sides of the ,atlantic1 we have evidence of analogous striking results by the same medium3-- ,mr4 ,hume at ,springfield4 #cig4 8,rufus ,elmer1 ,esq41 of ,springfield1 informs us that ,mr4 ,hume spent the nights of ,march #agth and #ahth at his house4 ,on the evening of the #agth1 thirteen persons were present1 when a series of most extraordinary demonstrations took place4 ,first1 two large tables standing together1 around which the company were sitting1 were lifted from the floor1 while all hands were resting upon their tops4 ,then an accordeon1 held under the table in one of ,mr4 ,hume's hands1 7the other being on the table17 with the keys downward1 was played in strong tones1 three parts being maintained1 and any tune performed that was called for--even foreign music4 ,the instrument was also played upon while held in the same manner by each person present1--all hands except the one holding the accordeon being upon the tables in sight4 7,these manifestations were all made in a room well lighted by gas47 ,a bell1 weighing over a pound1 was passed about under the tables1 put in the hands of each person1 taken away again1 passed rapidly from one end of the tables to the other1 a distance of eight feet1 knocking loudly on the under side as it went2 and1 finally1 the tables having been separated a few inches1 and a cloth spread over the aperture1 the bell was held up under the cloth1 while the company were allowed to feel the hand which held it4 ,next1 the bell was slid out on to one of the tables from beneath the covering1 and the hand which grasped it was exposed to the view of all the company--the hands of each being at the same time in full view4 ,to gratify one who sat at so great a distance as not to have a clear view1 it was communicated that if all others would for a moment avert their eyes1 so as not to concentrate their magnetism so powerfully upon the object1 it could be more plainly manifested to this one alone4 ,acting upon this hint1 each person was allowed to look singly at the hand--to the full satisfaction of all4 ,one of those present1 mentally requested1 unknown to all others1 that the hand of her spirit-child might be exhibited to her2 and1 behold6 a child's hand was presented1 while no child in the body was in the room4 ,one of the company was a coloured domestic in the family of ,mr4 ,e----1 and she mentally requested that her mother1 who had before purported to communicate to her1 if present1 would show her hand2 when1 lo6 a black hand appeared6 ,these are but specimens of what occurred during the evening40 ,,communications ,,from ,,the ,,spirit ,,world4 ,remarks ,introductory to my ,spirit ,father's ,communication4 #cih4 ,,agreeably to my spirit father's communication1 the manifestations which of late have given birth to ,spiritualism1 have been the result of a deliberate effort1 on the part of the inhabitants of the higher spheres1 to break through the partition which has interfered with the attainment1 by mortals1 of a correct idea of their destiny after death4 ,to carry out this intention1 a delegation of advanced spirits has been appointed4 ,referring to this statement1 ,i inquired how it happened that low spirits were allowed to interfere in the undertaking8 ,the answer was1 that the spirits of the lower spheres being more competent to make mechanical movements and loud rappings1 their assistance was requisite4 #cii4 ,likewise1 ,i inquired why it was deemed expedient to make these manifestations1 in the first instance1 at ,hydesville1 near ,rochester1 through the spirit of a murdered man8 ,the answer to this was1 that the spirit of a murdered man would excite more interest1 and that a neighbourhood was chosen where spiritual agency would be more readily credited than in more learned or fashionable and conspicuous circles1 where the prejudice against supernatural agencies is extremely strong2 but that the manifestations had likewise been made at ,stratford1 in ,connecticut1 under other circumstances4 ,nor were these the only places4 ,they had been made elsewhere1 without much success in awakening public attention4 #djj4 ,thus1 it appears that at the outset1 the object was to draw attention1 and in the next place to induce communications4 ,it will appear from the account of the manifestations at ,hydesville and ,stratford1 that as soon as through an ingenious agreement upon signals rational intercommunication was established1 the manifestations became changed in character4 ,the mischievousness displayed1 in the primitive derangement of furniture1 ceased4 ,this was attributed to the replacement of spirits of inferior grade1 by their superiors4 #dja4 ,thus this new and glorious light has come up amid dark clouds1 as we often see the thunder-gust the harbinger of a bright sky4 #djb4 ,but still there has been another source of temporary degradation1 not arising solely from the spirits1 but from the inquirers also4 ,the great motive in the first instance for witnessing spiritual manifestations was the love of the marvellous1 or the desire to expose what was deemed jugglery4 ,the mere movements of tables1 without any reference to spiritual agency1 was the great object of attention4 ,though ,i was present where table turning was discussed1 if ,i ever heard the idea of spirits being the cause1 it left no impression on my memory1 as has already been stated4 7#acd47 #djc4 ,but after alphabetical communication commenced1 it was performed so slowly1 that the replies were often brief1 and made with a view to establish identity of the spirits with the individual whom it professes to personate2 or to test the existence of a spirit by the replies given to inquirers respecting facts which could not be known to the medium4 ,at the first recognition1 the spirit would occupy the time mainly with statements very natural and amiable1 but not instructive beyond the degree of confirmation thus afforded of the great fact of such intercourse being possible on the part of friends who have quitted this stage of existence4 #djd4 ,communications through spelling and writing media very much fell short of the expectations which the name assumed by the spirit would awaken4 #dje4 ,as soon as convinced that the phenomena were due to the shades of the dead1 ,i looked with eagerness for some consistent information of their abodes1 modes of existence1 of the theological doctrines entertained by them1 and the actual diversities of their situation consequent to various degrees of moral and intellectual merit4 #djf4 ,it was with regret that ,i found in the published accounts1 nothing satisfactory1 nothing precise1 nothing connected4 ,in no publication did ,i find any satisfactory statements of the location of the spirit world1 or of its subdivision into spheres4 #djg4 ,urging this deficiency of information upon those spirit friends who seemed to have selected me as an instrument in promulgating the invaluable truths of ,spiritualism1 ,i obtained information1 as early as ,may1 #ahed1 respecting the situation of the spiritual spheres1 or country of spirits1 relatively to the earth2 but about the latter part of ,october my father commenced writing on the subject through a medium of the other sex1 but the ideas furnished were too much blended with her own prepossessions1 with which her mind was replete4 ,hence1 although many pages had been written1 they were rejected1 and resort was had to another medium--,mrs4 ,gourlay4 ,the result thus obtained was afterwards read to the author1 at the disk1 so as to have every paragraph scrutinized4 #djh4 ,under the following head will be found my father's communication4 ,my ,spirit ,father's ,communication4#aj #dji4 ,my son1 in communicating with you respecting the destiny of man1 ,i shall endeavour1 according to the extent of my capacity and highest perception of truth1 to give you a view1 as correct and definite as possible1 of the all-important subject in question4 #daj4 ,the spirit world lies between sixty and one hundred and twenty miles from the terrestrial surface2 the whole intermediate space1 including that immediately over the earth1 the habitation of mortals1 is divided into seven concentric regions called spheres4 ,the region next the earth1 the primary scene of man's existence1 is known as the first or rudimental sphere4 #daa4 ,the remaining six may be distinguished as the spiritual spheres4 #dab4 ,the six spiritual spheres are concentric zones1 or circles1 of exceedingly refined matter1 encompassing the earth like belts or girdles4 ,the distance of each from the other is regulated by fixed laws4 #dac4 ,you will understand1 then1 they are not shapeless chimeras1 or mere projections of the mind1 but absolute entities1 as much so indeed as the planets of the solar system or the globe on which you now reside4 ,they have latitudes1 longitudes1 and atmospheres of peculiar vital air1 whose soft and balmy undulating currents produce a most pleasurable and invigorating effect4 ,their surfaces are diversified with an immense variety of the most picturesque landscapes2 with lofty mountain ranges1 valleys1 rivers1 lakes1 forests1 and the internal correspondence of all the higher phenomena of earth4 ,the trees and shrubbery1 crowned with exquisitely beautiful foliage and flowers of every colour and variety1 send forth their grateful emanations4 #dad4 ,the physical economy and arrangements of each sphere differs from the other2 new and striking scenes of grandeur being presented to us in each1 increasing in beauty and sublimity as they ascend4 #dae4 ,although the spheres revolve with the earth on a common axis1 forming the same angle with the plane of the ecliptic1 and move with it about the ponderable sun1 they are not dependent on that body for either light or heat1 receiving not a perceptible ray from that ponderable source2 but receive those dispensations wholly from his internal or spiritual correspondence1 7a spiritual sun concentric with the sun of your world17--from that great central luminary whose native brightness and uninterrupted splendour baffle description4 #daf4 ,we have no divisions of time1 therefore1 into days1 weeks1 months1 or years2 nor alternations of season1 caused by the earth's annual revolution2 those periods being observed with reference only to the affairs of earth4 #dag4 ,although we1 like you1 are constantly progressing toward perfection1 our ideas of time and the seasons differ widely from yours2 with you it is time--with us1 eternity4 ,in the terrestrial sphere1 a man's thoughts1 being bounded by time and space1 are limited2 but with us they are extended in proportion as we get rid of those restrictions and our perceptions of truth become more accurate4 #dah4 ,as order is a primary object in the spheres1 there are of course laws for its preservation4 ,fundamentally1 these proceed through his ministering angels1 from the ,divine ,lawgiver1 who commands the angelic hosts of heaven and rules the inhabitants of earth2 who employs myriads of ministering angels as the means of intercommunication between their ,supreme ,master and his creatures throughout the universe4 #dai4 ,so far as legislation1 subordinate or supplementary to that of the ,supreme ,legislator1 is required1 the government of the spheres is republican1 exercising legislative1 judicial1 and executive powers4 ,but these functions are not embarrassed by the necessity of codes indited or printed1 nor by that of physical coercion4 ,the results of these functions are realized in simultaneous and homogeneous opinions awakened in the minds of the ruling spirits1 as truth takes hold of the minds of mathematicians1 pari passu1 as they read the same series of demonstrations4 ,the conclusions in which the chief spirits thus unanimously concur1 are by them impressed upon their constituents1 who1 thus impressed1 are constitutionally unable to resist the sentiment which1 like a magic spell1 operates upon their sense of right1 and overrules any rebellious passion4 #dbj4 ,as1 in the rudimental sphere1 weighing1 measurement1 or mathematical calculation or demonstration1 when performed by competent persons1 are rarely disputed1 so in the spheres1 the decisions of those whose authority is intuitively evident in moral or legal questions1 meet with acquiescence4 ,it follows1 therefore1 that neither imprisonment nor fetters are requisite for the enforcement of moral or legal restrictions4 #dba4 ,moreover1 it must be evident that in the spheres1 wisdom1 knowledge1 rectitude1 and conscientiousness are the real vicegerents of ,god1 the higher spirits acting as his media4 #dbb4 ,we acknowledge no aristocracy but that of mind and merit4 ,in our diplomatic intercourse with our brothers of earth1 when affairs of the greatest importance are to be transacted1 7the present dispensation1 for example17 we intrust them to a delegation of the most advanced spirits--those who are best acquainted with the affairs of the celestial country and of that to which they are accredited4 #dbc4 ,our laws are meted out in the scale of exact justice1 from whose awards there is no appeal4 ,punishments are but the natural consequences of violated laws2 being invariably commensurate with offences1 and have reference as well to the reformation of the offender1 as to the prevention of future crime4 #dbd4 ,the political economy of the spheres has reference only to wealth1 which being unbounded and free as air and light1 can of course be appropriated by each and every member of society1 according to his or her capacity of reception1 the supply being always equal to the demand4 #dbe4 ,wealth consists1 upon earth1 of those objects of human luxury or taste1 which can only be acquired by means of labour and capital4 ,other things being equal1 the value is generally in proportion to the cost incurred in the production4 ,but in the spheres1 such objects existing in profusion1 the supply is of course always equal to the demand1 though no less necessary than the air which you breathe2 like it1 they have no marketable value2 there is no one who has occasion to buy1 all being abundantly supplied from a common inexhaustible stock4 #dbf4 ,hence it will appear that we have no occasion for gold or silver1 which perisheth with the using1 but the currency of moral and intellectual worth1 coined in the mint of divine love1 and assayed by the standards of purity and truth4 ,our bank1 whose charter is eternal1 and whose notes are never subject to fluctuations1 and always payable on demand1 is none other than the great bank of heaven1 whose capital stock consists of an infinitude of love1 mercy1 and benevolence1 of which our ,heavenly ,father is president and director1 and in which his beloved children1 the whole human family1 are shareholders4 #dbg4 ,with regard to the social constitutions of the 8spheres10 each is divided into six circles1 or societies1 in which kindred and congenial spirits are united and subsist together1 agreeably with the law of affinity4 #dbh4 ,although the members of each society unite as near as may be on the same plan1 agreeing in the most prominent moral and intellectual features2 yet it will be found1 on careful analysis1 that the varieties of character1 in each society1 are almost infinite2 being as numerous as the persons who compose the circle4 #dbi4 ,each society has teachers from those above1 and not unfrequently from the higher spheres1 whose province it is to impart to us the knowledge acquired from their instructions and experience1 in the different departments of science1 and which we in turn transmit to those below4 ,thus1 by receiving and giving knowledge our moral and intellectual faculties are expanded to higher conceptions and more exalted views of the great ,creator1 whose almighty power is no less displayed in the constitution of spirit worlds1 than in that of the countless resplendent orbs of space4 #dcj4 ,we do not1 as many persons in the rudimental state imagine1 abandon the studies which we commenced on earth1 which would presuppose the loss of our reasoning powers1 and our consequent inferiority to yourselves2 but on the contrary1 we go on progressing in knowledge and wisdom1 and shall progress throughout the boundless ages of eternity4 ,you being chained down to earth1 by the law of gravitation1 are comparatively limited in your resources for information2 but we having arrived at a higher sphere of thought and action1 and having a more extensive field of vision1 can soar higher and farther into the wonderful workings of that mysterious ,being1 who1 owing to the infinity of his perfections1 must be forever in advance of us1 his finite creatures1 and to whom1 of course1 we can bear no relative proportion4 #dca4 ,our scientific researches and investigations are extended to all that pertains to the phenomena of universal nature2 to all the wonders of the heavens and the earth1 and to whatever the mind of man is capable of conceiving3 all of which exercise our faculties1 and form a considerable part of our enjoyments4 ,the noble and sublime sciences of astronomy1 chemistry1 and mathematics1 engage a considerable portion of our attention1 and afford us an inexhaustible subject for study and reflection4 #dcb4 ,nevertheless1 there are millions of spirits who are not yet sufficiently advanced to take any interest in those pursuits2 for you will bear in mind that the spheres are but so many departments of a great normal school1 for the mental discipline and development of the race1 each of which is reached only by the spiral#aa stages of progression1--the earth being the first in the series1 and the seventh sphere the last2 being preparatory to an entrance into the supernal heaven4 ,you will perceive1 then1 that we have an unlimited scope for the prosecution of our studies1 and that whatever knowledge you fail to acquire in the rudimental state1 legitimate thereto1 you will have to obtain1 in some of the degrees of the spiritual spheres4 #dcc4 ,we do not study those practical arts1 which are so essential to the earth life1 such as mechanics1 c42 for we do not stand in need of their applications2 our studies being wholly of a mental character1 we attend to the fundamental principles only4 ,all the more intellectual branches of the arts and sciences are cultivated in a much more perfect manner than that to which we have been accustomed upon earth4 ,the mind being untrammelled by the gross material body1 and having its intellectual energies and perceptions improved1 we can by intuition1 as it were1 more clearly and rapidly perceive and understand the principles and truths on which the sciences are based4 ,we can trace the various relations of each subject1 so as to understand its connective importance2 a knowledge at which mortals arrive only by a long and tedious process4 #dcd4 ,we are not1 for good and wise ends1 which in due time will be fully explained1 permitted to reveal all our knowledge to those below us1 as the consequences of such a procedure would be perilous to the happiness of all1 and subversive of order4 #dce4 ,in addition to our studies we have many other sources of intellectual1 moral1 and heartfelt enjoyment1 from which we derive the most ineffable pleasure3 one of which is social reunions and convivial meetings2 a coming together of dear friends1 brothers1 sisters1 children and parents2 where the liveliest emotion and tenderest affections of our nature are excited1 and the fondest and most endearing reminiscences are awakened2 where spirit meets in unison with spirit1 and heart beats responsive to heart4 #dcf4 ,yet individuals united by the ties of consanguinity are not always linked together1 even here1 by the golden chain of love and benevolent affection1 since it not unfrequently happens that there is much more harmony existing among those who are not members of the same family4 ,notwithstanding that persons who were intimately acquainted with each other in the natural world1 and those who are akin1 may be and often are separated1 sometimes for long periods1 still they do occasionally meet together2 those in the higher degrees and spheres passing to the lower1 while those in the latter never ascend to the former till fully prepared for such a transition1 agreeably to the fixed and unalterable laws of progression4 ,the periods of such separations vary according to the relative gradations of intellectual and moral qualities in each4 #dcg4 ,the peculiar connections and relations of parents and children1 brothers and sisters1 and all the minor ties of consanguinity1 must be forever maintained1 although there may be an indefinite interruption to the harmonious play of their affinities4 #dch4 ,as regards the institution of marriage1 ,i would observe that on earth it is a civil contract1 entered into by two persons1 male and female1 mutually or otherwise1 as the case may be1 for and during the term of their natural lives1 but which is legally annulled on the demise of either party2 so that whether or not it be renewed in the spiritual world1 is determined by choice1 not obligation4 #dci4 ,celestial marriage1 however1 is quite a different affair3 it is the blending of two minds in one1 resulting from an innate reciprocal love in each2 a conjunction of negative and positive principles1 forming a true and indissoluble bond of spiritual union1 which human legislation cannot reach3 a marriage which is born of ,god1 and is therefore eternal4 ,it is often asked1 8,will all be married in heaven80 ,i answer1 ,yes1 most assuredly2 it never was designed for man to be alone1 either on earth or in heaven3 each will seek and find their counterpart4 #ddj4 ,each society has a municipal administration or moral code1 subject to the divine government2 submission to the will of ,god1 and obedience to his laws1 whether recognised in nature or revelation1 forming the basis of its constitution4 ,with us philosophy and religion go hand in hand4 #dda4 ,evil or misdirected spirits find their affinities in the second sphere1 where the lowest and most undeveloped are associated together1 and remain for indefinite periods1 but with all the moral depravity and darkness with which they are enveloped1 through the benign influence exerted over their perceptive and rational faculties1 by higher intelligences1 each begins to feel1 sooner or later1 the low and degraded position he occupies2 moreover1 finding new means of progress1 and new sources of contemplation as well as delight1 and his capacity of making perpetual advancement in knowledge1 his intellectual faculties become gradually expanded1 and his moral powers increased4 ,hence the grovelling propensities of his nature yielding to the dictates of reason1 his grosser passions subside1 causing him to aspire to higher associations and circumstances1 which in turn beget new wants1 thoughts1 and feelings4 #ddb4 ,we have no sectarian or ecclesiastical feuds2 no metaphysical dogmas2 nor are we troubled with those insatiable cravings and inordinate ambitions1 so often manifested by mortals2 nor have we any taxation for religion1 the voluntary contributions of intellectual and moral minds being its meet support4 #ddc4 ,our religious teachers belong to that class of persons who were noted1 during their probation on earth1 for their philanthropy and deeds of moral bravery2 those who1 regardless of the scoffs and sneers of the time-serving multitude1 dared to promulgate and defend the doctrines of 8civil and religious liberty40 ,these practical reformers and saviours of the race1 instead of worrying their hearers1 as is the custom with many on earth1 with horrible denunciations and awful threats of eternal vengeance for their misdoing1 admonish and exhort them to higher and nobler aims and aspirations2 to the study of ,deity as manifested in his stupendous works4 #ddd4 ,they urge upon them1 too1 the necessity of their co-operation in the reformation and advancement of their more degraded brethren1 by instructing them in the divine principles of love1 wisdom1 and benevolence4 ,they instruct them in the soul-inspiring and elevating doctrine of universal and eternal progression1 and in the sublime truth that evil is not an indestructible and positive principle1 but a negative condition1 a mere temporary circumstance of their existence2 and1 furthermore1 that suffering for sin is not a revengeful and malevolent infliction of ,god1 but a necessary and invariable sequence of violated law4 #dde4 ,they teach them also that1 according to the divine moral economy1 there is no such thing as pardon for sins committed--no immediate mercy--no possible escape from the natural results of crime1 no matter where or by whom committed2 no healing of a diseased moral constitution by any outward appliances1 or ceremonial absurdities2 and finally1 that the only way whereby to escape sin and its consequences1 is by progressing above and beyond it4 #ddf4 ,we derive much pleasure from the exercise of our talents in vocal and instrumental music1 which far excels the noblest efforts of musical genius on earth4 ,when we convene to worship ,god in our temples1 whose halls and columns beam with inherent celestial light1 our voices are blended together in songs of praise and adoration to the ,almighty ,author of our existence1 from whom all blessings are derived4 #ddg4 ,from what has been stated1 it may be perceived that we are moral1 intellectual1 and sensitive creatures4 ,instead of being1 as many of you imagine1 mere shadowy and unsubstantial entities1 we are possessed of definite1 tangible1 and exquisitely symmetrical forms1 with well-rounded and graceful limbs1 and yet so light and elastic that we can glide through the atmosphere with almost electric speed4 ,the forked lightnings may flash1 and the thunders roll in awful reverberation along the vault of heaven1 and the rain descend in gushing torrents2 nevertheless1 by the mere act of volition1 we may stand unharmed at your side4 #ddh4 ,we are1 moreover1 endowed with all the beauty1 loveliness1 and vivacity of youth1 and are clothed in flowing vestments of effulgent nature suited to the particular degree of refinement of our bodies4 ,our raiment being composed of phosphorescent principles1 we have the power of attracting and absorbing or reflecting the rays evolved1 according as our condition is more or less developed4 ,this accounts for our being seen1 by clairvoyants1 in different degrees of brightness1 from a dusky hue to the most intensely brilliant light4 #ddi4 ,the spiritual body is a perfect human form1 originating in1 and analogous to1 the corporeal organization in its several parts1 functions1 and relations4 ,the heart beats in rythmic pulsations1 the lungs fulfil their office of respiration1 and the brain generates its vitalized magnetic fluid1 whose life-giving currents permeate every portion of the spiritual organism4 ,man in the rudimental state is tripartite1 consisting of soul1 of spirit1 and flesh2 but in the spheres a duality1 composed of soul and spirit4 ,having approached the portals of death1 he disrobes himself of the exterior form as he would put away a worn-out garment4 ,the gross and cumbrous physical machine1 which was given for the purpose of developing his more beautiful and excellent spiritual body1 and of bringing him into more immediate relationship with the outward world1 can serve his purposes no longer4 #dej4 ,for your clearer understanding of the modus operandi of our intercourse with man1 you will remember that by our transition to the world of spirits we part with the body only4 ,we lose none of our intelligence by the transfer1 but1 on the contrary1 become daily more and more developed in our knowledge of and power over the forces in nature2 so that we are enabled to perform many feats to you1 seemingly wonderful1 and which really appear miraculous to the majority of those who witness them4 #dea4 ,having disposed of the external mechanism of flesh1 we cannot come into direct contact with physical matter1 but we are able1 through the sphere of the medium1 when natural conditions are complied with1 not only to communicate our thoughts and wishes to our friends1 but to move solid1 ponderable bodies4 ,by spheres1 ,i mean the particular mental or physical state1 or emanation by which all bodies1 organic or inorganic1 are immediately surrounded1 and the particular electrical relations which they sustain to each other1 causing repulsions and attractions in man and animals as well as in chemical reagents4 #deb4 ,when we wish to impress the mind of the medium1 by the effort of our magic will1 7provided always that he or she is in sympathy with or sustains a negative relation to the operator17 we can dispose and arrange the magnetic currents of the brain so as to form or fashion them into ideas of our own4 ,we can also learn to read the thoughts of another--conditions being favourable--as readily as you can gain a knowledge of the characters or symbols of a language foreign to your own4 #dec4 ,thoughts being motions of the mind1 assume specific and definite forms1 and when distinct in the mind can be clearly perceived and understood by any spirit who is in sympathy with the mind in which they are generated4 #ded4 ,to influence1 mechanically1 the hand of a medium to write1 we direct currents of vitalized spiritual electricity on the particular muscles which we desire to control4 ,in order to produce the physical manifestations1 it is not by any means requisite that the medium should be possessed of a good moral character or well-balanced mind1 as an individual of small mental calibre would answer our purpose equally well2 but an advanced spirit could not directly impress or control the organs of a mind with which he is not in affinity1 and vice vers4 #dee4 ,we can instantly determine the sphere of a spirit1 in or out of the body1 by the particular brilliancy and character of the light in which he is enveloped1 as well as by the peculiar sensation which his presence creates4 #def4 ,the raps are produced by voluntary discharges of the vitalized spiritual electricity1 above mentioned1 from the spirit1 coming in contact with the animal electricity emanating from the medium4 ,these discharges we can direct at will to any particular locality1 thereby producing sounds or concussions4 #deg4 ,the question being often asked1 8,how do you move solid substances80 ,i would partly answer it by asking1 ,how does a magnet attract and raise from their resting-places certain bodies within whose sphere it is brought8 ,how does a man move his body and direct it whithersoever it goeth8 ,how does ,god1 the almighty cause of all causes1 move and keep in perpetual motion the immense systems which revolve in space1 and maintain each in its due relative position8 ,i answer1 ,by the magnetism of a positive will4 #deh4 ,we1 in common with you and all animals1 possess an infinitesimal portion of this power1 varying in degree in different classes and in different individuals4 ,when you raise your arm1 as in the act of lifting or moving a body1 you direct by the force of your will-power galvanic currents on the muscles required to perform the function4 ,the muscles acting as levers1 through the stimulus of the subtle element1 act and react on the more solid parts1 the bones1 and thus is the object laid hold of and moved1 and still you do not come into direct contact with the object4 ,now1 this is called a very simple operation1 and so it would appear1 but who understands it8 ,although advanced spirits are much more conversant with the forces operating in nature than the most intellectually developed man in the form1 still they do not1 nor can they ever1 as long as eternity rolls on1 understand the hidden sphere of cause4 ,the operation of the will it is impossible to understand4 ,now1 as ,i have said1 we are not possessed of physical bodies2 still we can make the imponderable elements subserve our purposes by acting as bones1 nerves1 and muscles4 #dei4 ,touching our peregrinations and voyages of discovery1 about which so much has been said by spirits1 as well as mortals1 ,i will say that it is a fallacy to suppose that every spirit can visit at will the planets of the solar system1 much less those of the more remote systems1 since ,i am certain that none but the residents of the seventh sphere1 or the angels of the 8,supernal ,heavens10 have the power to do so2 because each planet1 being an inhabited globe1 hath its concentric or spiritual spheres1 through all of which in order to reach it a spirit must pass4 ,it is obvious1 therefore1 according to the immutable law of progression1 that the transit of a spirit to a distant planet would require its adaptation to the highest sphere of that body4 #dfj4 ,having spoken of the angels of the 8,supernal ,heavens10 ,i will explain what is meant by this designation4 ,they are those pure and comparatively exalted beings who1 having advanced beyond the highest sphere of the planet to which they belonged1 and attained a very high state of moral and intellectual development1 have been admitted into that great and illimitable sphere of progression which lies outside of all other spheres1 and in which the greatest conceivable degree of harmony reigns4 ,it is composed of one grand harmonial society1 whose members are privileged to go wheresoever they will through the boundless empire of space4 ,they are principally from the planets ,jupiter and ,saturn1 and hold a much more distinguished rank in the intellectual1 moral1 and social system than the inhabitants of earth4 ,i have not learned that any spirit from our planet has yet reached the ,supernal ,heaven4 #dfa4 ,it has been said that spirits hunger1 thirst1 and stand in need of repose4 ,it is true that those states do pertain to spirit life agreeably to the law of spiritual correspondences4 ,the grosser and more undeveloped the spirit1 the closer is the analogy between it and the physical states4 #dfb4 ,physical laws and substances are gross or externalized spiritual laws and things4 ,the more refined and developed the spirit1 the less it requires of gross aliment4 ,refined1 intellectual1 and moral beings are nourished and sustained by refined1 intellectual1 and moral nutriment4 ,their food is derived from the 8,tree of ,knowledge10 and they slake their thirst at the crystal streams which continually flow from the inexhaustible fountain of ,god's wisdom and love4 ,the lowest undeveloped spirit lives on comparatively refined aliment to that on which mortals subsist4 ,it consists of the more refined elements of spiritual fruits and vegetables4 ,the spirit's need of rest depends on its particular degree of development1 diminishing in proportion to its advancement from the material plane4 #dfc4 ,though the principles embodied in our teachings and philosophy may be regarded1 by the majority of mankind1 as strange and incomprehensible1 they are1 nevertheless1 no more so than the principles of natural science would be to the unlettered mind4 ,as the ability to comprehend the principles on which the natural sciences are based increases with the expansion of the intellectual faculties1 in like manner is the power of perceiving spiritual things and relations increased by the development of the interior or spiritual faculties4 #dfd4 ,as there are no words in the human language in which spiritual ideas may be embodied so as to convey their literal and exact signification1 we are obliged ofttimes to have recourse to the use of analogisms and metaphorical modes of expression4 ,in our communion with you we have to comply with the peculiar structure and rules of your language2 but the genius of our language is such that we can impart more ideas to each other in a single word than you can possibly convey in a hundred4 #dfe4 ,i have thus given you a general outline of the leading facts connected with the destiny of the race4 ,i have endeavoured to show you that man is a progressive being1 that he possesses a refined material 7#ddi7 organization1 which1 going with him at death1 serves as a medium through which he may communicate with the visible world4 ,i will here add that1 under certain circumstances1 this spiritual organization has the power of reflecting the rays of light1 so as to be rendered visible to the natural eye1 as are certain gaseous bodies4 #dff4 ,i have attempted to show you1 too1 that the spirit on entering the spheres1 being governed by its affinity1 takes its position in that circle for which it is morally and intellectually adapted2 hence the first sphere is the abode of all the most degraded spirits1 and that their advancement1 however slow it may be1 is nevertheless sure1 since 8onward and upward0 is the motto emblazoned on the spiritual banner4 #dfg4 ,i have endeavoured to show you1 also1 that the spirit is a finite being like man in the form1 and1 therefore1 fallible1 and that as he advances in knowledge1 he grasps more of truth and drops more of error4 ,i have attempted to show you that the spirit world is a counterpart of the natural world1 and that we1 no less than you1 are subject to surrounding conditions and circumstances4 ,spirits of congenial minds and opinions are drawn toward each other and to you1 on the principle that 8like attracts like40 ,in order to receive high moral and intellectual communications1 it is essentially necessary that the medium and circle should be in affinity with each other1 and with the spirits who are capable of giving such communications4 #dfh4 ,besides the topics adverted to1 ,i will briefly call your attention to a few of the most prominent among the beneficial results which will flow from spiritual intercommunion4 ,it will settle the important question1 8,if a man die1 shall he live again80 ,it will reduce the fact of the immortality of the human spirit to a certainty1 so that the world's knowledge of the fact will not be the result of a blind faith1 but a positive philosophy4 ,it will show the relation existing between mind and matter4 ,it will make men thinking and rational beings4 ,it will establish a holy and most delightful intercourse between the inhabitants of the terrestrial world and their departed spirit friends4 ,it will expand and liberalize the mind far beyond your present conceptions4 ,it will fraternize and unite all the members of the human family in an everlasting bond of spiritual union and harmonial brotherhood4 ,it will establish the principles of love to ,god and your fellows4 ,it will do away with sectarian bigotry4 ,it will show that many of the so-called religious teachings are but impositions on the credulity of mankind1 being founded on the grossest absurdities and palpable ignorance of the nature of things4 #dfi4 ,it will give man higher and infinitely more exalted views of ,god1 and bring him into closer communion with the ,author of his being4 ,it will do away completely with the sting of death1 and rob the grave of its terrors4 ,it will teach the eternal progression of the soul1 and show that the time is fast approaching when the moral condition of the race is to be vastly improved2 when error is to be abolished1 and truth is to take its place2 when the glory of the ,lord is to be revealed1 and all flesh shall see it together6 ,in fine1 it will be a help to the soul in the hour of its adversity1 and enable it to bear up under affliction with noble and heroic fortitude2 and when about to launch its barque on the river of eternal life for the fair and beautiful land of promise1 it will be its stay and sheet-anchor4 ,your father1 ,,robert ,,hare4 ,communication from a ,spirit ,son of the ,author4 ,i have in the spirit world two sons1 one of whom died1 thirteen months old1 in #ahac2 the other1 five months old1 in #ahbe4 ,both have been to communicate with me4 ,i subjoin a letter received from the younger3 #dgj4 8,my ,dear ,father3--,i made a very brief communication to you through the medium of ,mr4 ,gordon1 which was my first successful effort to control the human organism4 ,it has been long known to me that spirits could manifest themselves to mortals2 and that they have always held communion with their brethren in the flesh1 is not new to me4 ,the law is as natural as gravitation1 and like it1 ,i presume1 will endure forever4 ,but so great has been1 and still is1 the superstition of the masses1 and to such an extent has man's mental vision been obscured by his so-called spiritual teachers1 that1 excepting a comparatively few instances1 spirits have failed in their attempts to reveal themselves to the civilized portion of mankind4 ,the conditions have1 for the most part1 been wanting1 owing to the above causes1 and which have grown out of man's false notions respecting his natural and true relation with the unseen world4 ,the less civilized of our ,father's children1 in regard to their communion with spirits1 have been much more highly favoured than their otherwise more fortunate brethren1 since it has not been an uncommon circumstance for them to commune with their departed friends4 #dga4 8,many years1 my dear parent1 have elapsed since ,i entered the bright abode of the blest--a very little child1 yet a very happy one4 ,my first and second birth rapidly succeeded each other2 but so little did ,i know1 from actual experience1 of my rudimental condition1 that ,i have never realized the change4 ,i have no memory of my earth-life1 yet ,i know from observation and reflection that ,i am to some extent the loser by my premature birth into the spiritual state4 ,i have1 it is true1 measurably obtained since then that knowledge of exterior nature which ,i should have acquired in the flesh1 on the globe which gave me birth1 as an independent1 individualized existence4 #dgb4 8,my life here has been a charmed one2 enrapturing scenes of beauty being constantly presented to view1 like the ever-varying landscapes delineated on the canvas by a skilful artist4 ,now is seen a beautiful silvery lake on whose translucent bosom floats the graceful swan1 bending his pliant neck1 as if proudly conscious of his surpassing beauty2 and anon1 among the lilies of this lake1 which appear like gems placed on a virgin brow1 shoots a tiny barque1 freighted with angelic children4 ,then is presented a bolder view1 of towering mountains and wide-extended plains1 with the accompanying characteristics of hill and dell4 #dgc4 8,in answer to a question which would naturally suggest itself to your mind1 respecting the means by which ,i have become acquainted with that knowledge of the external world which ,i should have gained in it1 ,i would say it has been acquired by frequent visits to the earth4 ,i have been accustomed to accompany you1 father1 in your daily walks1 and to study1 through you and mother1 those elementary lessons which are so essential to the full development of the spirit4 ,your son ,theodore1 though nearly forgotten by you1 has not been far distant4 ,the time is fast approaching1 and is near at hand1 when man's spiritual nature and destiny will be much more fully comprehended by the world4 ,then spirit manifestations and spirit intercourse will be considered as natural as for the sun to rise in the eastern heavens4 ,spirits highly elevated in love and wisdom would not descend from their exalted position except to teach1 for their attractions are upward1 but their mission is to instruct those below them1 from which they derive much happiness4 ,you know1 father1 how much pleasure it gives you to impart knowledge to others4 ,how much greater then is our enjoyment1 whose minds are intensely more susceptible of real joys6 ,your spiritual mission on earth has just begun1 and we are endeavouring to impress your mind with the sacred importance of its fulfilment4 ,give unto others that we give unto you1 and you shall receive abundantly4 ,i occupy a place which has not yet been opened to your perception4 ,prepare yourself1 my dear father1 for its higher and more glorious unfoldings1 by first gaining that knowledge which pertains to the lower degrees1 and you will thereby become elevated to the higher spiritual planes1 and increase your knowledge of things celestial1 and greatly develop and enlarge your sphere of usefulness4 ,,theodore40 ,additional ,communications from ,spirits who died while ,infants4 #dgd4 ,,the brother of a medium reported himself by spelling out his name in full--,dewitt ,matthias4 ,he had departed this life at the age of thirteen months4 ,i inquired if he had taught himself to spell4 ,i was instructed1 was his answer4 #dge4 ,while ,i was in a state of extreme unbelief1 ,dewitt's mother told me that her son1 who died when aged only thirteen months1 had communicated with her2 and said that his stature had grown with his age1 now sixteen years4 ,this statement ,i mentioned as an exemplification of credulity1 little thinking that this wonder would be realized by the existence of my spirit children being made evident to me by such communications as that from ,theodore1 above given4 #dgf4 ,the eldest child of my parents died an infant1 yet my elder brother1 ,charles1 in his account of his spiritual birth1 mentions that this brother came as a full-grown spirit to greet his translation to the spirit world4 ,communication from a very young ,spirit child to its ,parents4 #dgg4 ,the following communications have been received from a spirit child1 as ,i understand1 of about six years old4 ,it will be perceived that it was assisted by its grandmother4 ,they have been handed to me by the child's father1 ,mr4 ,george ,helmick1 in whose sincerity ,i have great confidence4 #dgh4 ,the following message1 says ,mr4 ,helmick1 came through the medium of ,miss ,irish1 some eight months since1 on an occasion when there were some twelve or fifteen persons present1 nearly all of whom were entire strangers to me and my wife1 who was also present4 ,we had never seen ,miss ,irish before1 and we know that she had no knowledge of us in any respect4 #dgi4 ,the fact that we had a child in the spirit world was not known to any present but myself and wife4 #dhj4 8,father1 do you not1 kind father1 feel my soft and gentle touch upon your brow8#ab ,can you not feel my presence1 as grandmamma and ,i1 with care1 enfold you in our embrace8 8,mother1 gentle1 loving mother1 do you not feel my angel kiss1 as ,i imprint it upon your cheek8 8,father1 mother1 ,i left you before earth's errors had a chance to take root within my young and tender mind4 #dha4 8,then1 loving parents1 think of me as you do of a gentle moonbeam1 which struggles to bless earth with its presence but for a moment1 and then softly and sweetly returns to heaven again4 8,,spirit ,,child40 ,for ,george ,helmick4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the following message was received through ,mrs4 ,gourlay on the #bgth of ,october last1 by the aid of a disk and alphabet as arranged by ,dr4 ,hare3 #dhb4 8,dear and loving mother1 grandma will help me to write to you4 #dhc4 8,a calm and holy atmosphere pervades this little company1 and lovely forms are surrounding each earth friend4 ,o thou great ,god of goodness6 to thee our hearts are raised in thanksgiving for this privilege of communion with our friends on earth4 ,gratitude should fill the hearts of all present4 ,little children are sporting in this atmosphere of love like gentle moonbeams1 kissing with a gentle touch the brows of their loving parents4 #dhd4 8,oh6 why should you weep for those who have gone before8 ,rather mourn those who are debarred the joys of our celestial homes1 where the weary spirit finds rest from the toils of earth1 where all is joy evermore4 #dhe4 8,gentle mother1 your little seraph-boy is not dead1 but liveth4 ,in his uncontaminated love1 find comfort for the ills of life4 #dhf4 8,dear father1 it was my spirit hand which was placed on thy brow1 which you just felt4 #dhg4 8,i left earth pure4 ,in this purity ,i come to my dear parents4 ,accept my love1 and give me yours in return4 8,,little ,,walter40 ,mrs4 ,helmick4 ,,of ,,the ,,spiritual ,,birth1#ac ,,called ,,death1 ,,of ,,human ,,beings1 ,,called ,,mortals1 ,,although ,,immortal4 ,of ,spiritual ,birth4 #dhh4 ,having obtained from several of my most valued spirit friends or relatives1 narratives of their translation from this sphere to the world of spirits1 it appears1 from their concurrent testimony1 that on the death of the body1 the soul finds itself soon afterward awaking from a profound sleep1--but so much more like dreaming than being awake1 as for a short time to create a doubt whether it be not dreaming4 ,meanwhile1 bright shadowy forms become more and more distinguishable2 and the body which it has left being perceived apart on its bed1 or in whatever position its death occurred1 the conviction is induced that another state of existence has been attained4 ,as the forms1 at first shadowy1 become distinct1 they are usually found to be those of the nearest or dearest previously departed friends4 ,these meet the nascent spirit with every possible manifestation of affection1 while the most ecstatic emotions are awakened4 #dhi4 ,forthwith the spirit is conducted to his celestial abode3 of which the elevation is greater as the morality of the individual concerned is higher4 ,narrative given by ,spirits of their translation to the ,spirit ,world1 the abode of human souls in a future state #dij4 ,the following narrative is from an excellent spirit philanthropist1 who1 though a stranger to me in this world1 introduced himself to me at the session of a small circle1 by the communication alleged to be intended for me1 which has already been quoted4 7#adg47 #dia4 ,he has since reported himself as the author of those sentiments1 and has held many conversations with me4#ad #dib4 ,subsequently to an address made by me at ,franklin ,hall1 he expressed himself as follows3 8,do not keep your light under a bushel4 ,i was present and heard you speak last night4 ,i wish you to say more about your personal experience4 ,that would weigh with the community at large40 ,i excused my course by answering1 that ,i wished my experience to be riper before submitting it to the community4 ,narrative of his ,spiritual ,birth1 by ,w4 ,w----1 a most benevolent ,spirit of the ,fifth ,sphere4 #dic4 8,did you ever have a most delightful dream in which you saw your near and dear friends about you1 all seeming happy and contented with their condition8 ,if you have1 then you can form an imperfect idea of my state when ,i awoke to the reality of the change which opened upon my entranced sight on being ushered into the spheres4 ,i had been long sick1 and was subject to periods of unconsciousness4 ,therefore ,i did not soon perceive the change to be real4 ,i felt almost too much happiness for my spirit to bear4 8,on looking around1 ,i perceived my mother1 with outstretched arms1 ready to receive her welcome son to the mansion prepared for him4 #did4 8,did ,i still dream8 ,i asked3 no6 it was a blessed reality2 all pain had fled1 and my spirit rejoiced in new health4 ,i could hardly contain myself from expressing my gratitude to ,god in verbal ejaculations4 ,but ,i soon found that ,i had a much more delightful mode of expression4 ,each countenance beamed with love and intelligence1 and the spirits could interpret my thoughts as readily as mortals can read a well-printed book4 #die4 8,one spirit1 on whose countenance ,i could read volumes1 approached1 and taking me by the hand said1 #8,welcome1 dear brother1 to this sinless world1 where your progression is sure2 no obstacles shall impede your footsteps2 the conditions of time are removed2 your feet shall fail not in the race of progress4 ,onward and ,upward is our motto4' #dif4 8,with willing heart ,i followed my guide4 ,every step taken led me up toward the great ,source of light and truth4 ,i never wearied in my journey4 ,bright and sparkling waters flowed at my feet1 and living flowers sprang up before me4 ,each new object gave me courage to proceed4 ,old familiar faces met my gaze at every footstep1 and cherub forms flitted past me4 ,golden clouds rested over the scene1 and all nature was refulgent with light and animation4 ,huge oaks tossed their giant branches to the pure breezes of heaven1 and lofty pines bowed their heads in love and adoration4 ,the little birds sent forth their notes of praise1 while the air was laden with the perfume of flowers4 ,being fond of the beauties of nature while on earth1 ,i enjoyed this scene much4 #dig4 8,i was rejoiced to see so many of my friends present4 ,each vied with the other to give me the most cordial welcome4 #dih4 8,i soon perceived that ,i was near my journey's end1 for ,i had reached the fifth sphere of spiritual progression4 ,my guide pointed out to my view the mansion which ,i was to occupy4 #dii4 8,i was told that ,i could return to earth1 when ,i was so inclined4 ,inclination often draws me thither4 ,so long as a spirit has friends on earth1 he will visit them2 but when they join him1 he loses his attachment for the rudimental sphere1 and seldom thereafter leaves his celestial abode4 #ejj4 8,my habitation consists of suites of rooms1 most beautifully ornamented with paintings and statues and the most elegant productions of spirit art4 ,each individual can have his dwelling to suit his own particular taste or fancy4 ,the more refined and elevated the spirit1 the more refined and beautiful is the house or home that he inhabits4 #eja4 8,the occupations of the higher spirits are of a more intellectual character than the highest on earth4 #ejb4 8,our spheres are types of yours2 but we do not have to provide for the casket which contains the spiritual jewel40 ,,spiritual ,,birth ,,of ,,maria4 #ejc4 ,,if the reader will turn to my narrative1 #aib to #bjj1 he will learn under what circumstances ,i became acquainted with ,maria1 the being of whose spiritual birth it will1 in the next place1 be my object to give her own account4 #ejd4 ,my acquaintance with this truly angelic creature has awakened in me lively friendship and esteem4 ,these sentiments have been induced by her devotion to her parents1 her affectionate recollection of her children1 and gracious demeanour to others4 ,the ,spirit ,maria's ,narrative1 as given through the ,mediumship of ,mrs4 ,m4 ,b4 ,gourlay4 #eje4 ,dear ,father3 ,i promised to give you an account of my entrance into1 and life in the spheres4 ,as ,i said to you on a former occasion1 ,i felt like one just awaking from a deep sleep induced by the deadening influence of an opiate4 ,it was some time before ,i could collect my scattered senses4 ,on partially regaining my consciousness1 ,i recollected having been sick1 and the anxiety of my friends for my restoration to health2 and ,i wondered at the sudden change in my feelings4 ,those racking pains ,i experienced had all fled1 and ,i felt a newness of life which was truly delightful4 ,indistinct and shadowy forms flitted before me4 ,on closely inspecting them1 ,i perceived that they were my departed friends4 ,it was then that ,i fully realized the change in my condition4 ,my first and greatest concern was for those who seemed so inconsolable at my loss1 and for whom ,i still entertained the most devoted love and affection4 ,my vision becoming gradually clearer1 ,i perceived1 among the group1 my brother ,william ready to receive me4 ,he was clothed in a garment of living light1 and closely resembles you1 dear father1 in form and features4 ,he addressed me in the following language3--8,welcome1 thrice welcome1 my beloved sister1 to the regions of immortality6 ,i have been your guardian angel through life1 and have looked forward with pleasure to this happy reunion40 ,i was now informed by him that ,i must leave my treasures on earth4 ,this gave me some uneasiness1 but being assured that ,i should visit them again1 ,i cheerfully accompanied him in his upward flight4 #ejf4 ,surprise and delight pervaded my existence when ,i beheld those friends bound to me by the ties of consanguinity ready to receive me and fold me to their hearts4 #ejg4 ,gliding swiftly upward1 on gaining an elevation of some sixty miles from the earth's surface1 we passed into the second sphere2#ae on entering which a tremor seized me4 ,a moral darkness pervades the atmosphere1 which renders it gloomy and uncomfortable in the extreme4 ,the inhabitants are dark and dismal in their appearance1 and are continually tortured with the pangs of a guilty conscience4 ,here disorder and confusion reign supreme1 each spirit vieing with the other in rendering discord more discordant4 ,we passed on rapidly1 leaving the second sphere and its undeveloped inhabitants behind4 #ejh4 ,on approaching the third sphere1 we were met by a company of angels from the seventh sphere1 among whom ,i recognised my brothers who died in infancy4 ,they had attained the stature of men4 ,i now felt that law of affinity which binds us so closely together1 drawing me toward them1 and ,i was enabled at once to single them out from the multitude which accompanied them4 ,with smiles they greeted me1 saying1 8,welcome1 dear sister2 another link is added to the chain of love which binds us together4 ,one by one they shall be removed from earth till the chain is completed here40 #eji4 ,we next entered the third sphere1 where comparative order reigns4 ,there ,i perceived many spirits intently listening to a teacher1 whose theme was the subject of progression4 #eaj4 ,anxiously desiring to reach my destiny1 we quickly passed to the fourth sphere4 ,how different the scene6 every thing looked bright and beautiful to my enraptured sight4 ,it seemed like an enchanted land4 ,thousands of flowers scented the air with their odoriferous perfume1 and rapturous strains of music thrilled me with delight6 ,we now approached a beautiful temple devoted to the science of the harmony of sounds4 ,in it music in all its departments is taught4 ,o1 father1 could you hear the master spirits of song1 who lived ages ago on earth1 attuning their instruments to harmony1 your senses would become entranced4 ,music1 being conceived in heaven1 is sent forth to earth to elevate man1 and attract him to our great and beneficent ,father4 ,i perceived that the fourth sphere was to be my abiding-place for the present4 #eaa4 ,on my return to the second sphere1 it looked somewhat different to me1 for1 having lost my fear1 ,i could more closely inspect the place and its inhabitants4 ,the country1 as far as my vision could penetrate1 seemed like a vast desert1 without a green spot to relieve the eye4 ,its denizens are seen straggling here and there1 with no fixed object in view4 ,all are seeking to minister to their perverted tastes4 ,some are holding forth in loud tones1 and painting in false and gaudy colours the joy of their home2 others1 who occupied high stations on earth1 hang their heads in confusion1 and would fain hide themselves from view2 but they are taunted with rude jests1 and told that their 8pride of position will avail them nothing here40 ,one heart-sickening feature of this place is the absence of children4 ,no purity can exist where such evils abound4 8,the loud laugh1 which bespeaks the vacant mind10 is heard pealing forth in derision1 as the teachers from the higher spheres approach the motley group4 ,some1 in whom the work of regeneration has commenced1 are seen ascending the spiral stairway of progress which leads to the third sphere4 #eab4 ,the beauty of the third sphere far transcends that of earth4 ,the scenery is endlessly diversified with spiritual objects1 corresponding to things of your planet4 ,mountains and valleys1 hills and dales1 rivers and lakes1 and trees and plants1 lend their enchantment to the scene4 ,the inhabitants of this sphere are anxious for instruction4 ,the teachers from the higher degrees are listened to with profound respect and attention4 #eac4 ,i saw many persons whom ,i knew in the rudimental state4 ,i met a spirit yesterday whom ,i have seen in your company before he left the form4#af ,i felt attracted to him4 ,on approaching him1 he smilingly said1 8,why do you take such an interest in me1 fair being8 ,i know you not40 8,true10 ,i replied1 8but ,i saw you in my father's company before you left the earth1 and was present once when my brother gave you a communication1 which1 by the way1 you received with much incredulity2 therefore1 ,i feel constrained to speak to you40 ,he thanked me1 saying1 8,i never believed in the immortality of the soul2 consequently1 it was not strange that ,i should doubt the spirits40 8,your skepticism10 ,i replied1 8was honest2 therefore you will rise much sooner in the scale of progression4 ,a sincere unbelief is better than false professions40 ,here ,i left him1 and followed a multitude who were just entering a magnificent temple1 where a teacher was to address them4 ,this structure is immensely large and exquisitely symmetrical in its proportions4 ,many stately columns support its roof1 each surmounted by a cap of chaste design4 ,the material of this temple is similar in appearance to alabaster1 but transparent4 ,the seats are semicircular1 forming an amphitheatre1 in the centre of which stood the speaker1 ,channing4 ,with uplifted hands he invoked ,god's blessing on all mankind4 ,with what breathless attention all listened to the glowing words of eloquence which fell from his lips6 ,this is the true worship of the soul4 ,his text was3 8,the light that is within you40 ,he dwelt at some length on the importance of self-elevation1 as a means of progressing others4 ,he spoke of the moral bond of union which binds the race together4 8,when one individual10 said he1 8is degraded1 all must suffer40 ,his discourse abounded with clear and energetic thought4 #ead4 ,as we passed from this temple1 ,i met my friend of yesterday4 ,he remarked that he had learned much from the speaker who had just addressed us4 ,he said that his mind1 before entering the spheres1 had been much troubled about the future1 although light had begun to dawn on his mental horizon4 8,hope10 said he1 8with her cheering countenance1 had almost deserted me1 and the world appeared like a dreary wilderness4 ,sick and disheartened1 ,i laid me down to recruit my exhausted energies4 ,an unconscious period intervened1 and then burst on my enraptured vision the glorious morning of the resurrection in all its loveliness2 and with it came a bright messenger of light to bear me onward and upward to the boundless regions of progressive wisdom1 where my untrammelled spirit can soar aloft to study the wondrous works of ,almighty ,god40 #eae4 ,in the fourth sphere the scenery is characterized by still more beautiful landscapes3 the grass appears of a greener green1 and the flowers are more gorgeous in their hue1 and the birds sing still more sweetly4 ,shall ,i lead you to this parterre8 ,here you perceive the lily with its almond-shaped leaves1 and stamens delicately tinted with the faintest crimson2 by its side is the blushing rose4 ,here you observe the myrtle1 the emblem of love1 and the passion-flower1 which speaks of a deathless passion4 ,all have an interior language which spirits alone can fully comprehend4 ,the trees here are somewhat different from those on earth4 ,this is a strange-looking one4 ,its trunk is very straight1 and runs up to an immense height without branches2 its top is surmounted by tufts of beautiful spiral-shaped silvery leaves2 by its side stands one of very different appearance1 whose depending branches1 like the graceful willow1 bend beneath their wealth of leaves1 courting one to repose beneath their grateful shade4 ,here1 too1 are sparkling streams1 murmuring cascades1 and gushing fountains1 and trees bending beneath their load of golden fruit2 and here are temples devoted to the arts and sciences4 #eaf4 ,now1 dear father1 let not a school on earth rise up before your imagination4 ,our schools and systems of instruction differ widely from those in the rudimental sphere1 inasmuch as they are far more beautiful4 ,we use neither books nor charts1 but the spirit or substance of each subject is presented to the student1 whose mind at once perceives its internal meaning4 ,in this way are solved the most difficult problems4 #eag4 ,let us enter this building devoted to the teachers from the seventh sphere4 ,see the multitude thronging its portals4 ,before we enter1 let us glance at its exterior4 ,it is circular in form1 and beautiful in its architectural design4 ,its spiral columns are entwined with the richest flowers1 which yield a delicious fragrance4 ,as you enter this temple1 its fretted vaults resound with the soft harmonious symphonies of spirit voices4 ,in the midst of the group stands the teacher1 ,melancthon1 who suffered in the cause of religious freedom4 ,his countenance is mild and angelic1 but he still retains that fearless spirit which characterized him on earth4 #eah4 ,here comes a band of beautiful children carrying wreaths of flowers in their hands4 ,they are singing1 and they lead by the hand a lovely child just escaped from earth4 ,how happy it seems6 ,it is quite unconscious of the change in its condition4 #eai4 ,let us now wend our way to the fifth sphere4 ,this state is in a still greater degree heavenly4 ,as far as the eye can reach are seen lovely villas1 magnificent temples1 forest-crowned hills1 and gently undulating plains4 ,let us go up this avenue1 shaded with lofty sycamores3 this is the residence of ,h4 ,k4 ,white4 ,how enchanting the spot6 ,it is a low cottage embosomed in the midst of trees and flowers1 which1 by interlacing1 form beautiful arbours with arched entrances4 ,the grounds about this dwelling are skilfully and tastefully laid out4 ,the clematis and honeysuckle entwine their tendrils around the trellis-work of the door4 ,let us enter4 ,statues of the most exquisite finish fill the niches2 couches and divans of various forms and singular devices grace the rooms1 and carpets of the softest texture and most brilliant dyes cover the floors4 ,it is1 indeed1 the beau ideal of a poet's home4 ,in this sphere dwell ,channing1 ,ballou1 ,murray1 the ,wesleys1 ,byron1 ,burns1 ,moore1 ,shelley1 ,scott1 and ,hahnemann1 the founder of your school1 who is still engaged in the investigation of scientific truths4 ,i speak of those persons in particular1 because ,i am personally acquainted with them1 being attracted to them by a congeniality of feeling4 #ebj4 ,the sixth state or sphere far transcends the most gorgeous picture of oriental splendour4 ,so lovely are the scenes presented to the view there1 that ,i cannot impress your mind with any thing like a just conception of them4 ,i receive my ideas of the fifth1 sixth1 and seventh spheres from the spirits who dwell therein1 having never visited them in person4 ,what a magnificent panorama is there presented to the spirit's gaze6 ,there are colossal temples1 and 8houses not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens40 ,as far as the vision can extend may be seen cities and palaces1 whose lofty domes sparkle like diamonds in the sunbeams of heaven2 oceans and seas with which yours are mere lakes in comparison2 placid lakes and noble rivers winding their interminable way through valleys clothed with perpetual verdure4 #eba4 ,there are gardens there of inconceivable beauty1 filled with the choicest and most aromatic herbs and flowers1 and birds with every conceivable variety of plumage4 ,the parks are of great magnitude1 and abound with the most beautiful animals4 ,the swift antelope1 the wild gazelle1 and the graceful deer are seen ranging over the flowery plains4 ,there the lion and the lamb lie down together in peaceful innocence4 ,there are congregated millions of spirits1 who are associated together like a harmonious and happy family4 ,the vales are vocal with celestial melody1 and the air is redolent with the perfume of flowers4 #ebb4 ,how shall ,i describe to you the transcendent glory of the seventh sphere8 ,let us contemplate it4 ,in it all the beauties and joys of the lower degrees are combined1 but in a much more refined and sublimated form4 ,there dwell the spirits of the just made more perfect4 ,innumerable companies of children1 which constitute the infant army of heaven1 are singing in gladsome strains the love of ,him who called them into being1 causing the atmosphere to resound with harmonious shouts of joy4 ,there dwells ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the great moral reformer1 and 8,john the beloved40 ,there reside the apostles1 prophets1 and martyrs of olden time4 ,there live ,confucius1 ,seneca1 ,plato1 ,socrates1 and ,solon1 with all the philosophers of ancient ,greece and ,rome4 #ebc4 ,that sphere is illumined by the refulgent beams of heaven's great central sun1 in whose genial warmth and golden flood of living light spirits find life eternal4 ,my ,sister's account of her ,spiritual ,birth1 or ,translation to the ,spirit ,world4 #ebd4 ,dear brother3 ,the language of mortals is inadequate to convey to your mind a tenth part of the joy that ,i experienced when liberated from the physical body4 ,you remember well the hour when the summons came4 ,you did not expect me to depart so soon4 ,the mutual relationship which had existed between my body and spirit being dissolved1 ,i found myself still a living1 thinking1 and intelligent being1 and in a world of tangible and eternal realities4 #ebe4 ,when the last act in the drama of life was finished1 and as soon as ,i had emerged from the pleasing reverie which succeeded the moment of dissolution1 ,i found my room filled with bright visitants from the world of spirits1 and my ears were delighted with the sweetest melodies4 ,i now felt that the great secret was about to be disclosed1 and ,i began to realize that ,i had indeed passed from death unto life4 #ebf4 ,dazzled by the exceeding brilliancy of the light which emanated from the pure beings who surrounded me1 ,i began to distrust my senses1 and looked about to assure myself that ,i was not in a dream or trance4 ,i was soon startled from my musing by a gentle pull at my garment1 and on turning round to discover the cause1 ,i instantly recognised my beloved father4 ,oh6 imagine my feelings at that joyful moment2 no words can describe them4 ,i now felt a strong desire to leave earth4 ,father perceiving this1 placed his hand in mine1 and said1 8,my daughter1 the battle is fought1 the victory is won2 follow me40 ,he now led me forth into open space4 ,we were immediately encircled by a magnificent halo of light1 and strains of heavenly music floated on the circumambient air4 ,here a scene of glory was revealed to me which human imagination is unable to conceive4 ,as we penetrated the clear blue depths of ether1 myriads of angelic beings crossed our path1 and many greeted me with words of welcome4 #ebg4 ,having passed beyond earth's sphere1 new and more glorious scenes burst upon my enraptured vision1 and they increased in beauty at each successive stage of our journey4 ,i felt that a great change had taken place in my condition1 for the most intense sensations of pleasure pervaded my soul4 ,father watched my emotions with deep interest1 and was delighted with the startling and happy effect produced on my mind4 ,we passed quickly through the different stages of our progress1 till we arrived at the fifth spiritual sphere1 which is my present home4 ,i am often with my friends on earth1 and would gladly influence them1 and prove my identity to them1 if they would render themselves receptive to my power4 #ebh4 ,my present home1 in point of beauty1 far excels any scene ever witnessed by mortal eye4 ,the interior of nature is laid open to the spirit's perception1 and the hidden treasures of earth are exposed to its view4 ,when we desire to be with our friends on earth1 we have only to will it1 and our desire is instantly gratified4 ,we can visit the spheres below1 but not those above us until we are prepared for admission into them by a gradual process of development4 #ebi4 ,the first spiritual sphere is the abode of those spirits whose desires are low and sensuous2 they pursue those pleasures which are most congenial to their unrefined and grovelling natures2 but as their moral faculties become strengthened1 they lose their taste for debasing pursuits1 and rise in the scale of being4 ,the brightness of the halo which envelopes the spirit is increased in proportion to its increase of moral and intellectual greatness4 #ecj4 ,dear ,robert1 ,i have looked forward with great pleasure to the time when ,i might be enabled to commune with you4 #eca4 ,all knowledge gained by mortals will be of advantage to them in the spheres4 #ecb4 ,each individual in the spirit world is judged and suffers according to the deeds done in the body4 ,there is no possible escape from the legitimate consequences of evil actions4 ,the book of ,god's judgment is the record made on the tablets of the mind1 and it may be read by all4 ,the hypocrite can remain hypocrite no longer1 as he will inevitably appear in his true colours2 and in this fact1 in part1 shall his punishment consist4 #ecc4 ,i would say a few words to you concerning the condition of infants4 ,the infant spirit ascends directly to the seventh sphere1 and is given in charge of a guardian spirit1 by whom it is cared for and instructed in those things which most serve to develop its intellectual powers4 ,it is permitted occasionally to visit its parents who may be in lower spheres1 and to descend even to earth with its guardian angel1 who often communicates for it4 #ecd4 ,every individual1 at death1 is waited on by a congenial spirit1 who escorts him to his home in that sphere to which his merit entitles him4 #ece4 ,the object of our present mission to the inhabitants of the earth is to convince millions of doubting mortals of the fact of their immortality1 and of the glorious destiny which awaits them beyond the limits of the tomb4 #ecf4 ,it is thought by many of our brothers in the flesh that we will impart to them all the knowledge that we possess respecting the mysteries of the spheres2 but on this point let them be undeceived1 for it is utterly impossible for them to comprehend all in their present rudimental state4 ,our chief object is to assure them1 by unmistakable signs1 of the soul's immortality1 and the conditions necessary to be observed by them in order to obtain a happy future existence4 #ecg4 ,notwithstanding the truth of spirit manifestations and spirit teachings1 there are many persons who will not readily perceive it2 their minds are so much cramped and distorted by false teachings1 that many years shall have elapsed before there can be much improvement in them2 of such it hath been said1 8,they would not believe though one should arise from the dead40 #ech4 ,my brother1 ,i would say a word to you touching your duty in regard to the present dispensation4 ,you occupy a prominent and important place in the dissemination of this most glorious gospel2 your mind has ever been desirous of the truth2 a uniform consistency of conduct has marked your course through life3 pursue1 then1 the even tenor of your way1 and let love be the controlling principle of your motives and actions1 and if reviled1 revile not again1 but bear all things nobly for the truth's sake1 and great will be your reward4 ,i would say1 moreover1 let your reason determine the value of our teachings4 ,you are engrossed to some extent by the cares and perplexities of earth life2 therefore you cannot so fully realize the wondrous joys which await you in yonder peaceful heaven6 #eci4 ,my brother1 when the lamp of your earthly existence shall begin to burn dimly1 and the objects of earth recede from your view1 your spirit father and sister will be at hand to conduct you into the presence of those loved friends who are bound to you by the ties of consanguinity and sympathy4 ,,martha4 ,my ,brother's account of his ,spiritual ,birth4 #edj4 ,dear brother ,robert3 ,how long ,i remained in a state of unconsciousness1 previous to my spiritual birth1 is unknown to me2 suffice it to say1 when the vital cord which bound me to the physical body was parted1 ,i experienced a full consciousness of my personality4 ,i enjoyed perfect freedom from pain and sickness1 and an unwonted degree of strength and buoyancy of spirit2 sensations of the most exalted character took possession of me1 and a holy calm pervaded the sanctuary of my soul4 ,it was not1 however1 until ,i saw my body lying upon the bed1 that the true nature of my situation flashed across my mind4 ,i shall never forget that moment of ecstatic bliss4 ,i felt a sudden and indescribable consciousness of increased mental and physical power1 and my body was most beautifully and symmetrically formed2 in fact1 ,i beheld myself a perfect and immortal man6 ,i perceived1 too1 that my step was lighter1 freer1 and more elastic than usual1 and my whole system was singularly rejuvenated4 ,i knew that ,i was in eternity1 yet ,i saw that ,i was upon the earth4 ,as my mind became clear1 and my vision less obstructed1 a radiant spirit1 whom ,i had not before noticed1 addressed me in these words3 8,brother6 welcome1 welcome1 to the bright and joyous spirit land1 to this blest habitation for the children of men1 to this land of ceaseless progression40 ,the spirit having spoken thus1 beckoned me away4 #eda4 ,having passed beyond the sphere of earth1 we entered the regions of perpetual day1 where the foot of mortal never trod2 where the brilliant flowers were never culled by mortal hands2 where beautiful spirits1 angelic beings1 float in mid air1 and sport beside the sparkling fountains2 where harmonious voices mingle with the rich tones of golden harps1 and silver flute-notes ascend to the arching heavens4 ,on our way thither we saw many companies of ministering angels passing to and fro on their respective missions4 ,some1 who were assembled in groups1 talked earnestly together upon congenial subjects2 while others blended their voices in anthems of praise1 whose echoes were prolonged far up through the realms of space to blend with still more glorious harmonies in spheres above4 ,those celestial beings1 though beautiful beyond the conception of finite man1 were not of the highest order of angels4 ,they belong to that class whose mission is to visit the dwellings of men1 and to minister unto the bereaved and afflicted of earth2 to tend the beds of the dying1 and to whisper rest to the weary and hope to the desponding4 #edb4 ,my brother1 ,i might speak to you of the past1 but ,i prefer to open the door of the bright and glorious future4 ,solon said that no one should call himself happy before death2 now1 although ,i do not sanction this advice of the distinguished sage1 ,i know that there is1 comparatively speaking1 no happiness in the rudimentary state2 no pleasure equal to that which awaits the resurrected spirit in those beautiful mansions where it shall forever bathe in the eternal sunlight of its ,father's love4 ,i cannot find words to describe to you the magnificent creations of ,him from whom all order1 beauty1 and harmony proceed4 #edc4 ,i am surrounded by every thing that can delight the eye1 please the ear1 and gratify the taste4 ,i have every facility for studying all the principles in the vast universe of matter4 #edd4 ,in the higher spiritual states perfect peace and tranquillity reign3 no strife mars the harmony of the celestial abodes4 #ede4 ,my mission is to instruct spirits in the lower circles1 and to raise them from their degraded condition4 #edf4 ,every spirit follows those pursuits that are most congenial to him4 #edg4 ,every spirit has a sphere of utility1 and finds his true position on entering the spheres4 ,brother1 the years of your external life are drawing to a close4 ,when your initial term is finished1 you will enter upon an unending series of moral and intellectual developments2 then you will be fully compensated for all that you have endured in the cause of truth on earth4 ,your present life1 remember1 is but the prelude to ineffable joys in the world beyond the grave4 ,thank ,god1 your barque is not drifting rudderless and pilotless on the great ocean of time4 ,no6 she is well-manned and equipped1 and pursues her direct course1 fearing neither ,scylla nor ,charybdis4 ,robert1 you have acted nobly and fearlessly in defending the great cause of humanity4 ,we are watching your movements with great interest4 ,continue to devote your mental energies to the development of spiritual facts1 and we will aid you when conditions favour4 ,farewell4 ,c4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,convocation ,,of ,,spirits4 ,sixty-four ,queries addressed to a ,convocation of ,worthies from the ,spirit ,world2 also1 the ,replies given by them1 and confirmed under conditions which no mortal could pervert4 #edh4 ,having received many pages of communication from my father1 sister1 brother1 and certain other spirit friends1 on the subject of the spirit world1 and having been urged by him and other inhabitants of that world to publish the information thus communicated1 ,i represented1 at a time when this honoured being reported his presence1 that ,i felt a reluctance at publishing solely on the authority of my relations2 and requested that certain distinguished spirits1 who1 as ,i had been told1 had attended one of my lectures at ,boston1 should sanction a synopsis of the facts which ,i had learned respecting the spirit world4 7#dji to #edg47 #edi4 ,the propriety of my request being admitted1 it was appointed that on ,monday1 the #ahth of ,february1 #ahee1 at nine o'clock1 there should be a convocation of some of the worthies in question at the dwelling of the excellent medium employed4 ,accordingly1 soon after my arrival there1 at the appointed time1 my father reported himself1 and the following names were spelt out as being present3 ,george ,washington1 ,j4 ,q4 ,adams1 ,wm4 ,h4 ,harrison1 ,a4 ,jackson1 ,henry ,clay1 ,benjamin ,franklin1 ,w4 ,e4 ,channing1 ,h4 ,k4 ,white1 ,isaac ,newton1 ,byron1 ,martha ,washington1 ,besides relatives and friends4 #eej4 ,the queries subjoined were then read successively1 pausing1 of course1 for an answer to each in turn4 #eea4 ,the answers were given through an instrument analogous to that represented by ,fig4 #a1 ,plate #d1 and described on the page opposite to the plate4 #eeb4 ,finally1 after all the queries had been answered agreeably to the usual conditions1 a confirmation of the whole was given under test conditions1 as explained in the page opposite ,plate #d4 #eec4 ,relying on these conditions as competent to secure the issue against the control of the medium or that of any other mortal1 the question was put1 8,have all the answers been correctly communicated80 ,in reply1 the index moved so as to point to the word 8,yes10 and the following address was made at the same time3 #eed4 ,friend1 we have heard your questions1 and severally affirm that we have answered them as recorded by you4 #eee4 ,it is to be understood that all the subjoined inquiries were answered simply in the affirmative1 excepting where a qualified answer made more words necessary than the word 8,yes10 by itself4 ,the queries having been previously reduced to writing1 the answers were written down by me at once4 #eef4 7#a47 ,is it true that within a space lying between the earth and the lunar orbit there are seven concentric regions1 denominated spheres1 which may be called the country of spirits2 that this country has all the features of terrestrial scenery1 but with a much greater beauty1 even in the third sphere1 while the beauty of the other four spheres is greater in proportion as they are higher8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eeg4 7#b47 ,is it true that in those regions there are mountains1 plains1 rivers1 lakes1 brooks1 rills1 trees1 flowers1 birds1 beasts1 and every attribute of the most admired portions of this lower sphere8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eeh4 7#c47 ,is it true that1 by the higher spirits1 music1 poetry1 and all the sciences and fine arts1 are highly and zealously cultivated1 and that the pleasures of social intercourse are more highly enjoyed than upon earth8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eei4 7#d47 ,are the narratives of their translation to the spirit world1 which ,i have received from my sister1 brother1 ,william ,wiggins1 and the spirit ,maria1 to be relied on as coming from them1 and as correct in their representations of the usual process of transference to the spiritual world after death8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #efj4 7#e47 ,how many spheres are there1 this world being the first in the series8 ,ans4 ,seven4 #efa4 7#f47 ,how many inhabited by spirits8 ,ans4 ,six4 #efb4 7#g47 ,are there subdivisions8 if so1 how many in each sphere8 ,ans4 ,six4 #efc4 7#h47 ,are the subdivisions equidistant8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #efd4 7#i47 ,how are they designated8 ,ans4 ,either as circles or planes4 #efe4 7#aj47 ,are they concentric with each other and with this globe8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eff4 7#aa47 ,at what distance from the terrestrial surface does the lower boundary of the second sphere1 or first spiritual abode1 commence8 ,ans4 ,sixty miles4 #efg4 7#ab47 ,are the atmospheres of the spheres more rare in proportion as they are more elevated8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #efh4 7#ac47 ,do they increase in beauty as they are higher in the series8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #efi4 7#ad47 ,how are they illuminated8 ,ans4 ,by a peculiar sun within the spiritual spheres4 #egj4 7#ae47 ,is our sun visible in the spirit world8 ,ans4 ,no4 #ega4 7#af47 ,if lighted by a peculiar spiritual sun invisible in our mundane region1 do the rays of that sun consist of undulations of an all-pervading ethereal fluid1 analogous to that assumed to exist by the undulationists8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #egb4 7#ag47 ,or do they depend upon the last-mentioned fluid for existence8 ,ans4 ,no4 #egc4 7#ah47 ,are there not peculiar elementary principles appropriate1 severally1 to the spiritual world1 and likewise to the material world8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #egd4 7#ai47 ,is it not an error to suppose that any of the ponderable elements recognised by chemistry can contribute to the organization of the person of an imponderable spirit8 ,ans4 ,of course1 not without a loss of ponderosity1 which involves a loss of identity or a transformation4 #ege4 7#bj47 ,is it not luminiferous matter which causes the effulgence of spirits1 analogous in its effects to that of luminiferous insects1 though consisting of a spiritual material entirely different from those which enter into the luminiferous matter of insects8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #egf4 7#ba47 ,are spirits in the lowest level of the second sphere destitute of effulgence8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #egg4 7#bb47 ,are they absolutely enveloped in a dark halo8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #egh4 7#bc47 ,is reformation indicated first by diminished darkness1 and subsequently by augmented effulgence8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #egi4 7#bd47 ,is the sphere of a spirit known by the relative brightness or darkness of his halo8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #ehj4 7#be47 ,is the lower circle of the second sphere disagreeable as to its scenery8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eha4 7#bf47 ,is spirit ,maria's description of the spheres correct8 7#eje to #ebc47 ,ans4 ,yes4 #ehb4 7#bg47 ,does this feature lessen as the circles are higher8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #ehc4 7#bh47 ,do the last-mentioned circles present an aspect less agreeable than that of our sphere8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #ehd4 7#bi47 ,at what point does the scenery become superior to any in our world8 ,ans4 ,in the third sphere4 #ehe4 7#cj47 ,what designates the boundaries of the spheres1 so as to make spirits perceive when they are passing through the partition between one and another8 ,ans4 ,diversity of impression made upon the spirit4 #ehf4 7#ca47 ,what confines a spirit to his proper level1 so that none can mount above it into a sphere to which he does not belong8 ,ans4 ,a moral specific gravity1 in which the weight is inversely as the merit1 prevents the spirit from rising above his proper level4 #ehg4 7#cb47 ,are spirits of different densities rarer or more refined in constitution as they are higher in rank8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #ehh4 7#cc47 ,has the most dense or most undeveloped spirit any weight8 if not1 how are they denser than those who have progressed farther8 ,ans4 ,they are in the spheres heavy as compared with other spirits1 but their weight would not influence a scale-beam in this mundane sphere4 #ehi4 7#cd47 ,if the lowest have no weight1 wherefore are they more competent to give physical manifestations by moving ponderable bodies8 ,ans4 ,they do not act by weight1 but all spirits1 under favourable conditions and with certain means1 possess1 in a minute degree1 a portion of that power possessed to an infinite extent by the ,deity1 of annulling gravitation and vis inerti2 and though they cannot exercise such powers without the aid of a medium1 the medium is to them as an implement in the hands of a human being4 #eij4 7#ce47 ,how are such movements produced consistently with the law that action and reaction are equal and contrary8 ,ans4 ,gravity and vis inerti being neutralized1 the physical law of action and reaction does not prevail against the spirit volition4 #eia4 7#cf47 ,do spirits employ their limbs in effecting manifestations8 ,ans4 ,not necessarily4 #eib4 7#cg47 ,have spirits a power of creating that which they desire8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eic4 7#ch47 ,like the genius of ,aladdin's lamp1 can spirits within their sphere create habitations at their bidding8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eid4 7#ci47 ,does this creative power exist in the spirits of each sphere1 or is it denied1 as ,i have been informed1 to those of the second sphere8 ,ans4 ,it is denied4 #eie4 7#dj47 ,is this creative power more extensive as the sphere to which the spirit belongs is more elevated8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eif4 7#da47 ,are the spirits of the third sphere happy8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eig4 7#db47 ,does happiness become greater as the rank of the spirit becomes higher8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eih4 7#dc47 ,do spirits of infants go to the seventh sphere8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #eii4 7#dd47 ,does an infant dying before noticing any thing go to that sphere8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fjj4 7#de47 ,does it require care analogous to that given to infants in this world8 ,ans4 ,it is carefully instructed4 #fja4 7#df47 ,do infant spirits come down and reside among kindred more or less1 visiting1 as it grows older1 those mundane scenes which may compensate it for its loss of opportunities by premature death8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fjb4 7#dg47 ,does not the inability to communicate with its kindred cause it to be unhappy under these circumstances8 ,ans4 ,it is not rendered unhappy1 in consequence of the peculiar manner in which such circumstances act upon the spirit mind4 #fjc4 7#dh47 ,do such spirits1 as for instance1 those going to the other world while children1 but having attained mature age1 say forty1 become companions for their parents and friends in the spheres who may have died after their maturity1 or is there a too great simplicity or childishness8 ,ans4 ,in purity and simplicity they are contented to live4 #fjd4 7#di47 ,is the love of children1 who have died very young1 as great to their parents and relations who remain in this world as if they continued to live in their society8 ,ans4 ,greater4 #fje4 7#ej47 ,is there a deference shown to spirits on the same plane commensurate with their superiority in learning1 science1 and wisdom8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fjf4 7#ea47 ,the object of marriage in this world being manifestly the perpetuation of the species1 consistently with the preservation of refinement and the welfare of offspring1 and there being no such motive in the spiritual world1 how can there be any motive for any such indissoluble ties8 ,ans4 ,between spirits joined by matrimony in the spheres there is a greater blending of mutual self-love into one common sentiment than in any other friendship4 #fjg4 7#eb47 ,have spirits any fluid circulating through an arterial and venous system1 which is subjected to a respiratory process1 analogous to that which our blood undergoes8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fjh4 7#ec47 ,as spirits are weightless1 is not this fluid devoid of weight8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fji4 7#ed47 ,has it any colour8 ,ans4 ,no4 #faj4 7#ee47 ,does the gaseous or ethereal matter respired by spirits pervade the mundane sphere8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #faa4 7#ef47 ,do mortals breathe it as a means of sustenance to their spiritual organization while encased by this 8mortal coil80 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fab4 7#eg47 ,does it supply the nervous system8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fac4 7#eh47 ,is it communicated to inferior animals8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #fad4 7#ei47 ,do fishes require atmospheric oxygen while swimming1 7water consisting of #h parts in #i of pure oxygen17 in order to get at the spiritual gas associated with the former8 ,ans4 ,the spiritual gas imperceptibly accompanying atmospheric air is especially necessary to fishes4 #fae4 7#fj47 ,creed is alleged to be productive of no obstruction to ascendency in the spiritual world4 ,ans4 ,belief1 being an involuntary act of the mind1 has no merit or culpability attached to it1 excepting so far as it is the consequence or is productive of prejudices2 the advance of a spirit is retarded by these defects4 #faf4 7#fa47 ,as in the spiritual world there is no necessity1 desire1 or passion which spirits can gratify by violence or fraud1 on what is virtue founded8 ,where there is no motive or power to do wrong1 where is the merit of doing right8 ,ans4 ,in the spheres1 vice is displayed by the endurance of bad passions2 virtue is manifested by love1 purity1 and the aspiration for improvement4 #fag4 7#fb47 ,as the diversities of human character are clearly the results of organization and education1 neither of which can be controlled by the human beings whose merit or demerit is the inevitable consequence1 how can there be any culpability8 ,it is true that a man can act as he wills2 but is not his will the creature of his passions and reason jointly8 ,if his passions be increased1 will not reason be less capable of controlling them8 and1 vice vers1 if his passions be enfeebled or his reason strengthened1 will not his passions have less sway8 ,does it not follow that while we must in self-defence resist or restrain those who cannot govern themselves1 should we not commiserate all who have the misfortune to be so badly constituted8 ,ans4 ,we are no more able to answer that than you4 #fah4 7#fc47 ,when a being virtuously constituted is murdered by one of the opposite character1 who is most an object of commiseration8 which is most favoured as a creature of ,god8 ,is not the difference between these beings analogous to that between the dog and the wolf8 ,both creatures of ,god--one is to be extirpated1 the other cherished1 as an inevitable consequence of the laws of creation8 ,ans4 ,the victim is most favoured4 #fai4 7#fd47 ,has not the analogy between a wicked or a savage man1 and one who has the advantage of a good organization and education1 a better exemplification in the case of a wild dog1 and one brought up by a kind master1 since the wild dog is reclaimable1 may be reformed1 and so may the bad or savage man4 ,hence1 in the spheres1 is not punishment or restraint made with a view to reformation rather than as a retribution for inevitable defects8 ,ans4 ,correct4 ,,exposition ,,of ,,the ,,information ,,received ,,from ,,the ,,spirit ,,world4 #fbj4 ,from the information conveyed by communications submitted in the preceding pages1 as well as others1 it appears that there are seven spheres recognised in the spirit world4 ,the terrestrial abode forms the first or rudimental sphere4 #fba4 ,at the distance of about sixty miles from the terrestrial surface1 the spirit world commences4 ,it consists of six bands or zones1 designated as spheres1 surrounding the earth1 so as to have one common centre with it and with each other4 ,an idea of these rings may be formed from that of the planet ,saturn1 excepting that they are comparatively much nearer to their planet1 and that they have their broad surfaces parallel to the planet1 and at right angles to the ecliptic1 instead of being like ,saturn's rings1 so arranged that their surfaces are parallel to the plane in which his ecliptic exists4 #fbb4 ,supposing the earth to be represented by a globe of thirteen and a half inches in diameter1 the lower surface of the lowest of the spiritual spheres1 if represented in due proportion to the actual distance from the earth1 would be only one-tenth of an inch from the terrestrial surface4 ,the bands observed over the regions in the planet ,jupiter which correspond with our tropical regions1 agree very well in relative position with those which are assigned to our spiritual spheres4 ,they are probably the spiritual spheres of that planet4 ,it having struck me as possible that these bands might be due to spiritual spheres appertaining to ,jupiter1 ,i inquired of the spirits2 their reply was confirmatory4 #fbc4 ,the objection naturally occurs that ours are invisible to us2 yet we know that light may be polarized in passing through transparent masses so as to produce effects in one case which it does not in others when not so polarized4 ,it would have to pass through the spheres of ,jupiter1 and return through them again4 ,this light1 twice subjected to the ordeal of passing through the spirit world1 when contrasted with that which goes and returns without any such ordeal1 may undergo a change of a nature to produce an effect upon the eye1 when1 in the absence of this contrast1 no visual change should be perceptible4 #fbd4 ,i am aware that it has been alleged that the bands do not appear always to occupy the same boundaries1 and at times appear separated or more unequally distributed than at others4 ,this may be due in part to actual changes which the spiritual essence may undergo as to its relative position1 or optical delusions1 if not deviations1 resulting from the susceptibility of polarizing causes4 #fbe4 ,possibly some peculiarity in the reflecting surface of the planet may be productive of such polarizing variations in the state of the light as to cause a difference sufficient for detection4 #fbf4 ,alum1 transparent to the rays of light1 intercepts nearly the whole of the rays of heat4 ,opaque black glass intercepts the rays of light entirely1 those of heat but partially4 #fbg4 ,rock salt1 a substance analogous to alum1 intercepts radiant heat only to a very small extent4 #fbh4 ,when the rays of the setting sun fall upon the glass of windows1 we see one portion reflected with great effulgence1 yet another goes through the glass4 ,the last-mentioned portion of the rays received on a second pane are reflected1 while those which were reflected will pass through another pane without reflection4 #fbi4 ,this may demonstrate that the conditions requisite to the permeability of media by rays is affected by diversities of intestinal arrangements which are inscrutable to us4 #fcj4 ,the interval between the lower boundaries of the first spiritual sphere and the second is estimated at thirty miles as a maximum1 but this interval is represented to be less1 as the spheres between which it may exist are more elevated or remote from the terrestrial centre4 #fca4 ,each sphere is divided into six 8circles0 or plains4 ,more properly these may be described as concentric zones1 occupying each about one-sixth of the space comprised within the boundaries of the sphere4 ,there being six subdivisions to each of the six spheres1 in all there must be thirty-six gradations4 #fcb4 ,these boundaries are not marked by any visible partition1 but spirits have in this respect a peculiar sense1 which makes them feel when they are passing the boundaries of one sphere in order to get to the next4 #fcc4 ,this allegation of the existence of an invisible spirit world within the clear azure space intervening between the surface of this globe and the lunar orbit may startle the reader2 and yet this idea may have been presented by ,scripture to the same mind1 without awakening skepticism4 ,it was urged by a spirit friend--,is it more wonderful that you should find our habitations invisible1 than that we are invisible8 #fcd4 ,it is plain that between the lowest degrees of vice1 ignorance1 and folly1 and the highest degrees of virtue1 learning1 and wisdom1 there are many gradations4 ,when we are translated to the spheres1 we take a rank proportional to our merit1 which seems to be there intuitively susceptible of estimation by the law above alluded to1 of the grossness being greater as the character is more imperfect4 ,both the spirits and spheres are represented as having a gradation in constitutional refinement1 so that the sphere to which a spirit belongs is intuitively manifest4 ,rank is determined by a sort of moral specific gravity1 in which merit is inversely as weight4 ,another means of distinction is a circumambient halo by which every spirit is accompanied1 which passes from a darkness to effulgency as the spirit belongs to a higher plane4 ,even mortals are alleged to be surrounded with a halo visible to spirits1 although not to themselves4 ,intuitively1 from the extent and nature of this halo1 spirits perceive the sphere to which any mundane being belongs4 ,the effulgence of the higher spirits is represented as splendid4 ,as soon as emancipated from their corporeal tenement1 spirits enter the spheres1 and are entitled to a station higher in direct proportion to their morality1 wisdom1 knowledge1 and intellectual refinement4 #fce4 ,the first spiritual sphere1 or the second in the whole series1 is as large as all the other five above it4 ,this is the hell or ,hades of the spirit world1 where all sensual1 malevolent1 selfish beings reside4 ,the next sphere above this1 or the third in the whole series1 is the habitation of all well-meaning persons1 however bigoted1 fanatical1 or ignorant4 ,here they are tolerably happy4 #fcf4 ,in proportion as spirits improve in purity1 benevolence1 and wisdom1 they ascend4 ,they may ascend as love-spirits1 in consequence of the two first-mentioned attributes2 but cannot go up on account of wisdom alone4 ,a knave1 however wise1 cannot advance in the spheres4 ,there are1 in fact1 two modes of ascent--love1 so called1 and love and wisdom united4 ,those who go up in love are called love-spirits2 those who unite both qualifications are called wisdom-spirits4 ,a feminine spirit1 who had been remarkable for her disinterested devotion to her relatives and friends1 ascended almost forthwith to the fifth sphere4 ,my friend ,w4 ,w4 had an ascent equally rapid to the same sphere4 ,yet another spirit1 who was fully as free from vice as either of those above alluded to1 took many years to ascend in wisdom to the fifth sphere1 not being satisfied to rise unless accompanied by the attributes of wisdom1 as well as love4 ,spirit ,b4 alleged that because he was a free-thinker he went up more quickly than another spirit1 ,a4 ,a41 being questioned1 admitted that ,b4 had got on more speedily1 in consequence of superior liberality4 #fcg4 ,washington is in the seventh sphere4 #fch4 ,in the spheres1 diversity of creed has no influence1 excepting so far as its adoption indicates badness of heart and narrowness of mind1 and has been of a nature to injure the moral and intellectual character4 #fci4 ,degradation ensues as an inevitable consequence of vice1 and as the means of reform1 not as vindictive punishment4 ,god is represented as all love1 and is never named without the most zealous devotion4 ,spirits in any sphere can descend into any sphere below that to which they belong1 but cannot ascend above this sphere4 ,they are surrounded by a halo1 which is brighter in proportion as their sphere is higher4 ,they have an intuitive power of judging of each other and of mortals4 ,attachments originating in this life are strengthened1 while hatred passes away4 ,the spirits in the upper spheres have 8ineffable0 happiness4 ,the sufferings of those below are negative1 rather than positive4 ,they are made to feel shame at a degradation which is rendered intuitively evident to themselves and all other spirits4 ,but all are capable of improvement1 so as to have elevation and happiness within their reach sooner or later4 ,the higher spirits are always ready to assist sinners by kind admonition4 7#ib47 #fdj4 ,my brother alleges himself to hold the office of a teacher4 ,by teachers1 spirits fresh from this world1 called the 8rudimental sphere10 are examined to determine their rank4 #fda4 ,spirits are carried along with our globe by their moral affections and affinity1 which upon them acts as gravitation upon material bodies4 ,they are just where they wish themselves to be1 as they move in obedience to their moral impulses or aspirations1 not having a gross1 material body to carry along with them4 #fdb4 ,spirits of the higher spheres control more or less those below them in station1 who are sent by them to impress mortals virtuously4 ,spirits are not allowed to interpose directly1 so as to alter the course of events upon earth4 ,they are not allowed to aid in any measure to obtain wealth4 #fdc4 ,blessed spirits are endowed with a power competent to the gratification of every rational want4 ,they enjoy1 as ,i am authorized to say by the convocation of spirits to whom allusion has been made1 a power like that ascribed to the genius of ,aladdin's lamp4 7#eic47 #fdd4 ,there is nothing of the nature of marketable property in the spirit world1 since every inhabitant above the second sphere1 or ,hades1 has as much as he wants1 and needs no more to purchase the requisites for his enjoyment or subsistence1 than we need to buy air to breathe4 #fde4 ,it ought also to be explained that after spirits reach the highest plain or circle of the seventh sphere1 they are represented as being entitled to enter the supernal heaven1 taking place among the ministering angels of the ,deity4 #fdf4 ,whether the connubial tie endures or not1 is optional4 ,hence those who have not found their matrimonial connection a source of happiness in this world1 are at liberty to seek a new hymeneal union in the spirit world4 ,where there have been a plurality of husbands or wives1 those unite who find themselves happy in doing so4 ,but1 as if to indemnify mortals for the crosses in marriage or in love1 or for the dreariness of mundane celibacy1 all are destined in the spheres to find a counterpart with whom they may be happy1 there being peculiarly ardent pleasurable emotions attached to the connubial union in the spheres which mortals cannot understand4 #fdg4 ,infants grow as they would have done upon earth1 nearly4 ,they are nursed and educated1 and on account of their higher purity have1 in this point of view1 as much elevation as their relatives who attain great worldly pre-eminence4 #fdh4 ,the alleged motives for our existence in this rudimental sphere1 is the necessity of contrast to enable us to appreciate the immunity from suffering of the higher spheres4 ,infants in this respect are at a disadvantage2 but being unable to appreciate their deficiency1 do not grieve therefor4 8,where ignorance is bliss1 #8twere folly to be wise40 #fdi4 ,allusion has already been made to the condition of those who have departed from this world during infancy1 or prior to maturity4 ,a letter from one of my sons who died when five months old has been introduced into this work1 7#dgj47 ,the change which ensues on spiritual birth1 has been described4 7#dhh47 #fej4 ,among the most wonderful facts narrated by my spirit father1 and sanctioned by the convocation of spirits1 is the existence of a spiritual sun concentric with ours1 and yet emitting independent rays for the spirit world1 not for our world2 while the rays of our sun do not reach the world above mentioned4 #fea4 ,further1 the fact that spirits respire a vital fluid inscrutable to our chemists1 although it coexists everywhere with oxygen1 and furnishes our spirits1 while encased in the flesh1 with an appropriate spiritual nourishment4 #feb4 ,thus is there another world1 existing concentrically and in some degree associated with ours1 which is of infinitely greater importance to our enduring existence than that wherein we now abide4 #fec4 ,after ,i had written the preceding exposition of the knowledge imparted to me of the spirit world1 ,i solicited an intercommunion with ,washington1 to submit the summary for his sanction4 ,accordingly1 he was ushered into my presence by a reliable spirit1 and my exposition1 and the pages contrasting the heaven of ,spiritualism with that of ,scripture1 were read1 and received his sanction under test conditions4 7,see ,plate #d47 #fed4 ,in this1 my first interview1 ,i premised that ,i wished to let him know that ,i had always been one of his most devoted political advocates1 having always styled myself a ,washington ,federalist1 and that ,i had as early as #ahab embodied my sentiments in some verses4 ,he said he was aware that such verses were written by me1 but would wish me to repeat them4 ,i obeyed his request4 ,they are as follows3 #fee4 ,hail glorious day1 which gave ,washington birth1 ,to ,columbia and liberty dear1 ,when a guardian angel descended on earth ,to shed blessings o'er many a year4 ,though heroes and statesmen1 by glory enshrined1 ,may be seen in the temple of fame1 ,no hero or statesman unblemished we find1 ,unless under ,washington's name4 ,wealth1 titles1 and power1 were by him ever spurn'd1 ,of heroes too often the aim2 ,from a king or his favours indignant he turn'd1 ,only feeling his country's high claim4 ,to this ever true1 in her trouble's dark night1 ,intent on her welfare alone1 ,against her proud tyrants1 he urged the dread fight1 ,till lie forced them her freedom to own4 ,next in ,france a strange demon uplifted its head1 ,all the nations of earth to bewray1 ,and into its snares would ,columbia have led1 ,had not ,washington warn'd her to stay4 ,best and wisest of men6 when counsell'd by thee1 ,could thy people their treasure withhold8 ,when ruled by another1 then could they agree ,to lavish their millions untold8 ,by ,genet insulted1 by slander aggrieved1 ,if thy wrongs unrevenged could remain1 ,for denouncing the men whom false he believed1 ,by a mob could thy ,lingan be slain8 ,can the voice of the country for whom he had bled1 ,e'er sanction a murder so base1 ,or the tear-drops of millions1 piously shed1 ,the deep stain from our annals efface8 #fef4 ,as soon as the last words in the preceding verses were recited1 ,i was thrilled by the following effusion3 #feg4 ,my ,friend3 ,how my heart swells with grateful emotion1 at hearing that beautiful effusion from your lips6 ,yes1 my friend1 ,i strove while on earth1 to carry out the impressions which were made on my mind by superior intelligences1 and if ,i failed1 my countrymen will bear testimony4 #feh4 ,your noble father is a friend of mine1 and ,i feel a love for you commensurate with his worth4 ,he is foremost in the ranks of spiritual intelligences1 and ready to act when duty calls4 #fei4 ,my friend1 ,i sympathize with you in your arduous undertaking2 but let me assure you that your reward will be greater than the suffering you have endured4 ,yes1 most nobly you have fought against error2 and you will yet place the banner of freedom high upon the battlement of truth4 ,farewell1 noble scion of a noble man6 ,,geo4 ,,washington4 ,,apology ,,for ,,my ,,conversion4 ,apology for my change of opinion and belief in the existence and agency of ,spirits4 #ffj4 ,i do not conceive that in my change of opinion ,i have been involved in any inconsistency of principle4 ,it always appeared to me that in explaining the planetary movements1 after arriving at the ,newtonian boundary made by momentum and gravitation1 there could be no alternative between appealing to the spiritual power of ,god1 or resorting to atheism4 ,an appeal to the power of ,god has always been my choice2 nevertheless holding that wondrous power to be of a nature wholly unintelligible to finite man4 7#eg to #hg47 #ffa4 ,confining the range of my philosophy to the laws of motion1 magnificently illustrated by the innumerable solar systems1 but no less operative in every minute mechanical movement1 ,i hold that ,i could only come to the same conclusion as ,faraday1 that if tables when associated with human beings moved1 it must in some way be due to those beings1 since1 agreeably to all experience of the laws of matter in the material world1 inanimate bodies cannot originate motion4 ,but as when the planetary motions are considered1 any hypothesis fails which does not account for the rationality of the result1 and therefore involves the agency not only of a powerful but a rational cause2 so the manifestations of ,spiritualism1 involving both reason and power1 might consistently justify me in looking for agents endowed with the reason and power manifested by the phenomena4 ,this power being invisible and imponderable1 and at the same time rational1 there was no alternative but to consider it as spiritual1 no less than that to which planetary motion is due4 ,in its potentiality the power thus manifested might be extremely minute as compared with the potentiality of the ,creator2 still it had to be of the same spiritual nature4 #ffb4 ,it has not appeared unreasonable to infer that the soul in assuming the spirit form should acquire a power of which material beings are destitute1 and of which they can only conceive an idea from its necessity to the operations of ,god4 ,parting with its material attributes1 were the soul not to acquire others1 even if it could exist1 it would be perfectly helpless4 ,hence1 in becoming an immaterial spirit1 it must acquire powers indispensable and appropriate to that state of existence4 #ffc4 ,since we know that the animal frame for the most part after death1 on the exposure to the air1 warmth1 and moisture1 returns to the atmosphere whence it is mainly derived1 it follows that on undergoing that awful change the soul must take the spirit form1 unless it perish with its material tenement4 ,so far1 then1 all who believe in the immortality of the soul1 must concur with spiritualists that on dying we become spirits4 #ffd4 ,it will then be admitted by all who believe in the immortality of the soul that1 as for every mortal that dies a spirit is born1 innumerable spirits must exist4 ,is it not then reasonable to consider them as agents in producing phenomena which can only be ascribed to invisible1 imponderable1 rational1 and affectionate beings1 especially when they themselves sanction this inference by word and deed8 #ffe4 ,were a tyrant to enclose a human being while alive within a cast-iron vessel1 the aperture through which the introduction should be made being closed by a stopple soldered in air-tight1 all the ponderable elements of the corporeal body would be retained2 but can any one who believes the soul to survive the body1 think that it would remain included in that vessel so long as it should endure8 ,cast-iron coats itself with a carbonated peroxide1 vulgarly called rust1 and then undergoes no farther change2 so that the corporeal elements might be retained to an infinite time4 ,but could the soul be thus imprisoned1 perhaps to eternity8 ,could the tyranny of a man thus imprison an immortal soul8 ,does it not follow that the soul would not be confined by the air-tight and apparently impenetrable metallic vessel8 ,invisibility of the ,soul4 #fff4 ,the invisibility of the soul in leaving the body1 must be admitted1 since1 however the dying may be surrounded by their friends and nurses1 and vigilantly guarded after death by watches1 as customary with many1 the soul is not seen to leave the body4 ,it must1 therefore1 be invisible1 and capable of permeating cast-iron or any other material within which1 while alive1 an immortal being might be enclosed air-tight4 ,on the ,whereabout of ,heaven4 #ffg4 ,the qualities of invisibility and penetrative power being necessarily conceded to the soul1 is it unreasonable to extend this attribute to its habitation in the skies3 to the country of spirits8 #ffh4 ,in communicating with a friendly spirit1 ,i adverted to the difficulty of inducing people to conceive that in the clear azure space existing between the earth and moon1 there should be scenery like ours1 with plains1 hills1 mountains1 valleys1 rivers1 lakes1 seas1 and every variety of edifice in greater perfection than upon earth4 8,you do not see us10 said my friend2 8then why should you wonder at not seeing our world80 #ffi4 ,it is quite evident that no such obstacle stood in the way of belief in the existence of heaven among the ,jews1 as it is constantly referred to as being above2 ,noah's deluge came through the windows of heaven2 and this idea has been sustained in the language of ,christ1 as well as of the ,hebrew prophets4 #fgj4 ,elijah is represented as having visibly ascended to heaven4 ,that the vicinity and invisibility of heaven are not at war with ,scripture1 is alleged in a recent work by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,harbaugh of the ,german ,reformed ,church1 of ,lancaster1 ,pennsylvania4 ,he quotes approvingly a passage in a work1 entitled 8,physicial ,theory of ,another ,life10 by ,taylor1 which ,i subjoin3 #fga4 ,taylor suggests--8,that within the space occupied by the visible and ponderable universe1 and on all sides of us1 there is existing and moving another element1 fraught with another species of life1 corporeal indeed1 and various in its orders1 but not open to the cognzance of those who are confined to the conditions of animal organization1 not to be seen nor heard1 nor to be felt by man40 8,our present conjecture10 remarks the author in another place1 8reaches to the extent of supposing that within the space encircled by the sidereal revolutions1 there exists and moves a second universe1 not less real than the one we are at present conversant with3 a universe elaborate in structure1 and replete with life2 life agitated with momentous interests1 and perhaps by frivolous interests2 a universe conscious perhaps of the material spheres1 or unconscious of them1 and firmly believing 7as we do7 itself to be the only reality4 ,our planets in their sweep do not perforate the structure of this invisible creation2 our suns do not scorch its plains3 for the two collateral systems are not connected by any active affinities40 #fgb4 ,this would bring 8the things which are not seen10 indeed1 near to and around us4 ,to enter the other world would not be so much a removal in space1 as just to be made loose from1 or to become insensible to1 the conditions of this life4 ,death will be only the destruction or disappearance of human and earthly affinities1 and directly we shall be surrounded by affinities adapted to our new state of existence1 and shall find for ourselves a congenial home in and around our present habitation4 #fgc4 ,much is argued in favour of this theory4 ,it is said in no place to interfere with ,scripture1 but rather to be countenanced by incidental hints and allusions4 ,it is said to be made highly probable by the known truths of physical science4 ,an unseen world1 in all respects material1 inhabited by corporeal beings1 it is said1 is possible4 ,there are material elements which are not cognizable to any of our senses except by a round of research and experiment1 and then only in their remote effects1 as1 for instance1 electricity4 ,the atmosphere also1 and light1 are material1 and yet so subtle as almost entirely to evade our unassisted observation2 and may there not be still others as yet to us unknown8 ,we are related to1 and become acquainted with1 the external world by the medium of the five senses2 but who will say that there are not other senses hidden in possibility in our nature which may by means of other affinities communicate with a world far more refined in its constitution1 with which we cannot now come in contact8 ,science has discovered living animalcul in the solidest substances2 the air we breathe and the water we drink are the homes of myriads of beings1 and though unseen by the naked eye1 these elements are swarming with miniature life6 ,it seems to be ,god's motto1 8,multum in parvo0--life in life1 world in world1 universe in universe6 ,with these known facts in science before us1 may we not1 it is asked1 consider the above theory probable8 #fgd4 ,it is further supposed that this invisible world around us is the after stage of the present life2 and as it is a stage of being in all respects superior to this1 it may be that its inhabitants have a knowledge of us1 though we have not of them1 just as we are acquainted with grades of animalcule life beneath us1 when it can hardly be supposed that they know any thing of our existence4 ,hence1 too1 in some exceptive cases it may be possible for them to break through the veil of separation1 and appear in various ways unto men on the platform of human life4 ,then we are indeed 8surrounded by a cloud of witnesses10 who stand around1 or bend over us1 and look with deep interest upon the struggle of life1 and when they see it unequal in the case of the saints1 they break through in their ardour1 and become ministering spirits to those who are heirs of eternal life4 #fge4 ,it is also supposed that these beings in the world unseen may have capacities to communicate with the remotest inhabitants of ,god's universe4 ,the facilities of communication may be so great in these ethereal climes1 that space is annihilated1 and the different hosts of intelligences in the wide universe may commune with each other and ,god as one family in their 8,father's house40 #fgf4 ,there is a surprising degree of coincidence between the speculations comprised in this quotation1 and the accounts which ,i have received respecting the spirit world from some of those occupying an elevated grade therein4 ,it has been observed above that if the soul be immortal1 it cannot be imagined to remain in the grave1 since the greater part of the human organization in hot weather escapes through putrefaction1 as vapour or gas4 ,hence the endurance of the soul after death involves spiritual existence4 ,we must1 therefore1 on dying1 take an invisible spiritual form4 #fgg4 ,believers in revelation stare incredulously when mention is made of a spirit1 as if its existence were an impossibility2 yet it has been shown1 that according to orthodoxy1 death extricating the soul from the body1 it must forthwith commence its spiritual life4 ,the existence of spirits being thus established1 that they should communicate with us would be more probable than that they should not1 excepting that it has not been heretofore generally known to take place4 ,but spirits allege that the manifestations which have been taking place for some years have been the result of efforts especially made by a delegation of philanthropic spirits1 to break through the partition which has so long prevented the communication to mortals of a correct knowledge of the existence of the human soul after death1 and the requisites to the attainment of celestial happiness4 #fgh4 ,the accomplishment of this object is a step in the progressive advancement and the means of improvement possessed by the celestial world1 analogous to the invention of printing or of the telegraph in the mundane sphere4 #fgi4 ,the management is intrusted to advanced spirits acquainted with the affairs of both worlds4 ,agreeably to ,scripture1 heaven is above1 over our heads2 to prevent the ,tower of ,babel from reaching it1 a confusion of tongues was ordained4 ,the second commandment speaks of heaven above and earth beneath4 ,christ 8descended into hell10 according to the apostles' creed2 of course1 hell is below4 8,whosoever calls his brother a fool1 is in danger of hell-fire40 ,that hell and fire should be thus associated is therefore consistent with the observations of geologists1 who infer that the interior of the earth consists of ignited matter of which volcanoes are the safety-tubes1 however inconsistent with reason to suppose immortal souls to be broiling therein4 #fhj4 ,but enlightened ,christians do not1 ,i believe1 locate hell within this earth1 nor call in fire to aid in their conceptions of it4 ,evidently1 the more rational idea of the future abode of souls is that of its being above every point on the earth's surface1 and equidistant therefrom4 ,this would involve that of a space concentric with the earth1 and which falls in with the idea of that comprising the spheres of ,spiritualism4 #fha4 ,if we leave this earth1 in order to imagine any location beyond the range of astronomical bodies1 it would place the locality at a distance1 according to ,herschel1 requiring nineteen hundred thousand years for souls to travel1 moving with the velocity of light1 two hundred thousand miles in a second4 ,in one of my lectures1 in #ahdb1 ,i suggested that heaven might be situated at that central space about which all the constellations of the universe have been supposed to revolve4 #fhb4 ,but if we infer a general place of reception for souls1 then in that celestial emporium every soul from all the myriads of planets1 of all the solar systems in the universe1 must congregate4 ,far more rational does it not seem that our heaven should be associated with our own planet1 in the welfare1 the past history1 and future prospects of which the souls who were born upon it1 must take pre-eminent interest8 #fhc4 ,the separation of any heaven into spheres seems inevitable1 since the association of spirits according to their virtue and intellectual acquirements and capacity seems indispensable to harmony and happiness4 ,thus the more virtuous1 wise1 and cultivated spirits are1 the higher their spheres of existence4 #fhd4 ,let any person contemplate the information respecting the spirit world given in the preceding pages1 in the communications from my spirit relations and others1 and then say whether1 in receiving them as true1 any believer in immortality1 as vaguely portrayed in the gospel1 will not make a beneficial exchange4 #fhe4 ,how can any person become a spiritualist without forthwith finding an irresistible impulse to conduct himself in this world1 so as to acquire eminence in the next8 ,for what are we all working8 is it not for happiness1 8our being's end and aim10 the difference being only in the mode by which it is sought8 ,by some it is through the good of others as well as of themselves2 yet too many seek it without regard to that portion of their fellow-creatures whom they may deem it their interest to oppress1 deceive1 cheat1 or rob4 #fhf4 ,but even these will perceive how much better it will be to pursue the opposite course1 since every wrong done by them here1 will have to be expiated by a proportionate penance in the spirit world4 #fhg4 ,by every good action resulting from the wish to do as we would be done by1 we advance a step higher in that heavenly stairway by which we may ultimately reach the supernal heaven1 and become ministering angels of ,god4 #fhh4 ,but even during our ascending progression1 we shall pass through a succession of stages wherein every intellectual1 social1 and amiable propensity of our nature will be gratified4 #fhi4 ,in justice to myself1 and to give more weight to the inferences drawn from my laborious investigations1 ,i will subjoin the correspondence between ,mr4 ,holcomb and myself1 which succeeded the receipt of the letter which has been introduced in the commencement of my narrative1 7#abh47 ,so far as my judgment goes1 there never was a letter written of which the facts or inferences are more correct2 yet it appears that so late as the #hth of ,february ,i was still a doubter4 ,the tenor of the correspondence will show that if ,i was conquered1 ,i did not yield the ground undisputed1 and was vanquished only by facts and reasons which1 when understood or admitted1 must produce in others the conviction which they created in me4 ,if ,i was the victim of an intellectual epidemic1 my mental constitution did not yield at once to the miasma4 ,it took some three months to include me among its victims4 ,,philadelphia1 ,january #ad1 #ahed4 #fij4 ,dear ,sir3--,your letter of the #agth of ,november met my eye as ,i was this morning looking over a file of letters4 ,i am led to write1 therefore1 that in consequence of your suggestion1 and those of others1 ,i have been giving my attention to the phenomena to which you alluded4 ,when ,i come to any conclusion1 ,i will write again4 #fia4 ,i still concur with ,faraday1 and have seen nothing to make me believe in the spiritual manifestations4 ,yet ,i am not surprised that the latter should be believed in by those who have that belief1 as there are phenomena which ,i cannot explain yet1 any more than many which ,i have seen resulting from jugglery4 ,the converts are1 however1 such worthy persons1 that ,i cannot bring myself to suspect them of deception4 ,i think you must be mistaken as respects a table moving when left to itself entirely4 ,the circumstances for producing this phenomena have been repeatedly made favourable by the mediums in my presence1 but excepting in one instance1 when it was within reach of the feet1 no motion ensued4 #fib4 ,it would1 indeed1 be a glorious mercy if ,god would give us some evidence1 which should settle the religious opinions of mankind4 ,,robert ,,hare4 ,,southwick1 ,mass41 ,feb4 #c;d1 #ahed4 #fic4 ,dear ,sir3 ,i wish1 however1 to say something in regard to the subject-matter of your letter4 ,you say you are not surprised at the belief of many in ,spiritualism1 as there are phenomena which you cannot explain4 ,you also say that you think ,i must be mistaken 8as respects a table moving when left to itself entirely40 ,i do not think a table would move if left to itself entirely1 since matter cannot put itself into motion4 ,the great question is1 ,what is the power that makes the table move8 ,you think it is muscular1 and ,i am certain that it is something else4 ,when ,i am looking at the sun in a clear sky1 ,i know that it shines4 ,no argument would have any influence to make me doubt the evidence of my senses4 ,there has1 no doubt1 been a great deal of jugglery in the world1 but shall ,i doubt the evidence of my senses on that account8 ,how shall we prove any thing in a court of justice1 if the evidence of our senses is not to be relied upon8 ,while ,i am looking at a table1 it moves1 and ,i have the same evidence that no body touches it1 that ,i have that it moves4 ,i see the table tilt up1 and poise itself on two of its four legs1 and then on the other two1 and finally it wholly rises from the floor1 and seems to float in the air without any visible support whatever2 all this time there are no persons within six feet of it4 ,in a letter of ,n4 ,p4 ,talmadge1 published in the ,tribune of ,may #bgth last1 he gives an account of his seeing tables move when nothing visible touched them4 ,i mention him1 because ,i suppose his character and standing would be likely to have weight with you4 ,it would1 however1 be very easy to mention a very great many cases1 proved by testimony that would be conclusive in any court of justice4 ,i supposed that it was too late in the day to doubt facts of this character1 as they are taking place in numerous places in this country and also in ,europe4 ,i suppose this is the reason why ,faraday's explanation has availed so little to check ,spiritualism in ,england or ,france4 #fid4 ,i believe ,henry ,gordon resides now in ,philadelphia4 ,i have no doubt you can see such things for yourself in his presence by attending a few times4 ,our judge of probate1 who lives a few miles from me1 told me a few days ago that a young lady of his acquaintance put her hands upon a table and it moved4 ,he then took hold of the table to prevent the motion1 but he had not strength to do it4 ,the table would slide on the floor1 notwithstanding his utmost efforts to prevent it4 ,now it is perfectly idle to say that the young lady unconsciously exerted such a power4 ,the judge ridicules the idea of its being caused by spirits4 ,he says that it is electricity4 ,you are too well acquainted with the laws of electricity to believe that under such circumstances it can produce any such feats4 ,i know of a case1 in ,springfield ,city1 in which four respectable merchants1 with whom ,i am acquainted1 testify that a large table1 with two of them on it1 moved around the room4 ,in that instance the medium's hands were on the table4 ,but who can believe that such a force could be exerted without the movers being conscious of it4 ,there are cases enough of the same description to fill a volume4 #fie4 ,there is another phase of this matter that is worthy of attention1 and that is the intelligence connected with it4 ,you mention cases where the answers were not correct4 ,thousands of such cases might be furnished4 ,in the presence of some of the mediums1 almost all the answers will be false2 while in the presence of others1 it will be very rare that a wrong answer is given4 ,some of the answers being wrong does not prove that there is no intelligence connected with it4 ,in the presence of a good medium1 a question asked mentally is answered as readily and as correctly as when asked vocally4 ,i do not depend on the testimony of others for this4 ,i have found it to be true in my own experience4 ,in the presence of some mediums1 mental questions are not answered4 ,the foregoing are facts that are well settled if evidence can settle any thing4 ,to say that we are dupes and fools1 decides nothing4 ,i suppose that ,i can examine a matter as carefully and intricately as most men1 and ,i know ,i am not deceived about the facts4 ,but the cause is quite another matter4 #fif4 ,i suppose you are acquainted with the various and conflicting explanations that have been given4 ,they all appear to my mind perfectly absurd and incredible1 and no two of them agree4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,beecher was appointed by his association to examine and report4 ,he did so1 and decides that the communications are from the spirits of the dead1 but from the evil or unblest portion of them4 ,if it is from spirits1 there is as much evidence that some of them are good1 as that others are evil4 #fig4 ,i must close4 ,i did not expect an answer1 but was glad to hear from you1 and if you make any important discovery1 ,i should be glad to hear from you again2 ,i am not settled in my mind respecting the cause of these strange phenomena4 ,i agree with you heartily in your last remark in your letter1 that 8it would indeed be a glorious mercy if ,god would give us some evidence which should settle the religious opinions of mankind40 ,yours1 very respectfully1 ,,amasa ,,holcomb4 ,in reply to the preceding1 so much of a letter from the ,author as relates to ,spiritualism4 ,,philadelphia1 ,february #h1 #ahed4 #fih4 ,you believe fully that tables move without contact1 because you have seen them move2 ,i am skeptical1 because ,i have never seen them move without human contact1 although ,i have been at several circles4 #fii4 ,you have been much more lucky than ,i have been as to the manifestations1 whether mechanical or mental4 #gjj4 ,i shall lose no opportunity of making further observations4 ,i have no clue to find ,gordon4 ,you ought to give me his address1 and communicate all you know respecting him4 ,,robt4 ,,hare4 ,,southwick1 ,february #bj1 #ahed4 #gja4 ,dear ,sir3 ,your letter of ,february #hth is before me4 ,you did not say whether you believed in the soul's immortality or not6 ,this is the most important of all questions to me1 and how is it to be settled8 ,if the ,bible is not to be depended upon1 and we have no communications from the spirit world1 what evidence have we of our immortality8 ,i have been greatly afflicted with doubts upon this subject4 ,it has exceeded all other afflictions that ,i have met with4 ,you will of course see at once how desirous ,i am that these apparent communications should prove to be in reality from the spirit world1 as that would settle the question4 ,i seize upon every thing that seems to have a bearing upon the question of immortality1 and ,i confess that ,i have strong hopes that ,spiritualism1 as it is termed1 will settle this question4 ,if it be true that there is physical force and intelligence1 neither of which proceed from the medium1 how is it to be explained8 ,you doubt these two1 but ,i am as well assured of them as ,i can be of any thing4 #gjb4 ,if spirits communicate1 it is certain that some of them deceive4 ,it would appear that there are all sorts of characters1 the same as there are in this world4 ,if you should become satisfied of the two facts that ,i mentioned1 ,i should like to have you and other men of science try your skill at explanation4 #gjc4 ,i will relate what took place at the first sitting that ,i ever attended4 ,it was in ,boston1 and ,i went as a perfect stranger4 ,before the sitting commenced1 and but few had collected1 a strolling musician came along and commenced playing at the door1 and every tune played at the door was beaten or rapped on the table4 ,the medium was in the room2 ,i saw her walk up to the table and lay her hand on it1 and then walk away1 but it made no difference with the raps on the table2 they continued1 without any person near it1 as long as the tunes were played at the door4 ,when it came my turn to question1 ,i asked1 ,are any of my relatives present8 ,ans4 ,yes4 ,will you rap at each letter of your name1 if the alphabet is called over4 ,ans4 ,yes6 ,the alphabet was called1 and there was a rap at ,a1 one at ,l1 one at ,f1 one at ,r1 one at ,e1 and one at ,d1--,alfred3 a son that died at the age of twenty-two years4 ,among a great many questions1 ,i asked1 ,how many years since you died4 ,is it twelve8 ,is it eleven8 ,is it ten8 ,is it nine8 ,is it eight8 ,is it seven8 ,there was a rap at seven1 but ,i asked1 ,is it six8 and instantly there were rapped444444442 the seventh was fainter4 ,i said1 ,he probably means that it is six and a piece1 when instantly they were repeated 444444442 the last the faintest4 ,the raps were equidistant1 like the ticking of a clock1 and about as loud4 ,i supposed at the time that it was less than seven4 ,after the sitting was over1 and we were preparing to leave1 ,i said1 ,it is possible that we may have mistaken the time since my son's death8 ,there was instantly a loud rap on the table4 ,i then asked1 ,did you mean seven8 and there was instantly an affirmative4 ,i inquired for the odd months1 and the answer was four4 ,when ,i got home1 ,i found the true time was seven years1 four months1 and two days4 ,these last raps were when no person was within six feet of the table4 ,i confess myself unable to explain the foregoing without admitting that it was my son who responded4 ,if you could have such an opportunity1 and inquire for some dear friend whom you loved in life1 ,i think you would witness what would interest you4 #gjd4 ,i mention the foregoing as a specimen4 ,i have received a great many communications purporting to be both from my son and a daughter1 who died at the age of eighteen1 quite as remarkable as the above4 ,now1 admitting the two facts of physical force and intelligence1 ,i don't know even then that spirits are the agents2 but it seems probable1 because ,i doubt whether any other explanation can be given1 that will appear at all reasonable4 ,it is very evident that there is an intelligence that governs the world2 but if that intelligence has given us no revelation excepting what is in nature1 then it appears to me that every thing that can give us any knowledge of what we are to be hereafter1 is valuable beyond all price4 ,uncertainty upon this matter is painful1 but then we know so little about the ,deity1 that ,i think there is great uncertainty in our views of what he does1 either to prevent or bring to pass the good and evil that we see around us4 ,yours1 very respectfully1 ,,amasa ,,holcomb4 ,some parts of a letter to ,mr4 ,holcomb1 in reply to the parts of his letter relating to ,spiritualism4 ,,philadelphia1 ,february #bd1 #ahed4 #gje4 ,dear ,sir3 ,there is a great resemblance in your sentiments1 as described in your letter of the #bjth1 7just received17 and those which ,i entertain1 excepting that while ,i am very desirous--,i may say extremely desirous--to learn something which may prove another state of existence1 ,i am not unhappy at my not being able to find out the truth4 ,if ,i have less hopes1 ,i have also less fears1 than those who have heaven and hell both to encounter4 ,i do not envy those who are placed in the situation of depending upon the estimate which may be formed of them hereafter1 whether they are to be placed among the 8sheep0 or 8the goats40 #gjf4 ,it is true that the gospel holds out the idea on one hand that intense belief1 called faith1 will wash away sin2 but on the other1 it is said1 that 8he who knoweth his ,master's will1 yet doeth it not10 shall be beaten with many stripes1 while he who is ignorant of that will1 and doeth it not1 shall be beaten with few4 ,under these circumstances1 who can escape flagellation8 ,who is it that does the will of ,god1 as enumerated by ,christ8 ,who loves his neighbour as himself8 ,who presents a second cheek on receiving a blow on one8 ,who gives his coat1 when his cloak has been taken8 ,who returns good for evil8 ,who acts as if it were as hard for a rich man to go to heaven as for a camel to get through the eye of a needle8 #gjg4 ,unless our missionaries can make better ,christians abroad than they leave at home1 it were inhuman to add to the number1 who are to be pre-eminently punished for their neglect of their ,master's will1 while fully apprized of it4 ,in many cases a pagan will be better off than his nominally ,christian instructor1 although he should not prove a convert to ,christianity4 #gjh4 ,my sentiments are much like those which ,socrates expressed4 ,i hope for a future world1 and therein to have a happier existence4 ,all those reasons which have been advanced by wise and good men in favour of such futurity1 operate upon my mind as upon theirs2 but if there be no such a state of future existence1 ,i shall never wake up to feel my disappointment4 ,it will only be a prolongation of a state of oblivion analogous to that which we enter upon transiently1 every night4 #gji4 ,the incentives which have acted upon you1 act also upon me1 and ,i have seen some of the manifestations on which you rely2 but not so satisfactorily4 ,the answers which ,i have received have not been worthy of the other world4 #gaj4 ,a message from my own father1 amounted to this3 8,oh1 my son1 listen to reason20 and there it ended4 ,several similar nugatory sentences have been manifested through the alphabet4 #gaa4 ,i have1 however1 constructed an instrument to put the question of independency of intelligence to the test4 ,it works independently of any control of the medium1 as the letters1 which must be seen to bring them correctly under the index1 are concealed by a screen4 7,plate ,i47 #gab4 ,the sentence above quoted was communicated in this way4 #gac4 ,i am about1 by this contrivance1 to test the manifestations farther4 ,,robert ,,hare4 ,,moral ,,influence ,,of ,,spiritualism4 #gad4 ,among the best precepts afforded by the gospel is that of laying up treasure in heaven1 in preference to seeking to become rich in this world4 ,to pursue the last-mentioned course has been alleged to disqualify us more or less for entering heaven4 ,certainly1 however1 honest exertion for the acquisition of wealth is the corner-stone of human prosperity1 and money seems in most instances necessary to the effectual exercise of that fellow-feeling in the cultivation of which human virtue pre-eminently consists4 7,see ,influence of ,mundane wealth on ,celestial ,happiness47 #gae4 ,how can a man display charity1 hospitality1 or contribute his means and time to objects of philanthropy1 unless he beforehand lay up wealth8 ,how could the ,samaritan have assisted the traveller who had been maltreated by thieves1 had he not taken care to have something beforehand1 not only for himself1 but for the needy8 ,but still the precept1 ,lay up treasure for thyself in heaven1 is precisely the course which ,spiritualism indicates4 ,precepts may lead1 but examples will draw4 ,those who have gone before us to eternal life1 furnish us not only precepts1 but examples also4 ,they furnish exemplifications of the consequences of their conduct1 if followed4 ,with few exceptions1 my intercourse has been with those only1 who did lay up treasure in heaven1 by doing on earth as they would have others to do unto them4 ,of the spirits with whom ,i have communicated1 only two alleged or indicated that they were unhappy4 ,of these1 ,i was informed1 one bore an ill character upon earth4 #gaf4 ,another1 after having suggested to his inquiring brother some measures relating to his surviving wife's temporal concerns1 spontaneously added the following words3 8,i am not hapey40 ,the inquiry being made for the cause of his misery1 the resulting reply was1 8,i did not do rite when ,i was in this world40 #gag4 ,another admitted that he was drowned1 in consequence of getting dead drunk4 ,on being asked if he were happy1 he answered1 8,damned happy40 ,in reply to an inquiry whether he was sorry to have quitted this life1 he replied in the affirmative4 #gah4 ,having evidently been a seaman1 who had sailed under an officer who was present1 he had preserved the usual fondness of sailors for tobacco and grog4 ,this propensity he could not avoid displaying1 notwithstanding his having passed death's dread portal1 and the obvious inutility of expressing to mortals his craving for those pernicious stimulants4 #gai4 ,thus it appears that in the spirit world one means of retribution for the indulgence of bad propensities in this life1 is subjugation to their ungratified cravings4 #gbj4 ,of course1 the more of these a spirit carries with him1 the greater is his misery2 while the more he founds his happiness on the indulgence of good propensities1 the greater his power and opportunities of enjoyment4 #gba4 ,as an illustration of the manner in which happiness may arise from the indulgence of good propensities1 one of the enjoyments of a spirit of the fifth sphere is1 as ,i am informed1 in looking after children of relatives and friends1 who have not as yet followed them to the spirit world4 #gbb4 ,believing in the existence of a spirit world1 where there are thirty-six grades of existence1 corresponding to degrees of purity and intellectual acquirement1--purity alone giving exaltation merely1 while cultivation of mind secures breadth of consideration1--we have1 in the first place1 to adhere strictly to truth1 honesty1 justice1 benevolence1 and doing as we would be done by1 to reach a sphere higher in proportion as we are more successful4 ,yet1 among those on the same plane1 superiority in mental attributes gives precedence4 #gbc4 ,nothing is better known than 8while precepts may lead1 examples draw10 and that subjection to bad examples1 even when checked by good precepts1 is generally irresistible by the young4 ,but when there are no precepts to check1 but1 on the contrary1 ill counsel as well as bad example1 few human beings1 however well constituted organically1 could resist the tendency of such educational evil4 ,let bad hereditary propensities be superadded1 and what can ensue but a climax of wickedness8 ,manifestly1 however1 all this is independent of any choice on the part of the victim4 ,a high degree of virtue may consistently be inferred to result if all these conditions be inverted1 and good precepts1 good examples1 co-operative in improving a mind of the opposite kind1 one which owes to its progenitors goodness of heart and high intellectual capacity4 #gbd4 ,much stress is laid upon free-will1 but is will ever free from the joint control of reason and passion8 ,what is will1 if it be not the resultant of the conflict or co-operation of these8 ,it may be a question whether1 without passions1 a man would act at all2 but certainly he would act like an idiot or baby1 so far as his will should be entirely independent of his reason4 #gbe4 ,it must be conceded1 then1 that the prodigious diversity between virtue and vice is the consequence of contingencies1 which are no more under the control of the individual affected than the colour of his hair or the number of cubits in his stature4 #gbf4 ,the great features of the spiritual religion are1 as ,i understand them1 as follows3--,its foundation is laid in the belief of an all-good ,deity1 whose power is manifested to us by the immensity1 profundity1 sublimity1 ingenuity1 and adaptation of the means to the ends in the creation ascribed to the co-operation1 if not origination1 of his mind4 ,the ,bible of the spiritualist is the book of nature--the only one which by inward and outward evidence can be ascribed to divine authorship4 #gbg4 ,in this book we read1 as matters of fact1 that there is an infinite series of gradation in the rank of animals1 as well as variety in their dispositions and propensities4 ,this may be seen1 from the half-animal1 half-vegetable known as the polypus1 up to man1 there being gradations not only of genera1 but of species and varieties4 ,thus amid men there are various races1 rising one above the other in development1 from the ,bushman1 ,hottentot1 or lowest ,negro1 up to the most highly-developed race of white men4 ,but when we have passed through the gradation of the races1 we have to enter upon that of individuals1 who in the same race are by diversity of organization or education1 or of both1 made extremely different as to intellectual1 moral1 and scientific pre-eminence4 #gbh4 ,it is difficult for human reason to reconcile with impartiality this immense diversity in the lot of the creatures of ,god2 but that such is the law of nature is self-evident3 it is an intuitive truth4 ,to reconcile it with the all-goodness of ,god1 we must suppose a limitation of power1 and that it has been beyond his power to put created beings more nearly upon a level4 ,but1 as ,seneca observes1 all have received more than they had a claim for4 ,some may think that the parable of the hiring of labourers for a vineyard1 conveys an idea like that of the ,roman sage4 #gbi4 ,these considerations being premised1 it would seem that punishment in the spirit world is only the carrying out of the same system1 excepting that while the deficiencies or vices which have arisen in this world become a punishment in the next1 they also operate as the means of improvement1 or1 to use the language of that world1 of 8progression40 ,it may be inferred that as in this world the power of the ,deity1 although commensurate with the all but infinite universe in which we exist1 was so restricted by conditions as to induce that enormous diversity of position in the scale of animation which has been presented to view4 ,yet in the world to come these defects and vices are liable to be remedied2 and1 though they react upon their victim1 it is with a view to his own ultimate benefit4 ,there is not a malevolent devil to seize the poor miscreant1 and1 like the savage ,indian1 torture him with a fiend-like pleasure4 ,he is regarded with compassion1 and as soon as contrition is induced1 treated with sympathy by the higher spirits1 and assisted by counsel and enlightened by instruction4 ,unable any longer to indulge his bad propensities1 the desire of rising to a higher level becomes a passion4 ,intellectual and social pleasures begin to be enjoyed4 ,so long as he remains under the influence of his mundane appetites1 he has to consort with spirits who are similarly actuated2 they read each other's mind1 and thus are made acquainted with the deformity of their own4 ,they eventually thus become instrumental in reciprocal correction4 ,so soon as an aspiration for a better state is awakened1 they rise to the next plane or circle above that in which they may have been existing2 the only difficulty is in taking the first step4 ,progression grows with its growth1 and strengthens with its strength1 so that all beings may sooner or later attain to the highest sphere in the spirit world4 ,it should be understood that there is no pardon for existing sin4 ,pardon can only exist as a consequence of reform1 and in proportion thereto4 7#ib47 #gcj4 ,an assailant of ,spiritualism1 who not long since lectured at ,sansom ,street ,hall1 founded one of his charges on the commiseration felt by good angels for sinners1 agreeably to ,spiritualism4 ,but from the examination above given respecting the origin of the difference between the virtuous and vicious1 does it not appear that the fate of the latter is quite as hard as can be reconciled with justice1 even under the more benign institution of ,spiritualism8 ,according to this1 there exist in the spirit world six spheres1 each subdivided into six circles or planes1 forming together a succession of grades in which the soul finds its place according to moral and intellectual merit4 ,the first of the spheres is throughout comparatively hideous in its aspect and disgusting in its inhabitants1 who are designated by a dark halo in lieu of the effulgence which distinguishes spirits of the rest of the spheres4 ,moreover1 this distinguishing effulgence1 as well as the beauty of the spirit world1 augments with the grade of the being whom it envelops1 thus making a series of ranks in society founded on real nobility of head and heart4 ,when it is considered that this immense diversity ensues mainly from contingency in organization1 education1 and greater or less exposure to trial1 it must be clear that the difference made between the good and the bad by ,spiritualism does not fall short of the degree which human reason can reconcile with justice4 #gca4 ,the assailant of ,spiritualism to whom allusion was made1 while admitting the truth of the evidence given of communication with spirits1 explained it by reference to ,satan4 ,it is remarkably inconsistent with this idea that this evidence is of a nature to abrogate the existence1 and of course the sovereignty1 of that imaginary arch-fiend4 ,again1 it can hardly be conceived that the greater commiseration for sinners should come from a malevolent devil1 and the urging for everlasting and cruel torture from a sincere disciple of the benevolent ,jesus ,christ4 ,but how much1 then1 must it shock one who embraces these views1 that in addition to the misfortune of being badly organized1 badly educated1 and badly tempted1 the being subjected to these disadvantages is to be exposed eternally to misery1 typified1 if not realized1 by broiling on burning brimstone6 ,i am aware that doing away with the more horrible attributes of hell will be alleged to be subversive of one of the restraints upon criminality2 but1 in the first place1 it is evident that a man who is restrained from crime solely by the fear of punishment is only a more prudent villain than one who is not restrained by that selfish apprehension4 ,when a man is deterred from crime only by prudence1 hope of reward1 or fear of punishment1 he ought not to have a higher grade in heaven than the perpetrator of the crime4 #gcb4 ,but1 agreeably to experience1 of all restraints upon crime1 none are more efficacious than the fear of degradation4 ,the lawyer who will do the bidding of a caucus 7or of a powerful demagogue in the executive office7 in order to get a judicial appointment1 when securely seated therein1 will not give a charge which will degrade him in the eyes of the legal profession1 and consequently in that of society1 as well as in his own estimation4 ,the dishonest gambler1 who neglects to pay his tradesman's bill1 will not fail to pay his gambling debts4 ,the debtor who will take every advantage in getting a high price for his goods1 and who will put off any other payment as long as possible1 fails not to pay his note at a bank4 ,sovereign states1 who pay no other claims1 take every means to meet the interest on their funded obligations4 8,failure0 in the one case1 in the mercantile adaptation1 involves the loss of reputation for good financial faith1 abroad as well as at home2 but the just complaints of domestic claimants1 not heard upon the exchange1 are unheeded4 ,the great object1 in many cases1 is not to leave the crime 8undone1 but to keep it unknown40 ,the corrupt1 selfish politician1 who would promote war in order to give himself an opportunity of emolument or official pre-eminence1 when facing the enemy in the field of battle will nominally die for that country whose interests he has sacrificed4 ,but not from the alleged motive will he die1 but either to avoid being degraded as a coward1 or for the hope of popularity which may help him to office4 #gcc4 ,in the spirit world1 all are seen through and justly estimated1 so that degradation and vice1 or elevation and virtue1 are inevitably associated by spiritual intuition4 ,yet there is1 in my opinion1 far more satisfactory proof of the truth of ,spiritualism than of any other creed involving immortality2 while1 so far as adopted1 it must tend to do away with priestcraft1 sectarian malevolence1 and religious intolerance4 ,man will go to the spirits of his ancestors for his religion1 not to a fanatical1 bigoted1 or interested priest4 ,should spirits actually exist1 as supposed1 and convey the same religious knowledge all over the world1 all men will agree that virtue is to be the means of salvation1 not bigotry1 under the name of faith4 #gcd4 ,it is conceived that ,spiritualism has all the desirable attributes of religion1 as stated in the second page of the introduction of this work4 ,it sanctions the idea of the existence of one ,supreme ,being1 who is represented as all love to his creatures2 while his powers are made known to us by the sublimity1 profundity1 magnificence1 and inconceivable extent of the creation which he rules4 ,it does not represent him as selfishly creating us for the purpose of worshipping him1 as capable of jealousy or implacable wrath for the result of errors which his alleged omnipotence could by a fiat correct4 ,on the contrary1 we have been created to be happy sooner or later2 evil existing not through design1 but in consequence of conditions which he cannot control or cure unless through the operation of general principles4 #gce4 ,with a view to mutual happiness1 reciprocal beneficence is enjoined4 ,we are required to obey the precepts of acting toward others as we would have them act toward us4 #gcf4 ,this innate law is appealed to instinctively by any child who is oppressed by another larger than itself1 and was consecrated by ,confucius six hundred years before its judicious sanction by ,christ4 #gcg4 ,spiritualism has the merit pre-eminently not only of furnishing a knowledge of immortality beyond the grave1 but a precise knowledge of the spirit world in lieu of the silence of the ,pentateuch and the vagueness and inconsistency of the gospel4 ,an effort to establish the truth of these allegations will be made under the next head4 ,,the ,,heaven ,,and ,,hell ,,of ,,spiritualism ,,contrasted ,,with ,,the ,,heaven ,,and ,,hell ,,of ,,scripture4 #gch4 ,on the first spiritual manifestations occurring1 the great object of the mass of observers was to see the physical effects4 ,in the next place1 intellectual communications were sought1 but these being obtained by a tedious process1 it was deemed sufficiently interesting if a few sentences could be made out1 or even one4 ,it was1 moreover1 a great object with inquirers to ascertain by the interchange of language1 whether the spirit of a relation or friend were really present1 as alleged by the supposed spirit4 ,hence1 the communications were very deficient as respects any information of the spirit world4 ,it is not surprising1 therefore1 that prejudicial unbelievers should have taken up the idea that there is nothing inviting in the heaven of ,spiritualism4 ,i hope that1 agreeably to the communications from the spirit world recorded in the preceding pages1 there is enough to create an ardent desire to become a dweller therein4 #gci4 ,but is it not unreasonable for a person to disdain a state of existence which is by the spirits themselves described as 8ineffably0 happy8 ,alluding to the progression1 which is to carry spirits eventually among the ministering angels of ,god1 ,i observed to my spirit friend1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,channing1 that ,i did not consider him in heaven yet4 8,were you situated as ,i am10 said he1 8you would not say that60 ,but let us see how far the ideas of heaven1 as warranted in ,scripture1 are comparable with those which have been communicated by spirits4 #gdj4 ,in a work by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,harbaugh1 of the ,german ,reformed ,church of ,lancaster1 ,pa41 a great effort is made to collect all the hints respecting heaven which have been given in the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,this learned divine quotes the following paragraph from ,dr4 ,chalmers3 8,the common imagination10 says ,dr4 ,chalmers1 8that we have a paradise on the other side of death1 is that of a lofty aerial region1 where the inmates float in ether1 or are mysteriously suspended upon nothing--where all the warm and sensible accompaniments which give such an expression of strength1 and life1 and colouring to our present habitation1 are attenuated into a sort of spiritual element2 that is1 meagre and imperceptible1 and utterly uninviting to the eye of mortals here below2 where every vestige of materialism is done away1 and nothing left but unearthly scenes1 that have no power of allurement1 and certain unearthly ecstasies1 with which it is felt impossible to sympathize40 #gda4 ,after reading and believing the representations of heaven given by the immortal inhabitants of the spirit world1 who can avoid turning in disgust from the portrait thus cited by ,dr4 ,chalmers8 #gdb4 ,the most favourable idea of heaven given in ,scripture seems to be that which identifies it with ,paradise2 in other words1 a most beautiful garden4 ,but who would conceive an eternal residence in one garden1 however superlative its attractions1 as desirable8 ,the idea of the spheres assumes a succession of gardens1 with every pleasure1 every joy of which the human heart and intellect are capable2 and beyond those gardens the whole universe is open to us1 and an ultimate ministration as angels under our ,heavenly ,father4 #gdc4 ,the portraiture cited by ,chalmers is not approved of by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,harbaugh1 but in order to confute it he does not resort to any better picture given in the ,bible1 but to reasoning4 ,this shows that1 learned as he is1 and idolatrous as he appears in worshipping the ,bible as an adequate fountain of light1 he cannot get from the object of this idolatry any passage tending to prove the inconsistency of the idea quoted from ,chalmers with ,scripture4 ,were there not the greatest poverty of instruction on this all-important subject1 the ideas alleged to exist as above mentioned1 upon the high authority of ,dr4 ,chalmers1 could never have had sufficient currency to merit notice4 ,it may be assumed that no ,christians can conceive themselves to be better entitled to the joys of heaven than the twelve apostles of ,christ4 ,in order to show how far any expectations of a bliss higher than that afforded by ,spiritualism could have been entertained by those disciples consistently with ,scripture1 ,i deem it in point to refer the language held to them by their ,divine ,master4 ,i subjoin a few lines from ,dr4 ,harbaugh1 wherein he quotes the query put to that ,master1 by the twelve1 and the consequent reply4 ,nothing can be farther from my idea of a happy state than the benefaction promised to them4 ,the query and reply are subjoined1 in order to enable the reader to judge of both3--,behold1 we have left all and followed thee3 what shall we have therefor8 ,the ,saviour answered the above query when made by ,peter1 as follows3--,when the ,son of ,man shall sit upon the throne of his glory1 ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones1 judging the twelve tribes of ,israel4 ,here is a direct answer by ,christ to an inquiry respecting the nature of the reward which his disciples were to have for their merits as his faithful devotees4 ,they are to be made severally worldly dignitaries2 each is to sit on a throne1 judging a tribe of ,israel4 ,that is1 they are to have worldly pre-eminence1 accompanied1 of course1 by all the vexations attendant on such stations1 as well as the uncertainty and limitation arising from liability to death and disease4 ,how weak and worldly-minded must his disciples have been1 could such a prospect be alluring to them6 ,i ask for any sectarian to say in candour1 whether a governorship over one of the wealthiest ,states1 the presidency1 or any sovereignty in ,christendom1 would be deemed a heaven in comparison with that eternity of ineffable happiness enjoyed by the immortal spirits of the higher spheres8 ,yet ,mr4 ,harbaugh1 with the simplicity of blind faith1 quotes this without perceiving how meagre is the gospel evidence thus afforded of the joys awaiting the faithful as a reward for their good conduct in this life4 #gdd4 ,the following remarks1 made by ,mr4 ,harbaugh1 demonstrate how partial sectarians are in reading ,scripture3 8,what shall we have therefor8 ,this is a question that frequently arises in the ,christian's mind1 as he endeavours to cheer his ofttimes drooping spirits with a look toward the recompense of reward4 ,what shall we have8 ,we have left all for thee1 and by following thee we have confessed that we are pilgrims and strangers upon earth4 ,in this world we shall have tribulation2 but thou didst overcome the world2 what shall those have who overcame with thee80 ,harbaugh remarks3 8,here then is curiosity which the ,saviour himself approves1 because he satisfies it4 ,the same pious curiosity still manifests itself in the minds of ,god's people in their holiest hours1 and shall there be nothing revealed to satisfy them8 ,yes1 ,god will approve of such inquiries1 and will grant the influence of that ,spirit1 who leads unto all truth to all those who search the ,scripture for an answer40 ,drawing an eloquent picture of the aspirations of the soul for some realization of the vague ideas of the rewards of the faithful in a future state of existence1 he exults that this curiosity1 as he calls it1 should be sanctioned by ,christ1 8who approves this curiosity because he satisfies it40 ,how does he satisfy it8 ,is it by holding up the hope of a judgeship for each8 ,it seems it was not then foreseen that instead of performing the part of the ,jewish ,messiah1 with which he thus identified himself1 that of gathering together the chosen people of ,god1 he was to put forth opinions which were to scatter them through the world4 8,wo unto you1 ,chorazin10 c41 for the heinous offence of not admitting him to be both the ,messiah and the ,son of ,god4 ,the promise of the judgeships was quite consistent with the former character1 and strengthens the idea that he never pretended to any higher mission4 ,with this the promise in question is consistent1 but is wholly irreconcilable with his divinity1 which would make these judgeships worse than giving a stone for bread or a serpent for a fish4 ,in order to have bestowed these judgeships1 the ,roman empire must have been subverted4 ,it seems that if 7as stated by the worthy ,mr4 ,harbaugh7 the curiosity of the disciples was truly and correctly satisfied1 that this satisfaction was the sum total of the heaven with which they were remunerated2 since not the slightest hint is given that they were1 like the penitent thief1 to be with their object of devotion in paradise4 ,it would seem1 on the whole1 that the rewards of the thief and the beggar ,lazarus were of a more heavenly nature than those promised to the apostles1 even had the latter been susceptible of realization1 instead of being irreconcilable with the doom which awaited the ,hebrews1 and consequently a mere vox et prterea nihil4 ,but while1 in lieu of an eternal progressive happiness1 ,christ holds up the transient1 precarious1 and limited supremacy from which a truly pious and wise man would turn in disgust1 when hell is to be represented1 we have eternal torments typified by fire1 and weeping and gnashing of teeth in utter darkness1 in despite of this fire4 ,the situation which ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 was to have1 was to bear manifestly a relation to that of his disciples4 ,his situation would be somewhat analogous to that of ,washington1 when he was in the presidential chair1 and the thirteen ,states were governed by as many of his faithful followers in the ,revolutionary ,war4 ,yet ,washington did not find his chair worth retaining longer than the good of the country made it important to remain4 ,i am confident that neither would that great man leave his position in the seventh sphere for the presidency1 nor any spirit among those who held the gubernatorial dignity1 as suggested1 find a governorship now a motive for leaving their bright abodes in the celestial world4 #gde4 ,dr4 ,harbaugh sanctions the idea that the revolutions of all the constellations with which telescopic examination has made us acquainted1 may take place about a central sun1 bearing the relation to other suns analogous to that which ,god has been represented to have to the other potentates2 whence the title of 8,king of kings40 ,the existence1 then1 of a sun of suns is suggested1 about which the constellations formed by inferior bodies of the same kind revolve4 ,it would seem1 then1 that a more fitted allotment had been made if1 enthroned by his ,father's side on that sun of suns1 he had allotted to each of his disciples a constellation1 than have assigned to them miserable transitory judgeships in ,judea3 a speck of territory1 in this speck of a globe1 which in a field of vision embracing the universe1 would be imperceptible4 #gdf4 ,there being in ,scripture so much more stress laid upon the torments of hell than the joys of heaven1 is probably the reason why the horror of death is so great among ,christians in general4 ,their practice in this respect is to speak of death as a great calamity4 ,here and there may be found a believer who is thoroughly convinced that the efficacy of his peculiar tenets1 combined with the absence of criminality1 and the redeeming influence of repentance1 will insure him a passage to heaven2 but the predominant language is to represent the death of any large number of human beings as a great calamity4 ,those who are exposed to danger pray most earnestly to be saved1 and their death is always treated as a cause for deep regret by surviving friends4 ,hence the weeping1 the grief1 and the mourning called for by custom1--the relations and connections wearing black for months4 ,hence the dark hearse1 the black pall1 and bitter lamentation over the grave2 which shows that it is not realized that death is only a glorious spiritual birth6 ,i am confident that spiritualists will soon abandon a custom which must on their part be inconsistent2 since they must look on death as no more a bereavement1 than a residence in a foreign country1 the means of communication being within reach1 and a happy reunion foreseen4 #gdg4 ,when on board of a steamer under way at night1 the possibility of her going down occurring to my mind1 ,i felt cheered by the idea that ,i should not go down with her1 but soar to the spirit world with my immortal friends1 who would flock to meet my apotheosis4 7,page #aja47 #gdh4 ,it has been urged that a most substantial idea of heaven1 given in the old ,bible1 is that of a restoration to ,paradise1 of which the description gives the idea of an exquisite1 beautiful garden2 but ,spiritualism gives the idea of garden above garden1 improving in beauty with their elevation4 ,then there are thirty-six gradations in all1 and in the five happy spheres thirty2 so that there is excitement arising from well-rewarded emulation as a source of interest4 ,into the idea of heaven1 as suggested in ,scripture1 intellectual ability and improvement form no part and give no superiority2 whence the tendency of the more strict constructionists to turn a cold shoulder to every acquirement which is not coupled with scriptural knowledge4 ,neither the ,athenum1 nor any library1 is to be accessible on ,sunday4 ,if the time devoted at meetings and at church were given to the study of the real book of ,god1 how much more learned would be those who thus employ their ,sundays6 ,it is held that the lowest and most ignorant person who is educated to believe implicitly the tenets of a sect1 when he would by the same process as easily be made to believe any other tenets1 is in heaven to be as high as the most enlightened as well as virtuous man1 who has the only merit which can be attached to belief in a high degree--that of ardent desire for truth1 and taking the pains to form an opinion for himself4 ,nay1 the ignorant bigot is to be higher in heaven1 if the free-thinker alluded to1 should not agree with the ghostly adviser1 of the devoted sectarian with whom he is compared4 #gdi4 ,the idea of living in the finest garden which imagination can conceive1 without the enjoyments and progression which my father's communication attributes to the spheres1 would beget tedium rather than the ineffable happiness which my spirit friends profess to enjoy4 ,but while one of the ,jewish ideas of heaven in its best form1 is thus deficient1 the description given by the learned ,josephus of hell is horrible in the extreme1 that of heaven being disgusting4 ,i give it as ,i find it quoted by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,harbaugh3 #gej4 8,now as to ,hades1 wherein the souls of the righteous and unrighteous are detained1 it is necessary to speak of it4 ,hades is a place in the world not regularly finished1 a subterraneous region1 wherein the light of this world does not shine2 from which circumstance in this region there must be perpetual darkness4 ,this region is allotted as a place of custody for souls1 in which angels are appointed as guardians to them1 who distribute to them temporary punishment1 agreeably to every one's behaviour and manners4 #gea4 8,in this region there is a certain place set apart as a lake of unquenchable fire1 whereinto1 we suppose1 no one hath hitherto been cast1 but it is prepared for a day aforedetermined by ,god1 in which one righteous sentence shall deservedly be passed upon all men2 when the unjust1 and those that have been disobedient to ,god1 and have given honour to such idols as have been the vain operations of the hands of men as to ,god himself1 shall be adjudged to this everlasting punishment1 as having been the causes of defilement2 while the just shall obtain an incorruptible and never-fading kingdom4 ,these are now indeed confined in ,hades1 but not in the same place wherein the just are confined4 ,for there is one descent in this region1 at whose gate1 we believe1 there stands an archangel1 with a host2 which gate1 when those pass through that are conducted down by the angels appointed over souls1 they do not go the same way1 but the just are guided to the right hand1 and are led with hymns1 sung by the angels appointed over that place1 unto a region of light1 in which the just have dwelt from the beginning of the world1 not constrained by necessity1 but ever enjoying the prospect of the good things they see1 and rejoicing in the expectation of those new enjoyments which will be peculiar to every one of them1 and esteeming those things beyond what we have here2 with whom there is no place of toil1 no burning heat1 no piercing cold1 nor any briers there2 but the countenances of the fathers and the just1 which they see always1 smile upon them while they wait for the rest1 and eternal new life in heaven1 which is to succeed this region4 ,this place we call the bosom of ,abraham4 ,but as to the unjust1 they are dragged by force to the left hand1 by the angels allotted for punishment1 no longer going with a good will1 but as prisoners driven by violence2 to whom are sent the angels appointed over them to reproach them1 and threaten them with their terrible looks1 and to thrust them still downward4 ,now these angels that are set over these souls drag them into the neighbourhood of hell itself2 who1 when they are hard by it1 continually hear the noise of it1 and do not stand clear of the hot vapour itself2 but when they have a near view of this spectacle1 as of a terrible and exceeding great prospect of fire1 they are struck with a fearful expectation of a future judgment1 and in effect punished thereby2 not only so1 but when they see the place 7or choir7 of the fathers and of the just1 even thereby are they punished1 for a chaos deep and large is fixed between them1 insomuch that a just man that hath compassion upon them cannot be admitted1 nor can any one that is unjust1 if he were bold enough to attempt it1 pass over it40 #geb4 ,so much for ,josephus4 ,mr4 ,harbaugh subjoins as follows3 8,this extract is exceedingly interesting4 ,it shows to what extent of distinctness the ,jewish ideas of the future state had attained4 ,the dreamlike underworld is here considerably illuminated4 ,the righteous and the wicked are separated1 and already share the first fruits of their eternal reward4 ,the righteous are surrounded with intimations and shadowy promises of better things to come1 in the expectation of which they are already happy2 the wicked are surrounded with tokens and forebodings of more fearful ill1 much of which they already suffer in awful expectation4 #gec4 8,through this picture10 says our good parson1 8we see in faint but terrible glimmerings1 in the distance1 the region of eternal fire1 which awaits the wicked when the judgment-day shall remove them from ,hades2 on the other hand1 we see also the dawning of an eternal day for the just1 the rest and eternal new life which is to succeed this region4 ,this kingdom of the dead1 beyond which the thoughts of men in the early ages did not wander1 is considered only as a place of detention for judgment1 while the idea of a final state1 both for the righteous and the wicked1 is believed to exist beyond it40 #ged4 ,how can any person sincerely pretend that those who rely on a happy idea of our immortal life are indebted for it to the source from which this ,hebrew ,pharisee derived the impressions given in the preceding quotation8 ,yet the ,pharisees were the only conspicuous ,hebrew sect who believed in heaven4 ,the ,sadducees did not believe in immortality4 #gee4 ,the history of ,lazarus and the rich man1 7says ,harbaugh1 page #afh17 8plainly teaches that both the righteous and the wicked on death pass into a fixed and eternal abode1 where no change is possible20 and he further states 7pp4 #afi-gj7 that 8the misery of the wicked commences immediately after death1 and before the resurrection1 and their condition is unchangeably fixed40 ,according to ,st4 ,luke1 7chapter xvi47 in the page alluded to above by ,harbaugh1 we are informed that the wicked1 while in the torture of hell-fire1 are within the view of the righteous1 7verse #bc47 ,the righteous are near enough to converse with those in torment1 and yet there is an impassable barrier between them4 ,the rich man is not tortured for his sins1 but simply because he had 8enjoyed good things40 ,yet ,abraham1 who turned his son and son's mother out in the wilderness to starve1 and twice exposed his wife to prostitution1 is represented as enjoying the reward due to the righteous4 #gef4 ,how little sincere1 heartfelt belief there can be in the words of ,christ1 may be estimated from the fact that scarcely any ,christian but seeks for the good things of this life1 instead of qualifying themselves for heaven by undergoing the rewarded privations of a ,lazarus4 #geg4 ,it is utterly unintelligible to my mind why repentance and reformation should not avail after1 as well as before death1 as it is represented to be in the spirit world4 #geh4 ,there is a coincidence between these representations of ,josephus and those of the gospel1 so far as that both represent the righteous as witnessing the torments of the wicked4 ,would not such a situation make heaven a hell to good-hearted angels8 #gei4 ,according to ,matthew1 7chapter xxv4 #bd17 the blessed1 after the day of judgment1 are to inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world4 ,of the joys that kingdom would afford there is no description4 ,but1 as usual1 hell is made sufficiently horrible1 7chapter xxv4 #da17--8;,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels40 #gfj4 ,in this respect1 if in no other1 there is an immense superiority in the conceptions of futurity given by my immortal advisers1 in comparison with those attributed as above to ,christ4 #gfa4 ,it has been urged that human conduct is so much dependent on organization1 education1 temptation1 and example1 neither of which are within the option of any soul1 that the orthodox doctrine respecting sin is manifestly wrong4 ,but admitting the culpability which that doctrine imputes1 it has been shown that the gradations of sinfulness between the extremes of vice and virtue are innumerable4 ,suppose for each gradation a strand in a ladder1 like that of which ,jacob dreamed1 and human souls supported severally at elevations commensurate with their respective pretensions4 ,this adjustment being made1 suppose a plane at any level to divide the vertical row into two portions1 all below the plane being considered as goats1 all above the plane as sheep4 ,evidently1 between the soul just above1 and that just below the plane1 there would be only a shade of difference2 yet the one would have to go to hell1 the other to heaven1 eternally4 #gfb4 ,according to ,spiritualism1 on entering the spirit world each soul finds its just level by a sort of moral specific gravity1 in which merit is inversely as weight4 ,every soul1 moreover1 has the privilege of reforming1 and rising proportionally to the improvement thus obtained4 #gfc4 ,one of the most agreeable conceptions attending our future existence in the spheres1 is that of being restored to the appearance of youth2 the decrepitude and wrinkles of age1 of disease1 mutilation1 deformity1 ugliness1 are all avoided in the spiritual body4 ,the insane are restored to reason1 the idiot gradually improved in mind4 ,,discordance ,,as ,,to ,,the ,,whereabout ,,of ,,the ,,scriptural ,,heaven4--,,instinctive ,,impression ,,as ,,to ,,heaven ,,being ,,overhead4 #gfd4 ,there is no small degree of contradiction in ,scripture respecting the locality of heaven4 ,in addressing the thief1 paradise is identified with heaven by ,christ4 8,st4 ,paul is alleged to have been taken up into paradise10 says ,harbaugh2 yet1 according to the map accompanying the work of ,josephus1 ,paradise is represented as being upon the river ,tigris1 near the ,persian ,gulf4 ,the idea given of the abode of ,adam and ,eve1 in ,genesis1 conveys the impression that it was a terrestrial locality4 #gfe4 ,in the ,decalogue the abbreviation of life is threatened as the punishment for not honouring parents1 and ,god is alleged to have held out the promised land to ,moses1 instead of comforting him by a clairvoyant view of a place of blissful enjoyment in some celestial region4 #gff4 ,elijah was carried up to heaven in the sight of ,elisha4 ,the commandment makes heaven above1 the earth beneath4 ,christ was seen ascending by his disciples1 and according to the apostles' creed1 after descending into hell1 he arose on the third day and ascended into heaven4 ,yet ,josephus consigns both heaven and hell to a subterranean region1 like the ,elysian ,fields and ,erebus of the heathen1 but places them on each side of a lake of everlasting fire4 ,this representation is sanctioned in the allusion by ,christ to ,dives1 ,lazarus1 and ,abraham2 the former1 broiling to eternity1 requests that ,lazarus should get a little water to cool the tip of his tongue4 ,this ,abraham declares to be impossible4 ,hence it appears the parties were so near as to converse with each other1 and for those who were blest to witness the sufferings of the damned4 ,thus1 according to ,christ as well as ,josephus1 heaven and hell are in immediate proximity1 and both must be in the infernal regions4 #gfg4 ,the actual effects of the old ,bible were to produce either unbelievers in immortality1 like the ,sadducees1 or immoral believers1 like the ,pharisees1 whom ,christ especially denounces as vipers1 and internally corrupt1 like whited sepulchres holding dead men's bones4 #gfh4 ,christ never singles out the ,sadducees for denunciation1 but speaks of the ,pharisees particularly as hypocritical and corrupt4 ,but in what did their hypocrisy consist1 if it was not in that insincerity of their professions as respects belief in futurity which was shown by their worldliness4 #gfi4 ,thus the evidence of the existence of a future state was such as to produce avowed unbelievers1 or professed believers whose morality was so deficient as to create an expression that they were corrupt hypocrites1 as odious as vipers4 #ggj4 ,it is not the feebleness of the impressions respecting the existence of another world1 where happiness is proportional to good conduct1 that renders the existing system so inoperative in preventing those vices which it especially interdicts2 as1 for instance1 combativeness1 cupidity1 and revengefulness2 so that the course usually pursued by professed ,christians1 does not merely amount to a neglect of ,christ's precepts1 but renders an adherence to them disreputable8 ,nothing is more degrading throughout ,christendom than poverty or tame submission to blows4 ,the last excuse ,christians in general will make for any omission or deficiency is their poverty4 #gga4 ,if they really believed that they would broil to eternity1 like the rich man1 merely for seeking the good things of this life1 would the attainment of those good things be made the great object of their existence8 #ggb4 ,notwithstanding the representations of ,josephus1 sanctioned1 as above shown1 by ,christ1 of the subterranean localization of ,elysium1 there seems1 nevertheless1 an instinctive propensity to assume that heaven is overhead4 ,clergymen all look upward when they address ,god1 and the ,thespian artists universally follow their example4 ,whenever heaven is referred to1 it is customary1 ,i believe1 for all devout persons to turn their eyes in the same direction4 #ggc4 ,but if heaven be above1 what does this term above mean8 ,it practically designates a vertical direction relatively to this globe at any point over which a speaker who uses the word may stand4 ,consequently1 it indicates a space overhead1 having everywhere the same relative position to the terrestrial surface2 in other words1 a region concentric with that surface1 like that within which the clouds float4 ,this floating takes place rarely at a less distance than two1 or more than six1 miles4 #ggd4 ,the spiritual spheres are estimated1 as already mentioned1 as being between sixty and one hundred and twenty miles from the earth's surface4 ,they are1 therefore1 analogous in position to the region of the clouds1 though at a much greater distance and vastly more capacious4 #gge4 ,according to ,christianity1 there is no immortality for animals below the grade of humanity2 but according to ,spiritualism1 animals that are favourites of man in this world are his companions in the next4 ,much stress is laid on the singing of birds in the account given of the spheres4 ,there is a line of demarcation below which the privilege of an existence after death is not enjoyed4 ,respecting that boundary my information is at present incomplete4 #ggf4 ,in order to do justice to the excellent and learned clergyman to whom ,i have so often referred1 ,i will annex the whole of those pages in which he conceives himself to give the 8true doctrine0 respecting heaven4 ,however unsatisfactory it may be to me1 ,i hope it will be found interesting to those who1 like the author1 look only to the ,bible for information respecting their existence beyond the grave4 8,,the ,,true ,,doctrine0 ,respecting ,heaven1 according to the ,rev4 ,h4 ,harbaugh1 ,pastor of the ,first ,german ,reformed ,church1 ,lancaster1 ,penna4 8,one gentle sigh their fetter breaks2 ,we scarce can say1 #8,they're gone6' ,before the willing spirit takes ,her mansion near the throne40 #ggg4 8,the different theories by which the souls of saints are supposed to be detained from entering heaven immediately at death1 have now been exhibited4 ,they have led us a long and dreary chase4 ,the groundlessness of these theories has been1 in part1 shown in connection with a statement of them4 ,they will1 however1 be more completely overthrown by a statement of the true doctrine1 and by the arguments that may be adduced in its support4 ,various arguments that1 in passing along1 were offered against these false views1 will also substantiate the true doctrine2 thus the same implements that have been used to tear down the old building may be employed to erect the new4 ,if1 therefore1 any thing should be presented in this section1 among other things1 which may seem to have been presented before1 it must be remembered that though they are the same tools1 they are now used to do a different kind of execution4 #ggh4 8,we consider the true doctrine of ,god's word on this subject to be this3 ,the saints do immediately1 at death1 enter that place which is called heaven1 where the body of the ,saviour now is1 where the divine manifestations are most clearly and gloriously made1 where angels have their proper home1 and where all the heirs of ,christ shall finally and forevermore be assembled4 #ggi4 8,that the saints pass immediately at death into heaven1 is taught in the symbols in some of the most pious and learned denominations in the church4 ,we grant that this does not prove it absolutely true2 but it has much weight1 as showing how the ,scripture on this subject was understood by many pious and learned men who had the same interest in and motives for the truth as we have1 and were1 we may therefore suppose1 just as sincerely anxious to be led into the truth as we can possibly be4 ,the conclusions1 therefore1 to which they have come1 and which have been adopted by their numerous successors for centuries1 are valuable4 ,beside furnishing us with the testimony of so much learning and piety1 it serves to show that this is no new idea1 and that it is not the faith of a few1 but is the testimony of the church4 #ghj4 8,the first symbolical testimony we produce is the ,heidelberg ,catechism1 published first in #aefc4 ,this symbol has been the embodiment of the reformed faith for more than three centuries4 ,its influence has been very extensively respected and felt4 ,it has1 since its publication1 been translated and read in at least fourteen different languages2 and it is said that half a million editions of it have been published in ,germany alone4 ,in this country it is received as a symbolic book1 both in the ,dutch ,reformed and in the ,german ,reformed churches4 ,in the fifty-seventh question it is asked1 ,what comfort is afforded to us by the doctrine of the resurrection of the body2 and the answer is3 #8,that not only my soul after this life shall be immediately taken up to ,christ its head2 but also1 that my body1 being raised by the power of ,christ1 shall be reunited with my soul1 and be made like unto the glorious body of ,christ4' ,here the doctrine is plainly taught1 and has been responded to with a joyful amen by millions during three hundred years4 #gha4 8,the next is from the ,shorter ,catechism1 received as a symbolic book in the different branches of the ,presbyterian communion4 ,it is in answer to the thirty-seventh question3 #8,what benefits do believers receive from ,christ at death8 ,the souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness1 and do immediately pass into glory2 and their bodies1 being still united to ,christ1 do rest in their graves till the resurrection4' ,in the eighty-sixth question of the ,larger ,catechism this same doctrine is taught in more words4 ,the following quotation is from the ,westminster ,confession of ,faith3 #8,the bodies of men1 after death1 return to dust and see corruption2 but their souls1 7which neither die nor sleep17 having an immortal substance1 immediately return to ,god who gave them4 ,the souls of the righteous1 being then made perfect in holiness1 are received into the highest heavens1 where they behold the face of ,god in light and glory1 waiting for the full redemption of their bodies4' ,the declaration that they are #8then made perfect in holiness1' is no doubt directly aimed against the idea of a process of purgatorial or medicinal preparation1 mentioned in a previous section4 ,the declaration that they are then #8received into the highest heavens1' is intended to stand in opposition to the idea of a middle abode in all its forms4 #ghb4 8,the book of #8,doctrines and ,discipline of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church' is silent on this subject2 but1 so far as ,i have been able to learn1 the proper ,protestant doctrine on this subject is held in that large communion4 ,their views of the nature of justification and sanctification would admit of no other to be consistently believed among them4 ,it is believed that this is also the prevailing sentiment among ,baptists1 and other ,congregationalists4 #ghc4 8,what is here presented from symbols as the united faith of so many learned and pious men living in different ages1 and in different parts of the world1 is also founded on holy ,scripture4 ,by no wresting and violence has the church1 in the general stream of its theological views1 been turned aside from this faith4 ,it is vain that men hope to annul1 by means of violent and unnatural interpretations1 the plain declarations of ,scripture1 to serve a theory4 #8,truth1 crush'd to earth1 will rise again1 ,the eternal years of ,god are hers4' #ghd4 8,the ,saviour said to the penitent thief on the cross--#8,to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise4' ,now the question arises1 ,where and what is that paradise in which the ,saviour promised the dying penitent that he should be with him that day8 ,this can be seen by referring to other passages in the ,scriptures where the word paradise is used1 and where its sense cannot be mistaken4 ,this can be seen by reference to #b ,cor4 xii4 ,there it is said that ,paul was caught up into paradise2 and in the same passage the place into which he was taken is called the third heaven--the highest and holiest place in the universe4 ,in ,rev4 ii4 #g we are told that the tree of life stands in the midst of the paradise of ,god2 and in ,rev4 xxii4 #b1 we are told that that same tree of life stands by the side of the river which flows from the throne of ,god and the ,lamb4 ,from this it is evident that paradise is the heaven where ,god dwells and the ,lamb4 ,is then the middle abode1 ,hades1 the kingdom of shades1 the peculiar abode of ,god and the ,lamb8 #ghe4 8,the objection that the ,saviour himself did not go to heaven that day1 but was for forty days afterward on the earth1 and that therefore he could not be with the penitent thief in paradise1 has no force4 ,during the three days that intervened between his death and resurrection1 he could as well be in heaven as in ,hades4 ,indeed1 it is evident that he was in heaven during those three days1 from what he says to his disciples shortly before his death3 #8,a little while1 and ye shall not see me2 and again1 a little while1 and ye shall see me1 because ,i go to the ,father4' ,moreover1 his tarrying on the earth and appearing among his disciples does not conflict with the idea that he was also in paradise4 ,when he was yet in the flesh on earth1 he could say3 #8,and no man hath ascended up to heaven1 but that he came down from heaven1 even the ,son of man which is in heaven4' ,in the same way that he was in heaven at that time1 he may have been in heaven with the penitent thief during the forty days between his death and ascension4 #ghf4 8,the history of the rich man and ,lazarus 7,luke xvi47 plainly teaches that both the righteous and the wicked1 at death1 pass into a fixed and eternal abode1 where no change is possible4 ,no comment on the passage is necessary4 ,this portion of ,scripture has a thousand times been tortured out of its meaning by errorists of various kinds1 and as often has its testimony fallen back into the church's healthful stream of sound views4 ,as a sheep1 carried away from the fold1 returns when set free1 so this passage always comes back again2 for the voice of a stranger it heareth not1 nor followeth6 #ghg4 8,in the ,revelation1 ,john1 in his vision1 saw the souls of departed martyrs and saints #8in heaven1' #8under the altar1' #8before the throne of ,god1' c41 and in the company of each other1 of ,god1 of ,christ1 and of angels1 in the central and highest heavens1 and in that place where the saints go no more out forever4 ,let it be remembered1 also1 that all this is before the resurrection2 and if the following passages are carefully considered1 they will leave no doubt on any candid mind that the saints are1 immediately after death1 admitted into heaven4 ,to quote them all would be too tedious2 a reference to them is sufficient3 ,rev4 v4 #f-ad2 vi4 #i-ab2 vii4 #i-ag2 xiv4 #a-f2 xiv4 #ab1 #ac4 #ghh4 8,for further proof still the reader is referred to ,acts vii4 #ei2 #b ,cor4 v4 #a-i2 ,phil4 i4 #ba-bd2 #b ,tim4 iv4 #f-i2 ,eph4 iii4 #ae4 ,in this last passage1 the whole family of ,christ is represented to be at two places1 in heaven and on earth2 but according to the other theory1 there ought also to be some in ,hades1 or the third place4 #ghi4 8,it may also be remarked that the misery of the wicked commences1 according to the ,scripture1 immediately after death1 and before the resurrection1 and that their condition is unchangeably fixed4 ,this is evident from ,luke xvi42 and also from that passage in ,jude where he says that those who had died impenitent in the destruction of ,sodom and ,gomorrah were1 at the time he wrote1 #8suffering the vengeance of eternal fire4' ,in like manner it is said of the righteous at death1 that they are blessed #8from henceforth2' and of those who were clothed in white robes1 having come up through great tribulation1 it is said1 #8therefore are they before the throne of ,god4' #gij4 8,these passages are plain1 and it would1 in all probability1 never have been attempted to make them mean any thing different from their plain sense1 were it not for some difficulties1 which1 it is thought1 stood in the way of the doctrine that the souls of the saints pass immediately at death into heaven4 ,let us look at these1 and see whether they are not fancied difficulties1 which one glance at the truth ought to remove3 #gia4 7#a47 8,it is said that the soul1 in a state of separation from the body1 cannot be in the same state1 nor properly in the same place1 as it will be after the resurrection2 and as heaven is to be the eternal abode of the saints after the resurrection1 it cannot be a proper abode for them before4 ,this objection has1 however1 no force4 ,there is1 for instance1 in this world1 a great difference between a person in childhood and old age1 yea1 before he is born and after1 or between his sleeping and waking state2 and yet he is in all these in the same world1 in the same place1 and is the same person4 ,the state and condition of the ,saviour differs widely from that of any saint or angel1 and yet both are in heaven4 ,so angels and human spirits differ1 and yet both are in one company and in one place4 ,so in heaven the condition of the saints before and after the resurrection may differ much1 and yet they may be1 in both cases1 in the same place4 #gib4 87#b47 ,the saints cannot enter heaven1 it is said1 before they are judged2 and as the day of judgment is represented to be after the resurrection1 the saints cannot enter heaven until after that1 and consequently not immediately at death4 ,we may1 however1 consider1 as is generally done1 that the day of judgment is only a public and final consummation of the decision of man's destiny4 ,although ,god can1 and no doubt1 does1 for himself1 judge and decide for each one when he dies1 yet it seems necessary for the glorious praise of his justice and righteousness that all other intelligences should see the propriety of his decision4 ,this is necessary1 that every mouth may be stopped2 and in order to do this he has appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained4 #gic4 87#c47 ,it is also said that the condition of many is represented in that day to be undecided4 ,thus many are said to be disappointed2 coming to be judged1 they find that their expectations of heaven are vain1 and they say1 #8,have we not prophesied1 cast out devils1 and done many wonderful works in ,thy name8' ,now it is said that if these persons had been in a fixed state before1 they could not have been in doubt on this matter4 ,the force of this objection is only apparent4 ,the representations of the judgment are after the manner of men1 and consequently our conceptions of it must be more or less according to what we are accustomed to see on earth4 ,the ,saviour is warning his hearers not to delay preparation for death2 and1 in order to impress his solemn exhortation1 tells them that many will find themselves disappointed in their expectations in reference to the final decision of their judge1 and that their hopes of heaven1 being built on the sand1 will fail at last4 ,it does no more exclusively refer to that day than the many warnings to prepare to meet the ,son of ,man refer to the time of his second coming4 ,he is always coming1 and to prepare for death is to prepare to meet him4 ,so to find ourselves deceived at the day of death is the same as to find ourselves deceived at the day of judgment4 #gid4 87#d47 ,again1 it is said that in some cases the full effects and consequences of persons' actions are not fully worked out when persons die4 ,thus1 for instance1 it is known that the labours and writings of many infidels1 who are long since dead1 are still working for evil2 and on the other hand1 the labours and writings of many good men are still working out good4 ,these consequences must1 in a certain sense1 come into the consideration of their punishment or reward4 ,hence it is thought their destiny cannot immediately be decided4 ,but to this it may be replied that ,god1 who judges1 knows how these consequences will work themselves out1 and is able1 therefore1 to give a just judgment as well at the day of death as at the end of the world4 ,at the last day1 when all consequences have run out their history1 it will be proper that they should be exhibited in a solemn public judgment1 that all may see for themselves that all his ways are just and right4 ,besides1 there is nothing unreasonable or unscriptural in the belief that the happiness of the righteous in heaven1 and the misery of the lost in hell1 will increase in exact proportion as the consequences of their actions on the earth are developing themselves1 until the day of judgment1 when the cup will be full1 and then the full draught of happiness or misery will be taken finally and forever6 ,oh1 what a moment will that be6 #gie4 8,some additional considerations will serve more completely still to answer these and other objections1 and reconcile the serious and thoughtful mind to the idea that the souls of the saints are in heaven before the resurrection of the body4 #gif4 8,we shall only gain proper ideas in reference to this interesting subject when we have corrected our ideas of heaven1 for many of them are evidently wrong4 ,we are inclined to think of heaven as affording to the saints a fixed or stereotyped condition1 without attaching to it the idea of degrees and progression4 ,when we maintain that the saints pass immediately at death into heaven1 we do not mean that they enter then upon their final condition1 or into their highest state of perfection1 but only that they enter into that place which is their final abode4 ,when1 for instance1 a child is born into the world1 it is in the world2 but it is limited in its observations1 actions1 ideas1 capacities1 and enjoyments1 and yet all these are in their state perfect2 all its faculties occupy their place symmetrically1 and we have in the child a uniform but not a perfect being4 ,analogous to this may be the primary stage of our future celestial history4 ,the child is in the world before it is born and during its infantile years1 but how different is it1 and how different is the world to it1 from what it will be when all its faculties are ripe6 ,so in heaven4 ,the child before self-consciousness appears to enjoy an indistinct and floating life1 but happy too2 so may it be with our future condition before the resurrection of the body4 ,the condition of the disembodied spirit will1 no doubt1 be somewhat isolated and lonely1 7in a pleasant sense17 its happiness being derived much1 though not entirely1 from the flow of its own harmonious existence1 and not from its connection with things external4 ,its future connection with its body will arrest its floating condition1 and connect it again more consciously with locality and materiality4 ,thus it will become more capable of social relations and joys2 just as the child emerging from its floating state in infancy has its social powers developed by being furnished with self-consciousness and speech1 by which it learns intelligently to separate and distinguish itself from the general mass of being1 which makes its enjoyments higher in their nature and more acute and sensible in their quality4 #gig4 8,perhaps the state of the saints previous to the resurrection of the body1 and in the first stage of their future being1 may be analogous to 7but of course higher than7 a state of ordinary sleep1 with active1 pleasant dreaming4 ,in dreams1 the spirit acts and enjoys1 unconscious of the body2 and may we not suppose that the spirit after death may1 to a certain extent1 act and enjoy without the body8 ,perhaps it may in this state pass profitably and pleasantly through the first stages of its future history4 ,it may1 so to say1 become habituated to eternal things1 and develop its spiritual capacities to such a degree as to be prepared1 at the time of the resurrection1 to enter upon a more tangible and positive state of existence4 ,it may thus1 also1 become acquainted with purely spiritual beings1 and with the modes of purely spiritual existence4 ,this will be useful1 because the saints after the resurrection will be required to hold communion with things material and immaterial4 ,while the saint is in this world1 in the body1 he becomes conversant with material things1 and habituated to them2 now1 in the other world1 in a disembodied state1 previous to the resurrection1 he will become conversant with and habituated to purely spiritual existence1 so that after the resurrection1 when soul and body are again united1 he will be able to hold converse and communion with either material or immaterial existences at pleasure4 #gih4 8,to this it may be objected that while those who lived in the early ages of the world would have a long time to remain in this state of celestial pupilage1 those who live in later ages would have less1 and those in the last days scarcely any4 #gii4 8,this objection1 so far from militating against this idea1 most beautifully illustrates and confirms it4 ,thus the souls of men are more developed in spiritual things now1 and will be still more in future1 than they were in the earlier ages of the world4 ,those who lived in the morning of the world had very limited and indistinct ideas of divine and eternal things4 ,their views of a future world1 especially1 were exceedingly misty and obscure4 ,as the church advanced1 life and immortality were more and more brought to light4 ,revelation passed from types1 shadows1 and ceremonies1 into brighter and clearer realities2 and spiritual conceptions gained a firmer and more distinct hold upon the consciousness of men4 ,the new dispensation was an advance upon the old1 as under the old the age of prophecy had been upon the law1 and the law upon the simple twilight of the patriarchal age4 ,in what a different light those who lived after the new dispensation dawned1 stood from those under the ,old ,testament1 is clear from what the ,saviour says--#8,among those that are born of women1 there is not a greater prophet than ,john the ,baptist2 but he that is least in the kingdom of ,god' 7in the new dispensation7 #8is greater than he4' #hjj4 8,at the present day1 clearer views are enjoyed than were enjoyed in the early history of the ,christian church4 ,let any one read the history of the patristic controversies1 and he will see how the most learned stumbled among propositions in search of truth which are now clearly comprehended by intelligent ,sabbath-school children4 ,and so it will go on into the future4 ,spiritual ideas which are as giants to us1 and the nature and relations of which we do not see1 will be apprehended by our successors at once4 ,thus1 under the tuition of the ,spirit1 revelation will show itself progressive1 and new things1 as well as old1 in reference to the spiritual world1 will be constantly and successively brought out of the treasure of ,god's word1 of which the divine ,spirit is the commentator4 ,how1 you ask1 does all this apply to the subject in hand8 ,thus the earlier a saint lived in this world1 the longer time for this heavenly pupilage he will have in the next before the resurrection1 and he needs more2 the later he lived in this world1 the less will he have in the other before the resurrection1 and he needs less4 ,thus those who enjoy in this world superior advantages on account of living under the clearer dispensation of divine truth in the last ages of the church1 shall not have any advantage over those who had less on account of living in the first ages1 since those who had less will have longer time in the future world before the resurrection4 #hja4 8,with this idea in view1 the passage in #a ,thess4 iv4 #ae becomes beautifully intelligible3 #8,for this we say unto you by the word of the ,lord1 that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the ,lord1 shall not prevent' 7that is1 shall not go before1 anticipate1 or have any advantage over7 #8those which are asleep2 the dead in ,christ shall ,,rise first3 then' 7when they have risen7 #8we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds1 to meet the ,lord in the air2 and so shall we be ever with the ,lord4' ,those who shall live in the last moment1 having had their spirits fully enlightened and prepared for a future existence in the brightness of the latter-day glory before death1 shall not #8sleep' at all1 for there will be no necessity for it2 but #8shall all be changed in a moment1 in the twinkling of an eye1 at the last trump4' #8,the dead shall be raised incorruptible1' having been prepared for their incorruptible body1 but #8we shall be changed4' #a ,cor4 xv4 #ea1 #eb4 #hjb4 8,this theory may be seen in the same way to illustrate itself consistently when applied to those who are lost4 ,those who live last in the world1 when superior light is around them1 sin against greater light than those who lived earlier1 and are therefore sooner prepared to have their doleful station fixed finally in hell1 in the union of soul and body4 #hjc4 8,the doctrine we present in reference to the condition of the spirits of the saints in heaven1 differs from the idea of a middle state1 in a third place1 in several important particulars4 ,it excludes the idea of a middle place entirely1 and of course all idea of probation1 which is generally attached to it in some form or other4 ,the state of the spirit in heaven1 though imperfect1 being the celestial childhood of the spirit1 is nevertheless final1 and not probationary4 ,our enjoyments there will be in exact proportion to our capacity2 and as fast as our spirits are unfolded1 will our joys increase4 #8,the more our spirits are enlarged on earth1 ,the deeper draughts they shall receive of heaven4' #hjd4 8,what an interesting moment to the spirit will be the moment after death6 ,what scenes will open up before it6 ,the friends will stand weeping over the now tenantless body1 but the spirit is--oh6 #8,my thoughts pursue it where it flies1 ,and trace its wondrous way6' #hje4 8,the ,christian need have no unpleasant anxiety about what scenes will open to him1 for he knows that the glory which will then break upon his astonished spirit will exceed his keenest anticipations40 ,,of ,,mediumship4 #hjf4 ,the facts which ,i have noticed in relation to mediumship1 are certainly among the most inexplicable in nature4 #hjg4 ,there are two modes in which spiritual manifestations are made through the influence or sub-agency of media4 ,in the one mode1 they employ the tongue to speak1 the fingers to write1 or hands to actuate tables or instruments for communication2 in the other1 they act upon ponderable matter directly1 through a halo or aura appertaining to media2 so that although the muscular power may be incapacitated for aiding them1 they will cause a body to move1 or produce raps intelligibly so as to select letters conveying their ideas1 uninfluenced by those of the medium4 #hjh4 ,even where they act through the muscular frame of the media1 their vision may be intercepted by a screen1 so that they cannot influence the selection of the letters requisite to a communication4 7,plate ,i47 #hji4 ,rappings or tappings are made at the distance of many feet from the medium1 and ponderable bodies1 such as bells1 are moved or made to undergo the motion requisite to being rang4 #haj4 ,it will be perceived that my spirit father1 in reply to the queries put in relation to this mystery1 asks1 8,how do you move your limbs--carry the body wheresoever it goeth8 how does ,god cause the movements of astronomical orbs80 7#deg47 #haa4 ,evidently some instrument must intervene between the divine will and the bodies actuated thereby1 and in humble imitation between the human will and the limbs4 ,upon the viscera our will has no influence4 ,the heart moves without the exercise of volition4 #hab4 ,as there is an ethereal medium by means of which light moves through space from the remotest visible fixed star to the eye1 at the rate of two hundred thousand miles per second2 as through an affection of the same ether frictional electricity moves1 according to ,wheatstone's estimate1 with a velocity exceeding that of light1--so may we not infer that the instrument of ,divine will acts with still greater velocity1 and that in making man in this respect after his own image1 so far as necessary to an available existence1 gives him one degree of power over the same element while in the mortal state1 and another higher degree of power in the spiritual state4 ,but if there be an element through which a spirit within his mortal frame is capable of actuating that frame1 may not this element of actuation be susceptible of becoming an instrument to the will of another spirit in the immortal state8 #hac4 ,the aura of a medium which thus enables an immortal spirit to do within its scope things which it cannot do otherwise1 appears to vary with the human being resorted to2 so that only a few are so endowed with this aura as to be competent as media4 ,moreover1 in those who are so constituted as to be competent instruments of spiritual actuation1 this competency is various4 ,there is a gradation of competency1 by which the nature of the instrumentality varies from that which empowers violent loud knocking and the moving of ponderable bodies without actual contact1 to the grade which confers power to make intellectual communications of the higher order without that of audible knocking4 ,further1 the power to employ these grades of mediumship varies as the sphere of the spirit varies4 #had4 ,it has been stated that mortals have each a halo perceptible to spirits1 by which they are enabled to determine the sphere to which any individual will go on passing death's portal4 ,spirits cannot approach effectively a medium of a sphere much above1 or below that to which they belong4 #hae4 ,as media1 in proportion as they are more capable of serving for the higher intellectual communication1 are less capable of serving for mechanical demonstration1 and as they are more capable of the latter are less competent for the former1 spirits likewise have a higher or lower capacity to employ media4 ,it has been mentioned that having made a test apparatus1 my spirit sister alleged that it could not be actuated by her without assistance of spirits from a lower sphere4 ,i inquired whether she could not meet me again1 accompanied by the requisite aid4 ,the reply was in the affirmative1 and accordingly she met me at an appointed hour1 and my apparatus was actuated effectually under test conditions4 7,plate #d1 dd1 ii1 kk47 #haf4 ,after ,i had read over an exposition of my information respecting the spirit world to the spirit of the illustrious ,washington1 ,i requested him to give me a confirmation while the medium should be under test conditions4 7,plate #d1 kk47 ,i placed the hand of the medium upon the board lever of the instrument1 of which a representation has been given1 7,plate ,i1 ,plate #d17 so as to be on the outer side of the fulcrum1 and requested him to attest the reliability of the medium during the previous intercommunion4 ,in reply it was alleged not to be within his power to give me that test2 ,i urged that this test had been given in his presence4 8,we had an employee1 then10 was his rejoinder4 ,fortunately ,i had contrived a test instrument requiring less of the mechanical power1 so that by means of it he was enabled to perfect the evidence by bringing the index to the affirmative1 under conditions which put it out of the power of the medium to produce that result4 7,see ,plate #d and description47 #hag4 ,these facts make the subject of mediumship a most complicated mystery2 but the creation teems with mystery1 so that inscrutability cannot be a ground for disbelief of any thing4 ,the only cases wherein there is absolute incredibility1 are those in which the definition of the premises contradicts those of the inferences or conclusions4 #hah4 ,it is evident from the creative power which the spirits aver themselves to possess1 that they exercise faculties which they do not understand4 ,their explanation of the mysteries of mediumship only substitutes one mystery for another4 #hai4 ,if we undertake to generalize1 it must come pretty near what ,i have said above1 that spirits are endowed1 as my spirit father alleges1 with a 8magic will10 capable of producing1 as they allege1 wonderful results within their own world1 7#deb27 nevertheless that this will does not act by itself directly on mundane bodies4 ,an intermedium is found in the halo or aura within or without certain human organizations4 ,the halos thus existing are not all similarly endowed2 some having one1 some another capability4 ,some are better for one object1 some for another object4 ,again1 the will-power varies as the sphere of the spirits is higher or lower1 so that the medium suited for one is not suited for another4 #hbj4 ,thus the means by which they are capable of communicating is various1 and moreover precarious1 according to the health and equanimity of the mortal being under whose halo they may strive to act4 #hba4 ,evidently1 the ponderable elements recognised by mundane chemists cannot contribute to any of the bodies of the spirit world1 since their gravity must disqualify them for use in a world where every thing is1 in comparison with them1 weightless4 ,accordingly1 one of the queries put by me to the convocation of spirits 7#egd7 was1 whether any of our elements1 being ponderable1 could act as such in the imponderable spiritual creation4 ,the reply was1 ,not without undergoing a transformation4 ,this would be equivalent to annihilating them first1 and recreating them afterward1 when the process of creating alone would be sufficient4 ,but manifestly it is of no importance1 whether their adaptation to the spirit world be the result of creation or of transformation4 #hbb4 ,concerned in the processes of mediumship1 it is manifest that there is none of that kind of electricity or magnetism of which the laws and phenomena have been the subject of ,faraday's researches1 and which are treated of in books1 under the heads of frictional or mechanical electricity1 galvanism1 or electro-magnetism4 #hbc4 ,frictional electricity1 such as produced usually by the friction of glass in an electrical machine1 or of aqueous globules generated by steam escaping from a boiler1 is always to be detected by electrometers1 or the spark given to a conducting body when in communication with the earth2 the human knuckle1 for instance4 ,when not sufficiently accumulated to produce these evidences of its presence1 it must be in a very feeble state of excitement4 ,but even in the highest accumulation by human means1 as in the discharge of a powerfully charged ,leyden battery1 it only acts for a time inconceivably brief1 and does not move ponderable masses as they are moved in the instance of spiritual manifestation4 ,it is only in transitu1 that frictional electricity displays much power1 and then its path is extremely narrow1 and the duration of its influence inconceivably minute4 ,according to ,wheatstone's experiments and calculations1 it would go round the earth in the tenth part of a second4 #hbd4 ,how infinitely small1 then1 the period required to go from one side of a room to another6 ,besides1 there are neither means of generating such electricity1 nor of securing that insulation which must be an indispensable precursor of accumulation4 #hbe4 ,galvanic or voltaic electricity does not act at a distance so as to produce any recognised effects1 except in the case of magnetic metals1 or in the state of transition produced by an electric discharge4 ,in these phenomena the potent effects are attainable only by means of perfect insulated conductors1 as we see in the telegraphic apparatus4 ,no reaction with imperfect conducting bodies competent to toss them to and fro1 or up and down1 can be accomplished4 ,the decomposing influence1 called electrolytic1 is only exhibited at insensible distances1 within a filament of the matter affected4 #hbf4 ,it has appeared to me a great error on the part of spirits1 as well as mortals1 that they should make efforts to explain the phenomena of the spirit world by the ponderable or imponderable agents of the temporal world4 ,the fact that the rays of our sun do not affect the spirit world1 and that there is for that region an appropriate luminary whose rays we do not perceive1 7#dae7 must demonstrate that the imponderable element to which they owe their peculiar light differs from the ethereal fluid which1 according to the undulatory theory1 is the means of producing light in the terrestrial creation4 #hbg4 ,in one of the replies made by the convocation1 7#ega17 the idea was sanctioned of the effulgence of the spirit being due to an appropriate ethereal fluid1 analogous to that above alluded to4 ,but it has1 ,i think1 been shown by me1 that as light is due to the undulations of our ether1 so electricity is due to waves of polarization4 ,but if undulations produce light in the ether of the spiritual universe as well as in ours1 why may not polarization produce in the ether of the spirit world an electricity analagous to ours8 ,thus1 although in spiritual manifestations our electricity takes no part1 their electricity may be the means by which their will is transmitted effectually in the phenomena which it controls4 #hbh4 ,the words magnetism and magnetic are used in this world in two different senses4 ,in one1 it signifies the magnetism of magnets or electromagnets2 in the other1 the animal magnetism of which the existence was suggested by ,mesmer1 and which is commonly called ,mesmerism4 #hbi4 ,this mesmerical magnetism seems to be dependent rather on properties which we have as immortals1 encased in a corporeal clothing1 than as mortals owing our mental faculties to that frame4 ,if it be the spiritual portion of our organization which is operative in clairvoyancy1 spiritual electricity may be the intermedium both of that faculty and of mesmeric influence4 #hcj4 ,all spirits are clairvoyant more or less1 and where this faculty is exercised1 it seems to be due to an unusual ascendancy of the spiritual powers over the corporeal1 so that clairvoyants possess some of the faculties which every spirit1 after shuffling off the mortal coil1 must possess to a greater or less extent4 #hca4 ,in striving to make a test apparatus by which the communication should be uninfluenced by the muscular power of the medium1 through which alone her will could modify the ideas communicated1 an interesting fact was ascertained4 ,the nullifying of the power of muscular control1 which it is the object of this contrivance to accomplish1 is obtained unexceptionally by means of two balls and a plate1 as already illustrated1 7,plate #b17 or by placing the hands of the medium exterior to the fulcrum of the lever-board1 as described in the instance of testing the communication received from the convocation4 ,but these methods requiring that the conditions should be favourable1 both1 as respects the spirit communicating and the medium1 are liable to fail4 ,it struck me that the distance between the hands and the surface of the table or tray to be moved1 by lessening the influence of the medium on the table or tray1 lessened the power of actuation4 ,my efforts were therefore directed to contrive to have the hand of the medium near the surface to be moved1 without the possibility of contact4 #hcb4 ,with this view ,i placed a board for receiving the hands of the medium upon delicate rollers1 so that no horizontal movement would affect the base board supporting the rollers and actuating the index4 ,to give greater efficacy to the aura1 a plate of glass was supported in a wooden frame or sash by means of four screw rods fixed upright on the base board1 each furnished with two screw nuts4 ,the screw rods passed through four suitable holes1 so as to have one nut beneath1 the other above1 the sash4 ,thus situated1 by adjusting the nuts1 the sash could be regulated to any horizontal level1 so as to be near the upper surfaces of the hands without any contact therewith4 #hcc4 ,on trying this arrangement1 it was found as difficult for a spirit to actuate it as if the glazed sash had not been employed4 #hcd4 ,under these circumstances1 ,i had the glass plate or pane slit lengthwise into two equal strips4 ,these being restored to the position previously occupied in the sash1 ,i interposed between their edges a piece of sheet-tin1 with teeth cut in one of its edges1 7,plate #d1 kk17 so as to make it look like a long narrow saw1 such as are used by sawyers in frames4 ,with the aid of a leaden joint1 7such as is used by glaziers to join glass panes17 to which the saw was soldered1 the teeth of this projected about the eighth of an inch below the glass1 so as to be near the upper surface of any hand1 resting on the sliding board4 #hce4 ,it was with no small degree of satisfaction that ,i found the apparatus now sufficiently susceptible of actuation by my spirit friends4 #hcf4 ,from this result it would seem that the saw-shaped metallic conductor1 operated precisely as it would have acted had it been necessary to impart to the pane those means of electric discharge of which1 as at first used1 it was deficient4 #hcg4 ,as soon as ,i had introduced the serrated conductor1 my spirit father corroborated the impression that it promoted the influence of the medium4 #hch4 ,this was the first instance in which ,i have discovered any analogy between the laws governing the communication of the medium of the spirit will-power1 and those obeyed by electrical phenomena4 #hci4 ,an account is given in my narrative of an experiment in which a board1 suspended at one end from a spring-balance1 was made to descend with a force of three pounds1 through the instrumentality of a medium who had no connection with the board1 excepting water which was interposed4 ,hence1 as the hook screwed into the board1 by which it was secured to the hook of the balance1 was six times as far from the fulcrum as the hands of the medium1 the force exerted by the officiating spirit was equal to #c #f #ah pounds4 7,see ,plate #c1 and description47 ,nevertheless1 no upward reaction was perceptible to me1 nor was any experienced by the medium1 ,henry ,gordon1 as he declared4 #hdj4 ,in the case of the boy 7,plate #c17 a downward action of seven pounds was observed1 which1 multiplied by the difference of distance1 amounted to #g #f #db pounds1 and yet the boy was not perceptibly impelled in the opposite direction4 ,nor1 when through the same juvenile mediumship1 the whole of the apparatus was thrown upon the floor1 did the boy appear to be impelled in the opposite direction4 ,nor was there any reaction when the apparatus was thrown down4 ,now1 agreeably to the laws of nature1 as established by human experience1 in all cases of motion or momentum1 there must be an equal force exercised in the opposite direction by the vis inerti of some other matter endowed with that attribute4 ,hence ,archimedes said1 8,give me but where to stand1 and ,i will move the world40 ,a point of support1 a place of resistance1 however1 was held to be indispensable4 #hda4 ,the only explanation of which ,i can conceive is1 that spirits1 by volition1 can deprive bodies of vis inerti1 and move bodies1 as they do themselves1 by their will4 ,but the necessity of the presence of a medium to the display of this power1 granting its existence1 is a mystery4 #hdb4 ,that the spirit should1 by its 8magic0 will-power1 take possession of the frame of a human being1 so as to make use of its brain and nervous system1 depriving its appropriate owner of control1 is a wonderful fact sufficiently difficult to believe1 yet1 nevertheless1 intelligible4 ,the aura which surrounds a medium must be imponderable4 ,no volition of the medium can1 through its instrumentality1 move ponderable bodies1 nor cause raps or consequent vibrations in the wooden boards4 ,hence1 the presence of a medium imparts power to spirits which the medium does not possess4 #hdc4 ,the aura on the one side1 and the spirit on the other1 are inert unless associated4 ,thus the volition of the spirit gives activity to an effluvium1 by itself1 so devoid of efficacy that it wholly escapes the perception of the possessor or the observation of his mundane companions4 ,it has been already alleged1 that the usual reference to mundane electricity must be wholly unsatisfactory to all acquainted with the phenomena and laws associated under that name2 since no such movements have ever been produced by such electrical means1 nor is it consistent with those mundane electrical laws1 nor the facts which electricians have noticed1 that such movements should be produced4 ,those movements which have been produced by electricity have never been effected without surfaces oppositely charged1 nor1 of course1 without the means of charging them4 ,neither are there associated with the spiritual manifestations means at hand of creating nor of holding charges either much more minute than those which display perceptible force or cause audible sound4 #hdd4 ,electro-magnetic phenomena require the use of powerful galvanic batteries or magnetic metals4 ,galvanic series1 of the most powerful kind1 do not act at the minutest distance without contact4 #hde4 ,even lightning could not move a table backward and forward1 though it might shatter it into pieces1 if duly interposed in a circuit4 #hdf4 ,electrical sparks produce snapping sounds in the air1 not knockings or rappings upon sonorous solids4 ,,on ,,the ,,influence ,,of ,,the ,,ill-,,treatment ,,of ,,media1 ,,on ,,spiritual ,,manifestations4--,,of ,,counter-,,mediumship4 #hdg4 ,allusion has been above made to the unfavourable influence upon manifestations of the demeanour and incredulity of the investigator1 displayed in suspicious1 cold1 scrutinizing looks1 such as would be merited only by a cheat or pickpocket4 ,all this has a deteriorating influence upon mediumship1 and likewise repels the spirits4 ,while communicating through a medium1 a near blood relative1 much beloved by the communicating spirit while in this world1 coming into the circle1 an immediate departure of the spirit was the consequence4 ,it was subsequently alleged in explanation that there existed a repulsiveness between him and the spirit1 founded on the idea that his opinions were under the influence of worldly considerations1 whence a predetermination to disbelieve1 as far as possible1 by an unfavourable view of the evidence4 #hdh4 ,an incredulity liable to be overcome by the reason by which it has been created does not form a bar2 but where an impregnable bigotry has been introduced merely by education1 so that the person under its influence would have been a ,catholic1 ,calvinist1 ,unitarian1 ,jew1 or ,mohammedan by a change of parentage1 cannot usually be changed by any evidence or argument4 ,spirits will not spend their time subjecting their manifestations to such impregnable bigotry1 or to predetermined malevolence4 #hdi4 ,on this account such persons find it hard to obtain the manifestations which they seek with ill-will to ,spiritualism1 and a predisposition to ridicule and pervert it4 #hej4 ,besides this difficulty1 there is no doubt a constitutional state1 the inverse of that which creates a medium4 ,the atmosphere of persons so constituted1 neutralizes that of those who are endowed with that of mediumship4 #hea4 ,it were impossible for any one to be more incredulous than ,i was when ,i commenced my investigations2 but in the first place1 my recorded religious impressions1 founded on more than a half century of intense reflection1 in no respect conflicted with the belief which ,spiritualism required4 ,as ,i said to a clergyman1 ,i wish ,i knew as well what ,i ought to believe1 as ,i can perceive what ,i ought not to believe4 ,i was ardently desirous that the existence of a future state should be established in a way to conform to positive science1 so that they might start together4 ,this was perceived by my spirit friends1 and that they had only to give me sufficient evidence of the existence of spirits and their world1 to make me lay down in the cause my comparatively worthless mortal life1 could ,i be more useful to truth in dying than in living4 #heb4 ,my father and sister1 brother and friend ,blodget1 were therefore not deterred by my sneers or denunciations4 ,moreover1 ,i was never predisposed to suspect any medium of treachery1 and therefore never disgusted them by the display of any such impressions4 ,to the aid of these truly angelic spirits who were nearly allied with me1 came another angel1 7whom ,i will designate by his initials ,w4 ,w417 who1 from philanthropic motives1 seems to have selected me to serve in this invaluable dispensation4 ,hence1 his first annunciation of my destined course1 in language which so far1 however it may imply an overestimate of my capacity to serve1 shows the more the partiality with which it seems to have been estimated by him4 7#dg47 ,the ,author's ,discovery of his powers as a ,medium4 #hec4 ,it occurred to me to try how far the interposition of my hand would interfere with the powers of the medium to whom ,i resorted4 ,to my surprise1 it seemed very little to impair the actuation of the index by the officiating spirit4 ,it next occurred to me to ascertain how far a diminution of contact1 between the hand of the medium and mine1 would impair the power exercised under these conditions4 ,in pursuance of my request1 the contact was diminished by successively lifting the fingers of the medium and the rest of the hand from mine1 until only one finger was left4 ,finally1 this finger was removed1 and yet the power of actuation still continued to exist1 though enfeebled4 ,the officiating spirit1 my friend ,w4 ,w41 now was made a party to this investigation1 being requested to estimate the effects as well as myself4 #hed4 ,i requested the medium to pick up a pair of scissors which lay on the table1 and1 while holding the blades between the finger and thumb1 to lay the rings upon the back of my hand4 ,an increase of power was manifested to my observation and that of ,w4 ,w4 #hee4 ,at a subsequent sitting1 having made due preparation1 a strip of sheet tin about two inches wide1 and about fifteen inches in length1 being applied to the back of my hand while resting on the base board of the spiritoscope1 7,plate #d1 ,fig4 #b17 the medium held it successively at various distances4 ,under these circumstances1 the facilitation was greater as the distance between her hand and mine was diminished4 #hef4 ,a plate of glass of about four inches square1 interposed between the palm of the hand of the medium and the back of mine1 interrupted the power entirely2 but neither cork nor a metallic plate of a similar size much reduced the power4 #heg4 ,the frame 7,fig4 #c1 ,plate #d7 being in situ1 as described1 paragraph kk of the description1 under these circumstances the removal of the serrated strips diminished the power more and more as removed4 #heh4 ,thus it appears that there is a mesmeric electricity1 or spiritual electricity1 which may be considered as appropriate to the spirit world as their vital air is2 but which like that air1 may influence our spiritual bodies while in their mundane tenement4 ,it may1 as well as the vital air of the spirit world1 belong in common to the inhabitants of that world and to us as spirits1 being a polarizing affection of the spiritual ethereal medium1 of which the undulations constitute the peculiar rays of their spiritual sun4 #hei4 ,that this spiritual or mesmeric electricity should be auxiliary to the efficacy of the magic will-power1 of spirits1 is of course one of those mysteries which1 like that of gravitation1 may be ascertained to prevail1 and yet be to spirits as well as mortals inexplicable4 #hfj4 ,we live in a wonder-working universe1 which becomes more and more wonderful as we learn more of it1 instead of being brought more within our comprehension4 ,when we compare what we know with the knowledge of savages1 it may appear a mountain of learning and science2 but this very learning and science only makes us see still more how great is our ignorance6 ,,on ,,psychological ,,explanations ,,of ,,spiritual ,,manifestations4 #hfa4 ,this1 for the third time1 brings under discussion the report of ,dr4 ,bell1 of ,somerville1 near ,boston1 on spiritual manifestations4 #hfb4 ,it is not in reference to this distinguished physician in his individual capacity that ,i name him thus often1 but in reference to the hypothesis which his allegations must oblige him to sustain1 and of which he may be considered a most respectable advocate4 ,dr4 ,bell not only admits1 but confirms by his own testimony1 the important fact of the movement of heavy bodies without contact4 ,his experience1 in this respect1 is more striking than mine1 since he has not only seen this phenomena take place repeatedly1 but on one occasion1 as before stated1 saw tables move fifty feet1 intelligently obedient to his directions4 ,he also admits the reception of such communications from pretended spirits1 as spiritualists would consider as coming from real spirits4 ,yet on the negative ground1 that agreeably to his experience1 nothing was found to be communicable but what pre-existed in the mind of some mortal present1 he infers that the ideas received are not derived from spirits1 but from the minds of those mortals who are parties to the process4 #hfc4 ,of course our distinguished friend thus involves himself in the task of explaining not only the intellectual1 but also the mechanical movements1 by the mental agency of the media who participate in the conditions under which the manifestations occur4 #hfd4 ,i have already adduced manifestations irreconcilable with the assumption on which the whole of ,dr4 ,bell's inference is built1 7#aaa to #bhh47 ,but were his observations verified1 in order to make them justify the abnegation of spirits1 it should be shown that any spirit could tell him any thing which must be known to him1 whether known to the spirits or not4 ,remembering all the facts communicated to him by his spirit brother1 it should be shown that any other spirit could narrate them as well as his spirit brother4 ,any inquiry made of any spirit1 of which the answer is known to the inquirer1 should be told on request as well as any other2 but it will be found that answers are given only to those of which the spirit knows the answers independently1 through his own memory4 ,under favourable circumstances mental questions are answered2 but often1 when mental questions cannot be answered1 those put verbally are replied to4 ,i have detected spirit impostors1 by their inability to tell the name of my sister in the spheres4 #hfe4 ,i postponed the discussion on this question until ,i should have submitted to the reader the communications which ,i had received4 ,i trust that these are of a nature to show that they could not have originated in my mind1 nor in those of the media through whom they were obtained4 #hff4 ,whatever want of ability may be shown1 by ,dr4 ,bell1 to exist in the communications alleged to come from ,paine1 ,swedenborg1 and ,bacon1 or from spirits personating those distinguished men1 it cannot do away the valuable information which ,i have obtained from my spirit father and others1 sanctioned by a convocation of spirits4 ,it has been shown that in a few pages of that communication1 there is vastly more knowledge of our happy prospects in the future world1 than all that can be found in the ,scriptures4 #hfg4 ,dr4 ,bell will not1 ,i am sure1 suspect me of any want of truthfulness1 and will hardly flatter the media and myself with an unconscious origination of ideas1 which had never before occurred to either4 #hfh4 ,if he finds that in the case of ,swedenborg and ,bacon the spirits are below their medial instruments in capacity1 he will find that in the instance of my spirit friends this estimate must be inverted4 #hfi4 ,my experience does not tend to establish that there is less folly or more wisdom in the inhabitants of the spirit world than in this4 ,i concur with ,dr4 ,bell in the opinion that the work to which he alludes1 attributed to the spirit of ,paine1 merits all the denunciation which he bestows on it4 ,i concur that it must be the work of a mind1 whether celestial or mundane1 ignorant of the rudiments of chemical philosophy4 ,but if such a work coming from a mortal would not disprove the author's claim to be a mortal human being1 wherefore then should a foolish book coming from a foolish1 ignorant spirit1 personating ,paine1 disprove the author to be a spirit8 ,it only shows that low1 ignorant1 foolish spirits personate the spirits of eminent authors2 but does that disprove the existence of spirits8 ,does madness or idiocy annihilate the victim of these afflictions8 ,but in all cases where communications are obtained through speaking or writing media1 the minds of the media are liable1 unconsciously1 to pervert or repress the sentiments of the spirits1 and therefore are not trusted by me1 unless corroborated by communications through the alphabet4 #hgj4 ,by their existence in the spheres1 it seems to me that spirits improve as to their talents1 not as to their reasoning powers4 ,they have a superior knowledge to that which we possess of their own world1 but not of our sciences1 as far as ,i have had means of judging4 ,having no great objects to effect1 they have no great incentive to thought or contrivance4 ,it is by learning1 more than by invention1 that they rise in the spheres4 #hga4 ,these inferences are not1 however1 admitted by the spirits4 ,they allege that as their medial instruments improve1 they will give me reason to change my opinion4 ,they assume to go deeper and farther into the nature of things than mortals4 #hgb4 ,to me it seems that their happiness is due in part to self-felicitation and seeing every thing under a rosy hue4 ,they often advert to the superior height upon which they stand1 without showing that they see more in consequence4 #hgc4 ,so far as ,i can judge1 in some branches of knowledge1 the spirits will improve by discussion with mortals4 ,they will be cured of some of their 8sky scraping60 #hgd4 ,they seem to be mainly improved by their reciprocal intercourse4 ,thus honest bigots of all sects1 find when they get together that in point of fact none of their records are true6 #hge4 ,it is by getting rid of error1 more than acquiring knowledge1 that they rise in reciprocal estimation4 #hgf4 ,very soon after my father began to communicate with me1 nearly fourteen months ago1 he said--8,we know little more in religion than you40 #hgg4 ,they all agree that good works are solely of importance1 creeds only being good or bad as they induce good or bad deeds4 #hgh4 ,a good man cannot accept a creed which sanctions wickedness2 that1 for instance1 which authorizes1 under certain sophistical pretences1 spoliation1 massacre1 rape1 fraud1 c4 ,whenever any man brings himself to believe that his ,god ever authorized such crimes1 or patronized those who were guilty of them1 he becomes more or less immoral4 ,dr4 ,berg truly alleged that 8a devotee is assimilated to the ,god whom he worships40 #hgi4 ,to assist me1 as it were1 in exposing the errors of those who with ,dr4 ,bell admit1 for the most part1 the facts of ,spiritualism1 yet ascribe the whole to the minds of mortals acting as media or inquirers1 an advocate of that side of the question gives this explanation of the fact of my having sent a message to ,mrs4 ,gourlay by my spirit sister3 #hhj4 ,he alleged it as a fact1 that if two snails be placed in proximity1 and afterward apart to a considerable distance1 that the contact of one1 will affect the other perceptibly4 #hha4 ,that ,mrs4 ,gourlay and myself being frequently in each other's society1 it followed that if at the distance of about a hundred miles ,i wished her to induce ,dr4 ,gourlay to apply at the bank1 ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 although at the time engaged in receiving a most interesting communication from her mother for her brother1 had so much more snail-like sympathy1 with me at ,cape ,island1 than with the ideas she believed to proceed from her mother1 that she would interrupt the one forthwith1 to attend to the other at that particularly inconvenient time6 ,meanwhile1 the phenomenon of the index of my disk being moved independently of any effort of mine1 so that ,i can make oath that no mortal moved it1 is not taken into view4 ,surely if by such means a message respecting a pecuniary affair could awaken sympathy1 there are many messages which it would be of immensely more importance to convey1 than that which ,i sent in the instance in question4 #hhb4 ,but how comes it that neither ,i nor any other of her friends can send messages to ,mrs4 ,gourlay while in the same city with her8 ,must her friends go to ,cape ,island for the purpose8 ,will this erudite and ingenious psychologist inform me by what means ,i may bring about this object1 which1 on business account1 would be more convenient than sending notes by penny post8 #hhc4 ,am ,i to go through the same process of sitting down at my spiritoscope8 ,will this learned assailant of ,spiritualism inform me why ,i must do this1 and must wait till the index moves8 ,wherefore should it move after a quarter of an hour's invocation1 when it will not move at first8 #hhd4 ,again1 ,i wish the circumstance ,i am about to mention to be explained by psychology3 ,i was sitting in my solitary third-story room at ,cape ,island1 invoking my sister as usual1 when to my surprise ,i saw ,cadwallader spelt out on my disk4 8,my old friend1 ,general ,cadwallader80 said ,i4 8,yes40 ,a communication ensued of much interest4 ,but before concluding1 ,i requested him1 as a test1 to give me the name of a person whom ,i met in an affair of honour more than fifty years ago1 when he 7,general ,cadwallader7 was my second4 ,the name was forthwith given1 by the pointing out on the disk the letters requisite to spell it4 #hhe4 ,now as the spirit of ,general ,cadwallader1 during more than fifteen months that other friends had sought to communicate with me1 had never made me a visit1 why should his name have been spelt out when ,i had not the remotest hope of his coming1 and was expecting another spirit1 the only one who had been with me at the ,cape8 #hhf4 ,further1 the breakfast bell having rung1 ,i said1 8,general1 will you come again after breakfast80 ,i understood him to consent to this invitation4 ,accordingly1 when afterward ,i reseated myself in statu quo1 ,i looked for the ,general1 but1 lo6 ,martha1 my sister's name1 was spelt out6 #hhg4 ,i challenge this psychologist to put his hypothesis on paper1 in order that ,i may psychologize him into a more consistent assumption of premises and conclusions4 #hhh4 ,let him show his hand by reducing his sophistry1 as ,i conscientiously consider it1 to black and white4 ,he may learn the difference between talent and judgment4 ,i am aware that he shows a vast deal more of the appropriate ability of his profession in defending the view he has espoused1 than ,i could hope to exert4 ,it is only in the strength of truth that ,i feel strong4 8,thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just40 #hhi4 ,it is of no small importance that this learned and subtle psychologist1 should explain how my spiritoscope1 or any other instrumental means of alphabetic indication1 becomes necessary to effect the psychologization of a medium at a great distance1 so as to convey to her mind the ideas which it is an object to impart4 ,why is it necessary that the index over a disk at ,cape ,may1 should revolve to the letters requisite to spell a message1 in order that the index of another disk in ,philadelphia1 should revolve at a subsequent time8 ,how does the mechanism in one place1 acquire a power from the remote actuation of another8 ,will it be pretended that they are affected analogously to the sympathetic snails2 whence1 having kept each other's company1 this miracle ensued8 ,but even this is not true1 since they were not kept together1 if ever they were in each other's company4 #hij4 ,could any process be divined by which an instrument for supposed alphabetic communication with spirits1 could be applied to transmit such messages as that for which ,i employed mine1 according to this psychological hypothesis1 it would be superior to the existing telegraphic process1 since the ocean could be no barrier to messages which1 although dependent on snail-like sympathy1 would have nothing in it of the proverbial creeping attribute of the animal in question4 #hia4 ,the following manifestations are of a nature1 as it seems to me1 to invalidate ,dr4 ,bell's notion that the communications received from the spirit are acquired from the minds of the bystanders3 #hib4 ,calling on ,miss ,ellis1 it was found that her time was so pre-engaged1 that she could not1 as she said1 sit for me till the day but one succeeding4 ,my spirit sister manifested her desire to communicate1 and conveyed the idea that ,miss ,ellis could give an hour named next day1 if she would examine her list4 ,this examination being made1 the suggestion was verified4 #hic4 ,here was an idea not obtained from the mind of any person present4 ,it could not exist in the minds of those who1 like my friend and myself1 had not seen the list1 nor could it have been in ,miss ,ellis's mind1 as in that case she would not have had to consult the list1 in order to determine the truth of the suggestion4 #hid4 ,in this visit1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,f4 ,channing1 who was my companion1 said that possibly he had better not accompany me4 ,it was left to my spirit sister to decide4 ,no instrument being ready1 as the quickest mode of communication1 the medium was made to take up her pen1 and began forthwith to make figures upon a sheet of paper4 ,when the operation terminated1 nothing but figures were seen to have been written4 ,the medium said she did not know what to make of it4 ,but under the letters it was written1 8,select1 from the alphabet1 the letters corresponding1 and you have my answer40 ,this being done1 the following sentence was obtained3 8,my dear brother1 come alone40 #hie4 ,it cannot be reasonably imagined that either ,miss ,ellis1 my friend1 or myself suggested this reply1 as my friend and myself regretted the result1 and it was not the interest of ,miss ,ellis to lessen the circle4 ,but none of us had the ability to have perceived the numbers indicating the relative position of letters in the alphabetic row1 so as to have selected them correctly4 ,it would take some time to associate the letters with the numbers duly1 and an unusual strength of memory to recollect them4 ,,modern ,,process ,,for ,,alphabetic ,,converse ,,with ,,spirits1 ,,as ,,new ,,to ,,man ,,as ,,the ,,electric ,,telegraph4 #hif4 ,in his instructive work on ,spiritualism1 the idea is advanced by ,capron1 that the species of modern spirit communication1 of which his book mainly treats1 dates back to a period of history so early that no age or country is exempt from accounts of them4 #hig4 ,to me it seems that ,i have never read any thing in history in which intellectual communication was established by sounds or mechanical movements with invisible beings4 ,sight has almost always been the sense most appealed to in evidence of the appearance of ghosts4 ,in the instance of the ,witch of ,endor1 ,samuel is made to come from his grave1 not like one of our happy spirits from his beautiful abode in the spirit world3-- 8,then said the woman1 ,whom shall ,i bring up unto thee8 ,and he said1 ,bring me up ,samuel4 ,and when the woman saw ,samuel1 she cried with a loud voice3 and the woman spake to ,saul1 saying1 ,why hast thou deceived me8 for thou art ,saul4 ,and the king said unto her1 ,be not afraid3 for what sawest thou8 ,and the woman said unto ,saul1 ,i saw gods ascending out of the earth4 ,and he said unto her1 ,what form is he of8 ,and she said1 ,an old man cometh up2 and he is covered with a mantle4 ,and ,saul perceived that it was ,samuel1 and he stooped with his face to the ground1 and bowed himself4 ,and ,samuel said to ,saul1 ,why hast thou disquieted me1 to bring me up8 ,and ,saul answered1 ,i am sore distressed2 for the ,philistines make war against me1 and ,god is departed from me1 and answereth me no more1 neither by prophets1 nor by dreams3 therefore ,i have called thee1 that thou mayest make known unto me what ,i shall do4 ,then said ,samuel1 ,wherefore then dost thou ask of me1 seeing the ,lord is departed from thee1 and is become thine enemy8 ,and the ,lord hath done to him as he spake by me3 for the ,lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand1 and given it to thy neighbour1 even to ,david3 ,because thou obeyedst not the voice of the ,lord1 nor executedst his fierce wrath upon ,amalek1 therefore hath the ,lord done this thing unto thee this day4 ,moreover1 the ,lord will also deliver ,israel with thee into the hand of the ,philistines3 and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me3 the ,lord also shall deliver the host of ,israel into the hand of the ,philistines40 #a ,sam4 xxviii4 #aa-ai4 #hih4 ,it is represented in this quotation1 that the ghost of ,samuel came and conversed with ,saul2 that he 8ascendeth out of the earth2 an old man cometh up1 and he is covered with a mantle40 ,where is there any thing in common between this representation and the process by which ,i communicate with my familiar spirits1--not coming up from the grave1 or the disgusting heaven of ,josephus1 but from their magical abodes in the skies6 ,i challenge any one to adduce the idea1 as having ever been expressed1 that any one had found any mode of conversing with spirits resembling in its operation that which we now have discovered4 ,this seems to be as new to the spirits as to us1 being as much a novelty as the electric telegraph4 ,the very limited degree in which it has been recently accomplished has been attained with very great difficulty4 ,it appears that efforts were made to establish this intercourse in ,england at the mansion of the celebrated ,wesley1 without any beneficial result4 ,if ever this art had been discovered1 certainly it would not have been lost4 ,even the idea of rapping or knocking independently of mortal agency1 had the fact ever been established1 could not have been held so incredible as it was1 almost universally1 when it took place at ,hydesville1 or in ,great ,britain1 as above mentioned4 #hii4 ,the learned ,dr4 ,priestley1 utterly incredulous that the rappings at ,wesley's could be ascribed to any supermundane agency1 attributes it to some trick on the part of servants1 assisted by neighbours4 ,it appears that in general the most scientific and well-read persons are the most backward in ascribing such phenomena to invisible spirits4 ,if1 therefore1 during past ages such inscrutable noises and movements of bodies had occurred1 resembling those recently noticed1 still no such use had been made of them as we now behold4 ,such manifestations being once so far demonstrated as to induce people of sound mind to unite in referring them to the immortal spirits of departed friends1 is a fact of such awful1 thrilling interest1 that it never could have become obsolete2 especially as the same state of things which permitted it once to be successfully witnessed1 would have led to its reiteration4 ,neither the spirits nor mortals had laid it aside1 any more than the telegraph or the railways will be disused1 after experiencing the advantages of those inventions4 #ijj4 ,is there not as much reason for the lateness of this discovery1 as for that of any of those inventions by which modern times are distinguished from ancient8 ,even now1 with what difficulty has it been accomplished to the degree to which it has arrived4 ,after eighteen months of laborious investigation1 ,i find myself surrounded by inveterate skeptics among my own family friends and most of my comrades in science4 #ija4 ,there is scarcely a country besides this in which ,i should escape legal penalties or tyrannical restraint1 in expressing the opinions which ,i most devoutly entertain1 and am impelled irresistibly to express2 and1 although in this country1 free from legal penalties1 there is scarcely an orthodox female tongue belonging to some of the best of the sex 7in all other respects amiable7 which will not devote itself universally in the service of bigotry and intolerance4 #ijb4 ,but beside the arguments thus founded1 there is another1 resting on the fact that had there been any intellectual communication with the spirit world1 there could not have been such an ignorance of the religious doctrines which there prevail4 ,there is in that world no diversity as respects the existence and unity of ,god2 nor as to the unimportance of those creeds which have caused in this world so much mischief1 by the consequent animosity1 persecutions1 and warfare4 ,the superior efficacy of good works over creeds is by the higher spirits invariably insisted upon4 #ijc4 ,then1 agreeably to the same authority1 the idea of an omnipotent1 omniscient1 and prescient ,god being under the necessity of subjecting things to trial1 is considered as involving a contradiction2 the premises being irreconcilable with the conclusion4 ,there is not an elevated spirit that will not answer in the affirmative1 every query proposed in the verses inserted1 7page #cd47 #ijd4 ,there is but one sentiment as respects the question between probation and progression1 and that is in favour of the latter4 8,onward and upward is the motto on our spiritual banner40 ,such is the language held1 and repeated over and over again4 ,it would not take a quarter of an hour for a spirit to pour information into the ear of a mortal which1 if credited1 would put an end to all honest discord respecting religion1 and induce that mortal thenceforth to look to the spirit world as his ultimate destination4 ,the language of the paragraph in the address through ,lanning1 would go home to every human mortal having reason to comprehend it1 so that whatever they might pursue in this world would be with an ultimate view to ascendancy in the other4 7,see ,preface47 #ije4 ,bigotry1 fanaticism1 selfish sectarianism1 the want of media and bold1 enlightened investigators1 seem to have formed impenetrable obstacles to the promulgation of a knowledge of the greatest importance to human prosperity1 morals1 and future happiness4 ,no doubt that so much evil should arise merely from want of a knowledge so near at hand1 is one of the facts which human reason finds it most difficult to reconcile with the power and goodness of the ,almighty ,ruler of the universe2 but that is a difficulty which exists in case any one creed be assumed as true2 since none has been heretofore so communicated as to be within the reach of mankind in general4 ,meanwhile the error has originated in various sects1 that they have been especially favoured by ,god1 so that they alone of all his creatures have had true light let in upon them4 #ijf4 ,happily1 from the mode in which the light of ,spiritualism has been received by its present votaries1 it may be gradually extended to all their fellow-creatures2 and meanwhile those who enjoy this light do not assume that their fellow-creatures who are in this respect less fortunate1 are on that account to be censured1 denounced1 and persecuted as far as the power to persecute goes4 ,spiritualists believe the wonderful manifestations on which their creed rests1 to have far more testimony in its favour than any other before accredited2 and that the manifestations relied on being more recent1 and observed by multitudes of eye-witnesses1 known by their neighbours to be truthful1 have1 as mere hearsay proof1 an immense superiority over the recorded tradition of an obscure1 illiterate1 superstitious age and country4 ,but then the same privilege which has been enjoyed by one set of observers belongs to any succeeding number1 and no less to succeeding ages than to this4 ,it is not assumed that any special inspiration appertains to any existing being1 as an instrument of promoting truth1 that will not inure to others4 ,no particular exclusive capacity for miracles is claimed for this age2 on the contrary1 the belief is that in this1 as in other things1 there will be improvement and progression1 and that posterity will learn directly from the same high angelic source whence we learn4 #ijg4 ,the more the moral code of ,spiritualism is contrasted with that which has heretofore prevailed1 the better we shall be pleased4 ,we challenge the strongest1 the most learned of those who adhere to that dispensation1 to meet us ore rotundo seu currente calamo4 ,confident in the strength of truth and the feebleness of error1 the writer of these lines fears not any competitor who makes error his client4 ,,influence ,,of ,,mundane ,,wealth ,,in ,,the ,,world ,,to ,,come4 ,according to the ,spiritual ,code1 riches elevate or degrade according to the virtue displayed in their acquisition and employment4 #ijh4 ,the great object of the more prudent and calculating portion of mankind1 is to provide for that old age which they all hope to attain1 or1 if it be not reached1 to provide the means for themselves or families which may insure a comfortable if not luxurious support1 in case sickness or mutilation should deprive them of the power of making money1 or competency to earn wages4 #iji4 ,but how precarious and fleeting are any such worldly advantages1 when compared with those of an eternal home1 where every thing desirable may be had without causing a drop of sweat to fall from the brow6 ,let the description of the higher spheres be compared with any earthly paradise1 which1 besides inferiority in every attribute which can render it attractive1 is open to all the ills of mental and bodily suffering to which flesh is heir4 ,if there be any objection to the consequences of a due appreciation of the bliss which we may expect in the spirit world1 it would seem to be founded on its tendency so to enfeeble our interest in this world1 as to deter the human efforts on which this sphere is1 under ,god's laws1 mainly dependent for improvement4 ,but then1 as a matter of principle1 in order to merit elevation in the spirit world1 exertion may be induced in this2 and exertion thus originating1 can never be perverted to the perpetuation of those wrongs now so often forming the steps to human aggrandizement4 ,the subjugation1 the pillage1 and extirpation of mankind1 will never be induced by considerations founded on the desire to accumulate treasure in heaven4 #iaj4 ,there is hardly in respect to any subject1 more error than in the estimate made of persons who strive to acquire wealth4 ,the question lies not in the zeal with which it may be sought1 but in the object for which it is desired4 ,although the maxim that the end justifies the means1 be immoral when extended so far as to palliate any dereliction of the cardinal virtues1 does it not hold good so long as the means employed are consistent with these virtues8 ,is it not charitable honestly to seek the pecuniary means of being charitable8 ,is it not liberal to seek the means wherewith to be liberal8 ,hospitable1 to seek the means to support hospitality8 ,is it not the duty of each man to promote the welfare of his wife and children1 by seeking the means wherewith to house1 clothe1 and feed them1 and1 moreover1 to educate them intellectually as well as morally8 ,since1 when destitute of education1 a man is little above a brute1 surely it must be meritorious to seek the means of educational improvement1 both for ourselves and for those by whom we are surrounded2 but more especially for those who are so dependent on us1 that it can only through us be attained4 #iaa4 ,that part of the ,lord's prayer which deprecates temptation1 is perhaps of pre-eminent importance2 since where there is one man who goes through the world honestly by resisting temptation1 there are hundreds who preserve their honesty by avoiding temptation3 by so providing pecuniary means in due time1 as not to be placed between the alternative of starving1 begging1 cheating1 or stealing4 #iab4 ,in our republic it will be found that while the acquisition of wealth enables one individual to raise his family by educational superiority1 the offspring of another1 by the loss of fortune1 sink into the mass of illiterate labourers2 so that there is a perpetual undulation by the educational influence of money4 ,though public schools may extend the advantages of education to the poor1 yet want drives the educated youth to loathsome drudgery1 made more painful by the enlargement of his views resulting from education4 #iac4 ,to the consequence of hereditary noblemen hereditary wealth is essential1 having vastly more influence than titles4 ,in those countries where titles exist without associated wealth1 they have scarcely any weight4 ,however incompetent money may be to give importance to an uneducated commoner1 a cotton-spinner1 by educating his son and giving him his fortune1 may prepare him to sway an empire2 when1 had his father been a pauper1 the premier might have lived among those so eloquently described by ,shakspeare's ,henry the ,fourth1 as upon 8uneasy pallets stretching them40 ,how different from those perfumed chambers and canopies of costly state1 to which this spinner's boy was actually enabled to climb through the education and position resulting from paternal affluence6 #iad4 ,civilization elevates those who have the advantages of education1 and who are either professionally employed in intellectual pursuits1 or have leisure to cultivate science and literature from taste4 ,but the same division of human labour and enterprise which gives intellectual pursuits to a few as a profession1 gives to the mass occupations inconsistent with the cultivation of their intellectual powers4 ,those who are engaged in the humblest species of industry1 living from hand to mouth1 have little or no time to spare from that which their necessities imperatively require2 and the bodily fatigue incurred during working hours1 makes repose from all exertion the primary object4 #iae4 ,but the situation of the poor1 ignorant1 and uneducated labourer in civilized society1 is rendered worse than that of an equally ignorant and uneducated barbarian1 by contrast with his educated neighbours4 ,the lowest savage has as much scholastic education as his chief1 while the civilized labourer may be in the rear of an educated child of five years of age4 ,thus the absolute evil is made relatively still greater4 ,when any man reflects on these facts1 can he be otherwise than anxious for those means which are necessary to put his offspring upon a par in learning with those of others in the same community8 #iaf4 ,early in life1 it is manifest to every one who does not enjoy pecuniary affluence1 that any species of indulgence which he may desire requires money for its attainment4 ,even the command of leisure for any enjoyment requires money1 since1 if obliged to work to earn his bread1 a man may not have leisure for any other object4 #iag4 ,among the most rational motives for the pursuit of wealth is the love of independence4 8,thy spirit1 ,independence1 let me share--lord of the lion heart and eagle eye60 ,in this sentiment every noble soul must participate4 ,how many have had1 like the apothecary in ,shakspeare's tragedy1 to allow their poverty to rule1 instead of honest will6 ,how many have been induced to 8earn their daily bread by their daily shame60 #iah4 ,prudent1 thoughtful1 honest men1 who do not choose to live houseless1 without clothes1 nor upon the sweat of other men's brows1 turn from the paths of amusement1 of sensual enjoyment1 from the love of literature or science1 or from the observation and investigation of nature's beauties and miracles1 in order to get1 through wealth1 the power1 and honest right to indulge4 ,but while pursuing this great object1 in the first instance only as the means of attaining other objects1 good or bad1 they grow old in the chase2 their passions burn out1 while avarice originates as it were from their ashes1 not1 phnix-like1 to replace one parental being1 but a horrid monster1 having nothing in common with a plurality of progenitors1 but the selfish1 ardent love of money1 unmitigated by any redeeming aspiration4 ,a being so actuated--or1 in other words1 a miser--would certainly find it as difficult to reach a higher sphere in the spirit world1 as it were for a camel to get through the needle's eye4 #iai4 ,as swine accumulate fat to bequeath to those to whom they leave their carcasses1 so the avaricious accumulate wealth1 to hoard until it can no longer be retained4 ,they die with an immense amount of negative sin2 since all their omissions to do good1 which is within their power1 is carried to their debit in the spirit world4 ,their poverty in the spirit world will be proportioned to their ill-used wealth in this temporal abode4 #ibj4 ,when this is well brought home to mankind1 there will be less avarice1 and fewer of those crimes which arise from selfish cupidity1 or ambition4 ,,mrs4 ,,gourlay',s ,,narrative4 #iba4 ,the following is a narrative of the circumstances which led to the conversion to a belief in ,spiritualism1 of my esteemed friend1 ,mrs4 ,m4 ,b4 ,gourlay1 through whose high attributes as an intellectual medium1 ,i am in a great measure indebted for my conversion4 ,i do most devoutly believe that the information received from my spirit father1 through her mediumship1 would1 if duly credited1 be of more value to true religion and morality1 than the forty millions of dollars annually expended upon the ,church of ,england4 ,,philadelphia1 ,may #bj1 #ahee4 ,to ,professor ,robert ,hare3 #ibb4 ,my ,dear ,sir3 ,pursuant to your request1 ,i have the pleasure to present you the following particulars of my experience and observation in relation to the phenomena of spiritual intercourse1--phenomena which engage1 at the present time1 the serious and profound attention of thousands of intelligent minds2 manifestations that are rapidly and steadily spreading their influence over the entire continent1 and carrying with them the evidence of their spiritual origin1 while impressing receptive minds with the truth of their sacred importance to an extent unexampled in the history of any other movement4 #ibc4 ,my attention was attracted to the phenomena in question1 about five years since1 by reading sundry reports in the ,new ,york ,tribune1 of certain mysterious sounds which had occurred in the city of ,rochester1 and purported to have been made by the spirits of the departed4 #ibd4 ,i regarded the subject at first with great distrust1 supposing it a mere imposition on the credulity of the public1 and considered it entirely unworthy of serious thought4 #ibe4 ,finding1 however1 that it was eliciting considerable notice1 and knowing that facts are sometimes stranger than fiction1 ,i deemed it consonant with reason to suspend my judgment till more conversant with the facts4 #ibf4 ,having been admonished by a much-loved1 intelligent1 and1 ,i would add1 practical ,christian mother to worship at the altar of truth1 while exercising my reason on all subjects presented to my mind1 ,i was1 as might be presumed1 nearly1 if not entirely1 free from the shackles of bigotry1 superstition1 and dogmatism1 and was thus prepared1 so far at least as these barriers to mental and moral progression are concerned1 to investigate any subject within the range of my capacity4 #ibg4 ,hearing of the spread of the manifestations1 and their actual occurrence in the city of ,bangor1 ,maine1 where ,i then resided1 ,i resolved1 with the first favourable opportunity1 to investigate the matter for myself4 #ibh4 ,not many days had elapsed after forming this resolution1 before ,i met an intimate friend1 an exemplary and respected member of the ,methodist ,episcopal denomination1 who informed me that she was interested in spiritual manifestations1 and desired to investigate them4 ,but alas6 she was bound by the galling fetters of sectarian and priestly bondage1 and dared not move in such an investigation4 ,her pastor had said that the 8arch deceiver10 the veritable ,satan1 was the prime instigator in this scheme1 and1 moreover1 that to participate in a movement so diabolical in its character would render her liable not only to loss of membership in the church1 but expose her to divine wrath in this world1 as well as endless torment in the world to come4 #ibi4 ,i believed such an intolerant and persecuting spirit1 to be diametrically opposed to every principle of true ,christianity1 and repugnant to the claims of reason2 and deprecating any doctrine1 orthodox though called1 that would thus stifle free thought and inquiry1 and consign to eternal misery the children of our heavenly ,father1 even however depraved1 ,i advised my friend to exercise her reason1 with which she was by nature endowed1 and regardless of the sneers of a time-serving multitude1 or the anathemas of the church1 to obey the injunction of the apostle--8,prove all things--hold fast that which is good40 #icj4 ,she consented2 and a few days subsequent to this interview1 she extended to me an invitation to attend a spiritual circle to be convened at the house of a highly respectable family1 members of the ,unitarian ,church1 and much esteemed by a large circle of friends for their many virtues4 #ica4 ,the invitation was gladly accepted1 and the ensuing evening found us seated at a table in the domicile of our worthy friends1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,t----1 with some six or eight intelligent persons of both sexes4 #icb4 ,having1 agreeably to request1 placed our hands on the table1 we silently raised our thoughts in solemn and sincere aspirations to the great ,father of spirits1 and desired to be brought into more harmonious relation with the spirits of our dear departed friends1 and hoping that these might thereby be better able to manifest themselves to their friends still in the earthly habiliments of humanity4 #icc4 ,we had not remained long in this position1 before we heard distinct sounds like the falling of drops of water on the table4 ,imagine our surprise and inexpressible delight1 when first aroused to a vital consciousness of the presence of celestial visitants in our midst6 ,i shall never forget the glorious expression of pleasure which illumined the countenances of that little band of seekers for truth1 nor the electric thrill of joy which ,i experienced on this happy occasion4 #icd4 ,the sounds continued to respond to our inquiries2 three expressing the affirmative1 and one the negative4 ,it was suggested by a member of the circle to use the alphabet as a means of communication2 and that on passing a pencil slowly over the card1 the spirits would indicate1 by the sounds1 the letters required to convey their thoughts4 ,in this manner we received many convincing evidences of spirit intercourse2 such as getting the names of our spirit friends1 the particular localities of their birth and death1 and the precise time of their departure from this world1 with many other proofs of their presence and identity4 #ice4 ,we were soon informed by the communicating intelligence that a much more rapid mode of communication would now be established between us4 ,on inquiring its nature1 it was spelt out--,let ,welthea 7referring to my friend7 take the pen1 and we will write through her hand4#ag ,to all of us this was a new and unexpected revelation4 ,my friend1 being very timid and retiring in her nature1 was evidently confused by this announcement4 ,at our very earnest solicitation1 however1 she lifted the pen from the table4 ,her hand was now seized by an invisible and intelligent power1 and being in a normal state1 several beautiful stanzas1#ah touching her mission in this glorious cause1 resulted from this first and1 to all of us1 astounding performance4 #icf4 ,this1 to us1 was a new phase of the manifestations1 and to myself and friend was very wonderful1 since1 ,i am certain1 she had never thought of becoming a medium for spiritual intercommunion4 #icg4 ,soon after writing the stanzas alluded to1 her hand was again influenced to write a communication to a gentleman present4 ,he was a stranger to my friend1 now regarded as a medium1 and the communication was from the spirit of a sister who had passed from earth about thirty years before1 the name1 in full1 of the spirit being appended4 #ich4 ,after receiving instructions from the spirits1 in regard to the manner of conducting our circle1 we adjourned to the time appointed for our next meeting4 #ici4 ,on the succeeding day ,i visited my friend at her residence1 and received many additional evidences of the presence and identity of spirits4 ,my father1 mother1 and sister1 and many other loved spirit friends with whom the medium had no acquaintance1 and whose names even were not known to her1 communicated1 and reminded me of many incidents of their life on earth of which my friend was wholly ignorant1 and some of them ,i had myself almost forgotten4 #idj4 ,at subsequent and frequent interviews with this lady1 ,i received many indubitable proofs of the presence and guardianship of angels2 of which the following is an example3 #ida4 ,some weeks after our first interview1 and while discussing the ordinary topics of the day1 her hand was influenced to write these sentences3 #idb4 8,my dear ,m3 ,you will be surprised and pleased to learn that an old schoolmate is present2 one that you never1 while on earth1 anticipated hearing from again4 ,many years have fled since our last meeting4 ,i have come from the realms of the unseen1 to renew the acquaintance with you begun in childhood1 and to advise you in relation to your spiritual development4 ,you are destined to become a good impressional medium for spiritual truth4 ,follow the directions which we from time to time shall give you1 and you will progress rapidly1 and be greatly profited thereby4 ,elevate your mind to the source of light and truth1 and seek to be saved from every thing that might hinder your spiritual advancement4 ,devote a portion of each day to the development of your spirit1 and investigate the principles which govern the physical and spiritual departments of the universe4 ,you are living in the light of an advanced age1 and are surrounded by many advantages4 ,improve the privileges that you enjoy1 for the benefit of yourself and others4 ,,lydia ,,manly40 #idc4 ,the communication being finished1 my friend handed it to me1 saying1 8,i am not acquainted with this name40 ,i said1 on glancing at the signature1 that ,i never knew any one of the name of ,hanly4 ,it was immediately written1 8,let ,margaret look again1 and she will find that she is mistaken in the name2 it is ,manly1 not ,hanly40 ,imagine my astonishment on recognising the name of a schoolmate whom ,i had not seen1 heard1 nor thought of1 for many years4 ,this was to me1 and might be to any one1 a full and satisfactory confirmation of spiritual communion4 #idd4 ,on a subsequent occasion1 it was written1 through my friend1 by my spirit sister1 8,do you want instruction8 ,i will talk to you of friendship this time4 ,let the basis of your friendship be esteem1 and by all means seek to have this sure foundation4 ,friendship is a source of the greatest pleasure1 and when begun in a right manner1 ends not on earth1 but continues to increase with unabated interest throughout eternity4 ,yours has thus far been characterized by firmness and sincerity4 ,oh6 if you knew with what interest ,i look upon you1 my dear sisters1 watching the progress of your affections1 and seeking a close intimacy with your spirits1 it would awaken in both of your minds a lively interest for heavenly objects1 and incite you to the pursuit of solid happiness4 ,friendship should begin in time to continue in eternity4 ,oh6 could ,i convey to you the worth of time when viewed in this light6 #ide4 8,i am watching your silent communings4 ,the lofty aspirations of your souls are not of an earthly nature4 ,your minds are being enlightened and seeking communion with ,god4 ,be encouraged1 my dear sisters2 we shall all be united in love4 ,be well grounded in the spiritual faith1 and let your motto be--,onward in the divine life4 ,,mary40 #idf4 ,again1 it was written1 8,sing with the spirit6 ,sister1 let thy heart make tuneful melody with an angel choir who now surround you6 ,sing a song to immortality2 how the dear departed1 clothed in robes of victory1 now stand on heavenly hills1 enwrapt in glorious visions of the ,great ,eternal1 bowing before the throne6 ,sing1 #8,death1 where is thy sting8 oh6 grave1 where is thy victory8' #idg4 8,while here you meet1 guardian angels are in attendance4 ,here is a gray-haired sire1 a mother1 and a sweet-lipped babe4 ,all have come1 with noiseless wing1 to listen to thee4 ,precious moments6 ,improve them in converse sweet of heaven1 and blessings1 richer far than earthly treasures1 we will pour upon you40 #idh4 ,the reminiscences of the hours devoted with my friend to the investigation of this sublime subject are among the happiest of my life4 ,they serve to awaken the purest1 holiest1 and most affectionate sentiments and sympathies of my nature1 and thereby lead me into closer communion with the loved ones who have gone before me4 #idi4 ,but in reference to my family1 ,i was for a season destined to be alone in my happy belief4 ,it is true1 my husband did not reject the subject1 but thought the phenomena in question might be accounted for by a reference to the principles of mental science4 ,i requested him to solve the mystery4 ,he attempted it1 but failed4 ,his explanation1 like all others adverse to the spiritual theory1 was an explanation in which nothing is explained4 #iej4 ,about three months after these occurrences1 a lady informed my husband that one of her daughters1 about fifteen years of age1 was a medium for the rappings4 ,the young lady being present1 declined the appellation as a term of reproach4 ,perceiving her discomfort1 he requested to know what she thought of these manifestations4 ,her reply was1 that they claimed a spiritual origin1 but1 in her opinion1 they were due to 8electricity1 or something of that sort40 #iea4 ,hearing the raps on the young lady's chair1 and on various other articles of furniture in the room1 he requested her to put her hands on the table4 ,this being done1 the sounds were made on the table so loud and distinct1 that they might have been heard in an adjoining apartment4 ,inquiring of the spirits if they would communicate with him by the alphabet1 he was answered in the affirmative by three raps4 #ieb4 ,having taken a seat at some distance from the table1 and placed himself in such a position that no one could see the letters but himself1 he proceeded to take down those indicated by the sounds as he passed a pencil slowly over the alphabet4 #iec4 ,the sounds having at length ceased to respond1 he tried to read the communication1 but found it impossible to do so until he had first arranged what was written into words and sentences4 ,this having been accomplished1 he read1 to his utter amazement1 as follows3 8,my dear son1 your parent rejoices in this opportunity to communicate with you4 ,let me advise you to investigate this most important subject2 it will benefit you in time and eternity4 ,your spirit father1 ,w4 ,g40 #ied4 ,on reading this communication1 my husband said he felt 8riveted to the spot20 that he had realized the presence of a long-lost parent1 and that language failed to convey his feelings4 ,it is perhaps needless to say that he was from that moment a believer in the truth of ,spiritualism4 #iee4 ,months rolled on1 and we continued to receive and enjoy the delightful intercourse of our spirit friends4 ,one day1 while engaged in sewing1 the needle dropped suddenly from my fingers4 ,at the same instant ,i experienced a sensation in my right hand and arm analogous to a slight electric shock4 ,my husband1 seeing me start1 inquired the cause4 ,perceiving the temperature of my hand diminished1 he became somewhat alarmed1 and commenced rubbing it4 ,in a few moments we heard sounds on the workstand at which ,i was seated4 ,i inquired if the spirits wished to communicate1 which was responded to by three raps4 ,taking the card and passing a pencil over it1 the following words were given3 #ief4 8,my child1 be not afraid6 we are trying to develope you as a writing medium40 ,i experienced the next day a similar feeling in the same arm1 and was influenced to write the following impressive words3 #ieg4 8,my dear ,child3 ,your mother would impart to you a few thoughts relative to an event which is generally regarded with unspeakable horror4 ,i mean the dissolution of the material body4 ,death should present no terror to the mind1 since it is but a transition of the spirit to a more exalted and perfected state of being2 a disunion of the imperishable and eternal principles of the soul and spirit from their temporary home in the physical form4 ,it is but the door at whose threshhold the spirit lays aside its worn-out garment1 to appear clothed in its much more beautiful habiliments in the spiritual realm--the entrance to 8a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens40 #ieh4 8,to the mind that views this change in the condition of the spirit in its true light1 it will appear a necessary preliminary step in the development of the immortal germ to a higher and much more glorious existence4 ,with the gross earthly body1 the spirit could not inhabit the celestial spheres1 nor rove the elysian fields of eternal progression4 ,you have a rosebud in your keeping1 which must expand to an immortal flower in heaven4 ,earth has given it birth1 but its vitality is feeble4 ,it needs transplanting into a more genial soil in the garden of our ,father and our ,god1 where it will ultimately unfold its fair and beautiful proportions4 ,in other words1 your little infant1 ,emily1 will soon join me2 for ,i perceive that disease is deep seated in her system--a disease that no remedy can reach4 ,be prepared1 then1 my dear child1 for the change which is soon to take place4 ,prepare for the messenger ,death6 ,be calm1 be firm6 ,your mother1 ,,lydia40 #iei4 ,this was a manifestation to me of a spirit mother's love and watchful care4 ,she foresaw that the inevitable event was at hand4 ,she perceived that our darling child was incurably diseased4 ,although ,i trembled at the thought of parting with my treasure1 still ,i was much calmer and more resigned in consequence of this parental warning1 when the dread summons came4 #ifj4 ,three weeks passed1 and still there was no apparent change in our little one from her usual seemingly healthy condition4 ,my husband had business which called him to ,philadelphia4 ,at his urgent request ,i accompanied him4 ,we left our little ones in charge of a female friend and a faithful nurse1 intending to be absent about two weeks4 ,ten days subsequent to the time of our departure from home1 ,i received a strong impression to return1 and that my presence would soon be required there4 ,my husband objected1 on the ground that his business was unfinished4 ,i proposed returning alone1 but he was unwilling1 and we started for home the next morning4 ,we found our children all well4 ,i was joked about my spiritual impression1 and was told it was the result of imagination4 ,on the day succeeding our return1 however1 our dear child was taken sick1 and after an illness of three days her enfranchised spirit passed from earth to heaven4 #ifa4 ,notwithstanding the ridicule heaped1 at that time1 by its opposers upon the believers in ,spiritualism1 and the affected contempt in which the votaries of this much-abused doctrine were then held1 we pursued the investigation of the subject1 and became daily more imbued with a sense of the truth and harmony of its divine teachings4 ,we had the pleasure of seeing many persons1 who had once denounced it as an idle dream1 as a humbug1 and a delusion1 now converted to a full faith in its glorious realities4 ,a change came over the spirit of their dream1 and they are now blessed in the enjoyment of the richest feast for mind and soul ever bestowed by a munificent ,god upon his grateful children4 ,and many do not hesitate to proclaim the fact to the world2 for1 thank heaven1 the days of the ,inquisition are numbered1 and a brighter and more glorious day is dawning on benighted humanity4 #ifb4 ,the following extracts from a letter of my brother1 ,dr4 ,north1 of ,waterville1 ,maine1 in reply to my husband1 may serve to show the mind of one of the skeptics referred to1 in regard to the subject of ,spiritualism1 both before and after investigation4 ,as they may not be uninteresting to your readers1 ,i give them to you1 as follows3 #ifc4 8,dear ,doctor3--,your letter of the #agth instant is before me1 and its remarkable contents noticed4 ,had a great man or men1 for instance1 ,daniel ,webster1 ,henry ,clay1 or ,millard ,fillmore1 advised a friend to a certain course1 if ,i thought that course improper1 ,i should have felt at liberty to dissent from him or them2 but when the adviser is the spirit of my departed mother1 or the soul of your departed brother1 ,i cannot dissent1 or give an opinion that would conflict with them4 ,it seems to me1 dear doctor1 that you cannot have better advisers unless you call the spirit of ,gabriel to your assistance1 and you can do no less than consult the dictates of the rappers4 #ifd4 8,to be serious1 ,i am surprised at your easy conversion to ,spiritualism4 ,i had supposed you spirit-proof1 the greatest skeptic in the land2 but ,i find you are completely taken in and done for6 ,i do not place the least reliance on your superhuman communications1 and would advise you to look upon them as phenomena of ,mesmerism or mind-reading4 ,the medium is in a mesmeric state1 and consequently is capable of reading the thoughts of the inquirer1 and answering questions correctly4 ,the sounds are easily accounted for4 ,the subject is alarmed and superstitious1 and therefore easily imposed upon4 ,the creaking of a boot is often taken by such persons in this state of mind as a spiritual rap4 ,do not be imposed upon by such superstition1 but choose rather to be guided by good sound sense4 #ife4 8,you might consult the spirit of ,lorenzo ,dow4 ,he was a good old soul1 and one that always safely advised his friends4 #iff4 8,give my love to ,martin ,luther1 and ,william ,penn1 and the ,wandering ,jew4 ,if you should hear any thing of ,m4 ,b----1 you may let me know4 ,he died three or four years since in my debt40 #ifg4 ,the subjoined was received some time after the foregoing from the same hand1 but was dictated1 it seems1 by a more elevated spirit3 #ifh4 8,in relation to ,spiritualism1 ,i am deeply convinced of its truthfulness4 ,god grant that the grand and glorious realities which it reveals may so influence me that my progress in goodness and holiness will never end6 ,do ,i believe in it8 ,yes6 yes6 ,it is my daily hope and happiness2 the bread of life2 and it will be my consolation in death4 ,i have read much1 but have seen little of the manifestations4 ,i should be very happy to spend a fortnight with you and meet your circle4 #ifi4 8,my wife is reading and approximating toward belief4 ,we have read the following works3--,davis's ,harmonia2 ,davis's ,present ,age and ,inner ,life2 ,edmonds's and ,dexter's work on ,spiritualism2 ,beecher's ,report1 and ,brittan's ,reply to the same2 ,stilling's ,pneumatology2 ,riechenbach's ,dynamics2 ,cahagnet's ,celestial ,telegraph1 and the ,spiritual ,telegraph1 weekly4 ,i am so deeply interested in spiritual literature that other reading is insipid to me4 ,i am rejoiced that people in the higher walks of life are engaged in the subject4 ,it will give popularity to it1 and the weak and fearful souls will be encouraged and strengthened in well-doing40 ,the following was addressed to me last ,february3 #igj4 8,my ,dear ,sister3 ,you say it is too late to wish us a happy ,new ,year4 ,it is never too late to wish our friends happiness1 and strive to make them happy4 ,this is a new year indeed2 a new era to be made memorable through time and eternity2 one in which the spirits of our friends are striving for our happiness4 ,then let us not only make each other happy1 but by purifying our thoughts and conversation1 strive to progress in this rudimental world1 so that when we find ourselves disrobed of these bodies1 and in the sphere of eternal progression1 we may be with and make the spirits of our friends happy4 ,this is a glorious happy new year4 ,the old ark of theology and superstition is passing away4 ,the life-blood of the popular theology is drying up4 ,the lens of the spiritual philosophy is concentrating upon it the powerful and burning rays of truth4 ,already a dense and fetid smoke is issuing from its decaying portals4 ,its priests and votaries already are crying1 ,fire6 fire6 ,god grant1 that from its ashes no phnix may arise to propagate anew its senseless dogmas4 ,then will this be a happy year for all mankind40 ,on a subsequent occasion he writes-- #iga4 8,the spiritual doctrine is gaining ground here4 ,many of our influential citizens are believers4 ,some that were infidels have become hopeful ,christians4 ,public opinion is softening1 and it is not now esteemed a disgrace1 as it was some time since1 to believe4 ,the acquisition of such men as ,professor ,hare1 ,edmonds1 ,talmadge1 ,chase1 ,simmons1 ,dexter1 and ,brittan to our ranks1 has given respectability to it1 and wrought a revolution in opinion40 #igb4 ,thus much ,i have said respecting my spiritual experience anterior to leaving ,maine4 ,concerning my experience since then1 much more might be said1 but as you are already familiar with the most of it1 it remains for me to present you with a few of the best and most unequivocal demonstrations of spiritual communion that ,i have witnessed1 but which have not come under your personal observation4 ,among which the following touching incidents cannot fail to interest those whose hearts and minds are not closed by the iron bars of prejudice and superstition3 #igc4 ,while spending the evening of ,january the #bast1 #ahed1 at the house of a friend1 it was proposed by the lady and her husband that we should form a circle4 ,we had not been long seated at the table when three ladies1 two of whom ,i had never seen1 favoured us with their company1 and took their seats at some distance from the circle4 ,they had been in the room but two or three minutes1 when the following was given through the table3 #igd4 8,my dear mother6 ,in love ,i meet you this evening4 ,oh1 mother1 why do you mourn my death8 ,i have just begun to live4 ,grieve not for me6 #ige4 8,i wish my husband to investigate ,spiritualism4 ,i will communicate to him4 #igf4 8,why should you erect a monumental slab to my memory8 ,let me live in the hearts of friends4 ,,sarah ,,north40 #igg4 ,when the gentleman who took down the communication read it1 ,i was surprised at hearing the name of ,north1 that being my maiden name4 ,as there was no ,sarah in our family1 ,i asked the spirits1 ,who is ,sarah ,north8 ,before they had time to reply1 one of the ladies referred to 7,mrs4 ,wightman7 approached the table in tears4 ,she said1 8,that is from my daughter ,sarah4 ,i have been engaged to-day in the solemn duty of selecting a tombstone to her memory40 #igh4 ,on ,nov4 #beth1 #ahed1 ,i sat by appointment with ,mrs4 ,wightman for spirit intercourse4 ,mrs4 ,w4 put the question1 8,is ,elizabeth ,adams present80 8,yes40 8,will she communicate80 8,yes40 8,my dear aunt10 was immediately spelt out4 ,interrupting the communication at that point1 ,i asked ,mrs4 ,w4 if ,elizabeth ,adams was her niece4 ,no1 she replied2 it must be a mistake4 ,thinking it probable that there was something wrong in the conditions1 ,i removed my hand for a few moments4 ,on replacing it1 to our surprise1 the words1 8,my dear aunt10 were repeated4 8,well60 we exclaimed1 simultaneously1 8that is strange4 ,let us see what may come20 and we received the following3 #igi4 8,my dear ,aunt3 ,this is the first time that ,i have communicated4 ,when ,i left the rudimental sphere1 ,i was so young ,i did not know what it meant to die2 ,i now know4 ,it was the beginning of life6 ,i will come again soon and talk with you4 ,your niece1 ,,almira ,,barnes40 #ihj4 ,it was some moments before ,mrs4 ,w4 could recall to mind the fact that her sister had lost a child1 of the above name1 about twenty-three years since1 aged three months4 ,here is intelligence so clearly independent of our minds1 that it is1 in my opinion1 entirely fatal to the theory of 8mental reflection0 so often adduced by the unbelievers in ,spiritualism4 ,at the close of this communication the following was received3 #iha4 8,dear ,mother3 ,i am happy to have this opportunity to send you a kind message4 ,although ,i am often with you1 ,i cannot speak to you through your own mediumship4 ,oh mother6 what delight it would give me could ,i make myself visible to you4 ,what would you say if you should see me sitting in the chair ,i so long occupied when an invalid8 ,i often sit in that chair1 but you cannot yet see me4 ,have you not heard me rap to you8 ,i have tried in various ways to make myself manifest4 ,i think you had better go ,south this winter4 ,i think father's health would be better there4 ,i will visit you1 if you go4 ,the climate where you now live is too bracing for father's lungs4 ,when the warm weather returns1 you can bid farewell to the sunny ,south and seek your ,northern home4 ,i wish ,i could speak to you through your own dear hand1 but that ,i cannot yet do4 #ihb4 8,dear mother1 you will become a medium2 then we shall have good times4 ,good-by1 blessed mother6 ,i look forward to a happy reunion with all your loved ones here4 ,,elizabeth ,,adams40 #ihc4 ,the above1 as may be seen1 was from the spirit that ,mrs4 ,w4 called for1 and the communication was designed for the spirit's mother1 who lived in the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,the message was subsequently forwarded to her address4 ,e4 ,a41 ,mrs4 ,wightman1 informed me1 died after a lingering illness of consumption4 ,she occupied the arm-chair alluded to during the greater part of her sickness1 and she promised her mother she would come back and sit in it after her death1 if she could4 ,her step-father1 whose indisposition she refers to1 is affected with a chronic disease of the lungs4 ,the loved ones are ,elizabeth's brothers and sisters1 all of whom1 five or six1 are in the spirit world4 ,these facts were unknown to me at the time4 #ihd4 ,last ,january1 my friend ,mrs4 ,wightman brought two ladies to witness1 for the first time1 some of the phenomena of our beautiful philosophy4 ,their names were suppressed1 to be disclosed by the communications that might come from their spirit friends1 in order to strengthen the evidences of spiritual intercourse4 ,my hand being applied to the disk1 the index spelled out the following3 #ihe4 8,dear ,mother3 ,i am not dead1 but living in the love sphere of my ,father in heaven4 ,when you laid my little body in the ground1 it caused you many tears4 ,kind friends wept4 ,i see one here who was a faithful friend to you in that hour of anguish4 ,cherish her1 for she was a friend in need4 ,oh6 mother1 ,i wish you to believe that your little child is indeed with you4 ,i can come to earth when ,i wish to see you and father4 ,it only causes me to feel a little sad that you and father cannot see me4 ,f4 ,h4 ,w40 #ihf4 ,one of the ladies rose from her seat and accepted the communication as from her darling boy1 who had been put in his grave two years before4 ,the name was all right3 8,franklin ,henry ,wilcox40 ,the friend referred to was ,mrs4 ,wightman1 who had been a true friend in the trying hour of a mother's sorrow1 and had performed the solemn duty of preparing her dear child for the depository of his earthly remains1 and to pour balm on the heart of a bereaved and stricken mother4 #ihg4 ,about two months since1 two of the professors of the ,female ,medical ,college of ,pennsylvania1 one of whom1 ,dr4 ,harvey1 is favourably known to you1 called to see me in relation to the subject of ,spiritualism4 ,i had never seen either of these gentlemen4 ,after a few minutes' conversation on the topic in question1 ,dr4 ,h4 observed--8,we should like1 madam1 if you will be kind enough to favour us with a sitting1 to communicate with our spirit friends40 ,complying with the doctor's request1 ,i placed my hand on the disk1 and the subjoined was rapidly communicated3 #ihh4 8,my brothers in the glorious profession of medicine6 ,i greet you this afternoon with unabated affection and respect4 ,it seems like a dream that ,i have passed from your midst2 but passing away is written on all things of a perishable nature4 ,not so with the spirit1 which is an emanation from ,god4 #ihi4 8,my earthly career is closed1 and a brighter one is now in view4 ,oh1 the inexpressible delight which fills my soul when ,i behold the wondrous works of ,omnipotence6 ,here ,i can pursue1 untrammelled1 those subjects which were so delightful to me when an inhabitant of the mundane sphere4 ,oh6 that ,i had prepared my mind in some measure1 by proper investigation1 for this transcendent world of living beauties6 but the love of my profession filled my mind1 to the exclusion of the more important one of spiritual progression4 ,i would that ,i could converse with my beloved wife1 that ,i might console her for her early loss6 ,tell her that ,i am happy2 this will speak volumes4 ,,johnson40 #iij4 ,the foregoing was accepted by the doctors1 as coming from their colleague1 the late ,dr4 ,johnson2 and they said that he was the spirit they had wished to hear from4 #iia4 ,the same spirit has since communicated with ,dr4 ,h4 and has given him abundant evidence of his identity4 #iib4 ,many more incidents in my experience1 giving proof of the truth of spirit intercourse1 might be adduced2 but as time and space admonish me to bring my narrative to a close1 ,i reserve them for a future period4 #iic4 ,i have thus1 my dear friend1 given you a very hasty and imperfect sketch of my experience in ,spiritualism1 and my development as a medium4 ,little need here be said to prove1 to reflecting minds1 the value of this heaven-descended philosophy4 ,it is a theme that all may study with pleasure and profit1 when so disposed4 #iid4 ,whatever may be thought of modern ,spiritualism1 and however opposed it may be to many of the preconceived notions and opinions of mankind1 it is certain that there is nothing in its fundamental doctrines and teachings1 which may not be reconciled with the laws of ,god1 so far as these are known to man4 #iie4 ,it matters not1 ,i should think1 whether this movement is sanctioned or not by a former revelation1 as that would neither add to nor detract from its intrinsic merit4 ,spiritualism is endeared to the heart of thousands by its fond associations1 and mementoes of love and affection from those dear friends who have passed from their sight1 though still united to them by kindred ties4 ,it has gone on in triumph1 overspreading every ,state in our glorious republic1 and1 passing over the broad sea1 has reached the shores of other lands1 binding together the brotherhood of man in the sacred bonds of love1 and dispelling the discordant elements of strife and sectism which have hung over the world1 and like a dark pall1 imparted their sombre hue to the minds of men4 ,progress is its name1 and love its mission4 ,it has no affinity with vice4 ,it makes no war with right1 but inculcates the highest standard of morality4 ,it is noiselessly accomplishing its divine mission4 ,many a widow's heart is made to leap with joy by its benign influence1 and many an orphan feels its silent ministration4 ,many a prodigal son has been reclaimed at the brink of ruin by the voice of a spirit mother6 ,it is not only a few individuals who are to receive the blessings which flow from this new dispensation--the masses are to be benefited4 ,it inculcates principles which will strengthen the foundations of society1 promote harmony in the social system1 and ultimately unite all mankind under its broad standard of peace4 ,that ,spiritualism is rapidly extending its bounds1 and gaining hundreds of thousands of converts1 admits not of a doubt2 and that it has the elements within it to elevate1 reform1 and redeem the race1 it were folly1 nay1 madness1 to deny4 #iif4 ,eighteen months have scarcely elapsed1 my dear friend1 since our first acquaintance1 and you are aware of the circumstances which afforded me this highly-esteemed pleasure4 ,the event1 ,i am happy to say1 has proved an era in my own life that ,i shall always revert to with pleasurable and heartfelt emotion2 for its results have not only proved a blessing and solace to you1 but a source of much joy and happiness to myself4 ,though you have encountered much opposition1 and even abuse1 from the ignorant and illiterate as well as from the professed votaries of science1 in defending the cause of spiritual philosophy1 you have fearlessly and faithfully battled against error1 and planted your standard on the high pinnacle of truth4 ,and as ,david of old1 with the smooth stones of ,kedron1 slew the ,gathean giant1 and was met with songs of triumph and dances of joy by the daughters of ,israel2 so you1 armed with the panoply of truth1 have gone forth with the weapons of philosophy and reason to prostrate the hydra-headed monster2 and will1 ,i trust1 receive in your turn the acknowledgments and love of your grateful friends4 #iig4 8,there is a nobler strife than clashing spears1 ,a nobler peril than the battle-field2 #8,tis when1 with trust in ,god1 worn as a shield1 #8,midst universal hisses1 scoffs1 and sneers1 ,the man of truth with brow serene appears ,and stands forth singly1 for the right appealed ,to the ,eternal ,umpire2 nor will yield ,one backward step1 from policy or fears4 ,the savage1 bandit1 nay1 the brute1 is steeled #8,gainst bristling danger--e'en the worm uprears ,beneath the foot his tiny sting1 to crave ,a venomed vengeance2 but immortal years ,are full of glory for the ,christ-like brave1 ,who dare to suffer wrong1 that they from wrong may save40 ,very truly yours1 ,,margaret ,b4 ,,gourlay4 ,,illustration ,,of ,,the ,,practical ,,benefit ,,of ,,spiritualism1 ,,in ,,the ,,happiness ,,imparted ,,by ,,the ,,conversion ,,of ,,an ,,unbeliever ,,to ,a ,,belief ,,in ,,immortality4 #iih4 ,certainly1 in one conclusion all zealous religious sectarians will coincide4 ,i allude to that which makes belief in a future state of existence of the highest importance to the happiness of reasoning mortals4 #iii4 ,those who1 for faith in immortality1 have been satisfied to rely on the creed which they may have chanced to derive from their ancestors through education1 and have consequently felt the comfort of a belief in immortality thence arising1 may readily conceive of the benefit which must ensue to those of their fellow-creatures upon whom such a creed has not been impressed1 but who are quite sensible of the immense value of any facts tending to create such a belief in life to come4 ,it is to be lamented1 however1 that persons who have this impression contingently from a peculiar education1 are irritated at having analogous impressions created in a different way4 #ajjj4 ,but in obedience to any dissatisfaction thus arising1 to assail those who may acquire a knowledge of futurity by a new route1 is manifestly inconsistent with the golden rule4 ,as an exemplification of the benefit which the new evidences of another and a better world may produce in the minds of those who are not satisfied with that of revelation1 ,i will subjoin the account of his conversion indited by one of my esteemed friends1 ,doctor ,w4 ,geib1 who preceded me in spiritual investigation1 and has longer enjoyed the influence which ,spiritualism exercises over its votaries4 #ajja4 ,the author was a member of the circle under whose auspices my experimental tests were for the most part applied1 and was present on the very occasion when my own apparatus1 which had been contrived to disprove spiritual agency1 demonstrated its existence4 #ajjb4 8,the verdure and warblings of fifty springs had elevated the souls of the writer of the present sketch in wonder1 admiration1 and gratitude1 to the great ,omnipotent ,father of the ,universe1 without opening to his longing view a world beyond the grave4 #ajjc4 8,there was pain in the thought1 that scenes so enchanting1 feelings so susceptible to their charms1 a mind constituted to appreciate their miraculous wonders and pervading fascinations1 and to do homage to the great ,intelligence which gave them existence1 should in a few short years be destined1 like the foliage of the forest1 to death and decay4 #ajjd4 8,still1 to his mind there was arrogance in the thought that man could ever be the recipient of joys beyond those provided for him in common with all animal creation2 and he chased from his mind the sombre thought of death1 as a dreaded incubus upon life and the enemy of his few remaining joys4 #ajje4 8,but how changed the scene6 ,death1 once so disturbing to his peace1 so discordant with the moral attributes of his nature1 which #8puzzles the will1' and leads the mind to seek in wonder and discouragement the motive for human life1 is now but a #8consummation devoutly to be wished1' when this race of earthly life shall have been duly run2 when we may have filled the measure of our destined usefulness1 and secured by our moral affinities a joyful reception in the spheres above4 #ajjf4 8,and why this change in thought and feeling8 ,how are the horrors of the grave1 the dread of dissolution into the primordial elements of creation1 exchanged for the blissful assurance of immortal life for the soul of man1 in all its associate identity1 after it shall have departed from its earthly tenement of flesh8 #ajjg4 8,the answer to this all-absorbing question1 which sheds light into the gloomy recesses of the skeptic's mind1 and gives joy to his despairing heart--which supplied evidence where none had been sought1 conviction where it had been sought in vain1 and imparts to the accepted hope and faith of the professional believer1 the confirmation of a demonstrated fact--is to be found in the irrefutable evidence of ,spiritual ,philosophy4 #ajjh4 8,how invaluable is this dispensation of an ,almighty ,providence1 which has made his despairing creature1 a believer in the immortality of the soul of man2 has cleared from his mental vision the clouds of doubt and disbelief1 and has opened to his rejoicing mind the irrefragable evidence of a future life beyond the grave6 #ajji #8,hail now on earth the glorious day1 ,when infidels have learnt to pray2 ,when heaven's laws by reason blessed1 ,are all with fondest love confessed6 ,when man in bliss can look above1 ,and see a ,god in all his love2 ,can own with joy the mighty ,king1 ,and loud his hallelujahs sing4 ,throw back the gates1 ye heavenly band1 ,to loved ones show the spirit land2 ,hang out the beacon lights to see ,a home for all1 the bond and free4 ,and now the dreams of former days ,behold in those celestial ways2 ,where sorrow's eye is never seen1 ,where love and hope are ever green4'--,w4 ,g4 #ajaj4 8,the exhibition of so-called spiritual agency in ,new ,york ,city by the ,misses ,fox and their mother1 was the first incident that claimed my notice1 and excited my laughter and ridicule1 in this apparent new phase in the science of legerdemain4 #ajaa4 ,blitz and his wonders crossed my mental vision1 and seemed outdone by the results of this feminine exhibition1 in which the spirits of another world were invoked1 and aided in the performance4 #ajab4 ,this happened when psychology had been developed to a wondering world1 as the climax of magnetic phenomena in the wonderful attributes of man1 and was regarded by myself among many as the culmination of human research in the science of animal life4 #ajac4 ,meeting an intelligent friend who had bestowed much pains in the investigation of this department of science1 and inquiring of him as to the progress of magnetism1 ,i was answered1 that something much more wonderful than magnetism engaged his attention and occupied his mind at that time4 #ajad4 ,asking what the subject might be1 and being asked in return1 if ,i had not heard of the wonders of ,spiritualism1 a painful impression was made on my mind and feelings that1 where all had been regarded as sound and straight1 there must be some latent obliquity of thought2 that my friend1 as the ,spaniards say1 was a little tonto1 or that he was likely soon to become so1 was quite apparent4 #ajae4 ,however1 my strictest scrutiny could detect no decline of his intelligent and ingenuous mind1 and his well-digested remarks addressed to my incredulous ears1 gave proof enough that this might be another demand for the investigation of science1 and a step forward in the progressive development of nature's laws4 #ajaf4 ,being the leading member of a circle that held its meetings at his house1 and kindly acquiescing in my request to be present and witness the phenomena1 ,i found myself shortly afterward seated at a table1 on a ,sabbath evening1 with about twenty ladies and gentlemen1 whose every appearance was fatal to my preconceived prejudices against the understanding of those with whom ,i expected to be associated4 #ajag4 ,it was evidently a meeting for religious devotion4 ,sacred songs took the lead1 and my own voice1 as if impelled by a foreign influence1 was raised for the first time by the impulse of feeling to participation in this vocal prayer of gratitude and praise1 sung to the great1 almighty ,founder of the universe4 #ajah4 ,indeed it would be well for the cause of spiritual philosophy if all exhibitions of its wonderful and sacred phenomena were made under circumstances calculated to impress the mind with the greatness and dignity of its source4 ,to feel protected from the nefarious cupidity of the world is an important first step for the successful investigation of a subject so sacred in its character1 and so absorbing1 in contemplating the prospective existence of man4 #ajai4 ,seeing my associates place their hands flat on the table1 ,i followed their example1 and was soon made sensible of the reason1 by feeling what was recognised as electric concussion1 made by spirits to denote their presence4 #ajbj4 ,and ever will my mind recur with delight and gratitude to the influence on my moral nature of this mission of love and salvation to an invulnerable heart6 ,it flashed like electricity across the mind2 the clouds of skepticism were ruptured1 and shed a grateful and refreshing shower of hopeful joy on the feverish doubts of an unbelieving soul4 ,this beginning led to progressive investigation1 and that1 as is uniformly the case1 to a confirmed conviction of the communion of spirits with their friends on earth4 #ajba4 ,hearing much of physical demonstrations1 but having witnessed only the concussions1 vulgarly called the raps1 the question was put to my friend1 the gentleman already referred to1 if a demonstration could be had to gratify my curiosity1 and strengthen my assurance1 when the following dialogue occurred3 #ajbb4 #8,will the spirits be so obliging as to make a physical demonstration8' ,answered by three raps on the table1 which were responded to by an affirmative expression from the whole circle4 ,my seat was at the side of the medium1 a married lady of considerably more than ordinary weight4 ,question4 ,will the spirits move ,mrs4 ,d4 in her chair8 ,ans4 ,yes4 #ajbc4 ,as this demonstration was intended for my special benefit1 and our invisible friends were fully committed for its performance1 my attention was riveted on the lady who was to be the subject of it4 #8,madam1 will you please put your feet on the spar of the chair8' ,this being fully accomplished--#8and your hands in your lap1' was added4 ,as her hands dropped1 the lady left my side1 passed about two feet backward1 and immediately returned to her former position at the table4 #ajbd4 ,my astonishment was naturally raised to the highest pitch1 demanding of ,dr4 ,p41 who sat on her opposite side1 if ,i could believe my own eyes1 and that ,mrs4 ,d4 had really been moved from my side4 #8,oh1 certainly1' he replied2 #8that is nothing4 ,i have seen far more wonderful manifestations than that4' #ajbe4 ,the idea of collusion was too ridiculous to be entertained for a moment2 every consideration condemned it4 ,the carpet on which the chair stood on its slender legs1 with at least one hundred and fifty pounds added to its gravity1 must have been extensively injured had the chair remained in contact with it4 ,but not even a sound was audible1 and my mind was left to contemplate an invisible power that had effected the movement of a ponderous body in mid air4 #ajbf4 ,showing the interest of my own dear invisible guardian friends1 it was spelt out by the card1 the primitive mode of communication at that time1 that ,i should change my seat to the side of the medium2 and it was only after this change had been made that my mind was impressed to ask for a demonstration4 #ajbg4 ,by this demonstration of supernal agency ,i was delighted1 humbled1 and convinced4 ,as the octogenarian ,robert ,owen1 of ,london1 proclaimed to the world in a published letter1 in relating his own case1 ,i became a convert to spiritual life and intercourse by the force of this evidence1 because ,i should have considered any man a fool1 who1 with a mind free from the curse of a bigoted education1 and whose thoughts and feelings were not mortgaged to the world1 could reject such palpable and convincing proof1 and entertain a different conclusion4 #ajbh4 ,being subsequently in the city of ,new ,york1 ,i visited the public circles of ,mrs4 ,c41 a medium for automatic writing and the sounds4 ,being requested1 as the rest had been1 but without response1 to ask if any of my spirit friends were present1 my interrogation was answered by three distinct raps on the table4 #8,now ask who it is2 a father1 mother1 and so on2' and ,i was informed it was a son4 #8,is your sister with you8' #8,yes4' #8,will you spell her name8' #8,yes2' and it was correctly given4 #8,is her little son with her8' #8,yes4' #8,will you spell his name8' #8,yes2' and a name of seventeen letters was correctly spelt out by the card1 the letters being indicated1 when pointed to1 by three raps4 #ajbi4 ,my spirit son also informed me when he had died and of what disease4 ,i asked if they were happy4 ,it will be observed that my son's name had not been mentioned1 reserving it for a test4 ,three raps had replied in the affirmative to my question1 when the medium spasmodically seized a pencil1 extended a sheet of paper toward me1 and wrote upside down1 so that ,i might read it as written3 #8,we are looking forward for you to join us1 when we shall be more so2' and to my perfect delight and astonishment1 signed my son's name to the communication1 asking whether the name was correct4 #ajcj4 ,on a subsequent occasion1 when a large and respectable company was present1 ,i remarked to ,mrs4 ,c4 that she had reported the fact that foreign languages had been written by her hand4 #8,all kinds of language2 but ,i don't know any thing about them1' was the reply4 #8,if you have no objection1 ,i should like to get a communication from my son1 in a foreign language4' #8,oh1 not the least2 if he knew it in this world1 he will know it in the next4' #8,my son1 will you give me a communication in a foreign language8' ,answer1 three raps4 ,the company were all intent on this striking and convincing test of spiritual intercourse4 ,in ,french8 no2 one rap4 ,in ,spanish8 three raps4 ,the medium's hand1 as before1 seized the pencil1 and wrote upside down a communication to me in correct ,spanish1 though we all accepted her declaration1 that she was not acquainted with one word of the ,spanish language4 #ajca4 ,as it is said of our beneficent almighty ,father1 that when two or three are gathered together in his name1 he is with them1 so it is with the spirits of our dear departed relatives and friends4 ,when a few congenial1 harmonious spirits of earth are associated in virtuous love1 and their affinity for their supermundane spirit friends is strong enough to draw them here1 they come on missions of friendship1 and pour happiness into our hearts1 provided the presence of a medium1 possessing the required conditions1 affords them an opportunity4 #ajcb4 ,it has been my good fortune to be a member of such an association1 called a spirit circle2 and the communications which have come to me from my dear departed children1 and others who are dear to me1 filled with love and interest for my welfare in the world1 have given a value to life which it never had before1 supplying a stimulus to the heart and mind which has guarded them from the influence of surrounding excitements1 and strewed that path with many sweets which was too apt1 with less humility and resignation1 to be regarded with doubt and pursued with remorse4 #ajcc4 ,let it not be said that spiritual philosophy imparts no benefit to man4 ,it need not be asked if opening heaven to the mind of the skeptic is not a boon3 it is too manifest an axiom to be made a question4 ,is it no advantage to mankind to know that this life is a prelude to one in the skies8 no incentive to virtue to be taught that the beginning of our spirit life will correspond with the termination of our mundane existence1 and that our position there will be governed by our affinities here8 ,operating on spiritual1 as gravity does on physical1 matter1 and giving to crime a weight which holds the criminal back in the career of immortal happiness2 and that this must be first disposed of by the redeeming laws of nature before the soul can begin its progressive flight to spheres of celestial bliss4 #ajcd4 ,at one of those family harmonious associations at which spirits are wont to come1 ,i received a first communication from a much-loved daughter1 whose devoted affection in this world caused her untimely death to leave a large blank in my happiness1 till spiritual philosophy gave to my mind the assurance of her exalted bliss and unaltered love4 #ajce4 ,to hear1 as it were1 the voice of one who had been resolved1 agreeably to my belief1 into the primitive elements of her physical nature1 proclaiming her existence and transcendent happiness in scenes of surpassing beauty and fascination1 was well calculated to soften the heart1 however hard before1 and make it for the future a more ready recipient of happy impressions2 to open the floodgates of feeling1 waken up the latent sympathies of our nature1 and make us participants of those fountains of joy1 which flow from the blessings of pure religion4 ,letter from a ,spirit ,daughter4 #ajcf4 8#8,father ,dear3 ,i will give you some idea of my beautiful home4 ,think of all the flowers ever seen on earth blended in one1 all the heavenly strains of music blended in one strain1 all beauty combined1 and you will have a slight conception of the heavenly kingdom4 #ajcg4 ,poets have sung of heavenly joys1 but fancy cannot paint1 nor artist sketch1 the wondrous beauties of the spirit home4 ,darling father1 how glad ,i am to see you have begun to live for heaven6 ,i shall be one to welcome you when life's journey is over4 ,oh1 mother dear1 will you1 for the love you bear to us1 listen to the voice of your children8 ,we will give you all the proof you ask4 ,,maria40 #ajch4 ,this was all got by pointing to the letters on a card1 and taken down by a third person4 ,all in such a manner as to preclude the possibility of the least participation of any one in its production4 #ajci4 ,a beautiful and much-loved son1 who left this world at three years of age1 came to me1 at the end of twenty-seven years1 from the seventh supernal sphere1 with words of love1 consolation1 and advice4 ,such events1 to a believer in the spiritual doctrine1 are well calculated to arouse the strongest energies of the soul and inspire the best feelings of the heart6 #ajdj4 ,the regular progress of maturity of the spirit1 uninterrupted by the grave1 is made evident to our astonished minds by an event like this4 ,we are also admonished by the same source that decline is not an attribute of spirit life2 that old age recedes1 and infancy advances1 to the same point of maturity1 with entire immunity from all physical infirmity4 #ajda4 ,on last ,christmas-day1 being convalescent from a rather doubtful illness1 and musing alone on the wonders and blessings of spiritual intercourse1 ,i was induced to write the following letter to my much-loved spirit daughter1 from whom had come the preceding and many other communications3 #ajdb4 #8,dear angel ,child3 ,the untiring affinity of your cherished love1 which1 unobstructed by time and space1 makes you so often the companion of my mind and heart1 and the dear partner of my thoughts and feelings1 would seem to render the present object of addressing a letter to you and your dear brothers in heaven a superfluous task4 #ajdc4 ,but1 my dear ,maria1 my ever dear and cherished child1 with my growing faith in the blessed reality of spiritual existence1 ,i am becoming daily more anxious to preserve the history of my happy experience1 and also my correspondence with my beloved relations of this world1 who have preceded me in the progressive destiny of the human race4 ,beside which1 my beloved daughter1 it will assimilate1 revive1 and perpetuate that mundane correspondence1 the dear mementoes of which had their beginning seventeen summers since in your sick chamber on the banks of the ,hudson1 while an ambitious and youthful votary of ,minerva1 and ended on the ,alabama1 ever sacred to my memory1 with the termination of your worldly career1 a wife and a mother4 #ajdd4 ,the considerations which engage my mind and elicit my solicitude1 in this contemplated correspondence with my spirit relatives and friends1 are the mode of conducting it1 that may make them acquainted with its contents1 the fear of transcending the limits of propriety in the subject-matter of my letters1 and my solicitude to make all my thoughts1 feelings1 and acts as conformable to the high behests of spirit life as may be within the reach of my weak and earthly nature4 #ajde4 ,the communications ,i have received from you and your dear brothers1 and from your ,uncle ,john and ,aunt ,rebecca1 are a perpetual source of happiness to my mind1 and nothing1 while ,i am in this world1 can reflect so much joy on my heart as the continued correspondence of all the loved ones who have gone before me4 #ajdf4 ,your angel visits1 and those of my dear ,william1 during my recent bodily affliction1 have exercised that joyful influence on my heart and mind so essential in diseases of a dangerous nature and of doubtful termination4 #ajdg4 ,the assurance which you and your dear brother have given me1 that my sickness has had the happy effect to spiritualize my mental and physical nature1 has been already made manifest to my grateful mind by strengthened resolution for the future1 and a more exalted sense of the demands of that true spiritual philosophy which felicitates our life in this1 and secures for us a desirable position in the spheres above4 #ajdh4 ,flowing from my warm aspirations for the increased happiness of my fellow-creatures in this mundane sphere1 by the dissemination and growth of the spiritual doctrine1 ,i cherish a wish that this letter may be made to subserve that divine object1 by exhibiting to the world an irrefutable test of spiritual intercourse4 #ajdi4 ,for this purpose1 my dear angel child1 in your next interview through our much-respected medium1 allow me to request the favour of you to make my letter so far the subject of your communication1 as may exhibit the reality of your spiritual existence1 intelligence1 and clairvoyance1 and your continued correspondence of heart and mind with your happy father4 8,christmas1 #ahed4 #ajej4 ,shortly after writing this letter1 at the circle of which ,i am a member1 the following communication was spelled out on the spiritoscope or disc4 #ajea4 #8,darling ,father3 ,i wish to say something to you about ,william's communication4 ,he has impressed you since you were sick more than myself4 ,you are rapidly developing as an impressional medium4 #ajeb4 #8,we have been constantly with you4 ,having wished to give a communication the evening our friend 7a lady who is a very superior medium7 was with you and mother1 but the mode was too tedious4 ,it was an era in mother's life4 ,her opposition tends in some measure to repulse us2 not that we love her less1 but our loving natures must meet reciprocal tenderness4 #ajec4 #8,love begets love in the heavenly spheres1 as well as on earth4 ,i cannot say more at present1 but ,i think ,william will speak more at length about the letter4 ,,maria4' #ajed4 #8,what letter8' #8,father knows1' was the reply4 ,the next communication for me on the same evening was the following3 #ajee4 #8,father1 ,i wish you to read the letter which you have in your pocket-book before you go home2 it will dispel all doubts in your mind relative to its spiritual origin4 ,w4 ,g4' #ajef4 ,on the next evening1 finding myself incidentally one of a happy meeting of spiritual friends1 the following came for me through the spiritoscope from my brother1 referring to my letter3 #ajeg4 #8,brother ,william3 ,we are still with and around you4 ,during your sickness it was the province of ,maria to watch you daily4 ,other friends were near2 among these were father and mother1 with your sons ,jacob1 ,william1 and ,henry1 ,rebecca1 and many others bound to you by the ties of consanguinity4 ,on ,christmas-day we held a levee in your room4 ,if you could have seen us1 ,i think it might have disturbed your placidity1 but you sat as composed as if you were entirely alone4 ,i think if you will recall the circumstances1 you will confess that a power foreign to your own was exerting an influence to give forth spiritual monitions4 #ajeh4 #8,i am anxious that ,maria should make a communication in regard to the letter1 and she will do so when an opportunity offers4' #ajei4 ,on the next meeting of our circle1 the following beautiful letter was put in my hand by our intelligent and highly-developed medium1 ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 written by her under spiritual impression3 #ajfj4 #8,dear ,father3 ,i mentioned to you briefly at the circle that brother ,william impressed you to write the letter which you addressed to me on ,christmas-day4 ,i perceive with pleasure that my friend ,mrs4 ,g4 is now sufficiently under my control to answer your affectionate epistle4 ,the proposed correspondence between us affords me much pleasure1 and causes me to feel as if ,i were really to live over again the days of my earthly existence1 when ,i was blessed with the oft-repeated manifestations of your parental love and affection4 ,i flatter myself1 my dear father1 that this revival of loving association will tend much to your happiness as well as mine4 ,i will be a friendly star to guide you in your course over the troubled sea of life1 that you may not become submerged in its surging billows1 but arrive safely at the haven of eternal joy and felicity4 ,i will lift your soul by degrees to the source of love and wisdom1 and cause you to feel sensations of pleasure such as you have never before experienced4 ,you have a mind which delights in the beauties of nature and art4 ,let me tell you1 then1 that no scene of earthly grandeur which you have ever witnessed1 nor the sublimest flight of fancy of the wildest enthusiast in the cause of ,spiritualism1 can compare with the beauties and joys of the spirit home4 #ajfa4 #8,i regret that the members of my loved family are so much blinded by prejudice1 as to debar themselves the holy privilege of spiritual intercourse--a communion which would serve to connect them indissolubly with us1 and teach them of a world beyond death and the grave4 ,oh6 father1 how my heart rejoices that ,i can come to you with cheering words1 and pour into your willing ear the tidings of the gospel of peace1 which will prove a balm of consolation to your drooping spirit6 ,the ordinary trials of life are but as dew on the eagle's wing1 when the proud bird soars aloft to court the rays of the rising sun4 ,father1 ,i have already presented you with a view of the beautiful realities of my spirit home4 ,the picture ,i have drawn is no ideal one1 but a real and substantial scene of enduring pleasures4 ,now let me ask1 ,how will your joys compare with ours8 ,oh6 that the minds of my darling children might become imbued with an understanding of this most holy religion1 for ,i am conscious that it would add largely to their present and future bliss6 #ajfb4 ,dear father1 ,i perceive the emotions of your inmost heart1 and if the love of a devoted child can in any wise conduce to your happiness1 it is most freely thine4 ,oh6 that dear mother could feel as you do1 how happy her declining years on earth might become6 ,when she is disposed to listen to the voices of her spirit children1 it will be our pleasure to come to her 8with glad tidings of great joy40 ,wishing you both1 my dear parents1 all the happiness which earth can afford1 ,i subscribe myself your ever loving daughter4 ,,maria4'0 #ajfc4 ,the following letter was placed in a sealed envelope1 addressed and handed to ,mrs4 ,gourlay for an impressional reply4 ,a few days afterward the answer to it1 here annexed1 was handed to me by my esteemed friend1 the lady named1 with the original letter still in the sealed envelope as it had been handed to her4 ,this has to be regarded as a beautiful specimen of psychometric mediumship4 ,,philadelphia1 ,march #bc1 #ahee4 #ajfd4 ,my dear ,brother ,john3 ,your communication last evening at our circle of 8progress0 afforded me much gratification1 as you are doubtless aware from your pervading perception4 ,i regret that circumstances do not allow of a more frequent intercourse with my beloved friends of the spirit land4 ,it is also my ardent desire to hold communion with all my spirit relatives1 and would wish with you1 my dear brother1 to bring about this delightful consummation4 #ajfe4 ,your injunction of cheerfulness1 as an efficient means of securing a healthful equilibrium of the vital organism1 ,i can fully appreciate1 and shall endeavour to profit by your welcome brotherly and excellent advice1 as far as circumstances will permit4 ,it is true1 my dear ,john1 that a longer sojourn here harmonizes with my desire to effect some objects1 the accomplishment of which would probably add to my happiness here1 and my claim for congenial association4 ,the object to which ,i allude is the amelioration of the condition of the poor and wretched of my fellow-creatures1 making them through my agency the recipients of some active benevolence4 #ajff4 ,i have imbibed the opinion that the only acceptable offering at the throne of the great ,god1 is the actual performance of those duties which are incumbent on us as individuals and social beings2 beginning with the establishment of our own personal physical and moral character1 and those of our own household and immediate social circle of relatives and friends2 and then1 to the accomplishment of this1 to cultivate the sentiment of benevolence in aiding to promote the individual welfare of mankind in the use of what talent and other means may have fallen to our lot4 ,i am prone1 in my relations with the great ,omnipotent ,ruler of the universe1 to apply the time-honoured maxim1 8,actions speak louder than words40 #ajfg4 ,your invitation1 my dear brother1 to increase my intercourse with my spirit friends1 finds in my heart and mind a very ready compliance4 ,you propose a daily appropriation of time to this object4 ,if you will do me the favour to appoint the time most agreeable to them and most desirable for myself1 it shall be1 to the fullest extent of my power1 sacredly devoted to a duty and pleasure that are nearest to my heart4 #ajfh4 ,i feel the assurance that the good earth-character and intelligence of my spirit family1 and the extent of our mutual love and affinity1 afford me a more than ordinary opportunity for receiving information of that bright world which has become a delightful prospective inheritance to me and to thousands of doubting1 fearful1 and despairing minds4 #ajfi4 ,your inspiring cheerfulness1 my dear ,john1 has already verified your sensible prognostic of the great influence on disease of a cheerful mind4 ,i have learnt to entertain a high opinion of the bright intelligence and clairvoyance of the more elevated denizens of the spirit world2 and shall always1 therefore1 regard any advice that may be offered me for the better government of my body and soul as a welcome and precious offering from those ,i love4 ,i will close for the present with the assurance of my unaltered affection4 ,,william4 #ajgj4 ,my dear ,brother3 ,with heartfelt love and affection ,i respond to your letter in reply to a message which ,i delivered through the instrumentality of our devoted friend1 ,mrs4 ,gourlay4 ,during our happy interchange of thought1 it will be my endeavour to suggest such ideas to your mind as may serve to elevate it and develope its capabilities4 ,to the mind that is ignorant and prejudiced1 this mode of communion with the invisible world may seem to be a direct violation and infringement of nature's laws2 but it is1 on the contrary1 not only natural1 but perfectly legitimate to the age in which you now live4 ,it is not a new revelation1 but simply the discovery of hidden truths peculiarly adapted to the present advanced state of the race4 ,it is old material in a new form4 ,the material and spiritual elements are contributing1 as never before1 to the elevation and happiness of mankind1 and already is established a spiritual telegraph on which ,i am at this moment successfully operating--sending a message of love to you1 my brother4 #ajga4 ,you say my words of cheer have wrought a change for the better in your system4 ,this is a result which naturally follows a strict adherence to my prescription--cheerfulness4 #ajgb4 ,you desire to know what time would be most advisable for you to sit for spiritual communion4 ,i would say1 early in the morning1 before the mind becomes taxed with the cares of the day1 make a record of your impressions4 #ajgc4 ,you observe that it gives you great pleasure to receive messages from those in the spirit world who are bound to you by the ties of relationship4 ,let me assure you1 my dear brother1 that the feeling is mutual2 and while time lasts with you1 it will be our endeavour to gladden your heart with tokens of our increasing and untiring love4 ,your cup of happiness shall be filled to the brim1 if it depends on us4 #ajgd4 ,brother1 may you meet with friends true and kind2 may the labours of the cheerful morn render each day a happier one to you2 and when night steals upon a slumbering world1 may you close your outward eyes in peace with all mankind6 ,keep the mind's sunshine bright6 ,you have a soul to feel for others' woes1 and this is the true stamp of divinity4 ,,john4 ,,marriage ,,on ,,earth ,,and ,,in ,,heaven4 ,the ,hymeneal ,tie in the ,spirit ,world grows out of the necessity of the ,connubial ,union in the ,mundane ,sphere4 8,free love0 imputation refuted4#ai #ajge4 ,some peculiar views respecting marriage1 which are not consistent with the ideas of female delicacy and chastity heretofore entertained1 have been designated by the name of 8,free ,love10 and have been commented on as proceeding from the spirit world4 ,i am happy to say that1 agreeably to the impressions which ,i have derived from my spirit friends1 any doctrine1 having a tendency of the kind thus described1 would be at least as much censured in the spirit world as in this4 ,as the best mode of removing this groundless imputation on ,spiritualism1 ,i will state the impressions which ,i entertain on the subject of marriage4 #ajgf4 ,among the sources of happiness in the spirit world much insisted on is that resulting from a combined union of those really created for each other4 ,the marriage contracted in this world1 loses its binding power in the spirit world1 yet may endure if mutually desired4 ,if a husband has had several wives1 or a wife several husbands1 the tie endures only between the most congenial pair4#bj #ajgg4 ,sexual association is the means throughout nature by which the perpetuation of species is effected4 ,but that this association may exist among human beings without degradation1 it is manifestly necessary that it should not be indiscriminate4 ,not only delicacy1 modesty1 and the cultivation of congenial affection1 but likewise the interests of offspring1 require that the parents and children should form one family4 ,the welfare of children1 their equal duty to both parents1 and natural affections between the parents and their children1 must make a separation painful to all parties1 however affection may have declined between the husband and wife1 on the part of either or both4 #ajgh4 ,hence1 in the mundane sphere1 the perpetuation of the human race consistently with decorum1 and the welfare of offspring1 and the happiness of the parties1 especially the mother and wife1 seems to be the great object of matrimony4 ,in the spheres it is difficult to perceive how any motives of equally high importance can exist4 ,it must be that connubial union in the spirit world rather grows out of marriage in this world1 in order to fill up the void in the heart which might otherwise arise from our mundane habits4 ,it would seem as if it were a benevolent indemnification for celibacy1 or for the miseries so often resulting from the connubial state in this world1 consequent1 like the sufferings of child-bearing1 to the perpetuation of mankind4 #ajgi4 ,it seems to me an error to suppose that the terrestrial marriage can be a secondary object with ,god1 when the important part which it performs is taken into view4 #ajhj4 ,incapacity to maintain a family often renders it impossible for those who would marry to come together1 and worldly motives induce marriages1 even when disgust or indifference may exist on the part of one1 if not on that of both the parties4 #ajha4 ,it seems1 moreover1 even where marriage actually results from the passion of love1 that it is more or less the consequence of a species of hallucination1 through which lovers deck an object with all that they would wish to exist in the way of merit1 and feel toward them an affection proportionate to their own capacity to love1 rather than of the degree of power in the object1 reasonably to excite such intense partiality4 ,it is thus that the love of the mother to the child she believes to be her own1 will be powerful in proportion to her own capacity for maternal love1 rather than of the child to excite love2 since though it be a monster1 and not really her own child1 but fraudulently substituted therefor1 it will cause no diminution of her maternal devotion4 #ajhb4 ,it is the impression on the mind that determines the object to which the passion is directed2 the character of the being actuated by the passion1 which determines its strength4 #ajhc4 ,but where to all those qualifications which would create friendship between persons of the same sex1 the peculiar emotions which take place between those of different sexes are superadded1 those who come together in this world under the hymeneal tie1 may find it something more than a mere civil contract1 and not terminated by death4 ,moreover1 independently of the original passion1 there arises an affection which is justly distinguished as conjugal1 and which differs from the other in this highly important particular1 that it is founded on a thorough reciprocal knowledge1 instead of that ignorance which too often accompanies attachments produced by the arrows of the blind god1 as ,cupid is sometimes designated with figurative consistency4 #ajhd4 ,having always supposed that independently of the emotions peculiar to the sexes1 there could only be friendship between a man and woman like that which would exist between a brother and sister1 ,i am at a loss to understand what it can be which1 in the spiritual state of existence1 can induce indissoluble marriage4 #ajhe4 ,on submitting the suggestions comprised in the preceding statement to the spirit to whom ,i owe much information1 herein quoted1 and to the spirit of a most intimate male friend1 by both it was alleged that peculiar emotions were attendant on sexual affection in the spheres1 as well as on earth1 so far as consistent with the absence of that which exists in common with brutes4 ,,the ,,morality ,,of ,,christendom ,,being ,,irreconcilable ,,with ,,the ,,new ,,testament1 ,,cannot ,,be ,,its ,,legitimate ,,offspring4 ,inspiration can have no higher authority1 than the human testimony on which its existence is arrogated4 #ajhf4 ,is it not a mistake to suppose that any doctrine gains any validity by claiming inspiration as its source1 when there is nothing but human testimony to advance in support of that claim8 ,for if in the instance of ,spiritualism1 human testimony is deemed to be unavailable1 how comes it to avail when adduced in support of this arrogant claim of inspiration8 ,as well might a man expect to cure the defect of a marshy foundation by substituting columns of iron for wooden posts1 or that1 while resting on wood1 the support could be made firmer by introducing iron into the superstructure4 #ajhg4 ,as the introduction of the iron would diminish the competency of the foundation in proportion to the augmentation of weight1 so the claim to inspiration lessens the competency of the testimony upon which it is advanced1 proportionally as the incredibility is increased4 #ajhh4 ,but as respects the ancient witnesses1 their own statements make them out unworthy of confidence4 ,facts or circumstances are stated which are manifestly blasphemous1 inconsistent1 and absurd1 if not impossible4 ,thus a want of veracity or of discretion being demonstrated in some points1 is sufficient to destroy validity in all4 #ajhi4 ,revelation assumes ,god to be omnipotent1 omniscient1 prescient1 and all good1 yet represents him as under the necessity of subjecting his creatures to probation1 to find out what1 by the premises1 he must foresee4 ,it represents him while wishing his creatures to know him and his attributes1 as not teaching them that which he wishes them to learn1 yet punishing them and their posterity for ignorance arising from his own omission4 #ajij4 ,it does not suffice to allege that the ,old ,testament taught ,god's will to the ,jews2 since it is to me incredible that our ,heavenly ,father would give instruction of vital importance to a few of his children1 leaving all the rest uninstructed1 and yet afflict them for this result4 ,but1 admitting this possible1 it appears that the instruction given the ,jews in the book of ,moses failed in those particulars1 which are of paramount importance4 #ajia4 ,in the ,bible1 ,god is represented as susceptible of jealousy1 of wrath1 of authorizing the butchery of three thousand ,israelites for worshipping a golden calf2 sanctioning the massacre of the whole nation of the ,midianites1 with the reservation of the virgins for violation by the bloody murderers of their kindred2 the outrageous deception and fraud on the part of ,jacob2 swindling the ,egyptians by borrowing their ornaments with intention of purloining them2 hardening the heart of ,pharaoh1 yet afflicting his subjects for the obduracy thus produced2 instructing ,saul to surprise and massacre the ,amalekites1 even to each 8suckling babe01 for a wrong done by their ancestors some hundred years before1 as authorizing the hewing down with a sword the regal prisoner ,agag in cold blood1#ba and sanctioning the destruction of whole pagan communities by ,david4#bb #ajib4 ,the following is the account given of this favourite of ,jehovah3 8,and ,david said in his heart1 ,i shall now perish one day by the hand of ,saul3 there is nothing better for me than that ,i should speedily escape into the land of the ,philistines2 and ,saul shall despair of me1 to seek me any more in any coast of ,israel2 so shall ,i escape out of his hand4 ,and ,david arose1 and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto ,achish1 the son of ,maoch1 king of ,gath4 ,and ,david dwelt with ,achish at ,gath1 he and his men1 every man with his household1 even ,david with his two wives1 ,ahinoam the ,jezreelitess1 and ,abigail the ,carmelitess1 ,nabal's wife4 ,and it was told ,saul that ,david was fled to ,gath3 and he sought no more again for him4 ,and ,david said unto ,achish1 ,if ,i have now found grace in thine eyes1 let them give me a place in some town in the country1 that ,i may dwell there3 for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee8 ,then ,achish gave him ,ziglag that day3 wherefore ,ziglag pertaineth unto the kings of ,judah unto this day4 ,and the time that ,david dwelt in the country of the ,philistines was a full year and four months4 ,and ,david and his men went up1 and invaded the ,geshurites1 and the ,gezrites1 and the ,amalekites3 for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land1 as thou goest to ,shur1 even unto the land of ,egypt4 ,and ,david smote the land1 and left neither man nor woman alive1 and took away the sheep1 and the oxen1 and the asses1 and the camels1 and the apparel1 and returned1 and came to ,achish4 ,and ,achish said1 ,whither have ye made a road to-day8 ,and ,david said1 ,against the south of ,judah1 and against the south of the ,jerahmeelites1 and against the south of the ,kenites4 ,and ,david saved neither man nor woman alive1 to bring tidings to ,gath1 saying1 ,lest they should tell on us1 saying1 ,so did ,david1 and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the ,philistines4 ,and ,achish believed ,david1 saying1 ,he hath made his people ,israel utterly to abhor him2 therefore he shall be my servant forever40 #ajic4 ,here is massacre1 spoliation1 base lying to ,achish1 his truly noble-hearted friend1 whom he deceives into a belief that he had made the people of ,israel abhor him1 when it was his intention to become king of ,judea1 and of course the enemy of his too-confiding protector1 whenever an opportunity offered4 #ajid4 ,praise be to ,god that he has sent us a new way to religious light1 not associated with this detestable immorality6 #ajie4 ,jehovah is made to arrest the sun1 in order that ,joshua may slaughter his flying foes4 ,he is described as authorizing the ,jews to extirpate their neighbours and seize their territory4 ,i do most conscientiously declare that the portrait of ,jehovah by the ,bible appears to me more suitable for ,satan than for our heavenly ,father1 who is represented by the spirits as perfectly impartial and equally loving to all his creatures4 #ajif4 ,the example set in the ,bible of slandering and persecuting those who did not believe in its doctrines1 has ever been followed out by scriptural devotees1 who would presumptuously represent that it is only from the ,scriptures1 which they recognise as the word of ,god1 that a correct knowledge of the divine attributes can be obtained4 ,but this is the converse of the truth4 ,as described by ,seneca1 the ,roman ,sage1 the ,god of the ancient theist was to the ,jehovah of the ,bible as ,hyperion to ,satyr4 7,see ,seneca's opinions of ,god1 #abbd7 #ajig4 ,it appears to me a striking proof how far men can be demented by educational bigotry1 that it should be supposed that their omnipotent ,god can require human missionaries' aid to promulgate or carry out his will4 ,did ,god a special creed require1 ,each soul would he not with that creed inspire8 #ajih4 ,the ,old ,testament does not impart a knowledge of immortality1 without which religion were worthless4 ,the notions derived from the gospel are vague1 disgusting1 inaccurate1 and difficult to believe4 ,the ,pentateuch did not give the ,jews an idea of immortality1 nor were those ,jews distinguished for morality1 who from other sources than the ,pentateuch embraced a belief in immortality4 ,it has already been pointed out that the most enlightened sect among the children of ,israel1 the ,sadducees1 did not believe in a future state1 while the ,pharisees1 who professed to believe therein1 appear to have been so immoral as to be pre-eminently the objects of ,christ's denunciation4 #ajii4 ,as respects the precepts of ,christ1 those on which he laid most stress are not only neglected1 but grossly violated1 by the opposite course being sanctioned by the overruling sentiment of society4 ,nothing would subject a man to more contempt in ,christendom than a tame submission to blows1 or being so poor as to wear patched or ragged clothes4 ,there are few1 if any1 in ,christendom1 who would not rather have any deficiency in attire attributed to accident or taste1 than to poverty4 #aajj4 ,i have shown that the idea which the ,pharisees entertained of heaven1 as portrayed by ,josephus1 representing the wicked like the rich man within sight of the good1 would be a hell to a good-hearted angel4 ,this representation is sanctioned by ,christ in his story of the rich man and ,lazarus4 ,the only reward promised to his apostles was worldly preeminence in the form of judgeships4 ,hence it were hardly reasonable for those who are subordinate in merit to the disciples to expect any better remuneration4 ,hell is as absurdly as horridly typified by eternal exposure to interminable fire4 #aaja4 ,thus neither among the ,jews1 nor among ,christians1 has the ,bible furnished any adequate account of a future state1 nor has it been productive of higher morality2 since the only morality which does exist1 is coupled not only with the neglect1 but with the violation of those precepts which the gospel inculcates4 #aajb4 ,diogenes took a lantern to see if he could find an honest man in ,greece4 ,were any one to employ a lime-light1 he would not in ,christendom find a ,christian who carries out in practice the precepts of his divine ,master4 ,if those who know their ,master's will1 yet do it not1 are to be beaten with many stripes1 while the ignorant pagan is to bear but few1 were it not better to be a pagan than such a ,christian as those are1 for the most part1 who exist in ,christendom8 ,unless our missionaries can make better ,christians1 is it not inhumane to add to the number8 #aajc4 ,on calling on a bigoted1 self-styled disciple of ,christ to show me anyone who put the precepts of ,christ into practice1 the reply was1 8,we rely on his merits40 8,that is all you do10 said ,i4 8,in common with others of your tenets1 you make the blood of ,christ a fund on which every sinner may draw in proportion as he has confidence in its detersive influence40 #aajd4 ,i am supported in some of the views above presented1 by a communication from a believer in revelation1 under the signature of ,bosanquet1 to the ,baltimore ,church ,times1 for ,june #ae1 #ahdh4 ,i will quote a portion of this communication1 which is as follows3 #aaje4 8,but the want of faith is more open and direct than this1 and it is the more obvious and pointed upon religious subjects4 ,the ,bible is boldly and practically denied in every particular4 ,no class or body of men believe and obey it1 and strange as it may seem1 it is by no nation1 or people1 or churches1 or sects of men1 less implicitly believed and followed than by those very people and sections of the church who talk so much about it4 ,there are no persons less obedient to the plain sense and mandates of the written word of ,god1 than those who most speak of and uphold it as the sole authority and standard1 and reject all assistance from the history of the church and what is spoken against as tradition4 ,every class of persons reject some portion or other of the sacred ,scriptures4 ,if you talk to some of temporal honour and rewards1 and the observance of a day of rest1 and the patriarchs1 they will say1 ,oh6 that is the ,old ,testament1 and is abrogated4 ,if you speak to others of good works1 they will say1 ,oh6 that is only in the ,gospels1 and the ,epistles carry us much beyond that1 and are superior to it4 ,unitarians1 again1 receive a ,bible of their own2 that is1 just so many passages are excluded as will suit their own belief and purpose4 ,others1 of numerous sects1 dwell each upon some half dozen chapters1 or passages1 or phrases1 or words of ,scripture1 of the ,epistles especially1 and dwell upon them idolatrously and devotedly1 to the exclusion of all the rest1 so far as the authority of ,scripture is concerned1 from belief and practice4 #aajf4 ,this is even in the religious world--the thinking and reasoning world4 ,let us now turn our observation to the world itself2 to the working and practical4 #aajg4 ,the ,bible is denied in every particular4 ,men do not believe that we are really to be ,christians2 that we are to imitate our ,lord4 ,they do not believe that the world could possibly go on if all men were to act upon pure ,christian motives1 and up to a perfect ,christian rule3 if they were to forgive and forget injuries2 if they were not to resent an affront2 if they were to give to people because they asked them3 if they were to lend money without looking for interest2 if we were all to give up luxuries1 and style1 and costly furniture and equipage2 if we1 our cattle and servants1 were strictly to observe the day of rest4 ,how many are there among us who believe that #8the tree of knowledge' is not an absolute good8 or that we ought to receive the gospel with the simplicity of little children4 ,who believes that we ought to honour our father and mother1 and our sovereign8 ,who is there that acts up to the precept that we ought not to judge others in their character8 ,how many are there who appear to believe that it is not right to be anxious about the future2 that riches are not a good thing2 that the entrance into heaven is easier to the poor man2 that we ought to return a tenth to ,god2 that we would bring a blessing to give freely and largely to the poor2 that children are a blessing and a gift from the ,lord1 and that the man is happy who has his quiver full of them8 ,it is evident that in all these points the ,bible is disbelieved and is practically denied1 and does not control or guide us in our habits and principles of life and society4 #aajh4 ,still less do we believe that the public measures1 the laws1 and government of the state1 and the intercourse with other nations1 ought to be1 or can be1 carried on and conducted upon ,christian principles4 ,what number or classes of persons believe that righteousness exalteth a nation8 that we are punished according to the national sins of the people1 and for the sins of the rulers8 and that if wicked and irreligious men preside over our councils1 we shall as a nation suffer the penalties of it8 or that the conscience of the government is the conscience of the people1 and that our rulers are bound to take the first care for the pure religion and morals of the country2 and that1 if they do so1 their righteousness will bring down a blessing upon the nation8 #aaji4 ,to come again to more direct practice1 and to our own habits of life4 ,who is there who thinks first what is right1 and according to the pattern of ,christ1 and after the will of ,god1 in what he is about to do1 and not what is wise and expedient8 ,who seeks first the kingdom of ,god1 and ,god's rule of righteousness1 and trusts that all temporal good consequences will follow upon it8 ,who is there who thinks and abides only by the rule of what is right and commanded8 ,we may almost answer in the words of ,scripture1 #8,there is none righteous1 no1 not one6' ,who believes in and trusts to the assistance and suggestions of the ,spirit in his designs and undertakings1 and believes1 and acts1 and writes1 and thinks1 as believing that the most useful and important and influential suggestions of our thoughts and invention come to our mind by the inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit1 more than by our own cleverness1 and exertion1 and memory1 and prays for divine help upon commencing every task1 or writing1 or undertaking accordingly8 ,who forbears strictly and endeavours to expel at once all thought and every suggestion of the mind in worldly matters on a ,sunday1 with confidence and faith that the same and more useful thought will be supplied on the succeeding week-days1 and that the unqualified dedication and sanctification of the ,lord's day will make the labour of the six days more effectual and fruitful than would be that of the seven8 ,who would believe now that a sabbatical year would not necessarily be impracticable and ruinous1 or that a populous country could exist under such a rule1 or that it would not produce a debasing and demoralizing idleness80 #aaaj4 ,let not the reader infer that these admissions come from a free-thinker4 ,the following remarks will prove the writer one of the faithful1 in the sense in which this epithet argues a mind chained down by abject enthralment1 to put any constructions on facts but that which is subversive of educational prejudice3 8,all the evils of which the existence is admitted are due to our narrowing down our reception of truths and facts to the limits of reason--of our own more or less shallow individual reason40 #aaaa4 ,now to me it seems that the nominal profession of a faith in facts which are absurd and contradictory1 and professed reverence for precepts which are as utterly impracticable as unwise in the abstract1 induces this monstrous incompatibility of the actual morality of ,christendom with the professions of ,christians and doctrines of ,christianity4 #aaab4 ,our submission to scriptural authority is not to be governed by our own reason1 but by that of persons who lived many ages ago1 originally assumed to be inspired by ,god1 upon human testimony2 which in the case of ,spiritualism1 or any other than the one in point1 is treated as mere chaff4 #aaac4 ,it strikes me1 from the considerations presented under the head of ,mundane ,wealth1 that the precepts of ,christ were fundamentally erroneous1 so far as they discredit and discourage efforts for the honest acquisition of wealth4 7#ijh47 #aaad4 ,god has given the fowls of the air feathers as a natural clothing1 and thus any effort to procure clothing on their part is rendered unnecessary2 he has not given them hands nor intellectual ingenuity to spin and weave4 ,on the other side1 with little exception1 man is naturally devoid of clothing1 and requires clothes to protect him from the scorching solar rays or freezing blasts of winter1 but has been furnished with the hands and the ingenuity to spin and weave4 ,under these circumstances1 was it reasonable to allege that man should be governed by the example of the feathered creation8 ,was it reasonable to infer that there should be no spinning or weaving by men1 because there neither was nor could be any performed by fowls8 #aaae4 ,again1 the lily1 like all other vegetables1 not only comes into existence naked1 but remains so1 since it neither can nor will clothe itself1 and would perish if by any artificial clothing it were shut out from the influence of the solar rays1 and from the absorption of carbonic acid1 which furnishes the vegetable creation with the carbon requisite for the fibres essential to stability4 ,hence the allegation that ,solomon in all his glory was not clothed like the lily1 is irreconcilable with the nature and actual state of this beautiful flower1 which is destitute of clothing by nature1 and which would perish if it were clothed4 ,the skin of vegetable leaves1 to a certain extent1 performs for them what mouths do for animals4 ,how unreasonable1 then1 to argue from one to the other1 that man should imitate the vegetable2 or to compare a plant1 naturally and of necessity naked1 with a king gorgeously clothed8 #aaaf4 ,the degrading a rich man1 whether honest or not1 to the level of a felon or murderer1 as respects accessibility to heaven1 and of course favour in the sight of ,god1 is so erroneous1 that there never was a precept which was less respected in practice1 by the votaries of its author4 ,as ,i have heretofore remarked1 the conduct of ,christians is not merely negative in respect to this precept--they do not merely neglect it2 their course is the converse of any obedience to its dictates4 ,yet professed ,christians while violating their divine ,master's behests in a way which makes their performance the inverse of the results which their professions involve1 for the most part treat any person who does not profess devotion for ,christ's doctrines1 as actually more culpable than themselves1 and more liable to retribution after death4 ,this is about as just as for a man1 who after marrying a woman and calling her his wife1 should act the inverse of the obligations imposed by the connubial contract1 and then consider an individual who had never entered into any obligation with her of any kind1 as guilty of sinful neglect in not acknowledging as a wife1 one whom he never married4 ,the question is1 who treats the woman most ill1 he who acknowledges but neglects1 or he who does not display a hymeneal devotion which he never led her to expect8 #aaag4 ,again1 the precept to return good for evil1 would1 if acted up to1 encourage evil4 ,were a man to submit quietly to be robbed1 whipped1 and cheated1 he would encourage robbing1 flagellation1 and fraud4 ,far wiser is the precept of ,confucius1 8,return good for good2 for evil1 justice40 ,the impracticable precept of ,christ is so far from being carried out by professing ,christians1 that in their conduct to the aborigines of ,africa1 ,india1 and ,america1 they have always been aggressive1 always rewarding the hospitality of the natives with fraud and violence1 and their conduct toward each other is the inverse of the ultra precept of ,christ--8,return good for evil40 ,they not unfrequently return evil for good4 #aaah4 ,there is1 as ,i think1 nothing more injurious than the habitual violation of acknowledged professions4 ,if the violator be aware of his inconsistency1 it involves the incessant perpetration of manifest wickedness2 and if his mind be so cramped by education that he commits such violations unconsciously1 it must degrade the all-important power of distinguishing good from evil4 ,thus1 in the garb of truth1 ,dark error leads ,with best intent ,to evil deeds1 ,the bigot to ensnare4 #aaai4 ,it is this nominal devotion to the doctrines of ,christ1 with a demeanour diametrically in teeth of them1 which causes that anti-,christian morality which ,bosanquet portrays4 #aabj4 ,but ,i am conscientiously of opinion that the respect paid to ,abraham1 ,jacob1 ,moses1 ,samuel1 ,david1 c41 by which one five hundred-millionth of the blood of ,abraham is made an honour to ,jesus ,christ1 is among the reasons of the low state of morality among those who consider the ,bible as the ,word of ,god1 and are thus led to view with indulgence1 prostitution1 murder1 massacre1 rape1 cheating1 and fraud4 ,agreeably to the opinion of a champion of ,christianity1 already quoted1 8,the worshipper is assimilated to the imaginary deity whom he worships40 #aaba4 ,with the exchange of two words for two other words1 the verses which ,pope ascribes to ,eloisa1 might well be uttered by many self-called ,christians1 who in defending the gospel from any conscientious attack1 hesitate not at any intemperance of language1 and yet think that the marriage ceremony is all that is called for4 #aabb4 8,ah6 wretch1 believed the spouse of ,god in vain1 ,confessed within the slave of love and man40 #aabc4 ,although the substitution of the words wealth and power for love and man would spoil the rhythm1 it would not lessen the applicability to the great mass of those who call themselves ,christians1 while not only neglecting1 but positively violating the precepts of ,him by whose blood they still hope1 by a due degree of faith1 to wash away their transgressions4 #aabd4 ,the universe1 as it is presented to my mind1 induces a belief that it must have a presiding deity of commensurate power4 ,as there are millions of suns1 each having its planets2 as the space which it occupies appears to us little short of infinity2 as it must have endured from eternity1 and must endure eternally1--the power and glory of this presiding deity must be commensurate with his realm1 as to extent and magnificence4 ,yet evil exists2 which can only exist from choice on his part1 or because it cannot be avoided4 ,there must be a want of will or power to prevent or remove evil4 ,such is the ,god which my reason obliges me to acknowledge4 ,where impressions are the offspring of reason1 they cannot destroy their parent4 ,but those who owe their opinions of their deity to tradition1 have a deity which1 not having originated from reason1 may always be made the means of setting its dictates aside4 #aabe4 ,the bigot's god is a dangerous idol1 although he be not represented by an image2 and no less dangerous is any book which owes authority to hereditary1 intolerant dictation and servile devotion4 #aabf4 ,the fear of public opinion1 or a desire to do what is deemed right among men1 seems to be the principal motive for religious professions and church-going in the great mass of society4 ,the prevailing morality being1 as already noticed1 not only neglectful of ,christ's precepts1 but absolutely the inverse of them--not only permitting1 but calling for a course diametrically opposite1 as respects the acquisition of wealth and submission to wrongs--shows that it is not generally founded on a desire to cultivate the good will of ,christ1 but to square with sectarian opinion4 ,i hold that one cause of this is1 that the conviction of a future state1 in which happiness is in proportion to our deportment here1 is not so deep as that which ,i now have4 ,under the conviction which ,i have1 nothing could tempt me to act in such way as to produce a retrograde influence on my pretensions as a spirit4 #aabg4 ,it seems to me1 as urged by me before1 that no one believing the language of ,abraham1 as narrated and sanctioned by ,christ1 to have come authenticated direct from the ,son of ,god1 and consequently expecting it to be verified1 would render himself liable to the punishment of ,dives for the sake of enjoying the good things of this world4 #aabh4 ,the idea that souls are to remain in the grave till the 8last day10 the procrastination of that day and geological knowledge being inconsistent with the belief that any such day will arrive1 makes the sinner less fearful1 the good less hopeful1 and diminishes the number of those who are actually1 in their worldly conduct1 influenced by their hopes or fear of future rewards or punishments4 #aabi4 ,the expectation of washing away sin through the merit of a bigoted belief in ,christ1 co-operating with the vague1 contradictory1 and irrational idea of heaven and hell recorded in ,scripture1 seems to be the reason why ,christians act so inconsistently with the precepts of ,him whom they professedly adore4 #aacj4 ,nothing can be more inconsistent with the religion inculcated by my spirit friends1 than the idea of atonement for sin by faith in any religion1 true or false4 #aaca4 ,had there ever been any available light let in from the spirit world1 this error had been denounced1 and having been thus stamped as erroneous from on high1 could not have acquired or retained its mischievous hold of so many millions of human beings1 by substituting blind faith for genuine virtue4 ,injurious ,influence of unreasonable ,restriction4 #aacb4 ,another reason why1 throughout ,christendom1 the vices most deprecated by ,christ are those pre-eminently prevalent1 is that his precepts were absolutely impracticable1 unless explained away in the style of ,lord ,peter in the 8,tale of a ,tub40 #aacc4 ,some of the excellent ,society of ,friends may1 as respects war1 have been obedient to the precepts of ,christ1 and probably in other respects deviate from them less than most other sects2 but as to wealth their course is the inverse of giving away their money4 ,they are rationally among the most active and successful in the honest acquisition of money4 ,in this they would act morally1 excepting the violation of their recognised obligation to obey the precepts of ,christ4 #aacd4 ,does not experience show that nothing is more injurious to morals than unreasonable restraint8 ,this has been seen in the profligacy of the children of puritanical sectarians4 ,to disobey an unreasonable restriction always appears comparatively a trivial offence4 ,going to a play1 in the opinion of the mass of the world1 is not sinful2 but for a minor to go to a play in disobedience of parental authority1 by stealth1 deception1 or lying1 becomes sinful delinquency1 and introduces a habit which may lead to crime as wicked as that of the conduct of ,jacob to ,esau4 ,lying and deceiving for venial purposes will soon induce the habit4 ,the restriction from eating pork or drinking wine has no doubt induced much deception and falsehood among the followers of ,mohammed1 and thus made a crime where none would have existed4 ,in like manner1 the putting a rich man on a footing with a felon1 as respects access to heaven1 forbidding the resistance to blows or spoliation1 makes almost every professed ,christian practically unfaithful to his professions1 and of course an infidel of the worst kind4 ,more or less of this infidelity is involved in various ways1 as above admitted by 8,bosanquet40 #aace4 ,if the history of ,christianity1 so called1 be reviewed1 it will be found that the deviations from the precepts of ,christ during the present age are quite venial1 compared with those which took place during the thousand years or more in which ,romanism had the ascendency4 #aacf4 ,a painful picture of the morals of the clergy during that period may be found in a recent work by ,bishop ,hopkins of ,vermont4 ,it would seem as if the crimes and indecency displayed during the ,middle ,ages1 exceed even those of ,abraham1 ,moses1 ,jacob1 and ,david1 and ,samuel1 the cruel1 despotic pope of ,judea4 ,the deposition of ,saul for not killing ,agag1 and his hewing his royal prisoner down with a sword in cold blood1 may have been looked to as a justification of pontifical cruelty and despotism4 ,no one would believe that a capable farmer would make such a mistake as to sow garlic instead of wheat4 ,yet ,god1 while represented as having intended to sow ,protestantism1 is considered as having caused1 throughout ,christendom1 a crop of ,catholicism1 in the ,roman or ,grecian form1 for more than a thousand years2 those weeds still occupying more than half of the whole soil4 #aacg4 ,the immense importance attached by mankind to correct religious impressions is demonstrated1 in the first place1 by the enormous expenditure throughout this world in sustaining those who are conceived by their constituents to be the true expounders of religion2#bc and1 in the second place1 by the blood and treasure which have been expended either in missions or in wars1 for the extension or defence of the impressions believed by various sectarians to be the most accordant with truth4 #aach4 ,yet it must be plain that in no case has there been any higher evidence than that of an alleged human communication1 direct or indirect1 with some recognised deity1 if not the true ,god4 ,if the will of ,god has ever been revealed1 the number who have actually pretended to an interview with him1 or with any immortal subordinate spirit are very few4 ,the ,old ,testament depends upon the testimony of ,moses and a few ,hebrew prophets1 whose inspiration rests upon their own allegations1 respecting themselves or each other4 #aaci4 ,as regards the basis of ,christianity1 there are two irreconcilable opinions3 one held by the ,protestants1 the other by the ,roman ,catholics2 since although there is a great diversity of opinion between ,protestants1 there is between all ,protestants and ,papists this difference3 ,the latter relying on their own church as the sole depository of all the evidence of ,christianity1 do not allow any direct recourse to ,scripture for a rule of faith4 ,the former reject the claims of the church of ,rome1 and resort to the gospel for their rule of faith4#bd #aadj4 ,but wherefore should such implicit confidence be placed in language alleged to have been held by ,moses or any other ancient author8 or should they be credited1 even when they allege ,god to have used such words as these1 8,let me wax hot in my wrath that ,i may consume them40 ,the motive for this imputation against ,god1 was that ,moses might take credit for moderation in slaughtering only three thousand of ,god's chosen people in one day1 for worshipping a golden calf1 made by his own brother1 afterward made high-priest4 ,thus the ringleader1 being the brother of ,moses1 was loaded with honours1 while those whom he led astray were to be massacred in cold blood4 ,yet it is on such witnesses as this blood-thirsty1 blasphemous bigot1 that orthodoxy relies for assuming the ,pentateuch to be the word of ,god1 censuring1 if not persecuting1 all who do not concur with it4 #aada4 ,the intercourse with the angel ,gabriel rests upon the evidence of ,mary alone1 who was interested immensely to make her child a god1 instead of being her illegitimate offspring4 ,of the dream of ,joseph there can be no witness besides himself4 ,but would a dream be now admitted as testimony in any court of justice4 #aadb4 ,the diversity of opinion existing between ,romanists and ,protestants1 are briefly exhibited in the subjoined quotations from the controversy between ,archbishop ,hughes and the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,breckinridge4 ,they have already been cited by me in a pamphlet on the better employment of the first day of the week4 ,here are the opinions of two men highly qualified to judge4 ,in one1 we have an eminent champion of ,romanism2 in the other1 a no less able champion of ,calvinism4 ,to the latter belongs the distinction of having persecuted the ,quakers and witches1 and of having roasted ,servetus2 to the former1 putting some hundreds of thousands to death or torture by the sword1 the rack1 or the fagot4 #aadc4 ,agreeing with each of the parties that the other is in the wrong1 ,i1 of course1 assume that they are both in error4 ,taken together1 they may be considered as proving that there is no evidence in favour of ,christianity1 which ,i have not the authority of eminent ,christians for rejecting4 ,in the #bith page of the controversy between himself and ,breckinridge1 ,bishop ,hughes speaks as follows3 #aadd4 8,my fourth argument was1 that the ,protestant rule of faith actually undermines the authority of the ,scriptures1 by extinguishing the proofs of their authenticity and inspiration1 and consequently terminates in moral suicide4 ,just imagine to yourself an ordinary will or testament1 written but twenty years ago1 purporting to be the last will and testament of a wealthy deceased relative1 and designating you as heir1 but without either signature or probate1 and ask yourself what it would be worth8 ,could such a document establish its own authenticity8 ,and yet this is precisely the situation to which the ,protestant rule of faith reduced the ,scriptures1 by which1 and by which alone1 their authenticity could have been established4 ,st4 ,augustine1 of whom ,presbyterians are sometimes wont to speak with respect1 declared that it was the testimony of the church which moved him to believe in the ,scriptures4 ,but now the order of belief is #8reformed4' ,men pick up 7pardon the phrase7 the sacred volume1 as they find it floating on the sea of two thousand years1 and by one great but gratuitous act of belief1 which flings all intermediate church authority and tradition to the winds1 they say #8the ,bible is the ,bible1 and we are its interpreters1 every man for himself4'0 #aade4 ,it seems not to have occurred to the right reverend champion of the ,catholic creed1 that it is not more true that a testament without witnesses is of no validity1 than it is true that the testimony of witnesses claiming under the will1 cannot be admitted4 ,a document written after the death of the testator would not be considered in a court of justice as entitled to the name of a testament4 ,but were persons to write a will after a man's death1 and bring it forward1 claiming under it supremacy1 would their claim produce any result beside derision8 #aadf4 ,the distinguished prelate justly treats the gospel as resting on the traditionary evidence of the church2 since1 as he truly urges1 the church existed before the gospel1 having been instituted at the time when his instructions were given to the apostles by ,christ4 #aadg4 ,but how much value is to be attached to the testimony of the church1 may be learned from the following opinion of the learned clergyman to whom ,i have alluded as the other party in the controversy1 7pages #ce1 #cf37 #aadh4 8,the unwarrantable liberties of your church with the word of ,god show her fallible to a deplorable degree4 #aadi4 ,your rule1 if observed1 requires implicit faith in the decretals and interpretations of fallible men1 which is subversive of the very nature and end of religion in the soul4 ,faith supposes knowledge1 conviction on evidence1 and trust in ,god1 founded on a belief of divine truth2 but your rule requires unconditional submission to the dicta of the church in the lump4 ,the #8,carbonaria fides1' or faith of the collier1 is the very faith required4 ,it is as follows3 ,when asked1 #8,what do you believe8' he answered1 #8,i believe what the church believes4' #8,what does the church believe8' ,ans4 #8,what ,i believe4' #8,then what do you and the church together believe8' ,ans4 #8,we both believe the same thing4' ,this is the grand catholicon for believing every thing1 without knowing any thing4 ,in this soil grew the maxim that #8ignorance is the mother of devotion4' ,it is believing by proxy1 or rather not believing at all1 in the true sense4 ,here is the secret of the unity of your church40 #aaej4 ,to conclude1 ,i agree with the right reverend able and learned archbishop1 that ,christianity has no witnesses but those disciples of ,christ whom he calls the church2 but ,i also concur with his able1 learned1 and reverend opponent1 that the said church is neither competent as a witness1 nor reliable as a foundation for ,christianity4 #aaea4 ,breckinridge does not perceive that the gospel on which he relies1 and the recorded traditions which ascribe that work to inspiration1 have no better foundation than the testimony of fallible men4 #aaeb4 ,manifestly1 however1 the authority of the church of ,rome cannot be overset without oversetting the authenticity of the ,christian religion4 #aaec4 ,could any one believe that an experienced farmer would sow a field with garlic when intending to have a crop of wheat8 ,would not the conclusion be that if a field upon his farm were occupied by that objectionable weed1 it must have been the spontaneous production of the soil1 not of a mistake so gross on his part8 ,yet our prescient ,god is represented as so much inferior in foresight to an ordinary farmer1 that while the religious soil of ,christendom was for ages occupied with crops of ,catholicism1 in the ,grecian or ,roman modification1 the seed of ,protestantism was sown by ,god through his son and vicegerent1 ,christ1 intending to have the soil occupied by ,protestantism4 ,manifestly1 either it was intended that ,catholicism should prevail1 as above described1 or an omnipotent1 omniscient1 and prescient ,god did not preside over the seeding4 #aaed4 ,yet notwithstanding this diversity as to the true import of ,christianity between the most distinguished ,christian sectarians1 each sect conceives itself justified in propagating its own peculiar opinions among ignorant pagans4 ,the principle being thus sanctioned1 that those who believe themselves to have become acquainted with religious truth1 are justified in propagating a knowledge of it1 wherefore should not that privilege be exercised by a spiritualist as well as a ,christian8 #aaee4 ,humility is one of the virtues inculcated by ,christ2 but if his disciples assume to themselves a peculiar capacity to know what is true1 and an exclusive right to teach what they thus assume to be truth1 there will be no humility in their practice1 however it may be blazoned among their professions4 #aaef4 ,the view which ,i have presented in the preceding pages is corroborated by a personage of no less authority than ,william ,pitt1 afterward the ,earl of ,chatham1 and prime minister of ,england4 ,his opinions1 alleged to have been originally published in the ,london ,journal for #agcc1 are as follows3 ,letter of ,william ,pitt4 8,pure ,religion and undefiled before ,god and the ,father1 is this3 to visit the ,fatherless and ,widows in their afflictions1 and to keep one's self unspotted from the ,world40 #aaeg4 8,gentlemen3 ,whoever takes a view of the world1 will find1 that what the greatest part of mankind have agreed to call religion1 has been only some outward exercise esteemed sufficient to work a reconciliation with ,god4 ,it has moved them to build temples1 flay victims1 offer up sacrifices1 to fast and feast1 to petition and thank1 to laugh and cry1 to sing and sigh by turns2 but it has not yet been found sufficient to induce them to break off an amour1 to make a restitution of ill-gotten wealth1 or to bring the passions and appetites to a reasonable subjection4 ,differ as much as they may in opinion concerning what they ought to believe1 or after what manner they are to serve ,god1 as they call it1 yet they all agree in gratifying their appetites4 ,the same passions reign eternally in all countries and in all ages1 ,jew and ,mohammedan1 the ,christian and the ,pagan1 the ,tartar and the ,indian1 all kinds of men who differ in almost every thing else1 universally agree with regard to their passions4 ,if there be any difference among them1 it is this2 that the more superstitious1 the more vicious they always are1 and the more they believe1 the less they practise4 ,this is a melancholy consideration to a good mind2 it is a truth1 and certainly above all things1 worth our while to inquire into4 ,we will1 therefore1 probe the wound1 and search to the bottom2 we will lay the axe to the root of the tree1 and show you the true reason why men go on in sinning and repenting1 and sinning again through the whole course of their lives2 and the reason is1 because they have been taught1 most wickedly taught1 that religion and virtue are two things absolutely distinct2 that the deficiency of the one might be supplied by the sufficiency of the other2 and that what you want in virtue1 you must make up in religion4 ,but this religion1 so dishonourable to ,god1 and so pernicious to men1 is worse than ,atheism1 for ,atheism1 though it takes away one great motive to support virtue in distress1 yet it furnishes no man with arguments to be vicious2 but superstition1 or what the world means by religion1 is the greatest possible encouragement to vice1 by setting up something as religion which shall atone and commute for the want of virtue4 ,this is establishing iniquity by a law1 the highest law2 by authority1 the highest authority2 that of ,god himself4 ,we complain of the vices of the world1 and of the wickedness of men1 without searching into the true cause4 ,it is not because they are wicked by nature1 for that is both false and impious1 but because to serve the purposes of their pretended soul-savers1 they have been carefully taught that they are wicked by nature1 and cannot help continuing so4 ,it would have been impossible for men to have been both religious and vicious1 had religion been made to consist wherein alone it does consist2 and had they been always taught that true religion is the practice of virtue in obedience to the will of ,god1 who presides over all things1 and will finally make every man happy who does his duty4 #aaeh4 ,this single opinion in religion1 that all things are so well made by the ,deity1 that virtue is its own reward1 and that happiness will ever arise from acting according to the reason of things1 or that ,god1 ever wise and good1 will provide some extraordinary happiness for those who suffer for virtue's sake1 is enough to support a man under all difficulties1 to keep him steady to his duty1 and to enable him to stand as firm as a rock1 amid all the charms of applause1 profit1 and honour4 ,but this religion of reason1 which all men are capable of1 has been neglected and condemned1 and another set up1 the natural consequences of which have puzzled men's understandings1 and debauched their morals1 more than all the lewd poets and atheistical philosophers that ever infested the world2 for instead of being taught that religion consists in action1 or obedience to the eternal moral law of ,god1 we have been most gravely and venerably told that it consists in the belief of certain opinions which we could form no idea of1 or which were contrary to the clear perceptions of our minds1 or which had no tendency to make us either wiser or better1 or1 which is much worse1 had a manifest tendency to make us wicked and immoral4 ,and this belief1 this impious belief1 arising from imposition on one side1 and from want of examination on the other1 has been called by the sacred name of religion1 whereas real and genuine religion consists in knowledge and obedience4 ,we know there is a ,god1 and know his will1 which is1 that we should do all the good we can2 and we are assured from his perfections1 that we shall find our own good in so doing4 #aaei4 ,and what would we have more8 are we1 after such inquiry1 and in an age full of liberty1 children still8 and cannot we be quiet unless we have holy romances1 sacred fables1 and traditionary tales to amuse us in an idle hour1 and to give rest to our souls1 when our follies and vices will not suffer us to rest8 #aafj4 ,you have been taught1 indeed1 that right belief1 or orthodoxy1 will1 like charity1 cover a multitude of sins2 but be not deceived2 belief of1 or mere assent to the truth of propositions upon evidence1 is not a virtue1 nor unbelief a vice2 faith is not a voluntary act1 does not depend upon the will2 every man must believe or disbelieve1 whether he will or not1 according as the evidence appears to him4 ,if1 therefore1 men1 however dignified or distinguished1 command us to believe1 they are guilty of the highest folly and absurdity1 because it is out of our power2 but if they command us to believe1 and annex rewards to belief1 and severe penalties to unbelief1 then they are most wicked and immoral1 because they annex rewards and punishments to what is involuntary1 and1 therefore1 neither rewardable nor punishable4 ,it appears1 then1 very plainly unreasonable and unjust to command us to believe any doctrine1 good or bad1 wise or unwise2 but1 when men command us to believe opinions which have no tendency to promote virtue1 but which are allowed to commute or atone for the want of it1 then they are arrived at the utmost pitch of impiety1 then is their iniquity full2 then have they finished the misery1 and completed the destruction of poor mortal man2 by betraying the interest of virtue1 they have undermined and sapped the foundation of all human happiness2 and how treacherously and dreadfully have they betrayed it6 ,a gift1 well applied1 the chattering of some unintelligible sounds called creeds2 an unfeigned assent and consent to whatever the church enjoins1 religious worship and consecrated feasts2 repenting on a death-bed2 pardons rightly sued out2 and absolution authoritatively given1 have done more toward making and continuing men vicious1 than all the natural passions and infidelity put together4 ,for infidelity can only take away the supernatural rewards of virtue2 but these superstitious opinions and practices have not only turned the scene1 and made men lose sight of the natural rewards of it1 but have induced them to think1 that were there no hereafter1 vice would be preferable to virtue1 and that they increase in happiness as they increase in wickedness2 and this they have been taught in several religious discourses and sermons1 delivered by men whose authority was never doubted1 particularly by a late ,rev4 prelate1 ,i mean ,bishop ,atterbury1 in his sermon on these words3 #8,if in this life only be hope1 then we are of all men the most miserable1' where vice and faith ride most lovingly and triumphantly together4 ,but these doctrines of the natural excellency of vice1 the efficacy of a right belief1 the dignity of atonements and propitiations have1 beside depriving us of the native beauty and charms of honesty1 and thus cruelly stabbing virtue to the heart1 raised and diffused among men a certain unnatural passion1 which we shall call a religious hatred--a hatred constant1 deep-rooted1 and immortal4 ,all other passions rise and fall1 die and revive again2 but this of religious and pious hatred rises and grows every day stronger upon the mind as we grow more religious1 because we hate for ,god's sake1 and for the sake of those poor souls1 too1 who have the misfortune not to believe as we do2 and can we in so good a cause hate too much8 the more thoroughly we hate the better we are2 and the more mischief we do to the bodies and states of these infidels and heretics1 the more do we show our love to ,god4 ,this is religious zeal1 and this has been called divinity2 but remember1 the only true divinity is humanity4 ,w4 ,,pitt40 ,offer of ,guidance by a ,mundane ,spirit4 #aafa4 ,the ,rev4 ,allen ,putnam1 whose narrative of his conversion to ,spiritualism1 has been submitted1 gave a very sensible and interesting lecture on this new doctrine1 at the ,melodeon1 in ,boston1 last ,october4 ,one of his remarks struck me as being very well warranted by my own observation and experience4 ,he said that we are wont to express indignation at the absurd1 cruel1 and unnatural ,chinese custom of cramping the female foot2 but to him it appeared that in ,christendom a much worse practice existed1 that of cramping the minds of females by bringing them up zealous sectarians1 their opinions1 in general1 being determined by their parentage4 ,thus ,miss ,a4 is a ,romanist2 ,miss ,b4 an ,episcopalian2 ,miss ,c4 a ,calvinist2 ,miss ,d4 a ,methodist2 ,miss ,e4 a ,jewess2 all most excellent creatures in any other respect excepting the effects of educational sectarianism1 which had been interchanged1 had their parentage been commuted4 7#bei47 #aafb4 ,one of the blessings of ,spiritualism1 according to my view1 is1 that this cramped state of the mind1 which attaches importance to various phases of analogous educational error1 will be removed by receiving their opinions from the same source4 ,but it seems that one of the most amiable and interesting among those angelic devotees1 has been actuated by the same anxiety for my salvation from hell1 that ,i have felt for her emancipation from the educational ligatures imposed upon her otherwise excellent understanding4 ,the following letter is the fruit of her zeal in my favour3 ,august #a1 #ahee4 #aafc4 ,my dear ,sir3 ,you have too much kindness yourself1 not to receive in kindness what is so intended2 and you have too much politeness not to grant as much as you ask of a friend4 ,i1 therefore1 with all confidence1 send you the enclosed letter1 written by one of the first intellects in the country4 ,now1 if when you send your pamphlets and the papers you wish me to read1 you will state that you have read this letter1 7with the care you wish me to read yours17 not to refute but to comprehend the mind of the writer1 ,i will do the same4 ,but1 as what ,i send to you requires higher power than any power in created man1 ,i will continue to pray to this higher power1 this ,creator of all things1 that you may so read under his blessing and guidance1 7before whom you and the very world upon which you tread1 are but a molecule or mite17 that you1 ,i say1 may find that salvation for your immortal soul1 which you seem so much to desire4 ,if you believe that your father and sister exist1 and consequently1 that you have a soul that cannot die1 you must feel a deep anxiety with us all for the future welfare of this soul1 and will not treat with indifference the attempt to offer you that which is a complete satisfaction to your friend6 #aafd4 ,i would avoid argument1 as two persons at opposite points can never see the objects in the same light2 but ,i send simply the ,christian's plan of salvation1 to which ,i only ask you to attend as carefully as ,i attended to the statement of your theory4 ,when ,i return to ,new ,york permanently1 ,i will inform you4 ,as ,i am anxious to retain these papers1 and life is uncertain1 please so arrange them that they may easily be found1 should any thing happen40 #aafe4 ,the following lines1 which are subjoined in the title page of my pamphlet1 addressed to the ,episcopal clergy1 would have forewarned any but an enthusiast1 that there was an outwork to be conquered before any impression could be made3 #aaff4 ,if ,god can creatures make to suit his will1 ,foresee1 if they can1 his design fulfill1 ,wherefore those creatures to trial expose1 ,traits to find out1 which he thus foreknows8 #aafg4 ,persons who should differ about axioms could never agree in mathematical demonstrations1 nor is it possible for ,a and ,b to agree in theology1 when ,a assumes what to ,b appears to comprise a contradiction within its premises and conclusions4 ,having for years held the opinion conveyed in the above lines1 to be self-evident truth1 it is of course useless to debate with those who take an opposite view1 especially just at this time1 when ,i believe that opinion to be sanctioned by my spirit friends4 ,this opinion was urged in my letter to the ,episcopal clergy2 yet this kind adviser has not seen1 or has not taken pains to understand1 its all-important bearing4 #aafh4 ,the letter of this charming woman commences with begging the question4 ,it is assumed that the arguments of her clerical friend require for comprehension a higher power than any power created in man4 ,but this to me appears fanatical presumption1 just as much as it would be in any other sectarian4 ,the excellent authoress of the epistle puts herself in a class of females whom it has been my object to emancipate from the restraint imposed upon their minds1 no less cramping than that to which the feet of ,chinese ladies are subjected4 #aafi4 ,it must be evident1 that unless there was a successful precursory effort by facts and reasoning1 to make me believe that what appears to me below good sense1 is actually above it1 her inference that discussion would be useless is quite evident4 ,but this amounts to an admission that the opinions which it is her object to impart1 are not founded in reason4 #aagj4 ,her clerical friend falls into the same error1 as will appear from the following quotation4 ,the last postulate in the world which he could induce me to admit1 would be that any thing which owes its existence entirely to barbarous1 wicked1 ignorant1 covetous1 and blood-thirsty men1 can be ,god's word1 and1 therefore1 paramount to human reason4 #aaga4 ,how would he enable an idiot to believe in the ,bible1 or in any thing8 ,is not our capacity to believe correctly1 greater as our reason is better by nature8 ,it is only through his own intellectual faculties that he has received his opinions and can defend them4 ,it is through my reason that my head and heart repel the ,old ,testament as1 for the most part1 the work of a set of unprincipled bigots1 comprising allegations which the present state of astronomy and geology demonstrate to be fallacious1 and which1 independently of that cramping of the intellect by education1 which it is my ardent desire to remove1 would be denounced replete with indecency1 immorality1 and misrepresentation of ,god4 #aagb4 ,it is striking that this kind lady1 in referring to my sister and other spirit friends1 should suppose that ,i would slight the direct heartfelt evidence received from them1 in obedience to impressions felt by her in common with every other devotee to any religion whatever4 ,they could1 with just as much consistency1 appeal to their tenets1 and assume their 8,koran10 their 8,shasters10 or 8,zendavesta0 to be above my reason4 #aagc4 ,but the whole tenor of this application shows that the authoress expects to set aside the results of nearly twenty months' investigation1 creating in me a firm devout conviction that ,i have a correct knowledge of the spirit world1 received through my relatives1 friends1 and high spirits1 in deference to those of a set of people of whom ,i know nothing but ill4 ,may ,god do that for her which she has so benevolently implored for me1 and remove from her brain the influence of educational narrowness4 ,i would utter the same aspiration for the divine whom she has brought in as her advocate1 who ,i hope as sincerely believes what he alleges1 as ,i believe in the communications of my guardian spirits4 #aagd4 ,but this superior intellect1 it will be shown1 falls into one of the most inexcusable errors1 into which a tyro in reasoning can fall1 that of founding his arguments on premises which are emphatically denied by the other party--a gross begging of the question1 that the ,bible is the word of ,god1 and paramount to human reason4 #aage4 ,in a subsequent part of this letter1 ,hume's excellent rule is set aside3 that we must weigh the probability of the evidence against the improbability of the miracle4 ,rochefoucault alleges1 #8,tis better to tell a probable lie1 than an extremely improbable truth4 ,by what evidence can any record be proved true1 when it is vastly more probable it should be false1 than the facts recorded by it should be true4 #aagf4 ,manifestly1 there are but these two ways in which any record can command credence3 either there must be external evidence sufficient to weigh against the improbability of the facts which it has recorded2 or those facts must be of a nature to create belief from their probability1 from what is called internal evidence4 ,as to external evidence1 clearly any amount of that1 may be adduced without creating a belief in spiritual manifestations4 ,human evidence is wholly inadequate to prove any thing which sectarianism does not wish to admit4 ,considering the external evidence of ,scripture as vastly inferior to that on which ,spiritualism is founded1 and the miracles recorded1 and the doctrines taught1 as carrying no evidence of their truth1 but the contrary1 ,i do not understand upon what reasonable ground they are to be identified with the word of ,god4 #aagg4 ,this fascinating lady supposes that she gave ear to my exposition of my views2 but ,i am under the impression that she is quite deaf to any thing that does not concur with her fanatical impressions1 otherwise she would never have looked upon me as one to be converted from the opinions which ,i entertain by the reasoning of her clerical friend1 beginning with a begging of the question3 assuming that revelation is ,god's word1 in order to prove it to be ,god's word4 #aagh4 ,so the ,bible is true because of the miracles which it records2 and these are true because the ,bible records them6 #aagi4 ,if she can so confine her mind as to become master of the pyramid of facts which ,i have raised in favour of ,spiritualism1 she will perceive that all other evidence of immortality sinks into insignificance as compared with it4 ,now all this may be nominally abrogated by denying the truth of it4 ,but if ,i do not rely on my own senses1 is it likely ,i shall rely on those of other persons1 in whom ,i have no more confidence than her clerical adviser and herself have in ,mohammed and his disciples4 #aahj4 ,i subjoin a portion of the letter of the clerical champion1 whose reasoning this interesting devotee deems so conclusive4 ,i have gone over the whole of it1 and have ascertained that by substituting ,allah for ,god1 ,mohammed for ,christ1 ,prophet for ,redeemer1 ,mediator for ,saviour1 it has a qualification which would be deemed a merit elsewhere1 if not in ,christendom3 it would serve just as well to uphold the religion of ,mohammed1 as that of ,christ4 #aaha4 ,the letter is so long that it would occupy too many pages to give the whole2 but ,i will give a portion1 sufficient to show how the reasoning1 on which many sectarians rely1 may be just as good for any other creed1 founded on an arrogation of premises1 as that for which they contend4 #aahb4 8,allah forbid that ,i should depreciate the value of reason in any of its offices4 ,reason is ,allah's gift to man1 and must be used as ,allah designs4 ,but so is the ,koran ,allah's gift to man1 and must be used as ,allah designs4 ,two gifts from the same perfect being cannot conflict with each other4 ,the ,koran in its teachings and revealings may go beyond or rise above the comprehension of our reason1 because reason in man is a finite and imperfect gift1 while the ,koran from ,allah opens the mind of an infinite and perfect being4 ,but the ,koran does not and cannot in any thing contradict reason1 because ,allah does not and cannot contradict himself4 ,unless1 therefore1 you are prepared to say that the ,koran is not ,allah's gift to man--if you are a believer in its true divine inspiration--you must see and admit that when the ,koran1 as ,allah's mouth1 reveals any thing which our reason cannot as yet comprehend1 because beyond or above1 though not against1 that reason1 then ,faith must submissively receive the revelation addressed to it1 and ,reason stop her speculation and shut her mouth at the limit which ,allah has set4 ,reason has to do with the evidences which show the ,koran to be ,allah's gift2 with the grammatical and intended sense of what ,allah taught and revealed in the ,koran1 and with the use of what in the ,koran is clear to the comprehension of man4 ,but here ,reason's province ends4 ,when the ,koran goes beyond or rises above this point1 ,reason must pause and adore1 and ,faith must go forward and receive4 ,i do not hold1 as you intimate1 that the right exercise of reason #8is impious1' or that ,reason is to be discarded and ,faith substituted1 if by this be implied any thing incompatible between the proper offices of ,reason and ,faith2 but ,i mean that our finite reason is to stop at the limit assigned her by her author1 and let ,faith as a higher power go forward and receive what ,allah teaches or reveals to her acceptance4 ,faith can now receive more than ,reason can as yet comprehend4 ,she does so in the province of nature2 she must do so in the province of revelation4 ,this cannot be denied without taking at once the ground of the infidel--a ground from which1 ,i doubt not1 you would shrink back as from the border of an open pit of destruction4 #aahc4 ,i am thus brought to your remark1 that #8,the ,mohammedan system1 as generally received1 is not difficult to understand4' ,if this be strictly true1 it must be because that system1 #8as generally received1' is not the true system2 for1 in this sense1 or as truly and rightly received1 the ,mohammedan system contains various things which it is difficult to understand1 if by understanding be meant comprehending4 ,we may1 indeed1 understand that a fact or a truth exists or is revealed1 while that fact or that truth itself is1 for the present1 utterly beyond or above our comprehension4 ,and this is precisely the case with the ,mohammedan system rightly viewed4 ,it contains various facts and truths which our reason cannot yet fathom4 ,natural reason loves to separate and set aside these great and high things from the ,koran as non-essentials1 and then to busy itself with those parts of the ,koran which are level with its own height2 pleased with the dream that it has grasped enough1 has grasped all that can be of any real value4 ,believe me when reason does this1 for one who has the ,koran in his hands1 she plays at a perilous game4 #aahd4 ,the main position which ,i have thus far taken is1 however1 virtually conceded in another part of your letter4 ,alluding to what ,i had urged as to the importance of acknowledging ,mohammed as your mediator1 and relying on his mediation only for justification as all-sufficient1 reconciling all difficulties1 and removing all embarrassment from the consideration of the union of justice and mercy in the deity1 you say3 #8,but does it remove all embarrassment8 ,is not ,allah himself the author of the plan of salvation8 ,was not ,mohammed himself ,allah1 and also his vicegerent8' ,the impossibility of answering these questions satisfactorily to the plainest reason1 teaches me to recoil from the impiety of inquiring how my ,maker will save me or reconcile his own attributes8 ,i know full well that the great mass of human minds are totally incapable of considering such a subject with any approximation to a solution of it1 and therefore do ,i feel that the eternal salvation or condemnation of mankind does not depend on such theological questions4 ,here you directly admit the inability of reason in most minds satisfactorily to comprehend some of the great and high points of the ,mohammedan system1 and the consequent impiety of her attempting such a comprehension4 ,you might as well explicitly admit her inability for this comprehension in all minds2 for no mind in its present state can by reason alone grasp all that ,allah has revealed in the ,koran4 ,these great and high things are not proposed to reason alone1 but to reason so far as their evidence is concerned1 and to faith so far as their substance is to be received4 ,reason may satisfy herself that they are revealed4 ,faith alone can take in the substance which they contain4 ,when they are proposed to it1 faith must receive them1 or salvation cannot come1 whether the reason of the individual addressed be the #8plainest' or otherwise4 #aahe4 ,your argument in the above extract does not satisfy me so well as your admission4 ,from the inability of the great mass of minds satisfactorily to comprehend the high mysteries of the ,koran1 you infer that the #8eternal salvation or condemnation of mankind does not depend on such theological questions4' ,certainly1 the salvation of mankind in the mass does not depend on these or any other theological questions2 if by this be meant depending on the ability to comprehend such questions1 because the points involved in these questions1 so far as they are mysteries1 are proposed not to reason as comprehending1 but to faith as receiving4 ,but do you mean to be understood as saying1 that when the ,koran is put into any man's hand1 and when ,allah through the ,koran opens to that man his revealed way of salvation1 the individual thus approached may accept what is level with his reason1 but reject what is proposed to his faith and above his reason1 and that yet notwithstanding such rejection he may reasonably hope to be saved8 ,if so1 ,i ask you by what right you argue thus8 ,who is ,allah1 and what is man8 ,when he tells you the way in which he will save you1 not the mass of mankind or the heathen to whom the ,koran has never come1 but you yourself1 what right have you to say that your salvation does not depend on your faith's reception of those very things which are above your reason's comprehension8 ,how do you know but that the whole efficacy of the plan proposed to you1 depends on your receiving the great facts and truths propounded to your faith8 #8,faith itself1 ,i admit1' you may contend1 #8does not save any man2 it is the ,mediator that saves4' ,but you have no right to say1 or think1 or hope that he will or can save you with the ,koran in your hand1 in any other way than that which in the ,koran he proposes to your faith4 ,and if when he demands your faith in what surpasses your reason1 you withhold that faith1 and plead the sufficiency of what he has incidentally made level with your reason1 do you not thereby show that you have not the spirit which he requires1 and that you are yet none of his8 ,in the ,koran he has not only revealed to you his mission and sanctification1 but also proposed to you his mediation as a propitiation for your sin2 and he has told you that #8you must be born again1' not only of water1 but also #8of the spirit2' that except you be converted and become as a #8little child1 you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven2' and that #8he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved1 but he that believeth not shall be damned3' #8believeth' not a part only1 but the whole of the ,koran then intrusted to its ,ulemas4 ,here he explicitly demands your faith in the whole ,koran4 ,but suppose it had been otherwise1 suppose he had simply opened to you a way by which he could certainly save you1 without saying any thing about faith1 as the one great and necessary receiver of the facts and truths involved in that way2 ,i ask1 would not a rejection of a part of those involved facts and truths be equivalent to a rejection of the whole8 ,would it not display the same spirit as a rejection of the whole8 ,would it not show that you were not walking in his way1 but in some other which you supposed might possibly be found8 ,nay1 would it not show that in your heart you had no confidence in him as a mediator2 that you even rebelled against his right to prescribe to you the terms on which he would save you80 #aahf4 ,to conclude1 with respect to this guardian angel of my soul1 to whom this digression owes its existence2 it may comfort her to know that ,i conceive myself so securely protected and guided already1 and so sure of the result of that guidance and protection1 that ,i would advise her1 in my turn1 to consider well whether she ought not to pray to ,god to give her a little more light respecting her own destiny1 than is afforded by the book which is vaunted as being above reason1 and as being the word of ,god4 ,does she conceive the subterranean cave with the 8lake of unquenchable fire10 in which ,dives is roasting in sight of the blessed1 to be so satisfactory as to be unwilling to hear of a preferable abode in the azure sky8 ,does she aspire to some official position commensurate with that of the judgships which ,christ promised his disciples8 ,if it is to procure me a place in the heaven described in ,scripture1 ,i beg leave to decline1 being pre-engaged2 and therefore give her an invitation to meet me hereafter in the glorious abode to which ,i confidently aspire1 and where ,i shall feel myself especially called upon to render her my assistance to rise from the inferior though happy sphere to which1 with her present opinions1 she is destined4 #aahg4 ,i would recommend to her1 and to others in the same predicament1 the perusal of the influence of the conversion to ,spiritualism on my friends1 as presented in this volume4 ,i would also recommend her to study the comparison made between the heaven and hell of ,scripture and that of ,spiritualism1 as herein presented4 #aahh4 ,i hope my would-be mundane guide to salvation will find in the verse and prose addressed to me by one more nearly allied 7#bae1 #bej1 #ech7 a sufficient apology for declining her kindly-tendered guidance1 especially as the path through which she would lead me is known to this excellent relative1 who has frequently passed and repassed it during her residence of more than two years in the spirit world1 while to my mundane friend it is as yet unknown1 and1 as ,i believe1 misapprehended4 ,but although my mind has not been converted to her view of the service tendered1 my heart will never cease to be gratefully inclined toward one who1 while actually in want of guidance herself1 thought so much of the supposed deficiency from which it is imagined ,i suffer4 ,improper use of the epithet ,infidel1 as used in the parodied quotation from the ,clergyman's ,letter4 #aahi4 ,if a man cannot be guilty of infidelity to another man's wife1 how can he be guilty of infidelity to another man's religion8 ,the ,mohammedan wrongfully calls the ,christian 8infidel10 because he does not believe in ,mohammed2 and as wrongfully is the epithet retorted1 because the ,mohammedan does not believe in ,christ4 ,the epithet can only be truly applicable to those who1 while professing a religion1 do not act up to their professions4 ,in this sense1 ,christendom1 so called1 teems with infidels to ,christianity4 ,on ,atonement4 #aaij4 ,since my spirit sister's translation to the spheres1 she has risen from the fifth to the sixth sphere4 ,it has been alleged by her that her ascent was retarded by her belief in the atonement4 ,i subjoin some reasoning on that subject3 #aaia4 ,as respects free-will1 ,dr4 ,johnson shrewdly said that all practice is in its favour1 all theory against it2 but whatever view may be taken on this subject1 no one can deny that so far as it is possible for sin to be avoided1 it must be within the power of ,god to make men virtuous4 ,the fact that they are not sinless1 must arise either from his not wishing to make them more virtuous1 or from his inability to make them so4 ,that he does not make them free from sin implies either a want of will or a want of power4 #aaib4 ,but whatever may in this respect be true1 his omniscience must have enabled him to perceive the result beforehand1 and of course it is inconceivable that he would1 consistently with his goodness1 have created them1 foreknowing that they would be so wicked as to deserve eternal punishment4 #aaic4 ,all this it was in his power to obviate by not creating men1 or by making their temptations less1 or their power of resistance greater4 ,but foreseeing their wickedness1 and imposing fetters on his omnipotent power1 so as to render a certain amount of suffering inevitable1 he is said to have determined that a portion of the godhead should expiate in the flesh1 by the pains of crucifixion1 the punishment due to the sinful creatures which he has been supposed to have wilfully created1 foreseeing this result4 #aaid4 ,but in order to make men better1 instead of using that almighty power with which he is said to have hardened the heart of ,pharaoh1 to soften the human heart and enlighten the human mind universally1 he is made to resort to a method which1 however cruel and manifestly unjust in making an innocent being suffer for the guilty1 has proved utterly inefficient1 since only a small minority of mankind profess ,christianity1 and of that minority only an imperceptible portion1 if any1 comply with its requisitions1 as before observed2 hence the greater part are liable 8to be beaten with many stripes10 while those to whom the mission of ,christ has been unknown are to 8be beaten with but few stripes40 #aaie4 ,human lawgivers may enact constitutions which result in practical failure1 because they do not foresee the issue4 ,such failures are ascribed to their deficiency in practical wisdom4 ,but the failure of measures for the production of any result proving it unwise1 must demonstrate that it did not originate with an all-wise author2 in other words1 with the ,almighty4 #aaif4 ,it is manifestly absurd to ascribe to that ,being any measures which have failed to effect the ends for which they have been specially devised4 ,knowing that ,mohammed would have more followers than ,christ1 that the largest portion of mankind would remain pagans1 that even in ,christendom the ,christian religion would be a source of bloody contention and theological hatred1 making scarcely any real ,christians1--how could it originate with a wise and prescient ,deity8 #aaig4 8,by their fruits ye shall know them80 ,it being premised that ,god is omniscient1 all-wise1 and omnipotent1 can any fruit proceed from that high source which has not proved to answer well the purpose for which it was intended8 #aaih4 ,the actual morality of ,christendom being the inverse of that excessive and impracticable restraint1 which ,christ enjoined as the object of his mission1 must prove that his doctrine could not have originated with a being by whom its failure must have been foreseen4 #aaii4 ,arguments such as ,i have used are met often by referring to the evils1 to which all animated nature is subjected1 in the way of misery1 mutilation1 disease1 or death4 ,but when the government of the universe is attributed to general laws1 it may be inferred that evil results from a want of power to render those laws free from bad consequences4 ,nothing but such limitation of power1 or an indisposition to prevent those evils1 can account for their occurrence4 ,but this is widely different from assuming1 in the first place1 with self-called orthodoxy1 that ,god is omnipotent1 omniscient1 all-wise1 and all-good1 and then representing him as resorting to measures for the accomplishment of his ends which are utterly inefficacious4 ,this is accusing the ,almighty of acting like an idiot4 ,can any thing be more preposterous1 than that an all-wise1 all-good1 all-powerful1 and all-foreseeing ,deity should require the services of human missionaries to carry out his will8 ,would he not at least require that such messengers of his word should first agree as to what that word ought to be8 ,a pagan might remain during his whole life a pagan1 should he1 before adopting any creed1 require that professed ,christians1 in general1 should agree as to the tenets which he should espouse4 #abjj4 ,agreeably to the attributes assigned to the ,deity by orthodoxy1 the state of things which exists in the universe cannot be otherwise than as ,god wishes it to be1 to the falling of a sparrow2 so that any change sought by man1 beyond the immediate sphere of his necessities1 must be an officious interference with ,god's providence4 #abja4 ,yet if a man be considered as an instrument in attaining certain beneficent ends1 without which those ends could not be accomplished1 then human exertion is reasonable1 in whatever way it can be productive of good4 #abjb4 ,how can any being who contemplates the wonderful power displayed in the creation1 hesitate to perceive that if the divine ,architect desired that all men should coincide in their modes of worship1 he would have furnished them sufficient evidence of his will1 and disposed their minds to receive the desired impression8 #abjc4 ,nevertheless1 his measures are represented as the inverse of these4 ,it is represented that a creed which he wished all men to embrace was promulgated in an obscure part of an obscure country1 under the yoke of heathen despotism1 in a language unknown to any other people4 ,it was so promulgated that the great majority of mankind were entirely out of the reach of its influence1 and have remained so for nearly two thousand years4 ,moreover1 those who have been made acquainted with ,christianity are unable to agree in what it consists4 #abjd4 ,as ,i have already urged1 if we were to judge of the extention of ,christianity by the number of ,christians who do not in practice violate the precepts of ,christ1 it might be a question whether the name of ,christendom is applicable to any part of the world4 ,on the massacre at ,sinope1 as a probable consequence of ,religious ,fanaticism and ,intolerance4 #abje4 ,as in consideration of the idolatry of the ,amalekites the ,israelites were1 according to the ,bible1 authorized to extirpate that nation1 for a wrong done to ,israel some hundred years before1 may not the ,russians imagine themselves justified for the massacre of ,sinope8 7#a ,sam4 xv47 #abjf4 ,the ,turks have done vastly more harm to the ,greek ,christians1 when1 with fire and sword1 they subdued the ,greek empire1 and obliged each man to pay annually for wearing his head1 than the tribe of ,amalek did to the ,hebrews4 ,in the one case there does not appear to have been for centuries any repetition of the wrong2 but in the other the wrongs were reiterated1 and of an enduring nature4 ,it is true that the ,mohammedan sovereigns were in ,turkey more tolerant of their ,christian subjects than ,christian sovereigns were of ,mohammedans2 or even of the ,albigenses1 ,lollards1 ,wicliffites1 ,lutherans1 or ,calvinists4 ,the ,turks never introduced an inquisitorial tribunal to burn or torture unbelievers4 ,on this account they may think themselves less open to the charge of cruel intolerance than some of the self-called disciples of ,christ2 and no doubt the discordancy between the conduct of those disciples and the precepts of their teacher1 may have contributed to their contemptuous opinions of those whom they improperly call infidels to ,mohammed1 not perceiving that people who have not professed a religion1 can no more be infidels thereto than one man can be guilty of infidelity to another man's wife4 ,this argument1 however1 would be answered by the fact that ,christians call ,mohammedans infidels1 not in consequence of any violation of their faith in ,mohammed1 but because they have never had any faith in ,christ4 #abjg4 ,such skeptical ,mohammedans as ,lady ,mary ,wortley ,montague made mention of in her letters from ,constantinople1 will no doubt consider the term infidel applicable only to such as break their professed faith1 whatever it may be4 #abjh4 ,agreeably to this definition1 every fighting or wealth-seeking ,christian is an infidel to the religion which he professes2 every ,mohammedan who indulges in wine is an infidel4 #abji4 ,the religion taught by ,mohammed1 like that of ,moses1 authorized the most cruel wars1 the extermination of nations for erroneous belief1 while the religion of ,christ directs us to love our neighbours as ourselves2 to return good for evil2 to give our coat when our cloak is taken2 to submit passively to blows1 and that the possession of wealth interferes with access to heaven4 ,christianity is1 moreover1 unfavourable to polygamy or concubinage4 #abaj4 ,it follows that the precepts of ,jesus call for restraint upon the predominant passions of human nature1 while those of ,mohammed1 in justifying warfare1 excessive indulgence in women1 and in the spoliation and massacre of unbelievers1 coincide with the most predominating propensities of human nature4 ,it is1 therefore1 far easier to be faithful to the precepts of ,mohammed than those of ,christ4 #abaa4 ,nevertheless1 as both ,christ and ,mohammed treated the ,old ,testament as authentic1 it is to be feared that the ,turks and ,russians may look to it for justification of their intolerant cruelty4 #abab4 ,none of the ancient ,pagans were as hostile to the ,hebrews1 as the disciples of ,mohammed have been to the ,greek ,christians4 ,but not even the ,mohammedans have been so intolerant to those whom they call infidels1 as ,christian sectarians have been1 to such persons as they have dogmatically adjudged to be heretics4 #abac4 ,it should be well considered whether any authority dependent on human records can justify the inference that ,god1 anywhere1 or in any age1 ever authorized such cruelty as that exhibited at ,sinope4 #abad4 ,whenever men adopt the idea entertained by the ,jews and ,mohammedans1 and certain sects of ,christians1 that a peculiar creed is necessary to salvation1 it is deemed humane to inflict any temporal evil in order to eradicate any other belief which will subject souls to eternal punishment4 ,when to the ,catholics in the reign of ,queen ,mary it was urged that burning heretics alive would not change their creed1 the reply was1 that although the victims should not be converted1 the souls of their progeny would be saved from damnation by the extirpation of the heresy with the heretics4 ,admitting the premises1 the conclusion was correct1 and the auto-da-f and the tortures of the inquisition were even more excusable than a painful chirurgical operation1 when it preserves the temporal life of the patient4 #abae4 ,if the ,czar is of opinion1 that for every ,christian who may replace a ,turk1 a soul will be saved from damnation1 he may conceive himself as well authorized to extirpate the ,turks1 as were ,moses and ,joshua to extirpate any heathen nation4 #abaf4 ,moreover1 by some ,christians1 ,jesus is considered as having sanctioned the retention of that characteristic of the ,hebrew portraiture of ,jehovah1 which makes it right to exterminate unbelievers in the orthodox creed4 ,this must be a source of discord wherever it is recognised1 as it induces persecution from conscientious regard to the salvation of the victims upon whom it acts1 while in them it naturally creates bitter resentment instead of gratitude4 #abag4 ,having submitted the representations of ,jehovah1 given in the ,old ,testament1 ,i will subjoin those of the great modern philosopher ,newton1 and those of ,seneca1 one of the most distinguished sages of antiquity4 ,the reader may1 from these data1 judge how far piety or morality would suffer1 were that ancient record to give way to the direct evidence of ,spiritualism4 ,opinions of ,god held by ,sir ,isaac ,newton4--,enfield's ,philosophy1 ,page #fch4 #abah4 8,god has no need of organs2 he being everywhere present to the things themselves4 #abai4 8,it appears from phenomena1 that there is a being incorporeal1 living1 intelligent1 omnipresent1 who1 in infinite space1 as it were in his sensory1 sees the things themselves1 intimately and thoroughly perceives them1 and comprehends them wholly by their immediate presence to himself4 #abbj4 8,this most beautiful system of the sun1 planets1 and comets could only arise from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being2 and if the fixed stars be centres of similar systems1 these1 being all formed by like wisdom1 must be subject to the dominion of one2 especially since the light of the fixed stars is of the same nature with the light of the sun2 and all systems mutually give and receive light4 #abba4 8,god governs all things1 not as the soul of the world1 but as the ,lord of the universe4 ,the ,supreme ,deity is an eternal1 infinite1 and absolutely perfect being1 omnipotent and omniscient2 that is1 his duration extends from eternity to eternity1 and his presence from infinity to infinity2 he governs all things1 and knows all things which exist1 or can be known4 ,he is not eternity or infinity2 but eternal and infinite2 he is not duration or space2 but he endures and is present2 he endures forever and is present everywhere4 ,since every portion of space is always1 and every indivisible moment of duration is everywhere1 certainly the ,maker and ,lord of all things cannot be never or nowhere4 ,god is omnipresent1 not virtually only1 but substantially2 for power cannot subsist without substance4 ,in him all things are contained and move1 but without reciprocal affection4 ,god is not affected by the motion of bodies1 nor do bodies suffer resistance from the omnipresence of ,god4 #abbb4 8,it is universally allowed that ,god exists necessarily2 and by the same necessity he exists always and everywhere4 ,whence he is throughout similar1 all eye1 all ear1 all brain1 all arm1 all power of perceiving1 understanding1 and acting2 but in a manner not at all human1 not at all corporeal2 in a manner to us altogether unknown4 ,as a blind man has no idea of colours1 so we have no idea of the manner in which the most wise ,god perceives and understands all things4 ,he is entirely without body1 and bodily form1 and therefore can neither be seen1 nor heard1 nor touched2 nor ought he to be worshipped under any corporeal representation4 ,we have ideas of his attributes1 but what the substance of any thing is1 we are wholly ignorant4 ,we see only the figures and colours of bodies2 we hear only sounds2 we touch only external superficies2 we smell only odours2 we taste only savours2 of their internal substance we have no knowledge by any sense1 or by any reflex act of the mind2 much less have we any idea of the substance of ,god4 ,we know him only by his properties and attributes1 by the most wise and excellent structure of things1 and by final causes2 and we reverence and worship him on account of his dominion4 ,a ,god without dominion1 providence1 and design1 is nothing else but fate and nature40 #abbc4 ,the language above quoted does not involve the idea that ,newton owed his idea of ,god to the ,bible1 or that he considered him as having any person1 much less that he consisted of three persons4 ,he makes no allusion to ,christ or to the ,scriptures4 ,his opinions are quite reconcilable with ,theism1 but incompatible with the existence of the ,trinity4 ,on ,god and his ,attributes1 by ,seneca4 #abbd4 8,great respect is due to universal opinion4 ,we consider common assent an evidence of truth4 ,that there are ,gods1 we are convinced1 among other proofs1 from the fact that the belief in their existence is natural to man4 ,no nation has been found so brutal as to be entirely without religion4 #abbe4 8,we begin to know ,god from his works4 ,what is ,god8 ,all that you see1 and all that you do not see4 ,in what does the nature of ,god and man differ8 ,the best part of man is his mind2 in ,god there is nothing but mind4 ,he is pure spirit4 ,many names are applicable to him4 ,do you call him ,fate8 ,you do not err4 ,he it is upon whom every thing depends4 ,the cause of causes4 ,do you call him ,providence8 ,you are right4 ,it is by his appointment that this world is so arranged that it performs without confusion the part assigned to it4 ,do you call him ,nature8 ,you do not sin4 ,it is he from whom all things are produced4 #abbf4 8,you may properly apply to ,god any name expressive of celestial power4 ,all his benefits may give rise to distinctive appellations4 ,thus he is called ,father1 ,hercules1 ,mercury1 c4 ,father1 because he is truly the ,father of all2 ,hercules1 because he is omnipotent2 ,mercury1 because he is pure ,reason1 the principle of science1 of order1 and of harmony4 #abbg4 8,justice1 ,prudence1 ,fortitude1 ,temperance1 are all names of one ,god1 expressive of his various attributes1 and are qualities of the one mind2 whichever of them you love1 you love ,god4 ,known unto ,god are all his works4 #abbh4 8,whatever is to happen is present with him4 ,what to us is sudden and unexpected1 has by him been foreseen and provided for4 #abbi4 8,a wise man does not change his opinion1 how much less ,god6 ,as a river does not flow back1 or stop in its course1 so the order of nature is governed by fixed laws1 which are nothing less than divine decrees4 #abcj4 8,who is so wretched1 so neglected1 who born to so cruel a destiny1 as not to have received any benefits from the gods8 ,look at those who complain of their lot1 you will find that they are not deprived of all comforts4 ,is the gift of life nothing8 ,are there no objects pleasant to the eye1 to the ear1 or to the mind8 ,god's kindness does not only supply us with what is necessary to existence1 he provides also for our pleasure4 ,witness the variety of fruits1 differing in flavour2 the many healthful vegetables1 so great a variety of food for different seasons of the year1 some produced from the earth without culture1 even for the idle2 animals of all kinds abounding in the earth1 the sea1 and the air1 as if all things in nature were tributary to our enjoyment4 ,consider the rivers flowing gracefully through the fields which they fertilize2 others1 whose deep beds in their vast and navigable courses1 afford the means of a profitable commerce1 or by overflowing their banks during the drought and heat of summer1 water the parched earth and cause it to bring forth abundantly4 ,you deny that you have received any favours1 and yet are unwilling to part with what you possess4 ,there are some philosophers who do not appreciate the divine gifts4 ,they complain that we are not endowed with perfect health1 incorruptible virtue1 and foreknowledge4 ,they scarcely refrain from impudently despising nature1 that she has made us less than gods4 ,how much better would it be to return thanks to the gods for the many benefits we have received1 and for placing us in this beautiful world1 and subjecting it to our rule1 as their vicegerents4 #abca4 8,the ,deity has thought of us from the beginning2 and this world has been so arranged as to make his care of us manifest4 ,we admit our obligation to love our parents1 as those from whom we derive our existence4 ,they were1 however1 certainly not the authors of our existence1 but were utterly ignorant of the mysteries of nature4 #abcb4 8,that we are indebted for our existence to an intelligent cause1 is evident from the provisions made for our support long before our birth4 #abcc4 8,the strong instinct of a mother1 making her willing to endure any privation for the helpless stranger2 the sacred fountain which1 at the moment it is wanted1 flows from the mother's breast2 the air adapted to the lungs1 the light to the eye3 what more shall ,i say8--a present ,god is revealed6 #abcd4 8,our kind ,father begins to bestow benefits on us before we are capable of perceiving our obligations to him1 and continues them even when we are ungrateful4 ,some accuse him of forgetting them2 some of injuring them2 others believe him to be regardless of his works2 nevertheless1 like a good parent1 who smiles at the follies of his children1 ,god does not cease to confer his benefits on those who deny his existence1 but with an equal eye regards all nations1 and uses his power only to bless4 ,he sprinkles the earth with soft showers2 he moves the sea by his breath2 tempers the severity of winter and the heat of summer1 and is placable to the errors of imperfect mortals40 ,on the ,better ,employment of the ,first ,day of the ,week4 #abce4 ,the subjoined essay1 as above designated1 was written nearly ten years ago1 before the author had any hope that any knowledge of a future state would be mercifully afforded through himself1 as well as many others1 which would supply the only deficiency in the elements requisite to the proposed innovation4 ,fortunately the doctrines1 since taught by the spirits1 entirely corroborate the suggestions of this essay2 so that ,spiritualism1 natural religion1 and literature1 may hereafter go hand in hand on ,sunday4 #abcf4 ,this now gloomy day1 may1 through the happy united instrumentality suggested1 become a day of real intellectual improvement1 as well as of every species of variety of innocent recreation4 ,yet every species of selfish sensual pleasure will be avoided and condemned by every conscientious believer in spiritual manifestations4 #abcg4 ,it is suggested that persons opposed to sabbatarianism1 inconsistent with the early and long-continued practice of ,christianity1 and with the freedom of conscience guaranteed by the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 should unite to render ,sunday 7erroneously called the ,sabbath7 a day of moral1 literary1 and scientific instruction1 for those who1 dissatisfied with the sectarianism of the existing places of worship1 pass the day without edifying occupation4 #abch4 ,the object of this association would be to contemplate the ,deity1 agreeably to the opinions entertained by the first and one of the best of philosophers1 ,sir ,isaac ,newton2 the sentiments of morality comprised in the precepts ascribed to ,confucius1 as well as to ,christ1 8,do unto others as you would have them do unto you40 #abci4 ,as respects the object of devotion1 the idea of the ,deity entertained by ,newton1 and this sentiment of ,pope's universal prayer1 might be adopted3 #abdj4 8,father of all1 in every age1 ,in every clime adored1 ,by saint1 by savage1 and by sage1 ,jehovah1 ,jove1 or ,lord40 #abda4 ,as regards ceremonial1 that sanctioned by ,christ1 agreeably to which the brief appeal of the humble1 contrite publican1 was deemed preferable to that of the self-complacent1 multiloquent1 pompous ,pharisee4 #abdb4 ,the opinions of the ,deity given by ,newton1 are quoted to show that there is nothing therein to justify intolerant sectarianism1 nor to indicate the distinguished author to have been indebted for them to ,revelation4 #abdc4 ,as favouring toleration1 the sentiments expressed by ,seneca1 the ,roman sage1 should be cherished4 ,the sentiments of this sage prove that among the heathens a more pious idea of ,god existed than that given by the ,bible1 which represents him as jealous1 and as punishing not only the individual1 but his posterity1 for an involuntary ignorance1 which by a mere fiat1 omnipotency could correct4 #abdd4 ,god is quite tolerant1 according to ,seneca1 as respects any misapprehension of his pretensions1 while1 according to ,moses1 he is extremely intolerant4 #abde4 ,instead of teaching people to dislike and disesteem those who may differ from them1 as to the designation1 form1 or name under which the ,deity is to be worshipped1 it should be held that no person of sound mind would waste his time and his energies in worshipping that which he does not conscientiously believe to be entitled to adoration1 any more than a man will knowingly pay a debt to or court the favour of one to whom he owes nothing1 and from whom he cannot expect any thing in return4 ,it might be argued as reasonably1 that a person in paying by mistake a forged draft1 is less honest than in paying one which is genuine1 as that a virtuous pagan is to have less favour with ,god than any other man1 however orthodox his creed4 7,see ,theological ,axioms1 page #cd47 #abdf4 ,were a lessee to pay a forged order for rent due to his landlord1 would the latter strive to punish him for the mistake1 especially if so wealthy as not to feel the want of the money8 ,but what would be said of the landlord who1 knowing that his lessee had received an erroneous impression as to the owner of his tenement1 should allow him to pay year after year without any effort to prevent him from being cheated8 ,would not this deprive him of moral if not of legal claim to the rent8 ,god is represented as omniscient1 and consequently as cognizant of the misapprehension which leads the pagan to kneel before his idol1 and yet without either influencing his mind1 or placing before him any evidence of his error1 punishing him for his mistake4 #abdg4 ,it should1 moreover1 be an object to prove the greatness and goodness of ,god1 by making men acquainted with the wondrous miracles of that universe of which a nook has been assigned to the inhabitants of this planet1 which1 in comparison with the totality1 is as minute as any grain of sand which contributes to form our terrestrial globe is to the whole mass of which it constitutes a part--so insignificant4 ,it should be an object to show how that 8honesty is the best policy10--the bad never being happy4 #abdh4 ,those well-educated sectarians of different creeds should be held wanting in humility1 who severally considered themselves free from that error in belief to which they deem all other men liable4 ,it is conceived1 also1 that individuals are answerable for their opinions to ,god only1 and that for one man to condemn another for not thinking as he himself thinks1 is to violate the precept1 8judge not1 lest ye be judged10 and the golden rule of acting toward other men as you would have them act toward you4 #abdi4 ,since our missions are all intended to induce pagans and others to think freely as respects the tenets in which they have been educated1 how can it be otherwise than proper for every person to think without fear of denunciation upon the tenets of his ancestry4 ,are we to deny ourselves the liberty of thought1 which we claim for all who differ from us as to their creeds8 #abej4 ,a sectarian who is a ,christian only as to observances1 and is therefore really a practical infidel1 accuses a man of infidelity who is practically a ,christian1 so far as ,christianity and virtue are associated1 because that man does not arrive at his morality by the route which his denunciator points out1 but never follows to any good purpose4 #abea4 ,while missionaries1 who ought to know all that can be learned1 do not agree among themselves1 wherefore do they attempt to instruct the ignorant8 ,how is the unlettered pagan to judge between the ,catholic1 ,calvinist1 ,unitarian1 or ,deist8 ,additional ,remarks respecting the ,observance of the ,sabbath1 so called4 #abeb4 ,it is believed that a great majority of the people of the ,united ,states1 while favourable to the observance of ,sunday as a day of worship1 of innocent recreation1 and of moral and intellectual improvement1 are adverse to the legal enforcement of restrictions introduced into ,christianity by puritanism4 ,they do not consider the first day of the week as liable to the commandment given to the ,jews for the observance of the seventh day2 still less that the innocent recreation allowed to the ,jews under that commandment is to be denied to ,christians on that day of rest4 ,the commandment forbids work1 but does not prohibit recreation4 ,that it was thus viewed by the ,hebrews1 is asserted upon the authority of a learned ,jew4 #abec4 ,it is conceived that the enforcement of any observance on sectarian ground1 is inconsistent with the freedom of conscience guaranteed by the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 #abed4 ,if ,god intended the ,sabbath to be kept so strictly1 wherefore is it not kept holy by him8 why do not the rivers stop flowing1 vegetables growing1 and the wind stop blowing on the day selected for the ,sabbath1 especially if a sparrow does not fall without his cognizance4 #abee4 ,precepts may lead1 but example will draw4 ,aware of this1 is it conceivable that ,god would enjoin man to keep any day holy1 and yet fail to keep it holy himself8 ,regulating the blowing of the winds1 as well as the falling of sparrows1 when creating a storm1 would he not be responsible for forcing the breach of the ,sabbath upon the mariner8 #abef4 ,ought the farmer to lose his crops in order to avoid working on ,sunday8 ,the ,romans took advantage of the ,hebrew ,sabbath to make their advances upon ,jerusalem1 the tenets of the ,jews restricting them from resistance2 yet there was no divine interference to shield this chosen people against the heathen conqueror1 or to assist them in the observance of the commandment4 #abeg4 ,the plea on which the commandment was founded is manifestly groundless--that an omnipotent ,god could be so weary as to require rest4 ,but it has been suggested by enlightened ,christians1 that the six days were periods of immense duration1 and of course the seventh day being like the rest could not be a day of twenty-four hours1 like the ,jewish ,sabbath so called1 but1 on the contrary1 an era comprising many ages4 ,if ,creatures be not so created as to love their ,neighbours as themselves1 precepts can no more alter them in this respect1 than change the ,colour of their ,hair1 or the ,number of ,cubits in their ,stature4 #abeh4 ,in the spheres1 agreeably to the communication received from spirits1 great importance is attached to the friendship1 the affection1 and the ardent love1 which may subsist between congenial minds or souls2 they seem to recognise love as something which cannot be felt by all to all2 so that while benevolence1 charity1 and sympathy may be sentiments entertained to mankind generally1 there are other sentiments which require concentration1 in order to have any efficacy4 ,of this nature are parental1 filial1 and conjugal affection1 as well as other intimate friendships4 #abei4 ,sympathy between the parent and child1 between husband and wife1 and likewise occasionally between brothers and sisters1 or such friends as ,pylades and ,orestes1 may be so strong as to induce the risk1 if not the loss of life1 but this sympathy cannot be self-induced4 ,where1 from principle1 a person may determine to make the sacrifice1 not from impulse1 he cannot endow himself with the sensitiveness which would make him feel for the sufferer as for himself4 ,a being may admire such a sentiment1 and have an ambition to be so actuated1 but that would not create the sensibility to which its existence is due4 ,it has been alleged that ,napoleon's mother said of him1 as ,i remember to have read somewhere3 8,he wished to have a good heart40 ,the most that can be done is to act as if we did love1 and consequently sympathize1 so as to feel the pains and privations of another as if they were our own4 ,but it were inconsistent to entertain a love so powerful and peculiar1 and not give our time1 thought1 services1 or attention to the object of our affection4 ,it were inconsistent so to love and keep at a distance1 and behave toward the object as if we were indifferent4 ,but were the sentiment to be felt universally1 or even generally1 there would be such a cutting up of our time1 service1 or attention1 that1 as respects any individual in particular1 it would be nugatory1 and might as well not exist4 ,there would likewise be such a multiplicity and perplexity of yearnings that it would distract the heart1 perhaps place it in a less happy condition than if it were devoid of any affection whatever4 #abfj4 ,although temporal life may at times be sacrificed by one being to save that of another1 it is manifestly because the being who makes the sacrifice is constituted so nobly as to endure less pain under the circumstances in question in making than avoiding self-immolation4 ,but can any one who has not been so organized and educated as to make such a sacrifice1 be sufficiently changed by preaching1 or monition1 to undergo self-immolation to save a fellow-creature8 #abfa4 ,is it reasonable to order1 direct1 or advise people to love1 especially on the part of any one who by his acknowledged omnipotency could so constitute them as to sympathize to any required extent8 ,i admit1 that it may be consistent to urge them to act toward others1 as far as possible1 as if they were loved4#be #abfb4 ,should not the great object of cultivation be sympathy and benevolence1 which are general in their nature8 ,we may deeply sympathize with a sufferer1 even with a brute1 whom we do not love4 ,benevolence should we not also cultivate1 by endeavouring habitually to take the most favourable view of those around us which our observation and reason can permit8 ,does it not argue a want of discrimination to treat love as a sentiment1 to be entertained toward all other mortals by mere volition8 ,is it reasonable that ,christ1 or any other teacher1 assuming to be missionaries of the ,creator1 should enjoin us to love1 when the capacity for that sentiment manifestly varies through organization and education1 derived from that ,creator by various human beings1 as much nearly1 as the opposite propensities of the wolf and dog8 ,behold the difference between the elephant and rhinoceros3 the former capable of a canine fidelity and affection1 the latter irretrievably hostile2 and again between a wild elephant and one tamed by education4 #abfc4 ,were his organization and education dependent on himself1 it might be reasonable to say to a human being1 ,love your neighbour as yourself1 love your enemies2 but how can that ,deity who determines man's race and his parentage1 and of course whether he be a savage or a civilized man1 whether a ,thug or a real ,christian1 if such a thing can be1--how can that ,deity require a being to do that which is irreconcilable with his passions1 opinions1 and habits1 derived from nature and education1 as well as the examples set by those around him8 #abfd4 ,the inutility of precepts in controlling human passions1 may be seen in the history of ,christendom1 in which1 as already urged1 the morals and conduct of mankind1 with very few exceptions1 have been diametrically opposite to that of their divine ,master1 so called4 ,who have been more aggressive than the great majority of professed ,christians8 ,who have been more actuated by cupidity8 ,yet these votaries have been1 for the most part1 vociferous in their professions of devotedness to ,christ1 making him the ,son of ,god as well as their teacher1 and too often cruelly maltreating those who have denied his divinity4 #abfe4 ,both on the part of the ancient ,jews1 or on that of modern ,christians1 religion has been made an excuse or a plea for despoiling unbelievers of their patrimony4 ,in the contention respecting the right to ,oregon1 the great question1 on which judgment was to turn1 was1 which of all of the ,christian potentates claiming it1 was the first to lay his longing eyes upon the object of contention8 ,it has been shown that the massacre of whole nations involved no criminality1 provided they were pagans4 ,david put to the sword the pagan communities1 man1 woman1 and child1 during which time ,jehovah was with him4 ,the pagans being mere vermin in the estimation of the ,jewish deity1 the wrongs done to them were not cited as among ,david's misdoings4 ,no ,nathan came to call him to account for his flagitious conduct to them1 or to ,achish1 7#a ,sam4 xxvii4 #h to #ab47 #abff4 ,in his correspondence with the ,british minister1 respecting territorial rights granted to the ,english by the ,mosquito king1 ,mr4 ,clayton urged that the aborigines never had been admitted to have any rights to their own lands1 which could interfere with ,christian claimants4 ,attacks upon the authenticity of ,scripture cannot endanger the prevalent morality1 which1 while it is superior to that of the ,old ,testament1 indicates a recklessness of the precepts of ,christ1 excepting so far as they make faith a counterpoise for sin4 #abfg4 ,in the preceding pages1 ,i have endeavoured to show that the existing morality of ,christendom does not owe its existence to ,christianity4 ,my object has been to do away the apprehension that this morality would be deprived of its foundation were ,spiritualism or any other innovation to be accredited which would be inconsistent with revelation4 ,but ,i hope ,i have shown that whatever merit may be possessed by the existing state of morals1 it cannot be ascribed to any influence exercised by those precepts of ,christ which are not only neglected1 but acted in diametric opposition to4 #abfh4 ,another cause of alarm has been that it would weaken that belief in a future state of rewards and punishments which is so essential to encourage virtue and repress vice4 ,but it has been pointed out that the authority of ,moses is against the existence of a future state1 not merely negatively1 but positively1 so far as any authority is given to him as inspired by ,god4 ,for what stronger argument need there be that there is no state of existence beyond the grave1 than the fact that the being who of all mankind solely had immediate converse with the ,deity1 should not have learned from him the all-important fact8 ,if1 as now held generally among ,christians1 an unbeliever in a future state is culpable in the sight of ,god1 as well as theirs1 and disqualified from testifying in courts of justice1 can it be conceived that ,god would have failed to communicate a knowledge of immortal existence to his favourite lawgiver2 or how could that lawgiver have been so devoid of that desire for immortality as to have been satisfied to remain ignorant8 #abfi4 ,materialists who have become converts to ,spiritualism1 all represent themselves as having entertained a great anxiety to believe in immortality prior to the blessed1 cherished truth having been made evident to their thirsting souls4 #abgj4 ,converts from ,materialism to ,spiritualism1 who have shown much zeal in the investigation of the subject1 and eagerness in believing in immortality as soon as evidence was obtained1 were1 by certain sectarians1 doomed to hell for their heresy4 ,yet this ,hebrew materialist1 who made no use of his transcendent opportunities of acquiring correct knowledge of futurity from the ,deity1 is made an object of veneration1 and the book which he wrote1 while devoid of this pre-eminently important information1 is worshipped as an idol4 #abga4 ,his allegations that ,god authorized the ,israelites to borrow in order to purloin1 or that he authorized the murder of the people misled by ,aaron to worship the golden calf1 are manifestly as false as blasphemous4 ,then why imagine that mankind can suffer by the substitution of a belief in a future state associated with the purest principles of morality1 for the books of ,moses1 which sanction crimes and discredit immortality8 #abgb4 ,as respects any subsequent alleged inspirations to which ,pharisees1 the papists of ,judea1 owed their professed belief in a future state1 in the first place1 we have the authority of ,christ for viewing them as hypocrites3 externally1 like whited sepulchres1 internally1 as no less corrupt than dead men's bones4 ,of course there is reason1 on this account1 to doubt whether they acquired a sincere belief in a future state from any part of ,scripture4 ,but evidently it did not make them moral4 ,their immorality1 on the contrary1 was made more hideous by the cloak of false religion4 ,nothing is more detestable than to see religion in men's mouths1 with cupidity and unprincipled ambition at their hearts4 ,yet this much may be said for the ,pharisees1 that they had not professed themselves ,christians1 and thus subject to those precepts of ,jesus which place the acquisition of wealth on a level with felony as respects the accessibility to heaven4 ,the ,pharisees of ,christendom1 even those who assumed to be exclusively the depositories of revelation and sole expounders of ,god's word1 have been absolutely as wicked as the ,pharisees1 and relatively more wicked by the monstrous discordancy of their course with their professed devotion to the ultra precepts of the alleged ,son of their ,god4 #abgc4 ,it has been shown1 moreover1 that although ,christ occasionally referred to hell1 yet he gave inconsistent views of it1 7#gch1 #gfd47 ,at one time it is fire1 into which any one is to be doomed for alleging his brother a fool1 whether this allegation be true or not2 at another1 it is utter darkness1 with weeping and gnashing of teeth2 and of course there could be no fire4 ,then the disgusting description given by ,josephus is sanctioned1 agreeably to which1 like the ,elysium and ,erebus of the heathen1 both hell and heaven are subterranean localities1 but separated by a lake of unquenchable fire1 across which ,abraham and ,dives converse4 ,at another time1 heaven is above2 he ascends to heaven in sight of his apostles1 yet the penitent thief is to be with him in paradise1 which1 agreeably to ,genesis and ,josephus1 is upon the earth on the river ,tigris1 near the ,persian ,gulf4 ,but wherever the ,elysium and ,erebus of the gospel may be1 all souls1 according to it1 are to remain in their graves till the 8last day10 and then1 like ,samuel1 being called up from their tombs1 are to be sorted into two squadrons1 of which one is to go to an undescribed heaven1 the other to the 8hell fire prepared for the devil and his angels from the beginning of the world40 ,the injustice which would follow from a judgment of this kind1 by which two souls differing from each other only by a shade would meet a fate so different that one would have to go to heaven1 the other to hell to remain eternally1 is so manifest1 that1 like the ultraism of the same record1 it loses its effect altogether upon people in general4 #abgd4 ,it must be clear that the great mass of professed ,christians are very little restrained by their fears of such an eternity of punishment4 ,had ,christ any specific knowledge of the kingdom of heaven to which he occasionally alluded1 wherefore did he not convey that knowledge to his disciples8 ,but they seem to have learned no more from ,jesus than ,moses did from ,jehovah1 and hence their querulous inquiry as to what would be their reward4 ,but the promise of judgeships1 7#gdc to #gde17 of worldly preeminence1 was a satire upon them4 ,it argues that he considered them as worldly-minded4 ,had he known the world to be looked upon by the apostles as beneath consideration in comparison with immortal life1 he would hardly have insulted them by the offer4 ,but their tone has a great deal too much of the ,swiss in it4 ,had they been so very dull1 or ,christ so reserved1 that the idea was not conveyed to them that in acting the part of pious1 virtuous men1 they would have the reward promised to the righteous in the other world4 #abge4 ,thank ,god1 no spiritualist who reads with attention the communications given in this work1 will ever inquire as to the extent of selfish reward which he is to enjoy6 ,he would be impressed by his general knowledge with the idea that the less any being is actuated by selfish aspiration1 the greater his capacity for happiness and his pretensions to the means of felicity4 ,the ,doctrine of a peculiar ,belief being necessary to ,salvation1 and a counterpoise for ,sin1 a source of discord originally confined to ,judea1 expanded with ,christianity and ,islamism2 verifying ,christ's allegation1 that he came 8as a ,sword1 not as a ,messenger of ,peace40--,superior ,morality1 and far more unquestionable ,certainty of the ,communications from the ,spirit ,world4 #abgf4 ,it were in vain1 ,i think1 to find in the apple of discord1 in the mischiefs let loose from ,pandora's box1 or any other figurative exemplification1 any idea adequate to convey my conception of the mischief done to the world by introducing the dogma1 that belief could be the means of salvation2 so that if ,god had so constituted or so situated a people1 that they could not believe what was communicated to them by certain itinerant preachers1 it should be worse for them in the day of judgment than for ,sodom and ,gomorrah2 two cities which ,god had destroyed because he had not so organized them1 and circumstanced them1 as to make them as virtuous as he1 subsequently to their creation1 desired4 #abgg4 ,christ fully justified this opinion1 when he alleged himself to have come as a sword1 not as a messenger of peace1 and to set father and son1 mother and daughter1 c41 at variance with each other1 making the people of a man's own household his foes4 ,it may be said that he identified himself with piety and rectitude2 so that it was for the virtue of which he1 as the ,son or missionary of ,god1 was the representative1 that he plead2 but this pious devotion has much more of self in it than people imagine4 ,they identify ,god or ,christ with the welfare of their souls and bodies4 ,it is through the hope of benefit to these that they take such a deep interest in ,god4 #abgh4 ,but is it not strange that the ,christian religion should be treated as a harbinger of peace and harmony1 when1 with its entrance into the world1 came the intolerance1 before confined to ,judea1 and when by its founder it is represented as a sword1 to sever the dearest ties by introducing the poisoning idea that belief could be a virtue or a sin8 ,it seems to have been the cause of a peculiar animosity which has always accompanied its progress1 if not its endurance1 and which set the example to ,mohammed of attaching the same fanatical idea to another basis1 comporting with his individual aggrandizement1 at the expense of much human misery4 #abgi4 ,the language of ,christ held to his apostles1 showing that he considered them as thirsting for temporal honours1 and his aspiration for the throne of his glory1 situated1 of course1 in the same mundane region1 may warrant the surmise that his views did not differ from those of ,mohammed as to the ultimate object1 however much he may have found it necessary1 under the ,roman despotism1 to fight with the tongue instead of the sword4 #abhj4 ,but how can this sentiment be justified in which he makes devotion to himself irreconcilable with the holy ties between the child and his parents1 or the parents and their children8 ,the ,god of ,spiritualism would view parental and filial love as the truest piety4 ,he asks only that love4 ,he has not constituted us to have that sort of love for him4 ,had he wished it1 he would have made us so1 as to be thus actuated4 #abha4 8,he that believeth in me shall have eternal life40 8,thy faith hath made thee whole40 ,these allegations produced a change in the world at large4 ,that bigotry and animosity which led the ,jews to consider that all who did not agree with them in creed1 were objects of spoliation1 massacre1 rape1 enslavement1 were now extended to other parts of the world4 #abhb4 ,no doubt the success of this exclusive notion1 on the part of ,christ1 led to its adoption by ,mohammed1 and thus some hundred millions have been actuated by this mischievous impression1 which is now at work on the ,russian territory4 ,it has been already suggested that this idea always begets persecution to the extent of the power to exercise it4 ,while seeing the horrid consequences of this error in the persecution of the ,french ,calvinists1 ,calvin could not avoid the diabolic impulse in the instance of ,servetus4 ,it cannot be necessary to recall to our readers the many bloody persecutions and religious wars which have disgraced ,christendom far more than any other part of the globe1 nor to allude to the tyranny reciprocally employed by any sect having complete ascendancy4 ,yet with these consequences before the mind--the facts which ,i have adduced to prove that the morality of ,christendom is not due to ,scripture--the tocsin is sounded wherever any effort is made to get rid of the crimes and indecencies of the ,old ,testament1 or the error of making bigoted belief1 under the name of faith1 a primary consideration on the part of the ,new ,testament4 ,people are taught that every thing good is due to ,scripture2 that thence alone can we get any correct notions of morality1 any knowledge of a future state4 ,the idea is entertained that ,christianity made a great change for the better as soon as it prevailed1 and that without it we should sink into a state of demoralization4 #abhc4 ,consistently with my experience of the effect of a confident belief in a future state of existence on my own mind1 as already suggested1 ,i was always under the impression1 prior to my conversion1 that those who believed in a future state must be happier2 and if that belief were not associated with mischievous error1 that it should not be assailed4 ,the idea that what ,i considered as bigotry1 should be a counterpoise for sin1 ,i did consider a mischievous error1 tending to substitute devotion for good works1 and as ,i saw1 too1 made nations selfish4 ,the love of hoarding was very commonly coupled with this selfishness1 which operated at once to produce efforts to lay up treasure on earth by close dealing1 and in heaven by strict sectarianism1 bigotry1 and intolerance4 ,but1 nevertheless1 ,i was restrained from any effort to cure these errors1 from the conviction that religion1 unaccompanied by the expectation of a future state1 can never take hold of the human heart4 #abhd4 ,in a dialogue between the spirit of ,wm4 ,penn and that of ,thos4 ,paine1 the former points out this error3 8,you strove to take from your readers one of their greatest comforts under the afflictions of mortal life40 ,foreseeing this would have prevented me from writing the ,age of ,reason4 ,any set of skeptics who should only coincide in disbelieving1 could never adhere together nor make many converts4 ,the prospect of future life must be promised confidently1 or there would be few proselytes4 #abhe4 ,but the spiritual manifestations1 and the intellectual1 the heartfelt intercommunion with my relatives1 friends1 and the immortal1 great1 and good ,washington1 now enable me to assert that there is not1 nor can be upon any record of the past1 any evidence so complete1 as that presented to my senses1 concurrently with a multitude of observers4 ,i now1 therefore1 feel myself warranted to speak out what my reason justifies and my conscience dictates2 and have not hesitated to express the opinions which are spread out upon the pages immediately preceding that which contains this exposition4 #abhf4 ,with a view to show how much more happy was the state of reciprocal sectarian feeling in the world before this idea of making belief an object of vital importance1 ,i will quote here1 first a passage from ,mosheim's ,ecclesiastical ,history1 vol4 i41 and will subjoin some pages from 8,gibbon's ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire20 following these up with quotations from ,bishop ,hopkins1 of ,vermont3 ,quotation from ,mosheim4 #abhg4 8,each nation suffered its neighbours to follow their own method of worship1 to adore their own gods1 to enjoy their own rites and ceremonies1 and discovered no displeasure at their diversity of sentiments in religious matters4 ,they all looked upon the world as one great empire1 divided into various provinces1 over every one of which a certain order of divinities presided1 and that1 therefore1 none could behold with contempt the gods of other nations1 or force strangers to pay homage to theirs4 #abhh4 8,the ,romans exercised this toleration in the amplest manner4 ,as the sources from which all men's ideas are derived are the same1 namely1 from their senses1 there being no other inlet to the mind but thereby1 there is nothing wonderful in the general prevalence of a sameness of the ideas of human beings in all regions and all ages of the world4 ,the affections of fear1 grief1 pain1 hope1 pleasure1 gratitude1 c41 are as common to man as his nature as a man1 and could not fail to produce a corresponding similarity in the objects of his superstitious veneration4 ,to have nothing in common with the already established notions of mankind1 to bear no features of resemblance to their hallucinations and follies1 to be nothing like them1 to be to nothing so unlike1 should be the essential predications and necessary credentials of the #8wisdom which is from above4' #abhi4 8,it has1 however1 been alleged by learned men1 with convincing arguments of probability1 #8that the principal deities of all the ,gentile nations resembled each other extremely1 in their essential characters2 and if so1 their receiving the same names could not introduce much confusion into mythology1 since they were probably derived from one common source4 ,if the ,thor of the ancient ,celts was the same in dignity1 character1 and attributes with the ,jupiter of the ,greeks and ,romans1 where was the impropriety of giving him the same name8 ,dies ,jovis is still the ,latin form for our ,thor's day4 ,when the ,greeks found in other countries deities that resembled their own1 they persuaded the worshippers of those foreign gods that their deities were the same that were honoured in ,greece1 and were1 indeed1 themselves convinced that this was the case4 ,in consequence of this1 the ,greeks gave the names of their gods to those of other nations1 and the ,romans in this followed their example4 ,hence we find the names of ,jupiter1 ,mars1 ,mercury1 ,venus1 c4 frequently mentioned in the more recent monuments and inscriptions which have been found among the ,gauls and ,germans1 though the ancient inhabitants of those countries had worshipped no gods under such denominations40 ,quotation from ,gibbon4 #abij4 8,the policy of the emperors and the senate1 as far as it concerned religion1 was happily seconded by the reflections of the enlightened1 and by the habits of the superstitious1 part of their subjects4 ,the various modes of worship which prevailed in the ,roman world were all considered by the people as equally true2 by the philosopher1 as equally false2 and by the magistrate1 as equally useful4 ,and thus toleration produced1 not only mutual indulgence1 but even religious concord4 #abia4 8,the superstition of the people was not imbittered by any mixture of theological rancour2 nor was it confined by the chains of any speculative system4 ,the devout polytheist1 though fondly attached to his national rites1 admitted with implicit faith the different religions of the earth4 ,fear1 gratitude1 and curiosity1 a dream or an omen1 a singular disorder1 or a distant journey1 perpetually disposed him to multiply the articles of his belief1 and to enlarge the list of his protectors4 ,the thin texture of the pagan mythology was interwoven with various1 but not discordant1 materials4 ,as soon as it was allowed that sages and heroes1 who had lived1 or who had died1 for the benefit of their country1 were exalted to a state of power and immortality1 it was universally confessed that they deserved1 if not the adoration1 at least the reverence1 of all mankind4 ,the deities of a thousand groves and a thousand streams possessed1 in peace1 their local and respected influence2 nor could the ,roman1 who deprecated the wrath of the ,tiber1 deride the ,egyptian who presented his offering to the beneficent genius of the ,nile4 ,the visible powers of nature1 the planets1 and the elements1 were the same throughout the universe ,the invisible governors of the moral world were inevitably cast in a similar mould of fiction and allegory4 ,every virtue1 and even vice1 acquired its divine representative2 every art and profession its patron1 whose attributes1 in the most distant ages and countries1 were uniformly derived from the character of their peculiar votaries4 ,a republic of gods of such opposite tempers and interests required1 in every system1 the moderating hand of a supreme magistrate1 who1 by the progress of knowledge and flattery1 was gradually invested with the sublime perfections of an ,eternal ,parent1 and an omnipotent ,monarch4 ,such was the mild spirit of antiquity1 that the nations were less attentive to the difference than to the resemblance of their religious worship4 ,the ,greek1 the ,roman1 and the ,barbarian1 as they met before their respective altars1 easily persuaded themselves that under various names1 and with various ceremonies1 they adored the same deities4 ,the elegant mythology of ,homer gave a beautiful and almost regular form to the polytheism of the ancient world4 #abib4 8,the philosophers of ,greece deduced their morals from the nature of man rather than from that of ,god4 ,they meditated1 however1 on the ,divine ,nature as a very curious and important speculation1 and in the profound inquiry they displayed the strength and weakness of the human understanding4 ,of the four most celebrated schools1 the ,stoics and the ,platonists endeavoured to reconcile the jarring interests of reason and piety4 ,they have left us the most sublime proofs of the existence and perfections of the first cause1 but as it was impossible for them to conceive the creation of matter1 the workmen in the ,stoic philosophy was not sufficiently distinguished from the work1 while1 on the contrary1 the spiritual ,god of ,plato and his disciples resembled an idea rather than a substance4 ,the opinions of the ,academics and ,epicureans were of a less religious cast2 but while the modest science of the former induced them to doubt1 the positive ignorance of the latter urged them to deny the providence of a ,supreme ,ruler4 ,the spirit of inquiry1 prompted by emulation and supported by freedom1 has divided the public teachers of philosophy into a variety of contending sects2 but the ingenuous youth who1 from every part1 resorted to ,athens and the other seats of learning in the ,roman empire1 were alike instructed in every school to reject and to despise the religion of the multitude4 ,how1 indeed1 was it possible that a philosopher should accept1 as divine truths1 the idle tales of the poets1 and the incoherent traditions of antiquity1 or that he should adore as gods those imperfect beings whom he must have despised as men6 ,against such unworthy adversaries ,cicero condescended to employ the arms of reason and eloquence1 but the satire of ,lucian was a much more adequate as well as more efficacious weapon4 ,we may be well assured that a writer conversant with the world would never have ventured to expose the gods of his country to public ridicule1 had they not already been the objects of secret contempt among the polished and enlightened orders of society4 #abic4 8,notwithstanding the fashionable irreligion which prevailed in the age of the ,antonines1 both the interest of the priests and the credulity of the people were sufficiently respected4 ,in their writings and conversation1 the philosophers of antiquity asserted the independent dignity of reason1 but they resigned their actions to the commands of law and of custom4 ,viewing1 with a smile of pity and indulgence1 the various errors of the vulgar1 they diligently practised the ceremonies of their fathers1 devoutly frequented the temples of the gods1 and sometimes condescending to act a part on the theatre of superstition1 they concealed the sentiments of an atheist under the sacerdotal robes4 ,reasoners of such a temper were scarcely inclined to wrangle about their respective modes of faith or of worship4 ,it was indifferent to them what shape the folly of the multitude might choose to assume2 and they approached with the same inward contempt1 and the same external reverence1 the altars of the ,lybian1 the ,olympian1 or the ,capitoline ,jupiter4 #abid4 8,it is not easy to conceive from what motives a spirit of persecution could induce itself into the ,roman councils4 ,the magistrates could not be actuated by a blind though honest bigotry1 since the magistrates were themselves philosophers1 and the schools of ,athens had given laws to the senate4 ,they could not be impelled by ambition or avarice1 as the temporal and ecclesiastical powers were united in the same hands4 ,the pontiffs were chosen among the most illustrious of the senators1 and the office of ,supreme ,pontiff was constantly exercised by the emperors themselves4 ,they knew and valued the advantages of religion1 as it is connected with civil government4 ,they encouraged the public festivals which humanize the manners of the people4 ,they managed the arts of divination1 as a convenient instrument of policy1 and they respected as the firmest bond of society the useful persuasion that1 either in this or a future life1 the crime of perjury is most assuredly punished by the avenging gods8 ,but while they acknowledged the general advantages of religion1 they were convinced that the various modes of worship contributed alike to the same salutary purposes1 and that1 in every country1 the form of superstition which had received the sanction of time and experience was the best adapted to the climate and to its inhabitants4 ,avarice and taste very frequently despoiled the vanquished nations of the elegant statues of their gods and the rich ornaments of their temples1 but in the exercise of the religion which they derived from their ancestors1 they uniformly experienced the indulgence1 and even protection1 of the ,roman conquerors4 ,the province of ,gaul seems1 and indeed only seems1 an exception to this universal toleration4 ,under the specious pretext of abolishing human sacrifices1 the ,emperors ,tiberius and ,claudius suppressed the dangerous power of the ,druids2 but the priests themselves1 their gods and their altars1 subsisted in peaceful obscurity till the final destruction of paganism4 #abie4 8,rome1 the capital of a great monarchy1 was incessantly filled with subjects and strangers from every part of the world1 who all introduced and enjoyed the favourite superstitions of their native country4 ,every city in the empire was justified in maintaining the purity of its ancient ceremonies2 and the ,roman senate1 using the common privilege1 sometimes interposed to check this inundation of foreign rites4 ,the ,egyptian superstition1 of all the most contemptible and abject1 was frequently prohibited2 the temples of ,serapis and ,isis demolished1 and their worshippers banished from ,rome and ,italy4 ,but the zeal of fanaticism prevailed over the cold and feeble efforts of policy4 ,the exiles returned1 the proselytes multiplied1 the temples were restored with increasing splendour1 and ,isis and ,serapis at length assumed their place among the ,roman deities4 ,nor was this indulgence a departure from the old maxims of government4 ,in the purest ages of the commonwealth1 ,cybele and sculapius had been invited by solemn embassies1 and it was customary to tempt the protectors of besieged cities by the promise of more distinguished honours than they possessed in their native country4 ,rome gradually became the common temple of her subjects1 and the freedom of the city was bestowed on all the gods of mankind40 ,for more than a thousand years the ,grecian or ,roman ,catholic ,clergy were the sole depositories of the word of ,god1 so called1 and ,regulators of ,religious morals2 yet during that time the ,clergy were for the most part pre-eminent in vice1 as compared with the rest of the community2 whence it is inferred that1 like ,pope ,boniface1 the wicked ,clergy in general were really unbelievers in the truth of the ,gospel4 ,if the morals of the modern ,clergy are better1 it is neither from the barbarous example furnished them in the ,old ,testament1 nor the ultra precepts of the ,gospel2 being too much enlightened to be governed in practice by either4 #abif4 8,,origen complains of the neglect and inattention of his day1 through the increase of worldliness4 ,cyprian about the same time mourns over the progress of degeneracy1 and ,eusebius1 toward the close of the third century1 laments the corruption of the primitive morality in strong terms of censure4 #abig4 8,but yet superstition was rapidly advancing1 and the complaints of priestly corruption and general licentiousness were on the increase4 ,the election of ,pope ,damasus was the occasion of a public riot1 in which his partisans besieged the church where the friends of the other candidate were assembled1 broke down the doors1 and uncovered the roof2 and in the shameful battle that ensued1 one hundred and thirty-seven persons were slain1 of both sexes4 ,the splendour of the ,roman bishops had grown so rapidly1 that the heathen historian ,ammianus ,marcellinus pronounced the episcopal style of living to be superior to that of a king4 ,toward the close of the fourth century1 ,chrysostom defended the new system of monkery1 on the ground that ,christians had become so corrupt1 especially in the large cities4 ,jerome before him had bitterly complained of the prevailing degeneracy1 and became a monk in order to escape from it4 ,st4 ,augustine lamented that many ,christians in his day 7about ,a4 ,d4 #chi7 were superstitious1 that they adored the sepulchres and pictures of the saints1 and ate and drank to excess at funerals1 under the excuse that it was an act of religion4 #abih4 8,the fifth century was not likely to improve the state of the church1 but on the contrary it witnessed a rapid deterioration4 ,the testimony of ,salvian is set forth by ,fleury1 proving that among the ,roman ,christians there was much heathen idolatry remaining2 that the greater part were only ,christians in name1 and worse than the barbarians in life and conversation4 #abii4 ,in the sixth century1 toward the close1 we see ,pope ,gregory the ,great attributing all the public calamities to the ambition of the bishops1 who concealed the teeth of wolves under the face of sheep4 #acjj4 8,the seventh century4 ,we begin to see the fruits of clerical celibacy in the rule established by the council of ,toledo1 that the illegitimate children of the clergy1 from the bishop down to the sub-deacon1 should be slaves in the church where their fathers served4 ,it is to be presumed that this canon was intended to discourage and amend the incontinence of the clergy1 but the adoption of such an extraordinary law proves plainly the prevalence of the evil4 ,so general had the worldliness of the clergy become1 that in the latter part of this century the most eminent bishops of ,france took great part in political matters1 and in time of war marched at the head of their troops1 like the lay barons4 #acja4 8,one of the most important events of the eighth century was the forgery of the ,decretals1 by which all the primitive bishops of ,rome1 from ,clement to ,sylvester1 were made to utter the most extravagant doctrines concerning the power of the pope1 the supremacy of ,rome1 and the authority to judge the other bishops1 while the pope himself could be judged by none4 ,yet such was the ignorance of the times1 that this forgery was successful throughout the whole ,latin ,church1 and remained unquestioned for eight hundred years together4 ,another strong proof of this prevailing ignorance is found in the course of the bishops at the second council of ,nice1 where pretended miracles performed by images were cited from false documents without any suspicion of mistake4 #acjb4 8,the parliament of ,worms presented to the emperor a request from all the people that the bishops should no longer go out at the head of their troops1 but should stay in their dioceses and assist the army by their prayers2 and ,charlemagne willingly granted the petition4 ,but it is remarkable that this application came not from the clergy1 but from the laity2 and it was so little regarded afterward1 that we shall find some warlike bishops even among the popes themselves4 ,this same emperor endeavoured with great zeal to purify the morals of the clergy2 and his reproofs of their worldliness1 their avarice1 and their prostitution of sacred things for the sake of gain1 are remarkable monuments of his own good sense and of the corruption which infested the church in the ninth century4 ,after his death1 which occurred in ,a4 ,d4 #had1 some churches invoked him as a saint1 notwithstanding he had four wives and five concubines4 #acjc4 8,the year #hdd was signalized by the introduction of false relics at ,dijon in ,france1 by which1 nevertheless1 several remarkable cures were supposed to have been effected1 until the fraud was discovered2 but the proceedings show that such impostures were common4 ,in ,a4 ,d4 #hej a poor presbyter named ,gotheschalk1 who had adopted high views on predestination1 was not only deposed from the priesthood1 but afterward publicly whipped1 as an incorrigible heretic1 and cast into prison1 where he died after eighteen years' confinement4 ,yet his doctrine was defended by other bishops of high reputation1 and his punishment was denounced as cruel and unjust4 #acjd4 8,in ,a4 ,d4 #hfd1 a violent outrage took place at ,rome1 in which ,gonthier1 the ,archbishop of ,cologne1 protesting against the judgment of ,pope ,nicholas1 told his brother ,hildwin1 who was a priest1 to place his protestation on the tomb of ,saint ,peter3 that is1 upon the altar of the church4 ,accordingly1 ,hildwin entered into the church with several followers1 all armed1 and as the keepers opposed him1 he repulsed them with blows1 and killed one of them upon the spot4 ,he then accomplished his purpose1 and retreated sword in hand4 ,the anecdote is only of importance as a proof of the spirit of the age4 ,the first instance of a partial interdict occurs in ,a4 ,d4 #hga4 ,the ordeals of boiling water1 cold water1 and red-hot iron were employed in this age1 to determine questions of justice under the auspices of the priests2 and even kings employed them1 with all faith and confidence4 ,the ,duke of ,naples had formed an alliance with the ,saracens1 which the pope disproved2 and as he refused to break it on the order of the pontiff1 he was excommunicated4 ,the ,bishop ,athanasius1 who was the duke's own brother1 took him and put out his eyes1 sent him as prisoner to ,rome1 and caused himself to be proclaimed ,duke of ,naples in his place4 ,the pope approved this conduct highly1 and praised the bishop for loving ,god more than his brother1 and putting out the right eye which had offended1 according to ,scripture4 ,this pontiff was ,john ,,viii41 and the time was ,a4 ,d4 #hgg4 ,reasons for not proceeding farther with ,quotation of ,details4 #acje4 ,it would occupy too much space1 and make too wide a digression1 were ,i to proceed in quoting the details of the evidence showing the state of morals in ,christendom during the ,middle ,ages to have been much below that which the heathen displayed during the period immediately succeeding the advent of ,christ1 according to ,mosheim and ,gibbon4 ,but although the reader should not be enabled to form an opinion directly1 by a perusal of the details1 fortunately ,i am enabled to submit that of the right reverend prelate by whom they have been compiled4 #acjf4 ,the fact deserves attention1 that for more than a thousand years1 of all the upper classes of society the ,christian clergy were pre-eminently wicked1 frequent complaints having been made against them by the laity1 notwithstanding the cruel persecution to which complainants were liable4 ,the popes were generally as prominent in wickedness as high in official distinction4 ,the summing up of ,bishop ,hopkins1 which ,i subjoin1 fully confirms the impression which ,i have endeavoured to convey3 #acjg4 8,i have now gone over the history of your church1 with the single aim of proving1 from your own records1 the rise1 progress1 and terrible extent of its corruption1 up to the close of the sixteenth century4 ,here we see that for a period of seven centuries together there had been a constant outcry for reformation2 that the popes and priesthood were the objects of continual complaint on the part of the laity2 that by their own acknowledgment1 although the church was never destitute of true ,christians1 yet holiness was the exception1 and iniquity the rule1 since the great body of the clergy were steeped in licentiousness1 avarice1 simony1 cruelty1 violence1 falsehood1 and blood2 that the ,university of ,paris1 one of your most famous nurseries of theological education1 was infested with an infidel philosophy1 and with habits of libertine sacrilege2 that the boasts of absolute atheism were heard from the lips of pontiffs and cardinals2 that the reliance of your church was in the terrors of the inquisition1 in the rack1 the dungeon1 and the stake2 that war1 and treachery1 and assassination1 were patronized in the service of religion2 that bishops1 and cardinals1 and popes1 were ready to lead their troops to battle2 that there were constant revolts and rebellions against the tyranny of the priestly power2 that there were many schisms in the papal kingdom1 in which two or three pretenders to infallibility cursed each other at the same time1 in the name of ,god and his apostles2 and that every effort to banish these horrible iniquities proved utterly abortive1 until the success of the ,protestant reformation compelled them to respect public opinion1 by fear for their very being if they continued to brave it any longer40 #acjh4 ,it is believed that there was no such wickedness among the pagan priesthood as to have become a cause of complaint1 although far less power existed to silence accusation4 ,throughout ,christendom even monarchs were made to suffer severely for their remonstrances against papal tyranny1 and had to make concessions after having been ill-treated4 ,by way of exemplifying his disrespect for those precepts of ,christ which enjoin humility1 meekness1 and poorness of spirit as the means of reaching heaven1 ,pope ,celestin kicked the crown from the head of the emperor1 ,henry ,,vii41 as this potentate knelt before him4 ,could any sane man have done this while believing that ,christ's allegations were to be verified1 agreeably to which the 8poor in spirit0 are to have heaven1 the meek to inherit the earth8 7,see ,hopkins47 #acji4 ,according to ,taylor's ,diegesis1 ,constantine inquired of ,sopater1 the pagan priest1 if he could absolve him from his sins1 among which was that of scalding one of his wives to death1 and executing unjustly one of his sons4 ,sopater informed him that it went beyond his power to obtain pardon for such sins4 ,the ,christian priests having agreed to procure the desired absolution1 is supposed to have been one of the principal motives which induced ,constantine to embrace ,christianity4 ,yet it was under this wicked despot that the ,council of ,nice was held1 which decided in favour of the divinity of ,christ4 #acaj4 ,it is difficult to imagine that persons who actually believed in a future state of rewards and punishments1 and who of course must have been impressed with the comparative insignificance of any worldly enjoyments1 would1 for any earthly objects1 have acted so much in a way to doom their souls to perpetual torture4 ,it may therefore be inferred that the clerical papists who acted so wickedly were religious hypocrites1 like the ,jewish ,pharisees4 ,i am strongly under the impression that the imperfection of the proof of the truth of ,scriptures1 in the first place1 and the inadequate and disgusting representations respecting the future world which they present1 has always been productive of secret unbelief1 and consequent recklessness respecting the dictates of religion or morality4 #acaa4 ,of the manner in which the clergy of the present day reason themselves into a belief1 and expect to induce others to concur with them1 the parodied quotation from the clerical ,goliah of my would-be guide to heaven is an exemplification4 ,it is only by frowning down objections1 or begging the question1 that they can get on4 7#aahb47 #acab4 ,said one among the most amiable of my clerical friends to me1 when ,i adverted to the improbability that the ,deity of this almost infinite universe would select a few human animalcules in ,judea as his especial favourites3 8,dr4 ,hare1 you must not expect me to sit by patiently1 and see the pillars of my profession assailed40 ,i am sorry1 said ,i1 if ,i have said any thing to give you pain4 8,how would you like the pillars of your science to be attacked80 ,i would defend them1 not endeavour to silence the assailant6 ,but all criticisms which lead to the cure of errors only benefit a science founded on truth4 #acac4 ,the skepticism produced by reading the ,bible is alleged1 by ,archbishop ,hughes1 as the motive of his church for forbidding the reading of it to the faithful4 ,it was the reading of the ,bible1 when a minor1 which led to my unbelief in its authenticity4 ,bible societies may1 without intending it1 do much to prepare the reasoning portion of mankind for the adoption of a more moral1 consistent1 and rational gospel4 #acad4 ,that one pope at least was a materialist1 the following quotation from ,bishop ,hopkins's work will prove4 #acae4 8,the year #acjh was marked by the resolution of ,pope ,clement ,v4 to take up his residence at ,avignon4 ,two years afterward1 he appointed three cardinals to examine the witnesses against the former pope1 ,boniface ,,viii41 and ,cardinal ,cajetan2 and the testimony taken on the occasion proved them both to have been downright atheists4 ,it was in substance as follows3 #acaf4 8,nicholas1 a priest and canon of the cathedral1 c41 on oath1 said1 that being at ,naples1 under the pontificate of ,celestin ,v41 viz4 ,a4 ,d4 #abgd1 in the house of ,marin ,sichinulfe1 where ,cardinal ,benedict ,cajetan dwelt1 he entered the chamber of the cardinal in the suite of the ,bishop of ,fricenti1 and found there a clerk disputing with him1 in presence of several persons1 upon the questions1 which was the best law or religion1 that of the ,christians1 of the ,jews1 or of the ,saracens8 and who those were that best observed their own8 ,then the cardinal said1 ,what are all these religions8 ,they are the inventions of men4 ,we need not put ourselves to any trouble1 except for this world1 since there is no other life but the present4 ,he said also1 on the same occasion1 that this world has had no beginning1 and would not have an end4 ,nicholas1 ,abbot of ,st4 ,benedict1 c41 deposed to the same fact1 adding that the ,cardinal ,cajetan had said that the bread was not changed in the sacrament of the altar1 and that it was false that it was the body of ,jesus ,christ2 that there is no resurrection2 that the soul dies with the body2 that this was his opinion and that of all men of letters1 but that the simple and ignorant thought otherwise4 ,the witness being asked if the cardinal did not thus speak jestingly1 replied that he said these things seriously and in good faith4 #acag4 8,manfred1 a lay citizen of ,lucca1 said1 that in the year #acjj1 before ,christmas1 being in the chamber of ,pope ,boniface1 in presence of the ambassadors of ,florence1 of ,boulogne1 and of ,lucca1 and many other persons1 a man1 who appeared to be the ,pope's chaplain1 told his holiness of the death of a certain knight who had been a wicked man1 and therefore it was necessary to pray for him1 that ,jesus ,christ might have pity on his soul4 ,upon which ,boniface treated him as if he were a fool2 and after having spoken injuriously of ,jesus ,christ1 he added3 ,this knight has already received all the good and evil he can have1 and there is no other life than this1 nor any other paradise or hell than what is in this world4 ,the witness testified to another discourse of ,boniface1 which modesty does not allow of our reporting2 and another witness recited a story about him still more impious than the foregoing4 #acah4 8#8,what remains of this information1' says ,fleury1 #8comprehends the depositions of thirteen witnesses1 all to a similar effect4 ,another information which appeared the following year contained the evidence of twenty-three witnesses to the same facts1 with others equally scandalous4 ,but as the affair was never brought to judgment1 it is superfluous to enter into any further details4' #acai4 8,now here is a very extraordinary and powerful evidence to prove that at least one pope1 and he a very distinguished one1 ,boniface ,,viii41 and one cardinal1 of high reputation1 were not only infidels themselves1 but claimed to be of the same class with #8all men of letters4' ,that the testimony was satisfactory seems incontrovertible2 because the witnesses were thirty-six in number1 unimpeached in character1 and thought sufficient by ,philip the ,fair1 ,king of ,france1 and all his leading nobility4 ,he proposed that ,boniface should be arraigned1 though dead1 for heresy1 and that his bones should be disinterred and burned1 according to the modern fashion established by the ,roman ,church4 ,it may seem strange1 however1 that even if ,boniface and ,cajetan had held such sentiments1 they should have been so foolish as to utter them in the presence of so many4 ,to this two answers may be given4 ,first1 that the influence of the philosophy which we have already noted in the ,university of ,paris was so prevalent1 that the clergy and the upper ranks of the laity were generally infected with it1 and religion was looked upon1 by nearly all1 as a thing of policy1 necessary to keep the vulgar in order1 but only professed by the higher classes1 as it was in heathen ,rome1 #8for the sake of appearances4' ,unhappily1 there are many proofs too strong to be doubted that this infidel philosophy was rife among the priesthood2 and perhaps there is no other way of accounting for the manifest fact that the church1 like the state1 was governed for so many ages by the machinery of force and fear1 as if there was no inward conscience to appeal to1 except among a few pious souls1 here and there--enough to perpetuate the church1 according to the promise of ,christ1 but not enough to affect the general sentiment40 ,any religion1 like that of ,moses1 which does not make ,immortality a primary consideration1 must be chiefly confined to worldly objects1 and of course unworthy of consideration or respect4 #acbj4 ,while the silence of the ,pentateuch respecting immortality throws the authority of the 8word of ,god10 so called1 against the endowment of the human soul with that all-important attribute1 the language of the decalogue is inconsistent with the unity of the divine power4 ,the words1 8,thou shalt have no other gods before me10 implies that there were other gods who might be acknowledged2 since if there were none other1 the proper words would be--,thou canst have no other ,god but me1 or--,there is no other ,god but me4 #acba4 ,again1 when ,jehovah alleges himself to be jealous1 of whom could he be jealous1 if there was no other ,god to excite the sentiment of jealousy8 ,can any one conceive ,god to be jealous of an idol1 when he must perceive that whatever worship may be bestowed on idols1 is actually intended for the true ,god8 7#abde1 #abdf47 ,could ,adam have been jealous when there was no other man in existence to be jealous of8 #acbb4 ,in the ,introduction the ends to be answered by religion were stated1 7page #ah47 ,several of the foregoing pages have been designed to show that ,scripture does not fulfil these objects1 being almost silent as respects immortality1 using doubtful language respecting the unity of the divine power4 ,moreover1 ,jehovah is described as wrathful1 jealous1 and vindictive2 as sanctioning the massacre1 spoliation1 and extirpation of neighbouring nations4#bf ,the fruits of the religion of ,moses were two sects1 of whom one did not believe in a future state of rewards and punishments2 the other1 although professing such a belief1 7according to the barbarous idea of ,josephus17 were not as moral as the unbelievers1 7#gej1 #ajih47 ,moreover1 as respects the ,new ,testament1 the precepts on which it laid the most stress1 those against pecuniary cupidity and resistance of wrong1 have been not only neglected1 but acted upon inversely2 so that rapacity and aggression have been the predominant features of the conduct of ,christians1 unworthily so called1 toward each other1 but especially toward those who have been of a different religious belief4 ,in one trait1 however1 the words of ,christ1 already cited1 have been fully carried out3 8,i come as a sword40#bg #acbc4 ,it may be seen from the passages quoted1 that prior to the promulgation of ,christianity1 people of various religious sects were willing to live in harmony2 but that after its promulgation there was much discord1 and that those who should have been especially influenced by ,christianity 7the priesthood7 were the foremost in vice6 #acbd4 ,it is conceived that either on the one side the evidence of ,christianity could not have gone home to the soul of those who so grossly violated its monitions1 or that the rewards held out by it had not been presented under an aspect sufficiently inviting to counteract the fleeting allurements of this temporal world4 ,it is conceived that ,scripture is from beginning to end1 from the ,pentateuch to the ,gospel of ,john1 too worldly1 as first exhibited in the promise of lands to the ,jews1 and lastly of judgeships to the apostles4 ,the ,old ,testament1 of necessity1 can treat of nothing but worldliness1 since there is throughout scarcely any reference to heaven2 and some of the ,psalms would accord better with the curses of a devil1 than with the prayers of a sincere ,christian4 ,the cix4 ,psalm contains this language3 #acbe4 8,when he shall be judged1 let him be condemned2 and let his prayer become sin4 ,let his days be few2 and let another take his office4 ,let his children be fatherless1 and his wife a widow4 ,let his children be continually vagabonds1 and beg3 let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places4 ,let the extortioner catch all that he hath1 and let the strangers spoil his labour4 ,let there be none to extend mercy unto him3 neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children4 ,let his posterity be cut off2 and in the generation following let their name be blotted out4 ,let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the ,lord2 and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out4 ,let them be before the ,lord continually1 that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth4 ,because that he remembered not to show mercy1 but persecuted the poor and needy man1 that he might even slay the broken in heart4 ,as he loved cursing1 so let it come unto him3 as he delighted not in blessing1 so let it be far from him4 ,as he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment1 so let it come into his bowels like water1 and like oil unto his bones4 ,let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him1 and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually4 ,let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the ,lord1 and of them that speak evil against my soul40 #acbf4 ,under these circumstances1 wherefore should there be any alarm for the consequences of replacing belief in ,scripture by belief in ,spiritualism1 if the evidence of this be1 as we think1 vastly more reliable1 and the morality far more consistent with that followed in practice by great and good men of ancient and modern times4 #acbg4 ,moreover1 the basis of probation1 upon which the morality of ,scripture is built1 is manifestly a castle in the air1 since it involves this contradiction1 that an omnipotent1 omniscient1 and prescient ,deity1 who can make his creatures what he wishes them to be1 and must know what they are1 has to resort to trial to learn that which he knows before the process is undertaken1 as well as he can possibly after its accomplishment4 ,this demonstration alone overturns the whole probationary superstructure existing in the minds of sectarians4 #acbh4 ,meanwhile1 the communications which ,i have submitted involve the idea of progression1 and convey infinitely more knowledge of futurity than the ,old and ,new ,testaments taken together4 ,people profess ,christianity more from a desire to do right1 than they do right in consequence of their professions4 #acbi4 ,i am aware how much it is a part of the existing system of education to imbue a confident faith in whatever tenets may be taught1 and how little it is possible1 in consequence1 to have any arguments fairly considered which bear against the educational impressions4 ,it may be seen in the instance of the interesting lady to whom ,i owe the kind letter1 7#aafc17 how much more anxious such persons are to teach than to listen4 ,she had1 as she supposed1 listened to an exposition of my views1 of which the foundation had already been described in a published letter1 with an effort to compare the heaven and hell of ,scripture with those of ,spiritualism2 yet in all confidence of victory1 this excellent creature brings me a letter written by one whom she considers to have a first-rate intellect1 and who begins by assuming what ,i most emphatically deny1 and of which the argument is just as good for ,mohammedanism as for ,christianity1 provided the ,koran be assumed as the word of ,god in lieu of the ,bible1 and ,mohammed as the vicegerent of ,god instead of ,christ4 ,this may be considered as the argument of an eminent ,episcopalian in favour of the truth of ,christianity1 while in those cited from ,hughes and ,breckinridge we have the arguments of an eminent ,romanist on one side1 and an eminent ,calvinist on the other4 ,the one objects to the basis of 8fallible0 men as the rule of faith2 the other1 to any inference derived from a gospel by 8fallible0 men4 ,breckinridge does not recollect that there is nothing more fallible than the traditions1 compilations1 and translations of fallible men1 nor how skeptical all those who sustain the truth of ,scripture on this evidence1 are of any other evidence of the same kind which conflicts with ,scripture4 #accj4 ,if the reader will look at the letters of ,amasa ,holcomb and my replies1 7#fij17 he will see an exemplification of the difficulty in which many were placed1 who had no other evidence of a future state beside that afforded by ,scripture4 ,let him apply to the human evidence of antiquity no less skepticism than is now applied to the human evidence of ,spiritualists1 and then estimate the weight of testimony in favour of the ,scriptures4 ,let him fairly consider the internal evidence against ,scripture1 as briefly sketched in this work or elsewhere1 and then say whether he can conscientiously condemn ,mr4 ,holcomb or myself for conscientiously disbelieving ,scripture4 #acca4 ,let it be considered whether belief in ,christianity is not at the present time a consequence of morality1 rather than its cause2 whether it is not1 with ninety-nine in a hundred1 the consequence of early impressions1 which have associated the ,christian religion and morals inseparably on the conscience2 without1 however1 inducing in any one of the individuals thus influenced any idea that the precepts of ,christ are to be carried out in practice4 ,it would be manifestly preposterous to look for this where the clergy1 who were the teachers1 did not practically obey the precepts1 but went ahead in the race of iniquity1 whichever way the current might lead1 and almost everywhere as desirous of wealth1 and power1 and worldly distinction as other men4 ,the imperfection of the evidence of scriptural truth1 on which the belief in it rests1 or that false moral sense derived from education1 which makes the person affected just as tenacious of one creed as of another1 whether it be ,judaic1 ,christian1 or ,mohammedan1 causes the faith thus arising to yield whenever the moral sense is impaired on which it rests4 ,not being supported by reason1 as soon as the educational conscientiousness on which it was founded is blunted1 any faith built upon it forms no barrier4 ,the individual perceives that his opinions were not formed by himself1 but imparted1 and would have been different1 had he been born of different parents4 ,thus faith rests upon morality1 not morality upon faith2 and when morality goes1 faith ceases to be a barrier4 ,but meanwhile those who abandon morality1 find in their educational impressions one which is a salvo to them1 however sinful4 ,they find that ,christ died for those who believe in his divinity or in his divine mission1 and of course1 that by closing their ears and eyes to all evidence or argument impeaching ,christianity1 and continuing to cherish the early impressions made by their teachers1 they may be redeemed from future punishment2 whereas1 as ,dr4 ,berg alleged in his debate with ,barker1 8,a sinner cannot be saved out of ,christ40 #accb4 ,but one consequence of this interested1 bigoted belief is1 that animosity which1 it was foretold by ,christ1 would cause such horrible discord1 and would make his advent equivalent to a severing of all the dearest ties between relatives and friends1 the superior and his subordinates4 ,as at this time any idea of a religion would be scouted with indignation which should not make a future state of rewards and punishments the primary object1 it is inconceivable to me wherefore the ,old ,testament should be an object of veneration to those whose thoughts are heavenward4 ,how could there be any thing but worldliness where nothing but the things of the world were objects of desire--no heaven beyond4 #accc4 ,from what has been urged1 is it not manifest that1 in the first place1 it is of great importance that the evidence of a future state should be placed on a firmer footing than on recorded and translated traditions1 or on the decretals of a most profligate priesthood8 ,would it not be one of the greatest imaginable blessings that those who have not the consolation of believing in immortality1 should have that consolation1 and those who already believe in a future state of existence1 should have a better knowledge of that state1 than that given by ,josephus1 sanctioned by ,christ1 even as collated by the pious and learned clergyman1 ,dr4 ,harbaugh8 7#gej47 #accd4 ,if ,christ had nothing but the vicinity of the fire prepared for the devil and his angels1 agreeably to ,josephus1 and his story of ,dives and ,lazarus1 or imaginary worldly appointments1 or lying in the grave till the last day1--if these are all the grounds that ,christians have had to build upon as respects future happiness1 is it to be wondered at that the priesthood of the ,middle ,ages1 who best knew the defect of gospel evidence1 how little they themselves were to be trusted1 and how illusory was the promise made to the apostles of judgeships1 7#gdc17 should1 of all others in society1 be the least restrained by fear of future punishment8 ,it is a calumny against human nature to represent men as wilfully ignorant of the true religion4 #acce4 ,a prevalent calumny against human nature has been1 that men remain wilfully reckless as respects religious truth2 or that they remain in error designedly1 and not because they mistake it for truth4 ,but it is notorious1 that as respects the laws of man1 those who make it their business to violate them take great care to make themselves acquainted with the laws which it is their object to break4 ,none but an idiot would expect the law to be less severe in proportion as he should keep himself ignorant of its provisions4 ,no banditti in the ,russian empire would expect the less to go to ,siberia because they should deny the reigning czar to be the sovereign4 ,they would not expect to escape his power by enthroning a pretended czar1 and paying him honour4 ,such conduct would be too absurd1 even for fools to pursue2 yet it is upon such erroneous views that three thousand ,israelites were surprised and assassinated for worshipping the golden calf2 and that eminent clergymen do not consider it as blasphemy against the paternal ,god1 described by ,seneca 7#abbd7 to represent him as sanctioning this horrible butchery4#bh #accf4 ,the truth is1 the selfishness of the worst men makes it quite as much an object with them1 as with good men1 to know to what punishments they may become liable1 or what advantages they will be entitled to hereafter4 ,self-interest makes every man anxious to know that which deeply affects his future existence4 ,is there any one who would not wish to learn whether his soul is to rot in the coffin with its fleshy integuments1 or to have another and eternal existence1 happy or wretched according to his deportment in this world8#bi #accg4 ,those who really wish to serve the cause of true religion1 and human welfare here and hereafter1 should not expect that harsh words or measures will promote these objects4 ,if1 from want of due consideration1 they uphold that which is repulsive to the human heart and understanding1 and turn a deaf ear to facts and reasoning1 which would produce a more beneficial issue1 they will really be amenable to the blame which they so unjustly lavish upon those whom they calumniate as 8,infidels10 while they themselves are really infidels to their professed principles4 ,the ,bible itself made me an unbeliever in its authenticity1 and makes unbelievers of many who read it attentively and fearlessly1 after their reason is matured4 #acch4 ,nothing could serve the cause of true religion and true morality more than a belief in a future state of reward and punishment1 without having that book made an appendage to the instruction4 ,to appreciate the ,jewish representation of the ,deity1 a reader should first form an idea of this planet and its inhabitants1 comparatively with the hundred millions of solar systems1 and the inconceivable extent of the space which encompasses them1 which fall within the domain of one common ,deity4 #acci4 ,in order to form an idea of the ,deity1 we must consider the extent of the universe over which he rules1 and the magnificence and multiplicity of the bodies which it comprises4 ,alpha ,centauri1 a star of the ,centaur1 a constellation in the southern hemisphere1 is the nearest of the fixed stars2 it nevertheless is nearly twenty thousand million of miles from the earth4 ,light1 flying at the rate of two hundred thousand miles in a second1 to come from that star1 would take three years and three months to reach the earth4 #acdj4 ,a star in the constellation of the ,swan1 known as 8#fa ,cygni10 is another among the few whose distance is sufficiently small to allow it to be measured4 ,this is nearly three times as far as ,alpha ,centauri2 so that it would take light nine years to come from 8#fa ,cygni0 to the earth4 ,this star appears single to the naked eye1 but1 seen through a telescope1 appears like two stars1 which according to ,mitchell1 are six thousand millions of miles apart4 #acda4 ,but the stars which enter into the nebula of ,orion are so remote1 that light1 to come from one of them1 would require ninety-two thousand years4 ,suppose an imaginary right line to be extended from a star in ,orion so as to pass through the centre of this planet1 and to reach a star on the other side as remote as that first mentioned2 of course1 the distance being doubled1 it would require light twice the time to perceive it1 or one hundred and eighty-four thousand years4 ,suppose a spherical space of which that line forms a diameter1 or we may suppose a larger sphere1 including all the nebula visible by the ,rosse telescope4 ,it is estimated that there are in all not less than one hundred millions of stars visible with the aid of that magnificent instrument1 each of which is a sun with its planets2 so that we have reason to suppose that there are an hundred millions of solar systems4 ,some of the suns are1 like ,sirius1 estimated to give sixty-three times as much light as our sun emits4 ,our planet is to ,jupiter as one to twelve hundred2 to ,saturn1 as one to one thousand2 to the sun1 as one to one million four hundred thousand4 ,it is hardly to be seen by the naked eye from ,jupiter1 and would be invisible to any human eye situated upon any planet more remote than ,jupiter4 ,to the whole of the sidereal creation1 it is as a globule of water in the ocean1 and the inhabitants are as animalcules in that globule4 #acdb4 ,having thus prepared his mind with a proper conception of the vastness of the attributes of the ,deity1 and the degree of the comparative importance of the human race in the divine mind1 as it surveys the whole creation1 let the reader take up the book of ,genesis1 and compare the impressions which that alleged word of ,god would convey with those which the preceding facts and considerations would induce4 ,it may be expedient that the reader1 while under the sublime impression of the majesty and magnificence of the ,deity1 as displayed in his works1 should consider what evidence there is of any entity having the relation to him of a female2 and if it be irrational to suppose a commensurate being of the other sex1 let the reader consider how this ,supreme ,deity could have a son8 ,the existence of a son requiring both a father and mother1 it may be well to think how a male without a female god could have a son4 ,he may take into view the opinions of ,newton1 that ,god cannot be presumed to have organs4 ,doubtless it will be perceived that this all-pervading1 magnificent being cannot require eyes to see1 ears to hear1 a nose to smell1 a tongue to speak1 or a mouth to eat1 legs with which to walk1 or arms with which to strike4 ,of course he will not consider him as having a person made of those organs1 as in the instance of his creature1 man4 ,he will agree with ,newton1 that it were absurd to ascribe even one person to ,god1 and would be still more so to ascribe three persons4 ,again1 if three persons be essential to ,god1 he being eternal1 the three persons must be eternal1 and of course neither can bear the relation of a son to the other2 nor can the coeval ,holy ,ghost proceed from two of the trio1 forming the third person1 who1 by the premises1 existed before he came into his subsequent existence1 as alleged by the contradictory conclusion4 ,if the individuals composing the ,godhead have any distinct will or reason1 the admission of the trinity amounts to polytheism2 and if they have not severally independent natures and reason1 then the association of the idea of three persons is useless4 ,is it not idolatrous thus to associate with the ,deity effete masses of spiritual matter1 under the name of persons1 and worship the imaginary monster thus created as the true ,god8 ,still more1 is it not monstrous to represent that those who cannot adore this imaginary idol1 are wilfully incredulous8 #acdc4 ,i have said that the account of the creation1 given in the ,pentateuch1 is inconsistent with geological facts4 ,much sophistry has been employed to escape from this truth4 ,thus eminent geologists have striven to reconcile the alleged creation of the world in six days1 to mean actually six eras1 each of immense duration2 yet ,scripture representing that the day succeeding those so employed1 should be kept holy as a ,sabbath1 and this being viewed in the ,decalogue as a period of twenty-four hours1 precludes the assignment of any longer duration to each of the six days1 actually occupied by the ,creator in performing his great work4 #acdd4 ,to enable the reader to judge how far the facts ascertained by geological investigation1 can be reconciled with the scriptural account1 ,i shall here quote them1 as stated by ,professor ,hitchcock1 in his work entitled 8,religion of ,geology10 page #ai4 ,it should be known to the reader that this author is among those who assume the ,bible to be the word of ,god upon the same grounds as the clergyman1 7#aahb47 #acde4 8,under these circumstances1 all that ,i can do1 is to state definitely what ,i apprehend to be the established principles of the science that have a bearing upon religious truth1 and refer my hearers to standard works on the subject for the proof that they are true4 ,if any will not take the trouble to examine the proofs1 ,i trust they will have candour and impartiality enough not to deny my positions4 #acdf4 8,the first important conclusion to which every careful observer will come is1 that the rocks of all sorts which compose the present crust of the globe1 so far as it has been explored1 at least to the depth of several miles1 appear to have been the result of second causes2 that is1 they are now in a different state from that in which they were originally created4 #acdg4 8,it is1 indeed1 a favourite idea with some1 that all the rocks and their contents were created1 just as we now meet them1 in a moment of time2 that the supposed remains of animals and plants1 which many of them contain1 and which occur in all states1 from an animal or plant little changed1 to a complete conversion into stone1 were never real animals and plants1 but only resemblances2 and that the marks of fusion and of the wearing of water1 exhibited by the rocks1 are not to be taken as evidences that they have undergone such processes1 but only that it has pleased ,god to give them that appearance2 and that1 in fact1 it was as easy for ,god to create them just as they now are as in any other form4 #acdh4 8,it is a presumption against such a supposition1 that no men1 who have carefully examined rocks and organic remains1 are its advocates4 ,not that they doubt the power of ,god to produce such effects1 but they deny the probability that he has exerted it in this manner2 for throughout nature1 wherever they have an opportunity to witness her operations1 they find that when substances appear to have undergone changes1 by means of secondary agencies1 they have in fact undergone them2 and1 therefore1 the whole analogy of nature goes to prove that the rocks have experienced great changes since their deposition4 ,if rocks are an exception to the rest of nature1--that is1 if they are the effect of miraculous agency1--there is no proof of it2 and to admit it without proof is to destroy all grounds of analogical reasoning in natural operations2 in other words1 it is to remove the entire basis of reasoning in physical science4 ,every reasonable man1 therefore1 who has examined rocks1 will admit that they have undergone important changes since their original formation4 #acdi4 8,in the second place1 the same general laws appear to have always prevailed on the globe1 and to have controlled the changes which have taken place upon and within it4 ,we come to no spot1 in the history of the rocks1 in which a system different from that which now prevails appears to have existed4 ,great peculiarities in the structure of animals and plants do indeed occur1 as well as changes on a scale of magnitude unknown at present2 but this was only a wise adaptation to peculiar circumstances1 and not an infringement of the general laws4 #acej4 8,in the third place1 the geological changes which the earth has undergone1 and is now undergoing1 appear to have been the result of the same agencies--viz4 heat and water4 #acea4 8,fourthly4 ,it is demonstrated that the present continents of the globe1 with perhaps the exception of some of their highest mountains1 have for a long period constituted the bottom of the ocean1 and have been subsequently either elevated into their present position1 or the waters have been drained off from their surface4 ,this is probably the most important principle in geology2 and though regarded with much skepticism by many1 it is as satisfactorily proved as any principle of physical science not resting on mathematical demonstration4 #aceb4 8,fifthly4 ,the internal parts of the earth are found to possess a very high temperature2 nor can it be doubted that at least oceans of melted matter exist beneath the crust1 and perhaps even all the deep-seated interior is in a state of fusion4 #acec4 8,sixthly4 ,the fossiliferous rocks1 or such as contain animals and plants1 are not less than six or seven miles in perpendicular thickness1 and are composed of hundreds of alternating layers of different kinds1 all of which appear to have been deposited1 just as rocks are now forming1 at the bottom of lakes and seas2 and hence their deposition must have occupied an immense period of time4 ,even if we admit that this deposition went on in particular places much faster than at present1 a variety of facts forbid the supposition that this was the general mode of their formation4 #aced4 8,seventhly4 ,the remains of animals and plants found in the earth are not mingled confusedly together1 but are found arranged1 for the most part1 in as much order as the drawers of a well-regulated cabinet4 ,in general1 they appear to have lived and died on or near the spots where they are now found2 and as countless millions of these remains are often found piled together1 so as to form almost entire mountains1 the periods requisite for their formation must have been immensely long1 as was taught in the preceding proposition4 #acee4 8,eighthly4 ,still further confirmation of the same important principle is found in the well-established fact1 that there have been upon the globe1 previous to the existing races1 not less than five distinct periods of organized existence2 that is1 five great groups of animals and plants1 so completely independent that no species whatever is found in more than one of them1 have lived and successively passed away before the creation of the races that now occupy the surface4 ,other standard writers make the number of these periods of existence as many as twelve4 ,comparative anatomy testifies that so unlike in structure were these different groups1 that they could not have coexisted in the same climate and other external circumstances4 #acef4 8,ninthly4 ,in the earliest times in which animals and plants lived1 the climate over the whole globe appears to have been as warm as1 or even warmer than1 it is now between the tropics4 ,and the slow change from warmer to colder appears to have been the chief cause of the successive destruction of the different races2 and new ones were created1 better adapted to the altered condition of the globe2 and yet each group seems to have occupied the globe through a period of great length2 so that we have here another evidence of the vast cycles of duration that must have rolled away even since the earth became a habitable globe4 #aceg4 8,tenthly4 ,there is no small reason to suppose that the globe underwent numerous changes previous to the time when animals were placed upon it2 that1 in fact1 the time was when the whole matter of the earth was in a melted state1 and not improbably also even in a gaseous state4 ,these points1 indeed1 are not as well established as the others that have been mentioned2 but1 if admitted1 they give to the globe an incalculable antiquity4 #aceh4 8,eleventhly4 ,it appears that the present condition of the earth's crust and surface was of comparatively recent commencement2 otherwise the steep flanks of mountains would have ceased to crumble down1 and wide oceans would have been filled with alluvial deposits4 #acei4 8,twelfthly4 ,among the thirty thousand species of animals and plants found in the rocks1#cj very few living species have been detected2 and even these few occur in the most recent rocks1 while in the secondary group1 not less than six miles thick1 not a single species now on the globe has been discovered4 ,hence the present races did not exist till after those in the secondary rocks had died4 ,no human remains have been found below those alluvial deposits which are now forming by rivers1 lakes1 and the ocean4 ,hence geology infers that man was one of the latest animals that was placed on the globe4 #acfj4 8,thirteenthly4 ,the surface of the earth has undergone an enormous amount of erosion by the action of the ocean1 the rivers1 and the atmosphere4 ,the ocean has worn away the solid rock1 in some parts of the world1 not less than ten thousand feet in depth1 and rivers have cut channels through the hardest strata1 hundreds of feet deep and several miles long2 both of which effects demand periods inconceivably long4 #acfa4 8,fourteenthly4 ,at a comparatively recent date1 northern and southern regions have been swept over and worn down by the joint action of ice and water1 the force in general having been directed toward the equator4 ,this is called the drift period4 #acfb4 8,fifteenthly4 ,since the drift period1 the ocean has stood some thousands of feet above its present level in many countries4 #acfc4 8,sixteenthly4 ,there is evidence1 in regard to some parts of the world1 that the continents are now experiencing slow vertical movements--some places sinking1 and others rising4 ,and hence a presumption is derived that1 in early times1 such changes may have been often repeated1 and on a great scale4 #acfd4 8,seventeenthly4 ,every successive change of importance on the earth's surface appears to have been an improvement of its condition1 adapting it to beings of a higher organization1 and to man at last1 the most perfect of all4 #acfe4 8,finally4 ,the present races of animals and plants on the globe are for the most part disposed in groups1 occupying particular districts1 beyond whose limits the species peculiar to those provinces usually droop and die4 ,the same is true1 to some extent1 as to the animals and plants found in the rocks2 though the much greater uniformity of climate that prevailed in early times permitted organized beings to take a much wider range than at present2 so that the zoological and botanical districts were then probably much wider4 ,but the general conclusion1 in respect to living and extinct animals is1 that there must have been several centres of creation1 from which they emigrated as far as their natures would allow them to range4 #acff4 8,it would be easy to state more principles of geology of considerable importance2 but ,i have now named the principal ones that bear upon the subject of religion4 ,a brief statement of the leading truths of theology1 whether natural or revealed1 which these principles affect1 and on which they cast light1 will give an idea of the subjects which ,i propose to discuss in these lectures4 #acfg4 8,the first point relates to the age of the world4 ,for while it has been the usual interpretation of the ,mosaic account that the world was brought into existence nearly at the same time with man and the other existing animals1 geology throws back its creation to a period indefinitely but immeasurably remote4 ,the question is1 not whether man has existed on the globe longer than the common interpretation of ,genesis requires1--for here geology and the ,bible speak the same language1--but whether the globe itself did not exist long before his creation2 that is1 long before the six days' work1 so definitely described in the ,mosaic account8 ,in other words1 is not this a case in which the discoveries of science enable us more accurately to understand the ,scriptures8 #acfh4 8,the introduction of death into the world1 and the specific character of that death described in ,scripture as the consequence of sin1 are the next points where geology touches the subject of religion4 ,here1 too1 the general interpretation of ,scripture is at variance with the facts of geology1 which distinctly testify to the occurrence of death among animals long before the existence of man4 ,shall geology here1 also1 be permitted to modify our exposition of the ,bible8 #acfi4 8,the subject of deluges1 and especially that of ,noah1 will next claim our attention4 ,for though it is now generally agreed that geology cannot detect traces of such a deluge as the ,scriptures describe1 yet upon some other bearings of that subject it does cast light2 and so remarkable is the history of opinions concerning the ,noachian deluge1 that it could not on that account alone be properly passed in silence40 ,our actions dependent1 under ,god1 on organization1 education1 and the extent to which we are tempted extraneously4 #acgj4 8,are not the hairs of your head all numbered8--,which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature80 ,luke xii4 #g1 #be4 #acga4 ,may it not be consistently inquired1 who1 without ,god's assistance1 can make his passions less ardent8 his counteracting reason or conscientiousness more competent to restrain them8 ,who1 prior to his sublunary existence1 had the option1 whether he should be born a ,jew1 a ,gentile1 or a ,christian2 whether in the ,roman1 ,grecian1 ,episcopalian1 or dissenting churches2 whether his progenitors should be ,chinese1 ,hindoos1 ,europeans1 negroes1 or savages8 ,who has1 through his own previous choice1 been brought up1 on the one hand1 by ignorant and vicious1 or on the other1 by virtuous and well-educated1 parents8 ,can any soul be alleged to be responsible for entering the body of an infant begotten by idolaters1 and thus subjected to the curse of the commandment8 ,or can a soul be deemed to have any merit because it came into the world as the progeny of parents orthodox in their own estimation1 and happy in the belief that while myriads are to suffer to eternity in another world1 for errors or crimes arising from causes beyond their control1 a few are to be made eternally happy1 notwithstanding their admitted sinfulness1 by virtue of a bigoted confidence in the pre-eminent ability of their parents1 their priests1 or of themselves to learn tenets of which the great majority of mankind are ignorant8 ,humility in profession is associated with a towering and overbearing presumption in practice toward all who differ with them in creed3 hence an effort to instruct others at the expense of millions spent in missions1 while they have no better evidence of the accuracy of their own knowledge than a fallible human conviction4 #acgb4 ,if two persons1 ,a4 and ,b41 were organized exactly alike1 educated precisely in the same way1 and subjected to the same temptations or incentives1 would they not act alike8 ,would not their acting differently prove that they were not alike in all respects8 #acgc4 ,it may be said that they are free agents1 being endowed with free-will2 but if they be perfectly alike and similarly situated1 7agreeably to the premises17 their free-will must be perfectly similar2 and if not1 let it be allowed to be1 through ,god's will1 perfectly similar4 ,is it in their power to alter the nature of their will1 any more than 8the colour of their hair40 #acgd4 ,if any other being act differently from these1 does it not follow that he is differently organized1 educated1 or situated from them2 and that the diversity in one or all of these respects must be proportionable to the degree in which his actions and morals differ from those of ,a4 and ,b4 #acge4 ,but it may be inquired1 where is the merit of virtue1 or the demerit of vice1 if they be the consequences of causes over which we have no control8 ,the reply is1 that virtue is an endowment due to the will of ,deity1 just as the difference between the different races of mankind and the various genera of animals1 or between individuals of the same species1 must be due to that volition4 ,an analogous idea of the necessity of ,god's help to virtue is insisted upon by some of our most respectable and numerous ,christian sects4 ,it places virtue in man1 so far as it may exist1 upon the same basis as in ,god4 ,it has always been held by all ,christians that ,god can do no wrong2 that vice is inconsistent with his nature4 ,the more1 then1 a man is by nature and education incapable of being vicious1 the greater his natural aptitude for virtue1 the more he approaches its most perfect exemplification4 #acgf4 ,but how can the punishment of the wicked be justified under this view of their case8 ,i answer1 that it can only be justified in self-defence1 for the reformation of the offender1 or to prevent the repetition of injury where no other means can be employed1 just as killing wild beasts1 noxious insects1 or our enemies in warfare is justified4 #acgg4 ,punishment1 unless with a view to prevention or reformation1 seems to me diabolic4 ,it seems irreconcilable with the injunction to return good for evil1 that the ,deity from whom it proceeds should return evil for evil1 in excess2 that he should1 for finite and transient sins1 award eternal punishment4 #acgh4 ,the inference that omniscience and omnipotence could create myriads of beings1 foreseeing that they must be subjected to extreme misery for an unlimited time1 is irreconcilable with all goodness and omniscience4 ,but it may be demanded1 does not the fear of future punishment make mankind more virtuous8 ,the man who avoids a felony solely through fear of future punishment is not the less wicked2 he is only a more prudent1 or a more cowardly villain4 ,that piety to ,god and philanthropy are virtues1 is most evident2 but then these incentives must be disinterested4 ,if ,abraham could believe that shedding his son's blood upon the altar would gratify the ,deity1 in order to make it a pious or virtuous act1 it should have been unaccompanied by any expectation of benefit to himself4 ,he must have had a conception of the ,deity fully as bad as that of any heathen1 to suppose that the sacrifice would be agreeable to him4 #acgi4 ,there is1 moreover1 much reason to infer that a man who could pass his wife as his sister1 and send her to a palace in order to gain influence with a king1 did not lose sight of himself when he contemplated killing his son to propitiate the ,king of kings4 ,but no human testimony should induce us to credit such imputations against ,jehovah4 ,nothing is more probable than that priests should invent this absurd fable1 and nothing more improbable than that an omniscient ,god1 who could read ,abraham's inmost thoughts1 should have found it necessary to ask such a barbarous sacrifice1 in order to determine the extent and sincerity of that devotion of which he must have already known the precise limits4 ,on ,probation4 #achj4 ,i have already made objections to the idea that we can be placed in this world for the purpose of probation4 ,i will here make use of additional arguments in support of those objections4 ,spiritualism assumes that we are placed here for progression4 ,it has1 in this aspect1 a self-evident ascendency over the scriptural doctrine4 #acha4 ,a finite being has need to subject his works to trial1 in order to learn whether they have the requisite perfection2 but how can an omnipotent and omniscient ,deity be under any necessity of trying his works8 ,in the first place1 they must be precisely what he has designed2 in the next place1 foreseeing the result of any experiment he may make1 he has no motive for the trial4 ,thus1 before placing ,adam and ,eve in ,paradise1 ,god must have known that ,adam would be incompetent to resist his wife1 his wife the serpent1 and that the apple would be eaten4 ,how useless then was the experiment6 ,how can it be reconciled with omniscience and omnipotence8 ,the crime would not have taken place had ,god made woman less inquisitive2 her husband strong enough morally to resist temptation and his wife's seductive influence2 or had not the serpent or ,satan1 under the form of this reptile1 been allowed to tempt ,eve4 ,and yet in consequence of that act1 not only the soul of the first man1 but that of all his posterity1 are considered by orthodoxy as having fallen1 as being doomed to eternal punishment1 unless by being morally regenerated1 principally by a blind belief in the allegation of certain priests1 who do not agree among themselves as to what we are to believe4 #achb4 ,but what had souls unborn to do with the acts of ,adam and ,eve8 ,is it conceivable that the soul of the child is begotten by the souls of its parents1 or to be inferred that it is a spiritual being1 created by ,god for the body1 which the progenitors beget in their corporeal capacity8 7,see ,seneca's opinion1 #abcj47 ,how could a dumb snake1 belonging to the class of reptiles1 very low comparatively in intellectual capacity1 acquire power of speech and reason without a special miracle on the part of ,god1 either directly or indirectly through ,satan1 acting with the cognizance of his divine master4 ,this reptile1 previously created without feet1 because the devil merely assumed his form1 is doomed as a punishment to crawl on his belly1 in the only way in which he could move consistently with his organization1 independently of the sentence666 ,would it be any greater punishment to cause snakes to creep on their bellies than quadrupeds to go on their feet8 ,since none of the genera of serpents are endowed with reason or speech1 how could they be responsible for the acts of an animal which1 being endowed with those attributes1 would not belong to their order8 ,it must have been a peculiar reptile1 in the form of a snake1 created for the special purpose of tempting ,eve4 ,if1 with ,milton1 it be assumed that it was ,satan1 in the form of a serpent1 who tempted her8 how could serpents be responsible for the crime8 ,world least moral when the ,christian church had most sway4--,honour and mercantile credit more trusted than religion4--,virtue due more to the heart than to sectarianism4--,bigotry acts like an evil spirit4 #achc4 ,it will be perceived1 that when the church had the world most completely under its sway1 there was the least morality2 but as the arts and sciences grew up1 in despite of religious intolerance1 morality improved4 ,thus a system has been established1 which while violating1 more especially the most emphatic monitions of ,christ1 tends to enforce those rules of conduct which are necessary to the welfare of society4 ,but an auxiliary principle--honour--has come into operation1 which often restrains those who are not influenced by religion1 nor by pure morality4 ,honour1 like the fear of hell1 may make a man act more nobly1 or more honestly1 without improving his religious principles or his heart4 ,hence the saying1 8,honour among thieves10 and likewise among unprincipled gamblers4 #achd4 ,mercantile honour1 under the name of mercantile credit1 is another important substitute for real heartfelt integrity4 ,the ill consequences of a loss of worldly consideration1 or of those advantages which result from the ability to borrow1 or to postpone payment with consent of the creditor1 is a motive for punctual payment1 when a debt equally due1 in honesty1 would be neglected4 ,this goes much farther as an element of the prevailing morality in securing punctual payment1 than religion4 #ache4 ,that religion has actually very little to do with mercantile morals1 must be evident1 since it is never1 on change1 an object of inquiry4 ,when men are about to trust large sums1 they do not inquire how often the other party goes to church1 nor to what church he goes4 ,it has never been my lot to know any one whom ,i thought better for his religion4 ,i have known many whom ,i thought better through native goodness of heart than they would have been if left to the influence of their bigoted opinions alone4 ,i heard a clergyman1 distinguished for his amiability and liberality in social intercourse1 speak from the pulpit of infidelity as 8the work of the devil40 #achf4 ,there are allegations of this kind made from the pulpit which to me appear to be absolutely calumnious1 though those who make them do not conceive themselves to be calumniators4 ,it is1 in truth1 their false religion which speaks2 they are possessed as if by an evil spirit1 yet the goodness of their hearts prevents them from realizing any such calumnies in their personal intercourse with society4 ,dr4 ,berg said it was not he 7,dr4 ,berg7 that spoke when he used ill language to ,barker1 but the ,bible4 ,there is a want of ,christian moderation in the language of ,christ1 and ,john the ,baptist1 and in some of the ,psalms1 which seems inconsistent with ,christ's precepts4 ,john1 addressing the ,pharisees as 8vipers fleeing from the wrath to come10 representing them as poisonous reptiles1 and ,god as enraged against them4 ,the language of ,christ respecting some of the same sect1 to which allusion has been made1 is even more abusive4 #achg4 ,but among the calumnies to which ,i have alluded1 are those which represent the human heart as innately wicked1 and only to be corrected by religious regeneration4 ,all the souls created since ,adam ate the apple1 must be born anew1 thus drawing a marked distinction between those who have gone through this second birth1 and such as myself1 who have not undergone this recuperative process4 ,but what man of common sense draws a line between those who are thought to have been born over again1 and those who have not8 ,the great majority of those who call themselves ,christians1 do not put any more trust in one who has gone through this second birth1 than in one who is not deemed to have been thus regenerated4 ,progress of ,literature and ,science in ,arabia under the ,mohammedan ,pontiffs1 called ,caliphs4 #achh4 ,while the science and literature of the ,roman ,empire sank under the influence of the ,christian pontiff 7pope7 into ignorance1 superstition1 and vice1 the ,arabians1 under the influence of their ,mohammedan pontiffs1 7caliphs17 arose from barbarism to a comparatively superior state of intellectual acquirement1 as the following quotation1 from 8,gibbon's ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire10 will show3 #achi4 8,after their civil and domestic wars1 the subjects of the ,abbassides1 awakening from this mental lethargy1 found leisure and felt curiosity for the acquisition of profane science4 ,this spirit was first encouraged by the ,caliph ,almansor1 who1 besides his knowledge of the ,mohammedan law1 had applied himself with success to the study of astronomy1 but when the sceptre devolved to ,almamon1 the seventh of the ,abbassides1 he completed the designs of his grandfather1 and invited the muses from their ancient seats4 ,his ambassadors at ,constantinople1 his agents in ,armenia1 ,syria1 and ,egypt1 collected the volumes of ,grecian science3 at his command they were translated by the most skilful interpreters into the ,arabic language2 his subjects were exhorted assiduously to peruse these instructive writings2 and the successor of ,mohammed assisted with pleasure and modesty at the assemblies and disputations of the learned4 #8,he was not ignorant1' says ,abulpharagius1 #8that they are the elect of ,god1 his best and most useful servants1 whose lives are devoted to the improvement of their rational faculties4 ,the mean ambition of the ,chinese or the ,turk may glory in the industry of their hands1 or the indulgence of their brutal appetites4 ,yet these dexterous artists must view1 with hopeless emulation1 the hexagons and pyramids of the cells of a bee-hive3 these fortitudinous heroes are awed by the superior fierceness of the lions and tigers2 and in their amorous enjoyments1 they are much inferior to the vigour of the grossest and most sordid quadrupeds4 ,the teachers of wisdom are the true luminaries and legislators of a world1 which1 without their aid1 would again sink in ignorance and barbarism4' ,the zeal and curiosity of ,almamon were imitated by succeeding princes of the line of ,abbas3 their rivals1 the ,fatimites of ,africa and the ,ommiades of ,spain1 were the patrons of the learned1 as well as the commanders of the faithful3 the same royal prerogative was claimed by their independent emirs of the provinces2 and their emulation diffused the taste and the rewards of science from ,samarcand and ,bochara to ,fez and ,cordova4 ,the vizir of a sultan consecrated a sum of two hundred thousand pieces of gold to the foundation of a college at ,bagdad1 which he endowed with an annual revenue of fifteen thousand dinars4 ,the fruits of instruction were communicated1 perhaps at different times1 to six thousand disciples of every degree1 from the son of the noble to that of the mechanic3 a sufficient allowance was provided for the indigent scholars2 and the merit or industry of the professors was repaid with adequate stipends4 ,in every city the productions of ,arabic literature were copied and collected by the curiosity of the studious and the vanity of the rich4 ,a private doctor refused the invitation of the sultan of ,bochara1 because the carriage of his books would have required four hundred camels4 ,the royal library of the ,fatimites consisted of one hundred thousand manuscripts1 elegantly transcribed and splendidly bound1 which were lent1 without jealousy or avarice1 to the students of ,cairo4 ,yet this collection must appear moderate1 if we can believe that the ,ommiades of ,spain had formed a library of six hundred thousand volumes1 forty-four of which were employed in the mere catalogue4 ,their capital1 ,cordova1 with the adjacent towns of ,malaga1 ,almeria1 and ,murcia1 had given birth to more than three hundred writers1 and above seventy public libraries were opened in the cities of the ,andalusian kingdom4 ,the age of ,arabian learning continued about five hundred years1 till the great eruption of the ,moguls1 and was coeval with the darkest and most slothful period of ,european annals2 but since the sun of science has arisen in the ,west1 it should seem that the ,oriental studies have languished and declined40 #acij4 ,i here close my remarks upon the ,influence of ,scripture on the ,morals of ,christians4 ,they have proceeded from a desire to promulgate what ,i deem to be truth1 and to expose the errors by which ,i conceive it to be environed4 ,it is inconsistent with my nature to state less than the truth when treating on any subject4 ,i shall be sorry for any pain which ,i may give to those whose hearts are so associated with their opinions1 that whatever conflicts with the one is painful to the other2 yet ,i wish any persons so wounded to reflect how little denunciation has been spared1 not only as respects opinions1 but as respects motives1 where 8infidels10 unjustly so called1 have been held up to view4 ,i have not assailed the motives of any one2 even as respects opinions1 ,i have withheld or modified sarcasms which1 as ,i think1 might have been justly employed1 or used without modification4 ,,additional ,,corroborative ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,spirits4 #acia4 ,subsequently to the printing of the articles under the head of ,corroborative ,evidence1 a pamphlet was received from which the subjoined pages are translated1 by my friend1 ,dr4 ,geib4 ,it serves to show the impression made by spirit manifestations in another part of ,christendom1 upon one who belongs to the church4 ,the ,opinions of ,,mm4 de ,mirville and ,gasparin1 on ,table ,turning and ,mediums1 7considered in relation to theology and physics7 examined1 by the ,abbot ,almignana1 ,doctor of the ,canon ,law1 ,theologian1 c4 ,introduction4 #acib4 8,mesmerism1 table turning1 and mediumship being phenomena which1 in my estimation1 demand serious investigation before pronouncing judgment on them1 as soon as this became known to me1 as an ocular witness1 far from judging of them1 ex abrupto1 as so many have done under the same circumstances1 ,i confined myself to make numerous experiments1 with the hope that they might in time furnish me with some very useful facts1 in searching for the cause of these wonderful phenomena4 #acic4 8,being in possession of some of these facts1 ,i thought the present an opportune time for their publication1 when two savans of the elite1 such as the ,marquis de ,mirville and the ,count de ,gasparin1 are engaged in a scientific contest on this subject4 #acid4 8,i consider the present moment the more opportune1 that the facts furnished by my investigation1 being at variance with certain leading points in the doctrines contained in the ,pneumatology of ,m4 de ,mirville1 and the ,supernatural in ,general of ,m4 de ,gasparin1 may induce those writers to give a new complexion to their doctrines1 by taking counsel from my facts4 ,these1 shedding a new light on the triple phenomena1 would powerfully aid in the solution of a problem which1 up to the present time1 does not appear to have been solved in a manner as clear and positive1 as the interests of truth1 science1 and religion demand4 ,such has been and is now my belief1 as well as that of many others whom ,i thought proper to consult before undertaking the task in which ,i have engaged4 #acie4 8,simple as my language is1 it will be seen to have issued from the pen of a man who boldly seeks the truth1 and is not to be arrested in his course by any worldly interests4 ,persuaded that in view of my position1 my readers will grant me the indulgence which in a similar case ,i could not refuse them1 ,i will proceed to the main question without further preliminaries4 ,i divide my monograph into two parts2 facts opposed to the ,pneumatology of ,m4 de ,mirville1 and the ,supernatural in ,general of ,m4 de ,gasparin4 ,first ,part4 #acif4 8,table turning and mediumship are nothing more1 in the opinion of ,m4 de ,mirville1 than the work of the devil6 ,i give an abstract of his doctrine as found in his ,pneumatology4 #8,in the letter1' he says1 #8which ,i had the honour to address to the ,societe ,mesmerisme of ,paris on the non-intervention of the devil in therapeutic mesmerism1 dated ,sept4 #bj1 #ahdg1 and published in numbers #ed1 #ef1 and #eg of the ,journal of ,magnetism1 ,i established the existence of the devil1 with the attributes given him in the ,scriptures1 as well as the power he possesses1 with divine permission1 to act morally and physically on mankind1 as set forth in the same holy books4' #acig4 8,in view of what ,i have just said1 ,i cannot be mistaken by ,m4 de ,mirville with respect to demonology4 ,but while admitting the existence of a devil1 and his power over man1 ,i cannot agree with the opinion of ,m4 de ,mirville in his ,pneumatology1 which admits the direct intervention of the devil in table turning and table talking1 as well as in the powers of mediums2 a view of the subject which ,i hold to be at variance with the teachings of the ,catholic ,church on the possessed1 and the manner of deliverance therefrom1 the evil spirit1 which ,i proceed to explain4 #acih4 8,it is an axiom as old as the world--in proportion as the cause is removed the effect ceases2 sublata causa tollitur effectus4 ,the truth of this maxim1 in reference also to diabolical possessions1 is found to be explicitly proved in the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,a mute is presented to ,christ to be cured3 oblatus est ei mutus4 ,the ,divine ,master1 knowing that dumbness is caused by the devil1 hastens to remove the cause1 by chasing the evil spirit from the body of the possessed1 which being done1 the mute spoke in the midst of the people ravished with admiration4 #8,and he was casting out a devil1 and it was dumb4 ,and it came to pass when the devil was gone out1 the dumb spake1 and the people wondered4' ,st4 ,luke xi4 #ad4 #acii4 8,there was at ,philippi1 in ,macedonia1 a girl who1 being possessed of the evil spirit1 had the gift of divination to such an extent1 that people came from all parts to consult her1 much to the benefit of her masters4 ,st4 ,paul having chased the demon from the body of the possessed1 she lost the gift of divination2 which exasperating her masters1 they dragged ,st4 ,paul before a magistrate like a malefactor4 7,acts xv47 ,admitting these principles1 it follows that if the devil intervenes directly in tables and mediums1 as ,christ drove him from the mute1 and ,st4 ,paul from the girl of ,philippi1 then1 a fortiori1 should clairvoyants lose their lucidity1 tables be made to stand still1 and mediums be deprived the power of tracing a line however short2 sublata causa tollitur effectus4 ,the cause being removed1 the effect must cease4 #adjj4 8,our next object is to refer to the means for removing the evil spirit wherever found2 and consulting the ,catholic ritual affords us this knowledge4 ,in fact1 agreeably to these teachings1 demons are driven off by the sacred names of ,god and ,jesus1 by prayer1 the sign of the cross1 by holy water1 and exorcisms2 and these means being known1 ,i am going to report the effect of these means on clairvoyant subjects1 tables1 and mediums4 #adjc4 8,having witnessed some extraordinary phenomena1 and desiring to assure myself as to the presence of a diabolical agency in these manifestations1 as ,i had been persuaded to believe--profiting by the opportunity offered by some mediums magnetized by others1 and not by myself--,i was induced to pray to invoke the sacred names of ,god and ,jesus1 to make the sign of the cross on the subjects1 and went so far as to sprinkle them with holy water1 with the design of driving out the devil1 should he have taken possession of them4 ,however1 as not one of these mediums lost1 in my presence1 the smallest part of their powers1 ,i was led to infer that the devil had nothing to do with the phenomena4 #adjd4 8,the following fact should attract the attention of all observers holding the orthodox faith3 ,a youth of thirteen1 put to sleep by his mother1 at my house1 gave proof of the greatest clairvoyance1 even so far as to be in communion with supermundane beings4 ,alarmed1 as ,i acknowledge ,i was1 at what passed under my eyes1 and suspecting1 as ,i did1 that the devil might be the agent of those phenomena1 ,i took my crucifix1 and presenting it to the clairvoyant1 conjured him in the holy name of ,jesus4 ,but in place of repelling it1 as ,i expected1 he seized the cross in the most affectionate manner1 and1 smiling1 pressed it to his lips2 as much to the edification of his mother as of myself4 ,should ,m4 de ,mirville desire the address of the parties1 he can have it4 #adje4 8,the means thus employed by me to discover if the evil spirit actuated mesmeric subjects1 have been employed also by other persons with the same view1 and with similar results4 ,should ,m4 de ,mirville desire to know some of these persons1 ,i will be happy to facilitate the acquaintance4 ,as to exorcism1 it is known by the biography of the celebrated clairvoyant ,prudence1 that although exorcised on several occasions1 the exorcisms failed to deprive him1 in the smallest degree1 of his great clairvoyance4 ,to the facts which ,i have just reported in support of the non-intervention of the devil1 some new facts of another kind will be adjoined1 which in some measure confirm the first4 #adjf4 8,one of the models of sacred eloquence1 the ,r4 ,p4 ,lacordaire1 speaking of mesmerism in #ahdf1 far from qualifying it as satanical1 as ,m4 de ,mirville has done1 proclaimed from the pulpit of truth1 in the church of ,notre ,dame of ,paris1 that this phenomenon belonged to the order of prophecy1 and that it was a provision of the divinity to humble the pride of materialism4 ,this language1 descended from the summit of the sacred tribune1 is known to have received the public approbation of ,mgr4 ,affre1 the centre of ,catholicism of the diocese of ,paris1 who1 addressing the faithful1 said to them3 #8,my brothers1 it is ,god who speaks with the mouth of the illustrious ,dominican4' #adjg4 ,a very pious female1 abandoned by her medical adviser1 being in a state of despair1 was magnetized by one of her parents1 and fell into the most complete trance4 ,in one of her first sleeps1 she said she saw a person who1 according to the description she gave of him1 appeared to be the clairvoyant's great-grandfather1 deceased several years before the birth of his grand-daughter4 ,the latter was cured by the advice received during her trance condition from the said great-grandfather4 ,this fact appeared to me so grave in its nature1 and so interesting to science and religion1 that ,i thought proper to publish it in number nineteen of the ,magnetisme ,spiritualiste1 with an appeal to all those who1 by their knowledge1 might be able to explain this phenomenon4 #adjh4 ,among those to whom our appeal was made1 figured the theologians1 to whom1 in speaking of the person who appeared to the clairvoyant1 ,i said3 #8,should this not be considered the devil1 who1 assuming a fantastic personation1 took that of the great-grandfather of ,m4 ,r41 and appearing thus to him1 cured him of a disease which he himself had originated8' #adji4 ,some copies of the number of the journal in question were sent to the sovereign pontiff1 through his apostolic nuncio at ,paris1 to ,mgr4 the archbishop of ,paris1 to the faculty of theology at ,sorbonne1 to ,,rr4 ,,pp4 ,jesuits of the ,rue des ,postes1 to ,r4 ,p4 ,lacordaire1 and to the ,calvinistic ,consistory of ,paris1 begging them to enlighten me on a fact of such grave importance4 ,but to the present time1 a period of three years1 not one of these great personages has informed me that the phenomenon to which ,i invited their attention is the work of the devil1 which proves that1 in their opinion1 the evil one is a stranger to this phenomenon2 for otherwise they would not have failed to answer my inquiry1 if only from interest for religion1 or through charity to myself4 ,should ,m4 de ,mirville desire to know the clairvoyant ,i refer to1 he can be conducted to his domicile4 #adaj4 ,mgr4 ,sibour1 on mesmerism1 and ,la ,grandeur1 if interrogated1 will tell you that the thoughts expressed by clairvoyants are only reflections from their magnetizers1 without saying a single word to you about the devil4 ,but we have said enough on clairvoyants1 and will pass to the tables4 #adaa4 ,i have made a great many experiments in table-turning and table-talking with pious laymen and with ecclesiastics1 men of prayer and serious habits1 and even with a venerable bishop1 and always in a very serious manner2 desiring to know1 for the sake of religion and our souls1 if the devil is in reality the agent who conveys movement and language to the tables4 ,besides exorcism1 we have employed all the means taught and prescribed in the ,catholic ,church to drive out the devil1 and we have never obtained any results2 for neither prayer1 nor the sacred names of ,god and ,jesus1 nor the sign of the cross made on the tables1 nor the crucifix1 nor the chapelet1 7the beads17 nor the ,gospels1 nor the image of ,christ placed on the tables1 nor holy water1 could stop their turnings1 knockings1 and replying to our questions4 ,but far from it1 and much to our astonishment1 we have seen the table turn over before the image of ,christ crucified4 ,i will say no more4 ,in the experiments made with the bishop just named1 and the person with whom ,i was boarding1 it was the venerable bishop himself that made the sign of the cross on a stand1 without in the least retarding the motion of that small piece of furniture4 ,monseigneur then asked the stand if it loved the cross1 and it replying in the affirmative1 it was with surprise that ,monseigneur saw the stand turn over before his croix pastorale1 and speak to him in orthodox language of a future life4 #adab4 ,if1 according to all the facts which ,i have just reported1 it be necessary to reason agreeably to ,m4 de ,mirville1 behold what that reasoning must be4 ,the teachings of the ,catholic ritual give to prayer1 to the sacred names of ,god and ,jesus1 to the sign of the cross1 to the holy water1 and the exorcisms1 the virtue of driving the devil 7le dmon7 out of the possessed4 ,now1 as neither prayer1 the sacred names1 the sign of the cross1 c4 are able to drive the spirit out of mediums1 nor out of tables1 which1 according to ,m4 de ,mirville1 are also victims1 then the ,catholic ,instructor1 which assigns these means for removing evil spirits1 must be in error4 ,then the ,scripture1 the ,,ss4 ,,pp41 and the ,church1 authorities on which the ,catholic teachings are based on the subject of possessions1 and the manner of delivering the possessed of the evil spirit1 7les dmons17 are in error4#ca ,and what true ,catholic dare entertain this language8 ,it is then to avoid getting into so unfortunate a position1 that ,i have thought proper to reject the opinion of ,m4 de ,mirville on the manifestations of spirits4 ,i shall be told that if the prescribed means sometimes fail1 it is from want of faith on the part of those who employ them4 ,this is my reply to that objection4 ,the peasants do not possess a large quantity of faith1 and1 notwithstanding1 ,origen says the name of ,god1 pronounced even by a peasant1 chases the demons4--,origines contra celsum4 #adac4 ,there are a great many people1 and among them figure some pious ecclesiastics and laymen1 who quite frequently partake of the sacrament1 who have experimented with me1 who have prayed with me1 have invoked with me the sacred names of ,god and ,jesus1 c42 is it then credible that among these persons1 not one should be found possessing a portion of faith equal to that of a peasant1 which is able1 according to ,origen1 to drive out the devil in the name of ,god8 ,i am unable to believe it4 ,what6 the venerable bishop1 who experimented with me during four years1 had sacrificed himself in propagating the faith in distant lands1 should he not have as much faith as a peasant1 in order to be able to remove an evil spirit in the name of ,god8 ,this would be to insult the sacred labour of propagating the faith in the person of one of its most distinguished apostles4 #adad4 ,but this is not enough2 notice how ,st4 ,john teaches us to know if a spirit is of ,god or not4 #8,my well beloved1 this is how to know that a spirit is of ,god3 all spirits who confess that ,jesus ,christ has come in the flesh1 are of ,god1 and those who do not confess that he is come in the flesh1 are not of ,god4' 7#a ,john ix47 ,instructed by ,st4 ,john in the manner of knowing the spirits of ,god1 to assure myself further on the nature of spirits or occult forces1 exhibited in the movement and language of tables1 ,i have used the method indicated by ,st4 ,john4 ,it was with this view that1 my little table being in motion1 ,i addressed to it the following questions3 ,do you confess that ,jesus ,christ is come in the flesh8 ,yes1 it replied4 ,the same question1 repeated several times1 produced uniformly the same answer4 ,having this experiment alone at my house1 ,i was desirous of seeing whether the same results would be obtained in company4 ,with this design ,i went to the houses of persons acquainted with these phenomena1 and begged a gentleman1 a medium1 to place his hands with mine on a stand4 ,the movement of the stand being felt1 the same question was answered in the same manner4 ,and after this experience can ,i conscientiously believe in the intervention of the devil in the turning and speaking of the tables1 without regarding the testimony of ,st4 ,john as erroneous2 and should ,i regard it as such8 ,it is for ,m4 de ,mirville to answer4 #adae4 ,but ,i do not stop here4 ,it is said in the ritual of ,paris and others1 in the chapter of the possessed1 as follows3 ,signa energumenorum sunt4 ,ignota lingua liogni idque1 maxima serie verborum qu previderi non potuerunt velita loquentem intelligere distantia1 et oculta patefacere et vires supra etatis su naturam ostendere4 ,very well1 if demons1 as the ritual says1 speak all languages1 even those unknown1 after the great number of experiments which ,i have made1 ,i am prepared to declare that tables do not speak all languages1 even the known ones1 nor do they understand them4 ,let some one who does not understand ,greek1 addressing a question to the table in ,french1 request it to reply in ,greek1 and we will see if the table does it4 ,let a stranger give to an inquirer at the table a question in a language unknown to him1 limiting himself to merely reading it1 and we will see if the table respond2 ,i defy all the tables in the world to do it4 ,if ,m4 de ,mirville desires to make these experiments with me1 ,i am entirely at his service4 #adaf4 ,i have endeavoured to discover if tables have the faculty which1 according to the ritual1 is possessed by the devil 7les dmons7 to penetrate the hidden and the future1 and ,i have found in this direction more error than truth4 ,as to the superior physical force which1 according to the ritual1 is possessed by the devil1 7les dmons17 there is not a single turning table in the world1 whose movement cannot be arrested or retarded by enveloping the hands of the experimenters in silk2 which proves that the tables have not a power supra naturam1 and that of course it could not be the devil who furnishes the momentum4 ,but what gives more force to the reasons on which ,i rest1 for not referring the motive-power to an evil spirit1 is this3 that having made them separately known to four prelates of the church of ,france1 three of whom are conspicuous in the religious investigation of these phenomena1 begging a due examination and report if my opinion is in error1 that ,i may retract and write against the tables1 not one of these prelates has pronounced me wrong1 nor in the least blamed my exposition of facts4 ,and in case it may become necessary to establish this fact1 ,i retain the letters of these prelates4 ,let us now pass to the consideration of the mediums4#cb #adag4 ,hearing that there were persons whose hands1 without their will1 were made to write some very extraordinary things1 and that these persons were called #8mediums1' one day1 in order to assure myself of the fact1 ,i took a crayon in my hand1 and placing it on paper1 concentrated myself as much as possible4 ,but a few minutes had passed1 when ,i felt my hand controlled without my will1 and saw it trace some lines1 letters1 and words4 ,this experiment being repeated often with the same success1 ,i have therefore become a medium1 though of a secondary degree4 #adah4 ,desiring to know whether1 in this phenomenon1 there might not be some diabolical agency1 in order to satisfy my mind on that subject1 ,i asked of the occult power1 or the spirit that controlled my hand1 if it was the devil2 being answered in the negative1 ,i requested to have proof of it4 ,scarcely were those words uttered1 when my hand1 moving with energy1 drew a large cross4 ,seeing this1 ,i put the same questions about ,j4 ,c4 that were put at my table1 and the answers1 being written1 were the same2 from which ,i concluded that the agency in the writing of mediums is the same as in moving the tables1 which1 in my opinion1 is not that of the devil1 as already said4 ,however1 in order to confirm my assurance of the non-intervention of the devil in the phenomena of mediums1 ,i desired to add another experiment1 which follows3 #adai4 ,as the devil speaks all languages1 according to the ritual1 even those unknown1 to see whether the occult power or spirit which caused me to write possessed this satanic attribute1 which1 being so1 would prove the intervention of the devil in the performance of mediums1 ,i asked the invisible agent if it would cause the ,lord's prayer to be written in several languages1 and was answered in the affirmative4 ,yielding my hand with a pen to the motive power1 the ,pater was written in two ways1 which the same power1 also by writing1 said was in ,valaque and in ,russian4 ,then requesting the same to be written in ,french1 ,spanish1 ,italian1 and ,latin1 it was immediately done2 when requesting it to be written in ,english and ,german1 was answered it could not be done4 ,why not8 ,i inquired4 ,because you neither speak nor write those two languages1 which is necessary4 #adbj4 ,in what languages then1 ,i asked1 are you able to make me write8 ,in the languages which ,i spoke on earth1 as the ,valaque and ,russian1 and those which you speak4 ,the ,pater1 thus written1 ,i had the honour to present it personally to ,monseigneur the ,archbishop of ,paris1 by his request4 ,having mentioned this1 ,i was advised to request my spirit friend to write something in ,valaque1 and have it submitted to some one acquainted with that language1 in order to determine the fact of its being so2 which proposal ,i willingly accepted4 #adba4 ,but1 returned to my house1 the idea occurred to me to make an experiment to control my familiar spirit myself4 ,i wrote on a piece of paper a phrase in ,french1 and took a separate copy of it on another piece of paper4 ,i read this phrase to my spirit1 and requested him to render it in ,valaque4 ,the spirit1 having made some lines1 told me by writing that the translation was already made4 ,i requested him to do the same with it in ,spanish1 ,italian1 and ,latin1 and it was done4 ,requesting him further to write the same in ,english1 he replied it could not be done1 as ,i did not speak that language4 ,allowing a few minutes to pass1 ,i took the copy of the phrase1 and requested the spirit to do the same with it that he had done with the original4 ,the spirit having caused me to write1 as he professed1 the same phrase in the same languages as he had caused me to write it in previously1 ,i hastened to compare the two translations2 but what was my surprise when finding the ,spanish1 ,italian1 and ,latin translations of the copy like those of the original2 ,i found the ,valaque translation of the original and that of the copy not at all alike6 #adbb4 8,convinced1 then1 that my spirit did not understand the ,valaque1 which proved to me1 according to the ritual1 that it was not a devil1 7un dmon17 but that notwithstanding he had deceived me1 ,i gave him a severe reprimand1 treating him as an infamous cheat1 and driving him from my presence4 ,at this juncture1 my hand was caused to tremble excessively1 which terminated by writing in large characters3 #8,i am the devil1 and you are a bad preacher that seeks to find out the secrets of ,god6' ,very well1 ,i said2 your proclamation in large letters that you are the devil1 is no reason why ,i should believe it4 ,the devil1 according to the ritual1 speaks all languages1 and you do not speak the ,valaque nor ,english1 and therefore you are not the devil4 ,if ,i am a bad preacher1 that does not concern you4 ,it is ,god who will judge me1 and ,i submit to his holy will4 ,could ,i see you as ,i feel you1 ,i would fix you well2 but as it is1 ,i decline any further correspondence with you4 #adbc4 8,scarcely had ,i expressed these words1 when my hand1 being influenced1 wrote as follows3 #8,pardon6 pardon6 ,i am not the devil4 ,if ,i said so1 it was to frighten you1 because you continued to plague me with your questions2 but ,i see you are a man that fears nothing4 ,you are not a bad preacher1 but a great thinker4 ,continue then to experiment with me1 and ,i will always tell you the truth6' #adbd4 8,very well1 ,i pardon you1 and request you to say1 without deceiving me1 what languages you do speak8 #8,i speak no other languages than those which you speak1 and if ,i did otherwise1 it was for amusement4' ,then what are the languages which the spirits speak8 #8,those of the communing person1 and no others4'#cc ,and this ended the meeting4 #adbe4 8,wishing still to test what had been said to me by my spirit1 ,i went to the house of a writing medium1 like myself1 and begged him to try some experiments in writing4 ,in the midst of our experiments1 ,i wrote the following words on a small piece of paper in ,spanish3 ,como t llamos8 and without making their signification known to the medium in ,french1 requested him to read them to the spirit friend4 ,this was done1 but the spirit was silent4 ,the medium1 however1 insisting on an answer1 was impressed by the spirit to write the word malheur1 7misfortune47 ,the reply not agreeing with the question1 ,i told the medium to say to his spirit that he had badly replied4 ,then the spirit made the medium write as follows3 #8,if ,i have not complied with your request1 it is because ,i do not understand that language4' #adbf4 ,as the medium did not understand what had been read to the spirit1 which in ,french would mean1 ,comment vous appelez-vous8 7,what is your name87 ,i perceived that if the spirit did not reply to the ,spanish1 it was because the medium neither spoke nor understood that tongue2 which agreed with what my spirit had told me4 ,then ,i requested the medium to ask his spirit to make me write4 ,on the affirmative response of the spirit1 ,i took the pen1 and addressing the same question to him3 ,como te llamos8 he replied in ,spanish--,benito4 ,answer me in ,french--,benoit4 ,in ,latin--,benedictus4 #adbg4 ,this experiment confirming what my spirit had told me1 that the spirits could produce only the language of those with whom they communed1 was a new proof for me of the non-intervention of the devil2 seeing1 according to the ritual1 that he is master of all languages1 and that mediums only write those they understand1 and have previously learnt4#cd ,if ,m4 de ,mirville desires to make some such experiments with me1 it will afford me great pleasure to do so4 #adbh4 ,nota bene3 ,what merits particular regard in the information received from my spirit friend as to the language used by spirits in communing with men is1 that the same was said one hundred and five years since by the ecstatic ,swedenborg4 ,see ,no4 #bcf of his ,treatise on ,heaven and ,hell1 by ,le ,boys des ,guays4 #adbi4 ,this will suffice for the present for ,m4 de ,mirville4 ,it remains for him to explain the facts we have reported1 and to reconcile them with his ,pneumatology3 in expectation ,i proceed to notice the ,supernatural in ,general of ,m4 de ,gasparin40 ,second ,part4 #adcj4 8,all the prodigies of the mesmeric subjects of clairvoyants1 the sorcery1 haunting spirits1 apparitions1 visions1 c41 owe their origin1 according to ,m4 de ,gasparin1 to nervous excitement1 fluidic action1 and sometimes are hallucinations4 ,as ,i do not design here to make a critical analysis of ,m4 de ,gasparin's work1 not considering myself capable1 and leaving this honour to those who are in some scientific line1 ,i design merely occupying myself with some facts which refer personally to me1 and which appear to me to oppose some points in the doctrine of ,m4 de ,gasparin in his table-turning1 or ,supernatural in ,general1 as already noticed in the introduction to the monograph1 and ,i commence with the subject of ecstasy4 #adca4 8,speaking of ecstatics1 ,m4 de ,gasparin explains himself as follows3 #8,as to their intellectual faculties1 they are capable in those cases of prodigious development4 ,the ecstatics declare themselves that they have two souls2 that a voice foreign to their own causes them to speak2 that they suddenly receive ideas entirely unknown to them1 and terms of expression entirely strange to them4 ,it happens even that the peasant accustomed to patois1 speaks ,french1 and that illiterate men express themselves in ,latin4 ,now1 have we something here that is supernatural8 ,certainly not2 it is a physiological state1 or often the treasures of reminiscence1 which the subject possessed1 though in fact not aware of it4 ,the peasant may have known how to speak ,french2 she may not have known it1 and still it may all have been engraved on the deep recesses of the memory1 where nothing is ever really effaced4 ,exalted or sick1 she finds herself in possession of the ,french language4 ,a merchant1 who has scarcely passed the first classes1 and who never knew ,latin1 finds himself the possessor of the ,latin language1 and embarrasses his doctor1 whom he addresses in that tongue4' #adcb4 8,according to this ecstatic theory of ,m4 de ,gasparin1 it follows that the ideas expressed by the subjects1 and which were unknown to them in their normal state1 are nothing more than reminiscences4 ,i admit1 with ,m4 de ,gasparin1 that reminiscence is only the return of the soul to the recollection of a thing or an idea1 which1 though engraven on the memory1 was forgotten4 ,this return1 however1 does not happen without some remarks1 which1 from the recollection of some ideas or incidents1 conduct the mind to the recollection of what was forgotten4 #adcc4 8,i am a medium3 according to the received opinion1 a medium is a waking magnetic subject4 ,now1 every magnetic subject is in a degree ecstatic2 therefore ,i1 being a medium1 am ecstatic4 ,well1 ,i being ecstatic1 take a pencil1 and concentrating myself in that state1 request the occult power that moves my hand without my volition to cause it to write1 if it is possible1 something on the creation4 ,the last word is scarcely pronounced when my hand proceeds to write1 without interruption1 something true or false1 on the creation1 which surprises me4 #adcd4 8,this interview terminates1 and desiring to know if these ideas on the creation come from reminiscences1 ,i seek to discover if they could have been engraven on my memory1 either from reading or hearing them related4 ,with this view ,i commenced by reading religious and philosophic books that would be likely to discuss the question1 but could find nothing like what ,i had written4 ,i consulted the public libraries1 and they contained nothing on the creation similar to what my hand had communicated4 ,not a professor1 philosopher1 naturalist1 physiologist1 theologian1 or historian1 with whom ,i had ever had any intercourse1 could recollect any thing of the kind4 #adce4 8,after this1 ,i reason as follows3 having examined all the means by which what was written by my hand on the creation could have been impressed on my memory1 nothing appears to warrant that belief2 therefore1 these notions on the creation cannot be regarded as reminiscences4 #adcf4 8,but it is not enough1 we have said1 that in reminiscence1 are necessary1 which1 by the recollection of an object1 idea1 or notion1 we are led to the further recollection of something forgotten4 ,that this should take place1 some time is required1 however little it may be4 ,however1 in the case related1 not a moment was required1 and this breaks up the required process1 in order to respond to the theory of ,m4 de ,gasparin4 #adcg4 8,now1 if these ideas on the creation are not reminiscences--if they do not emanate from the devil1 who1 agreeably to our author1 is an entire stranger to these phenomena--if it is not the soul of a deceased person that controlled my hand1 as ,m4 de ,gasparin1 being a ,protestant1 does not believe in returning spirits nor in communion with the dead1 who then caused to be written by my hand such strange things1 without my knowledge or assistance8 ,and ,i beg ,m4 de ,gasparin to be so good as to explain this phenomenon1 which appears to be in opposition with his theory on the prodigies of ecstatic subjects4 ,should ,m4 de ,gasparin desire to see what ,i have written1 he can be gratified4 ,but what will he say1 when having requested my spirit to reply in writing on some subject familiar to my mind1 he is unable to do it1 or replies contrary to my thoughts and convictions8 ,can this be called reminiscence8 ,i pass now to consider mesmerism4 #adch4 8,in speaking on this subject1 the ,supernatural of ,m4 de ,gasparin says1 #8,the clairvoyance of mesmerism appears in general to have only the character of an echo4 ,its wonders are those of reminiscence or perception of images and thoughts1 which occupy the intelligence of the person with whom the clairvoyant is in rapport4 ,this appears to be the balance-sheet of animal magnetism1 and it has changed but little since its origin4' 7,tome ii4 page #caa47 #adci4 8,according to what ,m4 de ,gasparin has just told us1 it follows1 that when a clairvoyant tells us in his sleep that he sees the spirit of a deceased person1 and gives us an exact description of his person1 we are not to regard it as the deceased person that the clairvoyant sees1 but his image impressed on the memory of that clairvoyant from acquaintance with the defunct when living1 or in the memory of the consulting visitor in rapport2 so that the clairvoyant1 in these apparitions of the dead1 is governed only by reminiscence or the reflection of images or of thoughts4 ,now1 having allowed ,m4 de ,gasparin to speak1 ,i desire in my turn to speak also4 #addj4 8,in ,january1 #ahdh1 a work was published1 entitled ,les ,arcanes de la ,vie ,future ,rvele3 ,the ,arcana of a ,future ,life ,revealed4 ,my attention being attracted by the title of this work1 it was procured1 and proved to be nothing but a collection of the apparitions of deceased persons to clairvoyants4 #adda4 8,on so delicate a question1 ,i thought it best to consult the ,scriptures1 to see whether the appearance of the dead to the living was admitted by the sacred volumes4 ,i opened1 then1 the ,bible1 and the first passage that met my eye was the chap4 xxvii4 of the first book of ,kings1 where it said that ,samuel had appeared to the witch of ,endor1 and that1 by the intermediation of the latter1 the prophet spoke to ,samuel2 an apparition on which were sketched those reported by ,m4 ,cahagnet in his ,arcana4 ,i saw afterward in the second book of ,maccabees1 the high-priest ,onias and the prophet ,jeremiah appearing to ,judas ,maccabeus4 ,i see in ,st4 ,matthew1 chap4 xvii41 the apparition of ,moses and ,elias to ,peter1 ,john1 and ,james on the ,tabor4 ,finally1 ,i read1 in chap4 xxviii4 of the said ,st4 ,matthew1 that at the death of our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 many of the dead appeared to a great number of the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4 #addb4 8,convinced by the holy volume of the possibility1 or rather of the reality1 of the apparition of the dead to the living1 ,i put to myself this question3 ,can these apparitions of the dead to the living which1 according to the ,bible1 took place in former times1 be permitted to occur at the present time8 ,in order to resolve that question1 ,i desired again to consult the ,bible1 and found the ,holy ,spirit1 in ,ecclesiastes1 holding the following language3 #8,what has been1 is what shall be2 and what has been done1 is what shall be done again4' #addc4 8,then1 ,i said to myself1 the appearance of the dead to the living has taken place1 according to the ,bible2 therefore1 agreeably to the same sacred volume1 what has existed at one time may exist at another4 ,therefore1 there is no reason for rejecting the doctrine of communion of spirits1 ,god willing1 at the present time4 #addd4 8,but it is to be found out whether the apparitions reported in the ,arcana were realities1 or were only illusions1 so called4 ,the solution of this problem belongs to me4 ,and with this view ,i found myself at the house of the author of the ,arcana1 where a very serious discussion took place between him and myself on his work1 which ended with the apparition of my brother ,joseph1 the third one that figures in the second volume of the ,arcana4 ,in fact1 ,i called for the apparition of my late brother1 and scarcely had a few minutes passed when the clairvoyant1 ,adile1 told me she saw a gentleman1 and by the description she gave of the stature1 costume1 character1 the cause and place of the death of the person appearing1 ,i could not avoid recognising in the said person that of my brother ,joseph4 #adde4 8,this apparition had such an effect on me1 as to keep me awake the whole night1 seeking to explain the phenomenon4 ,but becoming fatigued with researches1 ,i thought1 as a magnetizer1 to be able to explain these apparitions by the same means as ,m4 de ,gasparin pretends to explain them at the present time4 ,i said to myself that clairvoyants saw the image of things impressed on the memory of the persons with whom they were in rapport2 the image of my late brother being engraved on my memory1 it was enough for ,m4 ,cahagnet to put me1 by an act of his will1 in rapport with his clairvoyant1 for the latter to have seen the image of my brother on the tablets of my memory4 #addf4 8,with this impression1 ,i wrote to ,m4 ,cahagnet1 saying to him1 that in spite of my assurance yesterday of the reality of the apparition of my brother1 my knowledge of magnetism had caused me to-day to think otherwise1 and that further evidence would be necessary to convince me of its reality4 ,m4 ,cahagnet having complied1 two spirits were evoked2 one of my aforesaid brother ,joseph1 and the other of ,antoinette ,carr1 the sister of my domestic2 apparitions reported in the second volume of the ,arcana1 and the description given by the clairvoyant could not have been more correct4 ,but as ,i still entertained the idea that these images could not be traced by the clairvoyant in my mind1 this meeting produced no results4 ,curious1 however1 to know whether other clairvoyants possessed the same faculty as the clairvoyant of ,m4 ,cahagnet in regard to these apparitions1 in the sense ,i understand them1 ,i begged ,m4 ,lecocq1 clockmaker of the navy1 living at ,argenteuil1 to try some experiments with his sister1 a very lucid clairvoyant4 #addg4 8,five apparitions appeared1 of whom three were unknown to him or his clairvoyant1 knowing only their names2 and their identity was determined by the assistance of other persons present who had known them1 as reported from two sources1 the letter written me by ,m4 ,lecocq1 which ,m4 de ,gasparin can see1 and the report made by the former to ,m4 ,cahagnet1 which was published in the second volume of the ,arcana1 page #bdd4 ,in view of this fact1 and others of the same nature come to my knowledge1 my opinion as to the derivation of appearances and thoughts from the mind of communicants through the clairvoyant begins to be modified4 ,however1 to be entirely convinced of the reality of these apparitions1 ,i should require similar facts to be presented to my own eyes4 #addh4 8,animated by these sentiments1 ,i requested a person in whom ,i reposed entire confidence1 to give me the name of a defunct1 entirely unknown to me1 and that of ,joseph ,moral was given4 ,the young clairvoyant of thirteen years1 whom ,i named at the beginning of this monograph1 being one day put to sleep by his mother at my house1 ,i used the opportunity to request the subject to invoke the spirit of ,joseph ,moral4 ,scarcely had two minutes elapsed1 when the young clairvoyant announced the presence of a person1 whom she described4 ,having never seen the said ,joseph ,moral1 and therefore not able to say any thing about him1 ,i was limited to writing down a faithful account of him as given by the clairvoyant4 #addi4 8,the meeting ended1 ,i sought the person who had furnished the name1 and reading the description1 and much surprised to find it correct1 she said to me1 #8,how1 sir1 were you able to give such an exact description of ,m4 ,joseph ,moral1 whom you never knew and have never seen8' #adej4 8,this fact was for me a positive conviction that clairvoyants1 in their communion with the dead1 do not simply see the image of the deceased in the memory of the consulting party1 but that they see the veritable souls of the departed1 as the witch of ,endor saw the soul of ,samuel1 according to our creed1 called the ,holy ,spirit of the ,ecclesiastic4 ,and should ,m4 de ,gasparin desire to know the person who gave me the name of ,m4 ,joseph ,moral1 it will give me pleasure to wait on him to her house4 #adea4 8,here is another fact like the preceding1 but still more interesting4 ,m4 de ,sarrio1 of ,alicant1 in ,spain1 a cavalier of ,malta1 gave to my brother ,joseph1 of whom ,i have already spoken1 fifteen thousand francs1 to be distributed among the poor2 for which sum my brother aforesaid gave a receipt to the benevolent donor4 ,at the death of ,m4 de ,sarrio1 his brother1 the ,marquis of ,algolfa1 becoming his heir1 found this receipt among the papers of the deceased4 ,at the death of my brother1 the ,marquis desiring to know if all the amount had been disbursed1 addressed my sister1 who became his heir1 on the subject4 ,but my sister1 being unacquainted with his affairs1 not having lived with him1 submitted to the marquis the schedule of the deceased2 which1 showing only the distribution of half the amount1 the other half was claimed by the marquis1 and finally made the subject of a lawsuit4 #adeb4 8,my sister1 much aggrieved1 made me a party to her troubles1 in a letter from ,alicant4 ,discomforted by what had happened to my sister1 ,i visited my young clairvoyant and demanded the presence of my brother1 who1 as she had said1 had several times been with her4 ,he was reported present1 and ,i questioned him in relation to the money received from ,m4 de ,sarrio1 reproaching him in regard to the reversion of the said balance1 and the pain he had caused my sister4 #adec4 8,my brother1 astounded at my language1 said1 that he owed nothing to anybody2 and as to the amount referred to1 he had given it to ,father ,mario before dying1 to be distributed to the poor2 to prove which it would be necessary to call ,father ,mario4 ,scarcely had my brother said this1 when the clairvoyant said she saw a man with my brother1 and from the description she gave of him1 ,i thought ,i recognised a ,capuchin friar1 who1 interrogated by my brother1 confirmed what he had said4 #aded4 8,having never heard the name of ,father ,mario1 as ,i had left ,alicant thirty years before1 ,i requested some particulars of his country and family1 and was told he belonged to ,st4 ,vincent du ,respect1 one league from ,alicant1 c41 and ,i put the following questions to my sister1 by letter3 ,was your brother ,joseph visited in his sickness by a priest named ,father ,mario1 having a sister at ,st4 ,vincent du ,respect8 and do you know if this ,father ,mario is dead8 ,following is the answer3 #adee4 8#8,as to ,father ,mario1 he left this country several years since1 and it is not known if he is in ,france or ,america4 ,he did not visit our brother in his last sickness1 because he had left some years before4 ,he has two sisters1 one was in ,algeria1 and the other went with him4' ,the letters written by me to my sister on this subject1 and her replies1 with other details1 were published in the third volume of the ,arcana4 ,the originals are at the disposal of ,m4 de ,gasparin1 and ,i would desire to ask that gentleman one question3 ,whether the apparition of ,father ,mario1 as established by the letters of my sister1 confirming the existence of ,father ,mario1 is not a positive fact1 and not an hallucination8 ,whether1 as this monk had never been seen nor known by me1 his image could possibly have been perceived by the clairvoyant through any impression made upon my mind8 ,of course1 it could not have been the devil who personated ,father ,mario1 if ,m4 de ,gasparin correctly repudiates the intervention of ,satan in spiritual manifestations4 #adef4 8,can ,m4 de ,gasparin explain to me the appearance of ,father ,mario consistently with his ,psychological hypothesis in ,general4 ,these are the facts which ,i have at present to oppose to the ,psychological ,rationale of ,m4 de ,gasparin4 ,at a future time ,i shall be prepared to say more to him as well as to ,m4 de ,mirville1 both on mesmerism and table-turning1 as well as in regard to mediums4 #adeg4 8,if the marquis and count do not respond to my call1 their silence will do great injury to the cause of truth1 science1 and religion4 ,it is1 then1 in order not to act against interests so sacred1 that ,i take pleasure in hoping that these gentlemen will comply with my wishes40 ,mechanical ,movements without ,contact4 ,by ,mr4 ,isaac ,rhen1 ,president of the ,harmonial ,society of ,philadelphia4#ce #adeh4 ,among the most distinguished and eloquent advocates of ,spiritualism in ,philadelphia1 is ,mr4 ,isaac ,rehn1 ,president of the ,harmonial ,society4 ,it is said that a good countenance is a constant letter of recommendation4 ,the truth of this adage is conspicuously realized in the instance of this sensible and agreeable spiritualist4 ,there is an air of good feeling and sincerity in ,mr4 ,rehn's tones and expression1 which would cause him to be viewed as a reliable witness before any honest and intelligent jury4 #adei4 ,the fact of mechanical movements being induced without muscular contact1 direct or indirect1 is one of the phenomena which scarcely any one will believe without intuitive proof4 ,it will be seen that on the third of ,february1 #ahed1 after ,i had been engaged in the investigation of spiritual manifestations for more than two months1 ,i was still so incredulous as to employ this language to ,mr4 ,holcomb3 8,you believe fully that tables move without contact1 because you have seen them thus moved2 ,i am skeptical1 because ,i have not seen them move without human contact1 although ,i have been at several circles40 #adfj4 ,but one of the forms of this phenomenon1 which has excited the most wonder and incredulity1 is that of the carrying of ,mr4 ,henry ,gordon1 a medium1 through the air without the contact of any mundane body4 ,mr4 ,rehn having been among the witnesses of this fact1 ,i requested him to give me a statement of it1 as well as of others of a similar kind4 ,subjoined is a letter1 written in consequence of my request3 ,,philadelphia1 ,august #a1 #ahee4 ,,professor ,,robert ,,hare3 #adfa4 ,dear ,sir3 ,in obedience to your invitation1 ,i will proceed to make a brief statement of the more prominent facts supporting the hypothesis1 that the spirits of those who once dwelt with us do still hold intercourse with mortals4 #adfb4 ,during the early part of the year #ahej1 some friends of mine1 in whom ,i had full confidence1 stated to me the result of several intercommunions had with these mysterious agents1 by which ,i was led to a determination to test the matter for myself2 and1 accordingly1 on the fifth day of ,july1 in company with a friend1 ,i visited ,new ,york1 that being the only accessible point known to us at which to gain the object of our visit4 ,the ,fox family1 consisting of ,mrs4 ,fox1 ,mrs4 ,fish1 7afterward ,mrs4 ,brown17 ,catherine and ,margaret ,fox were then at ,barnum's ,hotel1 giving to the public opportunities to test the reality or imposture of the so-called spiritual phenomena4 ,we called at the rooms of the family1 and obtained a sitting during the afternoon of the same day4 ,a dozen or more persons were present at the sitting1 the result of which was the conviction that the sounds were not a deception on the part of the mediums1 but the result of some occult force and intelligence1 independent of the ladies themselves4 #adfc4 ,without entering into any detail of the incidents of the visit above referred to1 or speculations upon the general subject under consideration1 ,i propose to cite incidents in my own experience1 which go to establish the truth of spiritual intercourse4 #adfd4 ,shortly after the commencement of the sounds in the first circle instituted in this city1 and of which ,i was1 from the first1 a member1 demonstrations in the form of movements of tables1 chairs1 and other articles commenced4 ,many times they were very violent1 but in most instances it was necessary that the hands of the company1 and especially those of the medium1 should be upon the table4 ,during the session of a circle1 however1 held in the afternoon--and of course in daylight--these movements became unusually violent4 ,two card-tables1 around which the company sat1 having been drawn to the centre of the floor1 were thrown backward and forward with great force4 ,after moving thus for some minutes1 one of the tables started toward some two or three of the company1 and pressed heavily against them1 causing them to recede until they had reached the wall2 the table would then retreat to the centre of the floor1 and1 as it were1 charge some two or three more1 whom in like manner it would press back4 ,thus it continued retreating and attacking1 until the entire company were seated around at the sides of the room4 #adfe4 ,having thus cleared the floor in the central part of the room1 the table rose deliberately at the side next to myself1 and so continued until it had turned some distance beyond the point of equilibrium1 with the evident design of performing a revolution4 #adff4 ,these and other manifestations were at the time so wonderful and strange to that part of the company present which had never before met in a circle1 as to cause great terror4 ,one lady became so much alarmed during the performance of the spirits with the table as above described1 that she screamed aloud1 which interfering with the requisite conditions for success1 the table fell heavily upon the floor1 breaking off the top4 #adfg4 ,during the rising of the table on the side toward myself1 ,i reached my hand and pressed upon it1 with the view of seeing what force was employed in raising it4 ,upon removing my hand1 it would spring up as if it were suspended from the ceiling by an elastic cord4 #adfh4 ,at the time this phenomenon was occurring1 a friend of mine1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,a4 ,cutting1 of ,boston1 ,massachusetts1 being seated by my side1 found himself moved1 as though some one had drawn the chair on which he was sitting4 ,he then placed his feet upon the front round of the chair1 so as to entirely insulate himself from the floor1 and while in this position he was raised from the floor1 chair and all4 ,this gentleman was quite large and stout1 weighing1 ,i should think1 not less than one hundred and seventy pounds4 #adfi4 ,i would here state particularly and emphatically1 that at the time of these most violent movements of the table1 no hands were upon them1 nor was there any physical contact with the objects moved4 #adgj4 ,at the same session1 a tumbler and pitcher being upon a washstand in a corner of the room1 some five feet distant from any person present1 suddenly a crash was heard in the direction in which those articles were situated4 ,upon examination1 the tumbler was found to be broken into several hundred pieces1 and what is still more strange1 the pieces were not scattered around1 but occupied a spot which did not exceed eight or ten inches in diameter6 ,it seemed as if the tumbler had collapsed2 even the bottom1 thick as it was1 was broken into many pieces4 ,these facts occurred at the house of ,mr4 ,george ,d4 ,henck1 dentist1 in ,arch street1 who1 with the other persons present on that occasion1 will at any time corroborate these statements4 #afga4 ,on another occasion1 at the house of ,mr4 ,j4 ,thompson1 of this city1 during a sitting1 ,i requested1 among other things1 that the spirits would move the table without physical contact4 ,mrs4 ,thompson1 ,mrs4 ,r----1 and myself1 the only persons in the room1 drew back from the table1 and it was then moved some six or eight inches4 ,in addition to this1 it moved from various points1 and objects were retained on the table1 when under ordinary circumstances1 from the inclination of the table1 they must have fallen off4 #adgb4 ,at a sitting at my own residence1 some two years since1 some very strange phenomena occurred4 ,at the close of the session1 a young man1 of slender frame and constitution1 7,mr4 ,h4 ,c4 ,gordon17 had his hand thrown violently upon the centre of a large dining-table1 weighing not less than eighty or ninety pounds4 ,some of the company were requested to raise ,mr4 ,gordon's hand from the table4 ,this1 after much effort1 was accomplished1 and1 strange to relate1 the table accompanied the hand until it was entirely isolated from the floor4 ,this was a result which ,i would have doubted1 had it not come under my own personal observation4 #adgc4 ,about the same time1 a company of persons1 whose names1 as far as ,i can recollect1 ,i shall mention1 were seated around two tables1 joined together1 in order to furnish room sufficient to seat the party4 ,the house in which ,i then lived had two parlours1 with folding doors4 ,the two tables referred to occupied the entire length of the front parlour1 leaving barely room enough for the chairs at the front end of the room2 the other end of the table extended quite to the folding doors1 leaving1 of course1 no passage on either end4 ,it so happened that ,i was seated at that end of the table projecting into the doorway4 ,the medium1 ,mr4 ,gordon1 was seated about midway of the tables1 on the left1 the other seats being occupied by the rest of the company4 #adgd4 ,after a variety of manifestations had occurred1 the medium was raised from his seat by an invisible power1 and1 after some apparent resistance on his part1 was carried through the doorway between the parlours1 directly over my head1 and his head being bumped along the ceiling1 he passed to the farther end of the back room1 in which there was no one beside himself4 #adge4 ,although all the individuals present had not equally good opportunity of ascertaining the facts in this case1 the room having been somewhat darkened1 still his transit over the end of the table at which ,i was seated1 and the utter impossibility of the medium passing out in other way than over our heads1 his continued conversation while thus suspended1 and his position1 as indicated by the sound1 with other facts in the case1 leave no reasonable doubt of the performance of the feat4 #adgf4 ,there were present on the occasion alluded to1 the following persons1 viz43 ,aaron ,comfort1 ,george ,d4 ,henck1 ,rebecca ,thomas1 ,naomi ,thomas1 ,marianne ,thomas1 ,esther ,henck1 ,mrs4 ,rehn1 ,j4 ,s4 ,mintzer1 ,m4 ,d41 and many others4 ,respectfully1 ,i4 ,,rehn4 #adgg4 ,the truth of the elevation and carriage of this medium aloft1 by invisible agency1 from one part of a room to another1 does not depend on the testimony of one set of observers2 several other respectable eye-witnesses have alleged the occurrence of a similar manifestation in their presence4 ,communication from ,j4 ,m4 ,kennedy1 ,esq4 #adgh4 ,one of our most zealous and eloquent spiritualists1 is my friend1 ,j4 ,m4 ,kennedy4 ,he has done me the favour1 out of many striking manifestations observed by him1 to communicate two1 which are among the most demonstrative of a physical power and mental intelligence1 and which cannot be ascribed to mortal agency4 ,that in which the magnetic needle was moved by his request1 without physical contact1 is1 as ,i conceive1 pre-eminently interesting4 ,,philadelphia1 ,august1 #ahee4 8,,professor ,,hare3 #adgi4 8,sir3 ,you ask me to state some facts ,i have witnessed1 which tended to convince my mind that the varied phenomena1 occurring among us1 are truly ascribable to the direct action of disembodied spirits4 ,i will state two matters1 remarking1 however1 that ,i have had other and different forms of evidence equally satisfactory to me4 #adhj4 8,about two years since1 ,i was invited to meet a private circle to witness physical manifestations4 ,i met them at the house of a near neighbour1 whose lady is a medium4 ,there were about ten persons present4 ,the circle being seated1 the movement of the table and tipping in answer to questions occurred4 ,i now asked for a communication with myself1 which was assented to4 ,i then inquired if the spirits would move the table1 despite of my power to hold it still1 the company to withdraw from the table1 excepting the medium and myself4 ,the answer was1 #8,we will6' ,the company all arose1 and removed their chairs2 ,i stood up and took hold of the table1 exercising my best judgment as to the use of my strength in the pending contest4 ,the medium having placed her hand on the table1 ,i promptly announced1 #8,i am ready4' ,at once1 the movement of the table commenced1 despite of my efforts to prevent it1 and having slightly pushed me backward1 it began to draw me in the opposite direction4 ,it moved entirely across the room1 dragging me along with it1 my feet sliding on the carpet4 ,i resisted the motion of the table with all the power ,i could command1 and no visible being but myself had any contact with it1 excepting the medium1 whose hand 7not hands7 was on the top of the table4 #adha4 8,i then said1 #8,if ,i sit on the table1 will you throw me off8' ,answer4 ,yes4 ,i at once sat on it1 and the medium placing her hand as before1 ,i said1 #8,i am ready1' and almost instantaneously the table was turned over on its side1 of course1 throwing me off4 ,all this occurred at a private house2 the room was light enough to read small print1 and there was entire freedom to search for trick1 machinery1 c4 ,there was to me evidence of an intelligent1 invisible power1 giving us the tests we suggested and asked for1 to prove its presence and power4 #adhb4 8,on another occasion1 there were present1 at the dwelling of another friend of mine1 my friend and his lady1 also a lad learning business with him1 and myself1 the apprentice lad being the medium4 ,we sat in the parlour in the afternoon1 windows open1 room well lighted4 #adhc4 8,among other manifestations which occurred was this3 ,i placed on the centre of the large dining-table a glass tumbler1 on which ,i placed a compass1 the needle being one foot in length4 ,on the periphery of the compass1 the alphabet1 as well as the various points1 was painted1 and at each letter there was a small metallic pin permanently fixed4 ,after changing the compass freely1 to see if the needle worked free and true1 ,i left it so placed that the needle pointed due north1 according to the points marked therefor4 ,we then removed our chairs from the table some distance1 no one being in contact with it4 ,my friend was on the east1 his lady on the south1 the medium on the west1 and myself on the north side of the table4 ,i then requested that the spirits would move the compass needle to such points as we might designate2 and naming north1 south1 east1 west1 north-east1 south-west1 c41 perhaps1 in all1 nearly twenty different points1 ,i saw the needle promptly and quickly moved to each point1 as and when designated by me1 and there held steadily for a brief time2 and on each occasion1 after having been thus held1 ,i saw it fly back to the north point4 ,i also requested that they 7the spirits7 would spell ,john by moving the needle to the letters1 and ,i saw the needle promptly moved to the several letters required to spell the name1 stopping at each1 tipping and touching the small pin opposite the letter1 and then immediately returning to its position due north4 #adhd4 8,this manifestation ,i was compelled to regard as clearly proving the action of an invisible1 intelligent power1 present with us1 and purporting to be a disembodied spirit once known among us as a man4 ,there was here also perfect freedom to search for trick1 machinery1 c42 and all these suggested explanations occurred as clearly to my mind as to men generally1 and were duly cared for by me2 for ,i was then an investigator of the truth of spirit manifestations1 and did not wish to be humbugged4 ,these cases1 however1 are but a sample of the chain of testimony that has satisfied my mind fully on this question4 ,,john ,m4 ,,kennedy40 ,communication from ,wm4 ,west1 ,esq4 #adhe4 ,as respects the communication which follows1 ,i have only to say that ,i consider the author as quite reliable1 both as to his capacity to observe accurately1 and his disposition to exert that capacity faithfully4 ,i believe him to have one of those minds which1 like the scale-beam1 allows every thing pro or con to have its due weight4 8,,philadelphia1 ,september #f1 #ahee4 8,,professor ,r4 ,,hare3 #adhf4 8,dear ,sir3 ,at our last interview you wished a few facts from my experience4 #adhg4 8,about three years since ,i lectured in this city against the spiritual agency of #8the modern manifestations1' and advocated a nerve aura1 obedient to the will4 ,at that time ,i had the power to stop the physical movements4 ,subsequently1 the agents in these phenomena refused to obey me4 ,i have since been informed by the spirits1 that they permitted me to control them for a time1 in order ultimately to convince me by depriving me of said power4 #adhh4 8,having read your statement of the message transmitted by you1 through your spirit sister1 from ,cape ,may1 in ,july last1 to this city1 ,i have thought that an account of a similar despatch from myself1 through my spirit wife1 to a circle in this city1 might be acceptable4 #adhi4 8,on the evening of ,june #bb1 #ahec1 while sitting at the table at ,mrs4 ,long's1 7a writing medium1 living at ,no4 #i ,thompson ,st41 ,new ,york71 my deceased wife purported to be communicating with me4 ,at that time ,i had been appointed1 by the spirits1 dictator to a circle1 which convened every ,wednesday evening at the residence of ,h4 ,c4 ,gordon1 #ajc ,north ,fifth ,st41 ,philadelphia4 ,i inquired of my wife if she could convey a message to the circle then assembled in ,philadelphia4 ,she answered1 #8,i will try4' ,i then requested her to take my respects to the circle1 and inform them that ,i was succeeding admirably in my investigation1 and becoming stronger in the glorious truth of spirit intercommunion4 ,in the course of seventeen minutes1 the spirit again announced her presence1 and informed us she had delivered the message4 ,on the next ,wednesday evening1 ,i was present at the circle in ,philadelphia1 and was informed by all the members present that my communication had been duly received4 ,another spirit1 ,i was informed1 had been communicating1 when an interruption occurred1 and my wife gave her name1 and1 in substance1 the communication1 through the hand of ,mr4 ,gordon4 #adij4 8,there were present about twelve persons of high respectability1 among whom were ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,howell1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,laird1 ,mr4 ,aaron ,comfort1 ,mr4 ,william ,knapp1 c4 #adia4 8,at ,mrs4 ,long's there were three or four persons present1 among them1 ,i think1 ,mr4 ,ira ,davis4 #adib4 8,i am not a medium1 therefore the objection of medium sympathy is out of place4 ,yours1 c4 ,w4 ,,west4 8,george ,st41 #dth house west of ,broad40 ,koons's ,establishment4 #adic4 ,among the wonders of ,spiritualism1 none have excited so much astonishment as the manifestations which have occurred at the establishment of ,mr4 ,koons1 in ,athens county1 ,ohio4 ,the phenomena are so extraordinary1 as to be difficult to be believed1 even by ,spiritualists2 and yet there is far more evidence of their truth than of any of the miracles recorded in ,scripture4 ,in no instance has any of these been attested in due form by known spectators1 and admitting that1 in this respect1 there is no deficiency1 they were not of a nature to be repeated before a succession of observers4 ,those at ,koons's have been repeated1 and are still being repeated4 ,i first heard that there was such an establishment from my spirit brother1 at least fifteen months ago4 ,my spirit friends confirm the truth of the account received1 and sanction the idea that there is something in the locality which favours mediumship4 ,i subjoin the narratives of several visitors to the establishment in question3 ,communication from ,joseph ,hazard1 ,esq4 #adid4 ,joseph ,hazard1 ,esq41 of ,narragansett1 ,r4 ,i41 is very well known in ,philadelphia1 as well as in the vicinity of his residence4 ,mr4 ,hazard accompanied me1 in some of my investigating visits1 to spiritual circles1 and was present1 as ,i have mentioned1 7#aci17 on the occasion when ,i first saw a table move without contact4 ,there is no doubt but that he is a truthful witness4 ,if he has overrated what he heard or saw1 it must be from the enthusiasm with which he was inspired4 ,,athens ,,co41 ,ohio1 ,may #d1 #ahee4 #adie4 ,my ,dear ,sir3 ,i have been here these three days1 witnessing the wonderful spirit manifestations of which we have heard so much4 ,allow me to assure you that the published account of them is no more to the reality than shadow is to substance4 ,no pen can describe1 and if it could1 ,i believe no mind could believe that had not witnessed them4 ,the spirits talk audibly through a trumpet1 not with good articulation1 but as if the process were mechanical4 ,on the accordeon1 however1 the language is exquisitely articulated1 being some beautiful air or catch1 according to the number of words2 the harmony being perfect1 and every note forming a part or whole word4 ,they frequently move overhead1 next the ceiling1 with a rapidity of motion inconceivably astounding1 blowing a trumpet with deafening blasts at times1 or beating a tamborine or some other instrument4 #adif4 ,one of the exhibitions represents a spirit hand during this circuit1 beating a tamborine1 there being a piece of sand-paper with phosphorus on it1 which they use for illuminating the hand4 ,i saw them begin the work and complete it4 ,the hand was small and delicate1 and flew all over the room with something like the rapidity of light on a broken surface of water1 frequently snapping the fingers1 and stopping often near to myself and others1 that we might see it to full advantage4 #adig4 ,another hand1 which ,i could not see1 touched me1 but ,i took hold of it4 ,it seemed as if covered with buckskin4 #adih4 ,the spirits are now contriving a plan to exhibit in the light4 ,they say that light destroys the conditions necessary by their present system1 even that evolved by the phosphorus rendering the operation very difficult4 #adii4 ,it appears evident that spirits to be seen with material eyes are obliged to materialize themselves1 or else spiritualize our vision2 and these things have been done repeatedly4 #aejj4 ,i have not yet seen them write4 ,i have heard them talk and play on many instruments by the hour4 ,there is a base and tenor drum on which they perform with such violence1 that it is almost deafening at times1 and the whole house resounds till it shakes throughout4 ,some of the music is seraphic1 especially when they speak with the harmonicon1 when it is more unearthly in its character than ,i should have been able to imagine4 #aeja4 ,the spirit houses are distinct buildings of one room1 dark as ,erebus1 and rather lonesome places1 in this wilderness4 ,i have1 nevertheless1 obtained permission to sleep on the floor each night in one3 and during two of those nights ,i have been favoured with faint music on the drums4 ,last night1 from the moment ,i extinguished the light1 drumming was continued throughout the night1 accompanied by a few notes on the violin4 #aejb4 ,the spirit said last night1 8,i can't play a bit10 but1 nevertheless1 he played some things delightfully4 ,this was a new performer1 who had sent word he would perform this night1 and that he was a ,german4 #aejc4 ,one spirit attempted to sing through the trumpet1 but could not make music2 after each failure he would stop a minute1 and then1 very good-naturedly1 say1 8,i will try again40 ,this he did several times1 when he added 8,what shall ,i do for you1 if ,i can't sing80 ,he at length took up an accordeon1 and succeeded better on that2 but ,i presume did not suit himself1 as he would exclaim every once in a while1 8,oh1 dear60 very despondingly4 #aejd4 ,the effort the spirits make to manifest themselves is very great1 evidently1 and the amiability of their demeanour here is striking4 ,however1 ,i cannot tell you but a small portion of what ,i have seen1 but believing you would be interested in this sketch1 ,i have hastily made it1 and hope you will excuse the rudeness of it4 ,if ,i could not witness again what ,i have seen during the last seventy-two hours1 ,i would not part with the consciousness of it for the whole ,state of ,ohio4 ,i am very sincerely your friend1 ,,jos4 ,p4 ,,hazard4 ,to ,,prof4 ,,robt4 ,,hare1 ,philada4 ,a ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,spiritualists ,,of ,,ohio4 ,letter from ,john ,gage4--,the ,home of the ,mediums and the ,haunts of the ,spirits4--,what they did1 said1 and wrote4 ,,locality ,,of ,,jonathan ,,koons4--,a ,,hilly ,,land4 #aeje4 ,the house of ,mr4 ,koons is in ,milford1 ,athens county1 ,ohio1 twenty-five miles south-west of ,mc,connelsville1 forty-two miles from ,lancaster1 and sixty-seven miles from ,columbus4 #aejf4 ,persons going from the ,west can go to ,lancaster1 which is the nearest point by railroad1 thence down the ,hocking ,river by stage1 which runs daily to ,chauncey1 thence on foot two miles to ,koons4 ,from the ,north persons would take the stage at ,columbus1 thence to ,lancaster by the lines above described4 ,from the ,east there are steamboats to ,mc,connelsville1 on the ,muskingum1 both from ,zanesville and ,marietta1 but from these private carriages must be got2 distance as above1 twenty-five miles1 but the miles bear no correspondence to the hours1 for on every route they think they do well if they accomplish two and a half miles an hour4 ,no man ever travelled over so hilly a country anywhere else1 and when you finally get into ,koons's vicinity1 you find the essence of hills personified2 there is no such thing as a level spot large enough to put a house on4 ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,the ,,spiritualist4--,,presence ,,of ,,electricity4 #aejg4 ,koons's house is located on the south-east angle of a sharp ridge1 some few rods below the edge of the ledge1 and where1 when the native trees occupied the ground1 the lightning was wont to make frolic among them2 and where it still likes to sport4 ,the stove-pipe above the spirit room was burst off1 and a number of times during the sitting of the mediums1 the electric sparks were seen to play over the wires of the spirit table4 ,,the ,,room ,,where ,,the ,,spirits ,,manifest ,,their ,,power4 #aejh4 ,the spirit room is built of logs1 as well as the house in which ,mr4 ,koons resides2 it is situated at the end of his dwelling-house1 and six feet from it4 ,it is twelve by sixteen feet square1 and seven feet high inside2 there is a tight floor1 and the ceiling above is of rough boards1 laid close edge to edge2 in the garret above1 there is less than three feet clear room to the peak of the roof1 and up here are stowed old shoes and other old trumpery4 ,there is a door in the front1 near the centre of the building1 and a small window on each side of it1 and one window in the back side2 the windows have each close shutters outside to exclude the light4 ,across the back end of the room are three rough board shelves4 ,two feet in front of these1 stands the spirit table1 three feet wide and six feet long4 ,in front of this1 and setting against it1 is a common fall-leaf table1 about three and a half feet square1 which extends to within one foot of the stove2 and across the back end of the room are two rough benches for spectators to sit upon1 and the front one comes within one foot of the stove4 ,then1 on each end of the table is room for three or four chairs1 all of which fills the room so full that there is no room to get around4 ,mr4 ,koons's seat is at the left of the table1 where he sits and plays the fiddle4 ,nahum1 his son1 sits on the left of the table2 he is a lad eighteen years old1 and the principal medium2 and his mother sits next to him4 ,,the ,,furniture ,,and ,,occupants4 #aeji4 ,the spirit table has a frame or rack standing on it1 and extended from one end to the other2 this rack sustains a tenor drum at one end and a brass drum at the other1 attached to it by means of wires2 there are wires also passing in various directions about the rack1 and sustaining some small bells1 some images of birds cut out of copper plate1 c42 there are two fiddles1 a guitar1 banjo1 accordeon1 ,french harp1 tin horn1 tea bell1 triangle1 and tamborine1 either hanging up or on the tables4 ,the room will hold eighteen or twenty persons besides the mediums1 and when filled1 as it usually is1 there is no room to pass around or between the people and the table or stove4 #aeaj4 ,some phosphorus is always placed on the table between wet sheets of paper1 for the exhibition of the hand4 ,,the ,,manifestations ,,commence4--,,the ,,spirits ,,play ,,on ,,drums1 ,,harps1 ,,french ,,horns1 ,,accordeons1 ,,and ,,tamborines4 ,,koons',s ,,room1 ,june #ai1 #ahee4 #aeaa4 ,between eight and nine o'clock1 ,mr4 ,koons and his son ,nahum went into the room and closed the doors and shutters1 for the purpose1 they said1 of inquiring of ,king1 the presiding spirit1 whether he would attend that evening1 and what time he would commence2 this they always do1 and they were told to get ready in twenty minutes4 ,we went into the room4 ,mr4 ,koons took his seat with his fiddle and tuned it2 ,i took my seat by his side1 and my wife next to me1 our chairs setting close to each other1 and the chairs and benches in the room were all filled4 ,the window-shutters and doors were now closed1 and ,mr4 ,koons put out the light1 and immediately there came a startling blow upon the table that made the room jar1 and almost brought me to my feet4 8,well1 ,king10 said ,mr4 ,koons1 8you are here10 and commenced playing a lively tune4 ,as soon as ,koons began to play the fiddle1 the bass and tenor drums began to play with such power and energy as to frighten me2 the whole house was on a jar and vibrating in perfect time with the music2 and ,i know no mortal hands had hold of the drumsticks1 and for the time the thought was irresistible and constant that spirits controlled them4 ,after two or three tunes on the drums1 the tamborine was taken up and beat with such violence1 that ,i expected every moment it would be dashed to pieces1 at the same time it was making rapid circles in the room and dashing from one place to another1 and occasionally thrust almost in my face1 so that ,i was afraid it would hit me4 ,then the ,french harp would be played1 and then the drums1 harp1 and accordeon altogether2 then a strange kind of unearthly noise would sing in concert with the music4 ,interspersed between the tunes upon the harp was talking through the horn1 the horn frequently passing through the room1 over and around us at the same time4 ,,the ,,manifestations ,,continue1 ,,and ,,the ,,head ,,spirit ,,writes ,a ,,communication4 #aeab4 ,at one time there was talking around the room1 so as to disturb those that were anxious to hear every thing1 when suddenly there came a shriek that was truly terrific2 such a sound as ,milton might suppose would be made by an imp of the infernal regions4 ,the horn then said3 8,keep silent40 #aeac4 ,koons talked some time with the voice in the horn and harp2 then asked him to write a communication for me4 ,we then heard the rattling of paper1 and the phosphorus began to show itself1 was taken up in a hand1 showed the hand4 ,it then got a pencil1 took some paper1 and laid it on a table close before me1 and wrote on it1 making the same sound that a pencil always makes in rapid writing2 then made some flourishes on the paper below the writing1 threw down the pencil1 handed the paper into my hand1 and threw the phosphorus on the floor in front of ,mr4 ,koons1 who took it up and handed it to the hand again2 it then threw it in the corner of the room1 and said1 8,good-night10 when ,mr4 ,koons lighted a candle4 ,i examined the paper that the hand had given me1 and found it was my paper1 which ,i had placed on the table1 with a private mark on it4 ,there were four lines written on it in a good legible hand1 and following the ruled lines on the paper as follows3 #aead4 8,well1 friend1 we return our regards to you for the interest you have manifested in our presence and performance2 we now take our leave4 ,farewell4 ,,king40 ,,at ,,koons',s1 ,thursday1 ,june #ba4 #aeae4 ,we have much more of a performance than usual1 and one highly satisfactory4 ,among other things1 after they had finished playing a tune1 ,mr4 ,schenick1 who sat next to me1 and who plays the violin very well1 said1 8,king1 won't you hand me the other fiddle80 ,it was taken up and handed to him over my head1 thumbing the strings as it passed4 8,yes10 it said1 8,i will give you the fiddle2 you do not want the bow1 ,i suppose40 8,oh1 yes10 said ,schenick1 8,i want the bow1 too40 ,the horn said1 8,can't you get along without it80 ,schenick answered1 8,i can't play very well with my fingers40 ,then the bow was handed to him1 the horn named a tune1 and both fiddles began to play1 accompanied by the drums and the accordeon1 and a number of voices sang1 something like human voices4 #aeaf4 ,then the tamborine was played with much spirit1 and passed rapidly around the room4 ,at the same time it made stops in front of a person1 touched them gently on the shoulder1 head1 or somewhere else1 playing all the while2 then passed to another1 and so on4 ,it passed me1 and dropped into my wife's lap4 ,it then flew over ,van ,sickle's head1 made a great flourish1 lit on it1 and began to press down2 and ,van says1 8,bear down2 ,i can hold you up40 ,he then said there was the weight of a large man put on his head2 it also passed to a number of others1 and pressed down on their heads4 ,mr4 ,koons then asked him to lay the tamborine on my head1 which it did immediately1 bearing down1 ,i should think1 with a weight of twenty pounds3 ,i raised up my hand and took hold of it1 when it started up1 and ,i held on as fast as ,i dared for fear of breaking the ,tamborine2 it then passed around and came to my wife1 and pressed gently against her head4 ,this1 she said1 she mentally requested it to do1 as she did not want it to bear down hard on her4 #aeag4 ,mr4 ,koons then said1 8,king1 it is very warm here2 won't you take ,mrs4 ,gage's fan and fan us80 ,but before he had finished speaking1 the tamborine began to fly around the room like lightning1 breathing a strong current of wind1 and fanning all in the house4 ,then the phosphorus was taken up and darted around the room like flakes of lightning1 and a hand began to develop4 ,we talked with the voice while this process was going on1 and tried to urge our spirit friends to write a communication for us4 ,when the hand was formed1 it passed around the room and shook hands or touched the hands of many of us4 ,it took hold of my hand1 and then of my wife's4 ,we both felt the shape of a hand distinctly4 ,it then got some paper and a pencil1 and laying the paper on the table1 right in front of us1 began to write with great rapidity2 covered one side of the sheet2 turned it over again1 wrote five lines1 signed it1 filled the rest of the page with flourishes1 folded it1 and placed it in my wife's hand4 ,it then flew around the room1 darting from the table up to the ceiling1 there making three or four distinct knocks1 and darting down and up1 repeating the knocks a number of times in succession2 it then passed all around the room1 stopping and showing the hand to all that wanted to see it4 ,it then commenced darting around the room again1 and snapping its fingers as loud as a man could do4 ,it then threw the phosphorus in the back corner of the room1 said 8,good night10 and was gone4 ,mr4 ,koons then lighted the candle1 and my wife read the paper which was given her by the spirit hand1 as follows3 ,,the ,,spirit',s ,,letter4 #aeah4 ,to the ,friends of this ,circle3 ,after various inquiries made at this circle1 we deem it highly necessary to reply by stated reasons1 why our presiding spirit declines to give the names of the spirits present during our performances at this room3 #aeai4 #ast4 ,let the inquirer conceive himself entering a congregated promiscuous assembly of persons1 who are all anxiously awaiting his approach under the discharge of some important and general mission1 in behalf of those in attendance4 ,on entering the assembly1 he looks around upon his anxious inquirers1 and sees them attended with their respective safeguards1 such as he never saw before4 ,in the discharge of his official duty1 however1 he is necessitated to exclude himself from the direct view and intercourse of the safeguards1 so as to be brought into a nearer relation to the corresponding parties4 ,the interlocution accordingly takes place1 when each one in turn begins to interrogate the speaker in his excluded position1 on subjects relating to their excluded guard1 of which the speaker knows but little or nothing1 except the cognition of their presence on his arrival2 and in order to acquaint himself with the circumstances and matters inquired after1 so as to answer correctly1 the speaker has to disencumber himself at every inquiry1 and not only so1 but would also fail to perform his devolved duty by submitting himself to the scrutiny and criticism of the corresponding parties4 ,which1 then1 of the two requirements would be of the most consequence--to discommode the general interest of the assembly and that of his own official duty1 or to omit the latter and attend to the discharge of a more important and higher duty1 by which the peace and consoling riches would be augmented to the fulness of their cup8 #aebj4 ,now1 this is the position our presiding spirit occupies4 ,when himself and band enter the room1 he recognises1 many bright guardian spirits interspersed among the promiscuous assembly1 of whom he has no knowledge4 ,and in the discharge of their manifesting performances1 they necessarily must assume physical incumbrances1 which shuts them from a direct view of the attending spirits2 and as many questions that are led in relation to them so often1 the corresponding spirit has to disrobe himself so as to give a correct relation1 to say nothing of the possibility of receiving and conveying wrong impressions from spirits who do not regard the truth4 #aeba4 ,given by ,second ,king1 at the council of the presiding band4 ,,the ,,above ,,is ,,certified ,,to4 #aebb4 ,after this communication had been read1 a certificate1 setting forth the above facts was drawn up and signed by all those present1 as follows3 #aebc4 ,audience present4--,portia ,gage1 ,gage's ,lake1 ,ill42 ,john ,gage1 ,gage's ,lake1 ,lake county1 ,ill42 ,solomon ,bordon1 ,millfield1 ,athens county1 ,ohio2 ,thomas ,morris and wife1 ,hyram ,schenick1 ,selah ,van ,sickle1 ,delaware1 ,ohio4 #aebd4 ,mediums present4--,jonathan ,koons1 ,abigail ,t4 ,koons1 ,nahum ,w4 ,koons4 ,,concluding ,,remarks4 #aebe4 ,when a person comes here and sees the rooms1 and finds them open all day for the children to run in and out of1 and for visitors to examine1 and sees there are no juggler's tools about1 and no place to keep them2 the mediums and all engaged are of that artless stamp1 and in their whole appearance1 bearing1 and conduct1 so marked with honesty and sincerity of purpose1 that the idea of their being imposters1 or of their psychologizing their auditors1 is simply ridiculous4 ,that the music is not imaginary1 is proved in another way1 if further proof is necessary2 it can be heard as well outside as inside of the houses1 and is frequently heard by the neighbours for miles around4 ,there is no question about the manifestations1 and about their having all that superhuman or unaccountable character that the most sanguine writers have given them4 ,they rather seem to be over-cautious about exaggerating any thing1 and consequently fall far short of conveying an adequate idea of the phenomena4 ,therefore1 all we have to do is to account for these existing facts1 for the facts cannot be controverted4 ,the intelligence displayed is sometimes of a high order1 and they always claim to be spirits of men or women who have left the earthly form1 and passed to that undiscovered country from whose bourne it has been said no travellers return4 ,but of this every one can judge for themselves1 though it is difficult to imagine what they can be1 if they are not spirits4 ,,john ,,gage4 ,an ,evening at ,koon's ,spirit ,room4 ,by ,charles ,partridge1 ,esq41 ,new ,york4 #aebf4 ,sunday evening1 #bgth ,may last1 ,i walked some three miles through a wood over a very poor road1 in the direction of what is called the spirit rooms of ,jonathan ,koons4 ,i noticed at the foot of a hill several carriages by the roadside1 and horses tied to the fence and trees2 and on reaching the place1 ,i observed from thirty to fifty men sitting on stones1 logs1 and fences around a dilapidated log-cabin4 ,the men looked respectable1 and their deportment and conversation bore the impress of a religious meeting4 ,i inquired who lived there1 and was informed that ,jonathan ,koons lived in that house1 7pointing to the cabin17 and that 7pointing to a small one near by7 is the spirits' room4 ,i inquired what spirits lived there1 and was told that it was the room where people go in to talk with their spirit friends who have gone out of their earthly tabernacle4 ,on inquiry as to what this gathering was for1 ,i was informed that these people had come to talk with their spirit friends and to witness spirit manifestations4 ,i was informed that ,i might go in--that everybody was free to enter and examine the room1 and to attend the circle4 ,i selected a good 8soft0 stone1 and sat me down1 a perfect stranger1 with the other disciples4 ,i scrutinized the people closely1 and listened to their conversation without joining in it4 ,i overheard one say that ,mr4 ,koons was in his house4 ,in the course of half an hour a man came out1 whom several persons addressed as ,mr4 ,koons2 he glanced his eyes over the congregation2 presently1 two men drove up1 who1 as ,i subsequently learned1 came from ,amesville1 some ten miles distant2 they were entire strangers to me and ,i to them2 they looked around1 spoke with some persons1 and then with ,mr4 ,koons1 asking whom he had there1 c41 and finally asked him who ,i was1 pointing me out to ,mr4 ,koons4 ,mr4 ,koons observed that he had not learned my name1 that ,i had just come2 but he was impressed by spirits to say1 8,his name is ,charles ,partridge1 of ,new ,york40 ,soon after1 one of these men approached me1 and asked if ,i was ,mr4 ,partridge1 from ,new ,york4 ,i answered in the affirmative4 8,charles ,partridge80 8,yes40 8,well10 said he1 8the spirits told ,mr4 ,koons who you were40 ,i had not overheard their conversation1 but such was the result of one of my tests as to the spirit origin of these manifestations4 #aebg4 ,mr4 ,koons and one of his children 7a medium7 went into the spirit room alone1 as is their custom before forming the public circle1 to receive such instruction from the presiding spirit 7,king7 as he might wish to communicate4 ,there are often more persons present desiring to obtain admittance than the room will hold4 ,in such cases the spirit directs ,mr4 ,koons to especially invite those in who have come the longest distance1 and such as cannot remain there for another opportunity1 usually calling the names of the parties1 and leaving out the neighbours and those who can make it convenient to be present on subsequent occasions4 ,at one of these preliminary interviews1 ,i was invited in by ,mr4 ,koons4 ,immediately on closing the doors1 the spirit took up the trumpet1 7described in my last communication17 and spoke through it audibly and distinctly1 saying1 8,good evening1 friends60 to which we responded in like manner4 ,the spirit then addressed me by name1 and observed1 in substance1 that although they were strangers to me1 ,i was not a stranger to them3 they had been cognizant of my thoughts1 desires1 and efforts in behalf of ,spiritualism from the time my attention was first called to the subject4 ,they spoke in very flattering terms of myself and others1 who had been bold to testify to the spiritual manifestations witnessed in the early times1 and during the severer trials and opposition4 ,they had watched the ,,telegraph with anxious solicitude1 and with eminent satisfaction4 ,they closed in a fervent benediction and consecration to further and greater good and uses4 ,after which this spirit 7,king7 said to ,mr4 ,koons1 that they could not hold a public circle that evening1 as he was elsewhere engaged4 ,mr4 ,koons expressed much regret at this announcement1 and said he felt much embarrassed and mortified1 because several persons were there who had come a long way2 some from ,new ,york1 ,pennsylvania1 ,virginia1 ,canada1 and other distant places4 ,the spirit said he was sorry1 but he had engaged to attend a circle elsewhere1 7naming the place a long distance away17 and he must be there in fifteen minutes4 ,mr4 ,koons would not be satisfied with any excuses1 but insisted that he 7,king7 had agreed to preside over his circle1 and meet the company who came there2 and rather than be made the instrument of apology to others for the disappointment in the performances1 he would abandon it altogether1 etc4 ,king said1 8,wait a few moments1 and ,i will go and see if arrangements can be made40 ,he thereupon laid down the trumpet1 and to all appearances left us1 and we could get no further replies for four or five minutes1 when the trumpet was again taken up1 and ,king spoke through it1 saying he had arranged the matter by deputizing a portion of his band to fill his engagement1 and they would therefore hold a circle in that place1 commencing the performance in fifteen minutes1 but perhaps they would not be able to make so good music1 or have the full complement of the manifestations4 ,thus ended this preliminary interview1 which sufficiently indicates the character of all similar ones4 #aebh4 ,i attended three public circles in the spirit house of ,mr4 ,koons1 and three in the spirit house of ,mr4 ,john ,tippie2 they are situated about three miles apart2 the rooms and manifestations are very similar1 although the electrical tables1 so called1 differ somewhat in their construction2 the presiding spirits are of the same name1 ,king2 they claim to be father and son4 ,these rooms will seat about twenty-five or thirty persons each1 and are usually full4 ,many times1 while ,i was there1 more persons desired to go in than the house would hold1 and some of them had to remain outside4 ,they could hear the music and the spirits' conversation just as well1 and they only had to forego being touched by spirits and seeing them4 ,the music is heard1 under favourable circumstances1 at the distance of one mile1 or as far as any band of martial music can be heard4 ,after the circle is formed1 the door and windows are shut1 the light is usually extinguished1 and almost instantaneously1 a tremendous blow by the large drumstick is struck on the table1 when immediately the bass and tenor drums are beaten rapidly1 like calling the roll on the muster-field1 waking a thousand echoes4 ,the rapid and tremulous blows on these drums are really frightful to many persons4 ,this beating of the drums is continued five minutes or more1 and when ended1 ,king usually takes up the trumpet and salutes us with 8,good evening1 friends10 or something like it1 and often asks what particular manifestations are desired4 ,if none are specially asked for1 ,king often asks ,mr4 ,koons to play on the violin1 the spirit band playing at the same time on the drums1 triangle1 tamborine1 harp1 accordeon1 harmonica1 etc4 etc42 upon these the spirits perform scientifically1 in very quick and perfect time4 ,they commence upon each instrument at one instant1 and in full blast1 and stop suddenly after sounding the full note1 showing that they have some more perfect method than we have of notifying each performer of the instant to start and stop4 ,after the introductory piece on the instruments1 the spirits often sing4 ,i heard them sing4 ,the spirits spoke to us1 requesting us to remain perfectly silent4 ,presently1 we heard human voices singing1 apparently in the distance1 so as to be scarcely distinguishable2 the sounds gradually increased1 each part relatively1 until it appeared as if a full choir of human voices were in our small room1 singing most exquisitely4 ,i think ,i never heard such perfect harmony2 each part was performed with strict attention to its relative degree of sound or force4 ,there was none of that flopping1 floundering1 ranting1 and shrieking which constitutes the staple of what is latterly called music2 harmony1 rather than noise1 seemed to constitute the spirits' song4 ,so captivating was it1 that the heartstrings seemed to relax or to increase their tension1 to accord with the heavenly harmony4 ,it seems to me that no person could sit in that sanctuary without feeling the song of 8,glory to ,god in the highest1 peace on earth1 and good-will to man10 spontaneously rising in the bosom1 and finding expression on the lip4 ,i don't know that the spirits attempted to utter words with their song2 if they did1 they succeeded in this particular no better than modern singers4 ,but it was hardly necessary for the spirits to articulate1 for every strain and modulation seemed pregnant with holy sentiments1 and language could scarcely signify more4 ,after this vocal performance1 several pieces of quick music were performed by the spirits on the several instruments4 ,they play faster than mortals usually do1 and in most perfect time throughout4 ,if any instrument gets out of chord1 they tune it2 they tuned the violin in my presence1 and did it rapidly and skilfully4 #aebi4 ,spirits reconstruct their physical bodies1 or portions of them1 from similar elements1 apparently1 as those which constitute our mortal bodies4 ,spirits' hands and arms were reorganized in our presence1 on several of these occasions2 and that we might see the more distinctly1 they sometimes wet their hands with a weak solution of phosphorus1 7which ,mr4 ,koons prepared some time previous by their request17 which emits a light1 so that their hands can be almost as distinctly seen in a dark room as they could be if the room were light4 ,at one of these circles which ,i attended1 there were three hands which had been covered with this solution of phosphorus1 and we all saw them passing swiftly around the room1 over our heads1 carrying the instruments1 and playing upon the violin1 accordeon1 triangle1 harmonica1 and tamborine1 and all keeping perfect time4 ,these instruments were moved so swiftly and near the faces of the audience1--our own among them1--that we felt the cool atmospheric current as distinctly as we do that produced by a fan4 ,several of the company in different parts of the room remarked that they not only felt this disturbance of the air1 but heard it1 and distinctly saw the hand and instrument pass close to their faces4 ,several of us requested the spirits to place these instruments in our hands1 or touch us on our heads or other parts of our bodies2 and in most cases it was instantly done4 ,i held up my hands1 and requested the spirits to beat time with the tamborine on my hands4 ,they did so1 and gave me more than ,i asked for1 by striking my knees1 hands1 and head in a similar manner4 ,i have seen the tamborine players in the minstrel bands of ,new ,york2 ,i have seen the best performers in the country2 but they cannot perform equal to these spirits4 ,the perfect time and the rapidity with which they beat are truly surprising4 #aecj4 ,spirit hands with phosphorus upon them passed around the room1 opening and shutting1 and exhibiting them in various ways and positions which no mortal hand could assume or occupy--demonstrating them to be veritable spirit hands1 physically organized4 ,the phosphorescent illumination from these hands was so distinct1 that it occurred to me ,i could see to read by it2 and ,i took a pamphlet from my pocket1 and asked the spirit to place the hand over it1 that ,i might see if ,i could read by the light4 ,the spirit did so1 when ,i at once perceived that ,i held the pamphlet wrong end up4 ,i turned it1 and could read4 ,the members of the circle remarked that they could see very plainly my hands1 face1 and the pamphlet ,i held1 and as distinctly could see the spirit's hand and a portion of the arm4 ,i then put out my hands1 and asked the spirits to shake hands with me2 they did so almost instantly4 ,i then asked them to let me examine their hands1 and they placed them in mine1 and ,i looked at them and felt them until ,i was entirely satisfied4 ,others asked the same favour1 and it was readily granted them4 ,these spirit hands appeared to be reorganized from the same elements that our hands are2 and1 except that they had a kind of tremulous motion1 and some of them being cold and death-like1 we could not by our senses distinguish them from hands of persons living in the form4 #aeca4 ,this spirit hand took a pen1 and we all distinctly saw it write on paper which was lying on the table2 the writing was executed much more rapidly than ,i ever saw mortal hand perform2 the paper was then handed to me by the spirit1 and ,i still retain it in my possession4 ,at the close of the session the spirit of ,king1 as is his custom1 took up the trumpet and gave us a short lecture through it--speaking audibly and distinctly1 presenting the benefits to be derived1 both in time and eternity1 from intercourse with spirits1 and exhorting us to be discreet and bold in speech1 diligent in our investigations1 faithful to the responsibilities which these privileges impose1 charitable toward those who are in ignorance and error1 tempering our zeal with wisdom2 and finally closing with a benediction4 #aecb4 ,i am aware that these facts so much transcend the ordinary experience of mortals1 that few persons can accept them as true on any amount of human testimony4 ,i obtained the addresses of the following named persons1 and hope they will excuse me for the liberty ,i take in referring to them in this connection1 for the confirmation of my statements4 ,they were present at some or all the circles which ,i attended1 when these manifestations occurred3 ,r4 ,i4 ,butterfield1 ,cleveland1 ,ohio2 ,william ,d4 ,young1 ,covington1 ,ind42 ,george and ,david ,brier1 ,rainsville1 ,ind42 ,david ,edger and daughter1 ,mercer co41 ,pa42 ,s4 ,van ,sickle1 ,delaware1 ,o42 ,s4 ,t4 ,dean1 ,andrew ,ogg1 and ,geo4 ,walker and son1 ,amesville1 ,o42 ,azel ,johnson1 ,millfield1 ,o42 ,w4 ,s4 ,watkins1 ,new ,york2 ,thomas ,morris and wife1 ,dover1 ,o42 ,dr4 ,geo4 ,carpenter1 ,athens1 ,o42 ,thomas ,white1 ,mount ,pleasant1 ,o4 ,many other persons were present1 whose names ,i did not learn4 ,,charles ,,partridge4 ,experience of the ,hon4 ,n4 ,p4 ,tallmadge4 #aecc4 ,the following communication from ,governor ,tallmadge to ,mrs4 ,sarah ,h4 ,whitman1 of ,providence1 ,r4 ,i41 has been in print for some time1 and came out early1 when ,spiritualism had made too little impression to be duly appreciated4 ,i for one1 at the period of its first publication1 could not realize it4 ,but the public are now better prepared1 and it may be repeated with advantage4 ,besides1 this work is made for the uninformed and incredulous1 rather than for those who have been heretofore converted1 and who are familiar with the earliest manifestations4 ,,baltimore1 ,tuesday1 ,april #ab1 #ahec4 #aecd4 ,dear ,madam3 ,i seize a few leisure moments1 while detained here a short time on business1 to give you a more extended account of the 8,physical ,manifestations0 to which ,i alluded in a former letter4 ,in this account1 ,i shall confine myself to those which purport to come from the spirit of ,john ,c4 ,calhoun4 #aece4 ,i have received numerous communications from him1 from the commencement of my investigation of this subject down to the present time4 ,those communications have been received through rapping mediums1 writing mediums1 and speaking mediums4 ,they are of the most extraordinary character4 ,in style and sentiment1 they would do honour to him in his best days on earth4 #aecf4 ,after the arrival of the ,misses ,fox in ,washington ,city1 in ,february last1 ,i called on them by appointment1 and1 at once1 received a communication from ,calhoun4 ,i then wrote down and propounded mentally the following question3 #aecg4 8,can you do any thing 7meaning physical manifestations7 to confirm me in the truth of these revelations1 and to remove from my mind the least shadow of unbelief80 ,to which ,i received the following answer3 #aech4 8,i will give you a communication on ,monday1 at half-past seven o'clock4 ,do not fail to be here4 ,i will then give you an explanation4 8,,john ,c4 ,,calhoun40 #aeci4 ,it is proper here to remark1 that all the communications referred to in this letter1 were made by ,calhoun after a call for the alphabet1 and were rapped out1 letter by letter1 and taken down by me in the usual way4 ,they were made in the presence of the ,misses ,fox and their mother4 ,i called on ,monday at the hour appointed1 and received the following communication3 #aedj4 8,my friend1 the question is often put to you1 #8,what good can result from these manifestations8' ,i will answer it4 ,it is to draw mankind together in harmony1 and convince skeptics of the immortality of the soul4 ,,john ,c4 ,,calhoun40 #aeda4 ,this reminds me that1 in #ahej1 at ,bridgeport1 in the presence of other mediums1 among many questions put and answers received1 were the following1 the answer purporting to come from ,w4 ,e4 ,channing3 #aedb4 ,q4 ,what do spirits propose to accomplish by these new manifestations8 ,a4 ,to unite mankind1 and to convince skeptical minds of the immortality of the soul4 #aedc4 ,the coincidence in sentiment of the answer of ,j4 ,c4 ,calhoun and ,w4 ,e4 ,channing1 in regard to the object of these manifestations1 is remarkable1 and worthy of particular notice4 ,the concurrence of two such great minds1 whether in or out of the body1 on a subject so engrossing1 cannot fail to command the attention of every admirer of exalted intellect and moral purity4 #aedd4 ,during the above communication of ,calhoun1 the table moved occasionally1 perhaps a foot1 first one way and then the other4 ,after the communication closed1 we all moved back from the table1 from two to four feet1 so that no one touched the table4 ,suddenly the table moved from the position it occupied some three or four feet1 rested a few moments1 and then moved back to its original position4 ,then it again moved as far the other way1 and returned to the place it started from4 ,one side of the table was then raised1 and stood for a few moments at an angle of about thirty-five degrees1 and then again rested on the floor as usual4 #aede4 ,the table was a large1 heavy1 round table1 at which ten or a dozen persons might be seated at dinner4 ,during all these movements no person touched the table1 nor was any one near it4 ,after seeing it raised in the manner above mentioned1 ,i had the curiosity to test its weight by raising it myself4 ,i accordingly took my seat by it1 placed my hands under the leaf1 and exerted as much force as ,i was capable of in that sitting posture1 and could not raise it a particle from the floor4 ,i then stood up in the best possible position to exert the greatest force1 took hold of the leaf1 and still could not raise it with all the strength ,i could apply4 ,i then requested the three ladies to take hold around the table1 and try altogether to lift it4 ,we lifted upon it until the leaf and top began to crack1 and did not raise it a particle4 ,we then desisted1 fearing we should break the table4 ,i then said1 8,will the spirits permit me to raise the table80 ,i took hold alone and raised it without difficulty4 ,after this1 the following conversation ensued3 #aedf4 ,q4 ,can you raise the table entirely from the floor8 ,a4 ,yes4 #aedg4 ,q4 ,will you raise me with it8 ,a4 ,yes4 ,get me the square table4 #aedh4 ,the square table was of cherry1 with four legs--a large-sized tea-table4 ,it was brought out and substituted for the round one1 the leaves being raised4 ,i took my seat on the centre2 the three ladies sat at the sides and end1 their hands and arms resting upon it4 ,this1 of course1 added to the weight to be raised--namely1 my own weight and the weight of the table4 ,two legs of the table were then raised about six inches from the floor1 and then the other two were raised to a level of the first1 so that the whole table was suspended in the air about six inches above the floor4 ,while thus seated on it1 ,i could feel a gentle vibratory motion1 as if floating in the atmosphere4 ,after being thus suspended in the air for a few moments1 the table was gently let down again to the floor6 #aedi4 ,some pretend to say1 that these physical manifestations are made by electricity6 ,i should like to know by what laws of electricity known to us1 a table is at one time riveted1 as it were1 to the floor1 against all the force that could be exerted to raise it2 and at another time raised entirely from the floor1 with more than two hundred pounds weight upon it8 #aeej4 ,at a subsequent meeting1 ,calhoun directed me to bring three bells and a guitar4 ,i brought them accordingly4 ,the bells were of different sizes--the largest like a small-sized dinner-bell4 ,he directed a drawer to be put under the square table4 ,i put under a bureau-drawer1 bottom side up4 ,he directed the bells to be placed on the drawer4 ,the three ladies and myself were seated at the table with our hands and arms resting on it4 ,the bells commenced ringing in a sort of chime4 ,numerous raps were made1 as if beating time to a march4 ,the bells continued to ring and to chime in with the beating of time4 ,the time of the march was slow and solemn4 ,it was beautiful and perfect4 ,the most fastidious ear could not detect any discrepancy in it4 #aeea4 ,the raps then ceased1 and the bells rang violently for several minutes4 ,a bell was then pressed on my foot1 my ankle1 and my knee4 ,this was at different times repeated4 ,knocks were made most vehemently against the underside of the table1 so that a large tin candlestick was1 by every blow1 raised completely from the table by the concussion4 #aeeb4 ,i afterward examined the underside of the table1 7which1 it will be recollected1 was of cherry17 and found indentations in the wood1 made by the end of the handle of the bell1 which was tipped with brass4 ,could electricity make those violent knocks with the handle of the bell1 causing indentations and raising the candlestick from the table at every blow8 ,or was it done by the same invisible power that riveted the table to the floor and again raised it1 with all the weight upon it1 entirely above the floor8 #aeec4 ,here the ringing of the bells ceased1 and then ,i felt sensibly and distinctly the impression of a hand on my foot1 ankle1 and knee4 ,these manifestations were several times repeated4 #aeed4 ,i was then directed to put the guitar on the drawer4 ,we were all seated as before1 with our hands and arms resting on the table4 ,the guitar was touched softly and gently1 and gave forth sweet and delicious sounds1 like the accompaniment to a beautiful and exquisite piece of music4 ,it then played a sort of symphony1 in much louder and bolder tones4 ,and1 as it played1 these harmonious sounds becoming soft1 and sweet1 and low1 began to recede1 and grew fainter and fainter1 till they died away on the ear in the distance4 ,then they returned and grew louder and nearer1 till they were heard again in full and gushing volume1 as when they commenced4 ,i am utterly incapable of giving any adequate idea of the beauty and harmony of this music4 ,i have heard the guitar touched by the most delicate and scientific hands1 and heard from it1 under such guidance1 the most splendid performances4 ,but never did ,i hear any thing that fastened upon the very soul like these prophetic strains drawn out by an invisible hand from the spirit-world4 ,while listening to it1 ,i was ready to exclaim1 in the language of the ,bard of ,avon-- #aeee4 8,that strain again2 it had a dying fall2 ,oh1 it came o'er my ear like the sweet south ,that breathes upon a bank of violets1 ,stealing and giving odour40 #aeef4 ,after the music had ceased1 the following communication was received3 #aeeg4 8,this is my hand that touches you and the guitar4 ,,john ,c4 ,,calhoun40 #aeeh4 ,at another time1 the following physical manifestation was made in the presence of ,general ,hamilton1 ,general ,waddy ,thompson1 of ,south ,carolina1 and myself3 #aeei4 ,we were directed to place the ,bible on a drawer under the table4 ,i placed it there1 completely closed4 ,it was a small pocket ,bible1 with very fine print4 ,numerous raps were then heard1 beating time to 8,hail ,columbia10 which had been called for4 ,soon the sounds began to recede1 and grew fainter and fainter1 till1 like the music of the guitar1 they died away in the distance4 ,the alphabet was then called for1 and it was spelled out1 8,look40 ,i looked on the drawer and found the ,bible open4 ,i took it up and carefully kept it open at the place as ,i found it4 ,on bringing it to the light1 ,i found it open at ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 chapter ii4 being on the left side1 and chapter iii4 being on the right side4 ,i said1 8,do you wish us to look at chapter ii480 ,a4 8,no40 8,do you wish us to look at chapter iii480 ,a4 8,yes40 ,and it was then said1 8,read40 ,i commenced reading the chapter1 and significant and emphatic raps were given at many verses2 and at verses #h1 #aa1 #ai1 #cd1 most vehement raps were given4 ,by looking at these verses1 you will appreciate the significancy and intelligence of this emphatic demonstration4 ,this manifestation purported to come from ,calhoun1 who had previously invited us three gentlemen to be present at a particular hour4 #aefj4 ,in reflecting on the preceding manifestations1 one cannot but marvel at the power by which they are made1 and the intelligence by which that power is directed4 ,and it would seem impossible for one to doubt the source of that intelligence4 ,if1 however1 doubt should still remain on the mind of any one acquainted with similar manifestations1 that doubt must be entirely dispelled by the account of the manifestation which follows3 #aefa4 ,i was present1 by ,calhoun's appointment1 with the ,misses ,fox and their mother4 ,we were seated at the table as heretofore1 our hands and arms resting upon it4 ,i was directed to put paper and pencil on the drawer4 ,i placed several sheets of unruled letter-paper1 together with a wood pencil1 on it4 ,i soon heard the sound of the pencil on the paper4 ,it was then rapped out1 8,get the pencil and sharpen it40 ,i looked under the table1 but did not see the pencil4 ,at length ,i found it lying diagonally from me1 three or four feet from the table4 ,the lead was broken off within the wood4 ,i sharpened it1 and again put it on the drawer4 ,again ,i heard the sound of the pencil on the paper4 ,on being directed to look at the paper1 ,i discovered pencil marks on each side of the outer sheet1 but no writing4 ,then was received the following communication3 #aefb4 8,the power is not enough to write a sentence4 ,this will show you that ,i can write4 ,if you meet on ,friday1 precisely at seven1 ,i will write a short sentence4 ,,john ,c4 ,,calhoun40 #aefc4 ,we met1 pursuant to appointment1 took our seats at the table1 our hands and arms resting on it as usual4 ,i placed the paper with my silver-cased pencil on the drawer1 and said3 #aefd4 8,my friend1 ,i wish the sentence to be in your own handwriting1 so that your friends will recognise it40 ,he replied1 8,you will know the writing40 ,he then said1 8,have your minds on the spirit of ,john ,c4 ,calhoun40 #aefe4 ,i soon heard a rapid movement of the pencil on the paper1 and a rustling of the paper1 together with a movement of the drawer4 ,i was then directed to look under the drawer4 ,i looked1 and found my pencil outside of the drawer1 near my feet1 but found no paper on the drawer where ,i placed it4 ,on raising up the drawer1 ,i discovered the paper all under it4 ,the sheets were a little deranged1 and on examining1 ,i found on the outside sheet these words3 8,i'm with you still40 #aeff4 ,i afterward showed the 8sentence0 to ,general ,james ,hamilton1 former ,governor of ,south ,carolina1 ,general ,waddy ,thompson1 former ,minister to ,mexico1 ,general ,robert ,b4 ,campbell1 late ,consul at ,havana1 together with other intimate friends of ,calhoun1 and also to one of his sons1 all of whom are as well acquainted with his handwriting as their own2 and they all pronounced it to be a perfect fac simile of the handwriting of ,,john ,c4 ,,calhoun4 #aefg4 ,general ,hamilton stated a fact1 in connection with this writing1 of great significance4 ,he says that ,calhoun was in the habit of writing 8,i'm10 for 8,i am10 and that he has numerous letters from him where the abbreviation is thus used4 #aefh4 ,mrs4 ,general ,macomb has stated the same fact to me4 ,she says that her husband1 the late ,general ,macomb1 has shown to her ,calhoun's letters to him1 where this abbreviation 8,i'm0 was used for 8,i am10 and spoke of it as a peculiarity of ,calhoun4 #aefi4 ,how significant1 then1 does this fact become6 ,we have not only the most unequivocal testimony to the handwriting itself1 but1 lest any skeptic should suggest the possibility of an imitation or a counterfeit1 this abbreviation1 peculiar to himself1 and known only to his most intimate friends1 and which no imitator or counterfeiter could know1 is introduced by way of putting such a suggestion to flight forever4 #aegj4 ,this 8sentence0 is perfectly characteristic of ,calhoun4 ,it contains his terseness of style1 and his condensation of thought4 ,it is a text from which volumes might be written4 ,it proves--#a4 ,the immortality of the soul2 #b4 ,the power of spirits to revisit the earth2 #c4 ,their ability to communicate with relatives and friends2 and1 #d4 ,the identity of the spirit to all eternity4 #aega4 ,how one's soul expands with these sublime connections6 ,how resistless is this testimony of their truth6 ,how surprising that men can doubt1 when this flood of living light is poured upon them by spirits who1 in the language of ,webster1 8revel in the glory of the eternal light of ,god40 ,very truly yours1 ,n4 ,p4 ,,tallmadge4 ,,mrs4 ,,sarah ,,helen ,,whitman1 ,providence1 ,r4 ,i4 ,letter from ,mr4 ,d4 ,h4 ,hume4--,spiritualism in ,london4 #aegb4 ,the author of the letter which comes under this head has already been introduced to the readers of this work1 in giving an account of the manifestations observed through his mediumship1 7#cic47 ,,ealing ,,villa1 ,,near ,,london1 ,july #bf1 #ahee4 #aegc4 99 99 99 ,in ,london ,i found but a limited number1 comparatively speaking1 who possess any intelligent or rational idea of the spiritual philosophy4 ,the subject has not made any great advance here2 but those who are investigating include in their number some of the best minds of ,england4 ,the first call ,i received was from ,sir ,charles ,e4 ,ischam1 who has proved a most excellent friend to me4 ,a day or two after this ,i received an invitation from ,sir ,edward ,bulwer ,lytton to visit him at his country-seat at ,knebworth4 ,i accepted his invitation1 and had an interesting and delightful visit4 #aegd4 ,i was deeply interested in ,sir ,edward1 who is1 by birth1 education1 and mind1 a most superior person4 ,his love of the beautiful1 in nature and art1 but especially in nature1 is manifested at every part of his wide domain4 ,knebworth was originally built by a follower of the ,conqueror1 and was1 in the year of the ,armada1 occupied by ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,the state-room contains the bed upon which her majesty slept4 ,it has rich velvet hangings--the same which shaded the slumbers of ,queen ,bess4 ,the room of the extensive library contains the oak table at which ,cromwell1 ,pym ,co4 sat while planning the rebellion4 99 99 99 ,we had some manifestations at our seances almost as good as those we had at ---- #8s in your place4 ,the spirits showed their presence in the same palpable way1 by presenting tangible hands1 shaking hands1 c41 and ,sir ,edward 8acknowledges the corn10 to use a ,yankee vulgarism4 ,he is much interested in the subject1 and has bestowed no small share of thought upon the matter4 #aege4 ,i have also had the pleasure of being presented to the ,marchioness of ,h----s1 ,baroness ,g----y ,r----n4 ,she is a highly intellectual and altogether charming lady1 who possesses much native refinement and a fearless desire to learn and follow the ,,truth4 ,i met1 too1 the ,earl of ,e----e and the ,marquis of ,c----e1 at one of our circles a few evenings since4 ,a most kind friend ,i also found in the ,vicomte de ,st4 ,amirro1 ,charg d',affaires from ,brazil1 who has given me valuable letters to ,france4 ,i am to meet him and his lady 7both investigators7 the coming autumn at the ,neapolitan court4 #aegf4 ,i enclose a paragraph from one of the ,london journals1 giving a sketch of an interview ,i had with ,lord ,brougham and ,sir ,david ,brewster4 ,the latter1 as you are well aware1 wrote that article in the ,edinburgh ,review1 some months ago1 in which he argued against the existence of spirit agency in the production of the manifestations1 and in which he denounced the whole matter1 in the bitterest terms1 as a delusion and an imposition4 ,his article has been eagerly and widely quoted by the opponents of ,spiritualism on both sides of the ,atlantic1 and its statements are doubtless believed by those who are incapable of appreciating or comprehending the truths which they assail4 #aegg4 ,sir ,david1 however1 has for once met with a 8stumper10 for he has seen and felt such manifestations of his spirit friends as to completely upset his philosophy4 ,he frankly confessed that he is 8sorely puzzled0 at what he has witnessed1 and ,lord ,brougham acknowledges himself to be thoroughly nonplussed4 ,both of these noted men brought the whole force of their keen discernment to bear upon the solution of the phenomena2 but the presence of substantial1 actual hands1 and the demonstrative strength of the spirits who thus clothed themselves for the time and moved material objects about the room1 proved to be too much of a question for them to master4 #aegh4 ,time will not allow me to mention the various interesting sittings ,i have had1 nor the many distinguished personages who have been in our circles during my short stay in ,london4 ,i am at present enjoying the quiet of an ,english country home4 ,the gentleman with whom ,i am stopping 7,mr4 ,rymer7 is one of the most distinguished solicitors in ,london4 ,he has been a materialist1 or disbeliever in a future state1 all his life previous to witnessing these demonstrations of spirit existence4 ,he is now a believer 7or rather a knower7 of the future life4 ,the manifestations1 so often scoffed at by professing ,christians1 have done for him1 as they have for upward of twenty-five thousand infidels and atheists in ,america1 what no power of the pulpit or doctrine of evangelical religion could ever have effected4 #aegi4 ,is not this one fact alone a sufficient reply to the oft-repeated question of 8,what good does it all do80 ,there is many a broad-loving soul that1 failing in the effort to narrow itself down to the limits of a dogmatical creed1 has ended in infidelity or blank atheism2 but the number of these is becoming steadily less by the influence of the spirit manifestations1 which are to them what the placing of the hand in the spear-wound was to ,thomas4 ,mr4 ,r41 since his conversion1 has given a lecture on the subject1 and will give another4 #aehj4 ,one thing ,i will not omit4 ,mrs4 ,trollope1 whom ,americans will be apt to remember1 came1 with her son1 from ,florence to ,london for the express purpose of seeing the manifestations4 ,they were accordingly invited to spend a few days with me at my village home2 and1 ,i must say1 ,i was agreeably disappointed in her4 ,my previous ideas of her had not been such as to prepossess me in her favour1 but ,i have become an admirer of her private character4 ,she has none of the stiffness of the author about her1 nor any of the 8blue-stocking40 ,she enjoys the realities of existence more fully than any one ,i have ever met in a circle4 #aeha4 ,the seance with her was one of strange interest4 ,her son was an unbeliever1 and his mother was very desirous that he should be 8brought to a knowledge of the truth40 ,when at length the light did beam upon his soul1 and the chords of his spirit vibrated in unison with the celestial harmonies that ushered in the birth of faith through the shadows of his old unbelief1 the result was too much for his stoicism1 and the tears of holy joy coursed down his manly cheeks4 ,her joy was too great for utterance1 and her rapturous emotions seemingly too great to be endured4 ,it was an impressive scene1 and an occasion of deep interest4 ,there are many such in the life of a spirit medium4 #aehb4 ,in a few weeks ,i leave ,england for the ,continent1 in company with my friend1 ,mr4 ,rymer4 ,we intend to reach ,rome in ,november1 where we purpose to spend a few months1 if his holiness will let us4 ,you shall hear from me again4 ,yours truly1 ,d4 ,h4 ,,hume4 ,the following is the article referred to as having appeared in the ,london ,journal3 ,lord ,brougham with the ,spirits4 #aehc4 8,a circumstance which has excited the most extraordinary sensation among the privileged few who have been admitted within the sphere of its operations1 has taken place at ,ealing1 a village on the ,uxbridge road4 ,a young gentleman1 named ,hume1 a native of ,scotland1 but who has resided for many years in ,america1 is now on a visit at the house of ,mr4 ,rymer1 a highly respectable solicitor4 ,mr4 ,hume is what the ,americans term a #8medium1' and through his instrumentality some extraordinary and1 if true1 miraculous1 occurrences have taken place4 #aehd4 8,the spirits of deceased persons have been heard and felt in ,mr4 ,rymer's house1 and a variety of circumstances have taken place1 which the persons who were present affirm could not have been produced except by supernatural agency4 ,one of the spirits is supposed to be that of a son of ,mr4 ,rymer1 a little boy about eleven or twelve years of age1 who has been induced to write to his parents under the cover of the table1 and the writing is1 to all appearances1 precisely similar to that of the child when alive4 ,mr4 ,rymer1 who is thoroughly convinced of the bon fides of the affair1 has invited several persons to witness the manifestations1 and among them the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,lambert1 the incumbent1 who has become a devout believer in the existence of these communicative spirits4 #aehe4 8,some rumours of the spirit manifestations having reached ,lord ,brougham1 the medium had an interview with the noble and learned lord in the presence of ,sir ,david ,brewster1 when several unaccountable revelations were made1 and even ,lord ,brougham has confessed himself amazed and sorely bothered to comprehend the description of agency by which an accordeon is forced into his hands and made to play1 or his watch taken out of his pocket and found in the hands of some other persons in the room2 for such are among the vagaries performed by the ,ealing spirits4 ,the house of ,mr4 ,rymer is1 of course1 besieged by persons anxious to witness the manifestations1 and scarcely a night passes that some scoffer is not converted into a true believer in the mystery of spiritual manifestations40 ,evidence afforded by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,b4 ,ferguson4 #aehf4 ,the following is the summary of the result of the investigation of spiritual manifestations by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ferguson1 of the ,baptist ,church1 ,nashville1 ,tennessee4 #aehg4 ,his sentiments are of a nature to need no recommendation1 as they appeal to the head and the heart4 ,he is one of the advocates of ,spiritualism of whom we have reason to be proud4 ,it is from his work1 entitled 8,a ,record of ,communications from the ,spirit ,spheres10 that this summary is quoted3 #aehh4 8,you will now allow me to sum up briefly the phenomena ,i have witnessed since my investigations began3 #aehi4 8,first4 ,i have seen tables and other furniture moved1 with and without hands2 heard distinct and sometimes loud raps on the ceiling1 floor1 and furniture of various rooms1 which were changed from one locality to another1 as doubts arose as to any unobserved causes1 to which we would have attributed them but for the transition2 have heard them upon my person1 clothing1 pillow1 pulpit1 and still have them in almost every serious hour of thought and meditation1 and have them near me as ,i write2 and ,i find this experience to be that of hundreds who1 with me and others1 believers and skeptics1 have witnessed or realized all ,i here state to be true4 #aeij4 8,second4 ,i have heard1 in the presence of scores1 whose names are at any man's command who may desire them for an honest reference1 native ,americans1 who never spoke a word of ,german1 discourse for hours in that tongue1 in prose and poetry1 in the presence of native ,germans1 who pronounced their addresses pure specimens of the power of their language4 ,i see1 daily1 lengthy essays and books written under what claims to be spirit intelligence1 above1 far above1 the capacity and culture of the instruments through whom they are written4 ,there is scarcely a day in which ,i do not receive such communications2 and if a day passes without it1 it is my neglect1 not that of the intelligence1 that seems ever ready to speak when a proper medium can be secured4 ,at home and abroad1 in the houses of strangers and acquaintances1 such mediums have described the age1 appearance1 time of death1 and the peculiarities of character of the deceased relatives of persons present1 and where they could have had no acquaintance with them1 and1 in many instances1 could not have known of their existence or death4 ,i have had meetings of mediums who knew nothing of each other occur at my house and elsewhere1 without their knowledge1 and to which they were brought from a distance of miles1 and which seemed as inexplicable to them as to me1 until after some effect for their benefit was secured by their meeting1 and explained by their spirit monitors4 ,to prove the identity of spirit intelligences1 communicating to me through others1 they have detailed private conversations held with me during their earth life2 referred to incidents and events of which the mediums could have known nothing2 described1 accurately1 occurrences taking place at a distance of hundreds of miles2 answered questions that had been written in my private records for future investigation1 months after they had passed from my active memory2 stated the state of my investigations of various subjects1 with the folly or wisdom1 as they regarded it1 of my difficulties2 leaving me1 on the whole1 no choice as to whether ,i would regard them as what they claimed to be1 save that of honest conviction or the most shameless hypocrisy4 ,allow me to say1 therefore1 that there is no event of history1 no fact in mental philosophy1 no conclusions in logical dialectics1 more fully and forcibly established1 in my convictions1 than the following3 #aeia4 8,i ,,believe1 ,i ,,know1 ,,that ,i ,,have ,,held1 ,,and ,,now ,,frequently ,,hold1 ,,communion1 ,,intelligible ,,and ,,improving1 ,,with ,,kindred ,,and ,,elevated ,,spirits1 ,,who ,,have ,,passed ,,from ,,fleshly ,,sight4 #aeib4 8,you will not be surprised1 therefore1 at my willingness to risk reputation1 the dearest ties of friendship1 and prospects of earthly gain and honour1 if need be1 in the avowal and propagation of this faith1 and the results to which it must inevitably lead4 ,god knows1 and every intimate friend on earth knows1 that ,i would hesitate1 long and seriously1 to avow a faith that was doubtful in my own mind1 or of doubtful influence for good in my dim foresight1 where so much is apparently at stake4 ,i think ,i may safely appeal to my past life as proof that the dearest personal and earthly considerations have often been sacrificed1 where it was thought my action would affect the interests or happiness of others4 ,know1 then1 that it is from the maturest consideration of duty1 and the obligation that every man owes to truth and right1 and especially when truth and right are ridiculed and denounced1 that ,i detail to you these results of a long experience and the most serious and solemn investigations of my life4 ,willingly1 ,i cannot find it in my heart to disappoint a friend or injure an enemy4 ,and with such friends as in the providence of ,god have surrounded me1 who have proved themselves true and enduring when every form of bigotry and animosity were aroused against my position1 reputation1 and influence1--with all this pressure of enmity and friendship upon me1 you must know1 and all will hereafter know1 that nothing but loyalty to conviction and a desire to preserve privileges ,i have learned to esteem above what men call life or death1 could induce me to lay these facts before the world4 #aeic4 8,if it be asked what good we expect to effect by the statement of these facts1 we answer1 the spread of truth upon the dearest1 purest1 and holiest relations of man1 and the breaking away of the clouds that gather around the mind of man in view of death and futurity1 the darkness of which can nowhere be more distinctly felt than in the asking of such a question4 ,the purity1 angelic loveliness1 and divine holiness that such a faith1 if firmly based1 must secure1 inspires the loyal soul as with heavenly beatitudes in the contemplation4 ,its power to restrain and reform2 to soften the hard heart of evil indulgence2 to expose the still harder heart of bigotry and religious denunciation2 to moisten the eye of criminal effrontery1 which the hypocrisies of the world have made stern and fixed2 to bring the strong man of selfish apathy1 as a child once more in company with his brother-children1 at the feet of maternal or sisterly tenderness1 whose earthly bodies have long since been entombed2 to keep down the unnatural separations of families beneath the manly wisdom and fatherly affection of one who claims all as his1 and still needing his care2 to turn the scoff of godless ribaldry into loving faith1 and the shame of pulpit curses pronounced upon human brethren and by human beings1 of eternal doom1 into blessings of eternal help2 to make all1 yes all1 realize an inner religion1 which worships at the altar of eternal truth and unchangeable love4 ,with such aims and prospects before us1 to ask what is the good of general1 tangible spirit intercourse1 is to ask the good of immortality1 of heaven1 and of ,god40 ,an ,exposition of views respecting the principal facts1 causes1 and peculiarities involved in ,spiritual ,manifestations2 together with interesting phenomenal statements and communications4 ,by ,,adin ,,ballou4 #aeid4 ,the preceding is the title of a work by the ,rev4 ,adin ,ballou1 of ,hopedale1 ,massachusetts4 ,it is among those which give what appears to me available1 well-considered facts and opinions respecting ,spiritualism4 ,mr4 ,ballou judiciously1 as ,i think1 disposes the spirit manifestations under the following heads3 #aeie4 8,i4 ,those in which all the important demonstrations were most evidently caused by departed spirits4 ,,ii4 ,those in which some of the important demonstrations were probably caused or greatly affected by undeparted spirits4 ,,iii4 ,those in which the demonstrations were of a heterogeneous1 incongruous1 or derogatory character4 #aeif4 8,the following is a statement of ,mr4 ,ballou's experience taken from the work in question3 #aeig4 8,in this chapter ,i shall conclude what ,i have to say under my first general head1 by referring to a few particulars connected with cases within my personal knowledge1 and then stating the principal points of doctrine taught by the spirits4 #aeih4 8,i will not go into minute narration or description1 but simply mention the more important phenomena ,i have witnessed4 ,i have heard multiform sounds in the presence of spirit media1 purporting to be made by departed spirits2 some like the tickings of a small watch1 others like the clicking of a common clock1 others like the loud knocking of a labouring man on the door of his neighbour with his knuckles1 others like the scratching of a hard finger-nail on a board1 others like the creaking of a door or window1 c4 c4 ,i have heard the time and metre of tunes beaten out with the utmost accuracy1 and by several rappers in unison--not only while the tune was being played or sung1 but afterward1 without accompaniment4 ,and ,i am as certain that these sounds were not made by any conscious mortal agency1 as ,i am of the best-authenticated facts in the common transactions of life4 #aeii4 8,i have seen tables and light stands of various size moved about in the most astonishing manner1 by what purported to be the same invisible agency1 with only the gentle and passive resting of the hands or finger-ends of the medium on one of their edges2 also1 many distinct movings of such objects1 by request1 without the touch of the medium at all4 ,i have sat and conversed by the hour together with the authors of these sounds and motions1 by means of signals first agreed on2 asking questions and obtaining answers--receiving communications spelled out by the alphabet--discussing propositions sometimes made by them to me1 and vice vers2 all by a slow process1 indeed1 but with every possible demonstration of intelligence1 though not without incidental misapprehensions and mistakes4 ,i have witnessed the asking of mental questions by inquirers1 who received as prompt and correct answers as when the questions were asked audibly to the cognition of the medium4 #afjj4 8,i have known these invisibles1 by request1 to write their names with a common plumbago pencil on a clean sheet of paper--half a dozen of them1 each in a different hand4 ,to make sure of this1 as an absolute fact1 the medium was required to lay her left hand1 back downward1 in the hollow of a veracious person's hand1 both open2 when a piece of pasteboard paper was laid on her hand1 a well-examined blank sheet of writing-paper placed thereon1 and a lead pencil on top of that2 in which position 7the medium's right hand being held up to view17 both the hands1 with these fixtures resting on them1 were placed under the leaf of the table1 as insisted on by the writers4 ,after a minute or two1 at a given signal by the spirits that they had done1 the paper was exhibited with various names written thereon1 as above affirmed4 ,this was repeatedly tested with the same results1 under circumstances putting all suspicion of fraud and jugglery entirely at rest4 #afja4 8,i have requested what purported to be the spirit of a friend1 many years deceased1 to go to a particular place1 several miles distant from that of the sitting1 and to bring me back intelligence respecting the then health and doings of a certain relative well known to the parties4 ,in three minutes of time the intelligence was obtained1 numerous particulars given1 some of them rather improbable1 but every one exactly confirmed the next day by personal inquiries made for that purpose4 #afjb4 8,i have been requested by the invisibles to speak on a particular subject1 at a given time and place1 with the assurance that responses should be made on the occasion1 by knockings1 approving the truths uttered2 all which was strikingly verified4 ,once1 at a most unexpected interview1 when nothing of the kind had been previously thought of by any person present1 a spirit1 so purporting1 who had several times evinced much interest in my public labours1 spelled out3--#8,have you selected your subjects of discourse for the next ,sunday8' ,only one of them1 ,i answered4 ,would my spirit friend like to suggest a text for the other part of the day8 #8,yes4' ,what is it8 ,i inquired4 ,he spelled out the word #8,the1' and ceased4 ,wondering at his silence1 the signal of another spirit was given4 ,the new-comer communicated by movings of the table1 not by raps1 like the other4 ,he said that our friend1 the rapper1 had been suddenly summoned away for a few moments1 but would certainly return soon4 ,he did return within fifteen minutes1 resumed his communication just where he left it1 and spelled out--#8,the second chapter of first ,corinthians1 the twelfth and thirteenth verses4' ,no man in the room had the least recollection of the words referred to4 ,so the ,bible was called for1 when the text proved to be the following3--#8,now we have received1 not the spirit of the world1 but the spirit which is of ,god1 that we might know the things that are given to us of ,god4 ,which things we also speak1 not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth1 but which the ,holy ,ghost teacheth2 comparing spiritual things with spiritual4' ,struck with the sublimity1 purity1 richness1 and force of the passage1 ,i answered that ,i accepted it thankfully1 as a very appropriate text for the occasion referred to1 and would endeavour to illustrate its great truths as well as ,i might be able4 ,my spirit friend expressed great pleasure by sounds rapidly made on the table1 and announced that he and several other sympathizing spirits should be present to hear the discourse1 and1 if the medium should also be there1 would manifest their approbation of the good things uttered4 ,all this was verified in a remarkable manner4 #afjc4 8,i have seen a medium gently magnetized and thrown into a trance in one minute1 by the imperceptible influence of the spirits1 in accordance with their own original proposition1 reluctantly acceded to by the medium and her friends2 during which sometimes she had visions of the spirit world1 and at others became entirely non-cognizant of every thing transpiring in either world4 ,in the latter case1 the spirits1 as previously promised1 made use of her organs of speech1 unconsciously to herself1 and thus answered numerous questions1 instead of responding by the rappings4 ,that these trances were not superinduced by mortal agency1 and were not feigned1 but real1 ,i am as certain as ,i can be of any thing not absolutely beyond the possibility of mistake4 #afjd4 8,i might proceed much further in the particularization of manifestations coming under my personal observation1 but will not make myself tedious4 ,suffice it to say1 that ,i have witnessed enough with my own eyes and ears to prepare me for the belief of the still more incredible manifestations reported from a thousand places in our country and the world4 ,i will merely add1 that ,i have received many excellent communications from these invisible friends1 and scarcely a single one of a light1 frivolous1 or low character2 though ,i know that in this respect my experience has been unlike that of some others4 ,i can say in truth1 speaking for myself alone1 that my whole moral nature has been purified and elevated by the influences which have flowed in upon me during the investigation of this subject4 ,others1 ,i am sure1 can say the same4 ,there are those1 no doubt1 who have abused the whole thing--befooling themselves and others in a lamentable manner4 ,what is there in the wide world that has wholly escaped abuse and perversion8 ,reason1 inspired and crowned with the wisdom from above1 is indispensable to the avoidance of these evils4 ,until a much larger portion of mankind than at present attain to the development of their higher faculties1 we must expect the abuse and perversion1 to a greater or less extent1 of every thing in nature4 #8,but wisdom is justified of all her children4'0 #afje4 ,the following statement of ,a4 ,h4 ,jarvis1 a ,methodist clergyman1 of ,rochester1 ,new ,york1 is copied from ,mr4 ,ballou's work4 ,it is one of those manifestations in which the information conveyed cannot be conceived to have pre-existed in the mind of the person by whom it was received3 #afjf4 8,there are many facts which have come under my observation1 equally convincing of the intelligence and utility of the communications from these unseen agents1 who1 ,i now believe1 are continually about us1 and more perfectly acquainted with all our ways1 and even our thoughts1 than we are with each other4 ,but the fact in reference to my friend ,pickard is what you desire4 ,he was at my house on ,friday afternoon1 ,april #f1 #ahdi4 ,none of the ,fox family were present4 ,while at the tea-table1 we had free communications on different subjects4 ,pickard was requested to ask questions4 ,he desired to know who it was that would answer questions4 ,the answer was--#8,i am your mother1 ,,mary ,,pickard4' ,her name1 or the fact of her death1 was not known to any of us4 ,the next ,monday evening he 7,pickard7 was at ,mr4 ,g----'s1 and tarried there over night4 ,he there received a communication1 purporting to be from his mother1 saying1 #8,your child is dead4' ,he came immediately to my place1 and said he should take the stage for home1 7,lockport1 sixty miles distant47 ,he left in the stage at #h or #i1 ,a4 ,m4 ,at #ab1 ,m41 ,i returned to my house1 my wife meeting me with a telegraph envelope4 ,i broke the seal and read mentally1 first3 8#8,,rochester1 ,april #aj1 #ahdi4 #afjg4 8#8,by telegraph from ,lockport--the ,rev4 ,a4 ,h4 ,jarvis1 ,no4 #d ,west ,st4 #afjh4 8#8,tell ,mr4 ,pickard1 if you can find him1 his child died this morning4--,answer4 ,r4 ,,mallory4' #afji4 8,i then read it to my wife1 and said1 #8,this is one of the best and most convincing evidences of the intelligence of those invisible agents2' and then ,i added1 #8,god's telegraph has outdone ,morse's1 altogether4' 8,yours1 truly1 ,a4 ,h4 ,,jarvis4' 8,to ,e4 ,w4 ,,capron1 ,auburn40 #afaj4 ,the subjoined opinions of the spirits1 taken from the volume above mentioned1 differ but immaterially from those which ,i have received2 proving that information respecting scriptural morals1 when properly sought1 will be consistently obtained3 #afaa4 8#a4 ,there is one and but one ,god1 an infinite ,spirit and the ,father of spirits4 ,he loves all1 and eternally seeks their good by all wise and fitting means4 #afab4 8#b4 ,all human beings are spirits as to their absolute internal constitution1 and soon after death emerge into distinct conscious spiritual identities1 having bodies1 forms1 and peculiarities as obviously cognizable to each other1 and as distinguishable from each other1 as here in the flesh4 #afac4 8#c4 ,all human beings possess certain mental and moral qualities1 partly constitutional1 partly circumstantial1 and partly self-wrought1 which determine for the time being each individual's real spiritual character and relative nearness to1 or distance from1 the divine standard of perfection4 ,so that each one is in a certain sphere1 and in some circle or degree of that sphere1 as to his spirit1 always1 whether existing in the fleshly body or after his dissolution4 ,and if a person is spiritually in a certain sphere at death1 in that sphere he finds himself the moment he resumes his consciousness in the spirit world1 associated with kindred spirits4 #afad4 8#d4 ,there are seven spirit spheres1 or circles1#cf inferior to the heavenly or celestial spheres1 and each sphere or circle has several degrees4 ,man is a being by nature capable of progress1 subject to certain fundamental spiritual and moral laws4 ,in conformity to these laws1 he may now progress from lower to higher spheres2 i4 e4 he may draw nearer and nearer to ,god2 or1 what is the same thing1 nearer as a spirit to the divine standard of perfection4 ,but without conformity to these laws1 he cannot progress1 but obscures and debases himself4 ,death does not change man's real character1 nor his proper spirit sphere1 nor his capability to make progress1 nor the laws of progress4 ,no man is in a morally worse state1 all things considered1 by reason of passing into the spirit world4 ,the worst even are1 if any way affected1 in a better state there than in the flesh4 ,they whose spirit sphere was purer1 find themselves proportionally blessed4 ,many remain very long in the lower spheres1 where1 though enabled to enjoy existence in the degree possible at such a distance from the divine focus of blessedness1 they are #8spirits in prison1' and wretched in comparison with those in the paradisaical spheres4 ,their existence is a blessing to them even while thus low1 and there is no such place or state as a ,,hell of unmitigated1 hopeless misery4 ,meantime1 ,god1 angels1 and all the higher spirits1 are for ever seeking the elevation of the inferior spirits1 by all just1 wise1 and appropriate means4 ,and no one1 however low and sluggish of progress1 will finally fail to be attracted upward1 obediently to the divine laws1 from one degree to another1 and from one sphere to another1 till he reach the heavenly mansion--even though it take an age of eternities to complete his destiny4 #afae4 8#e4 ,spirits in the higher of the seven spheres are employed in three general exercises4 #a4 ,in religious aspirations1 meditations1 worship--in striving after a more perfect knowledge of and communication with ,god--whom they cannot see there any more than here1 as a personal being1 but only in spirit by faith and intuition4 #b4 ,in study1 self-examination1 contemplations of truth1 and acquainting themselves with all useful knowledge attainable by them4 #c4 ,in ministering to struggling spirits on earth and in the lower spheres--endeavouring to elevate and bless them2 thus cultivating love to ,god1 wisdom within themselves1 and ever-active benevolence to their inferiors in condition4 ,spirits in any circle can descend into all the circles below their own1 but cannot1 except by special permission1 ascend into a higher sphere1 until qualified by spiritual progress4 #afaf4 8#f4 ,mankind are by nature one family of brothers and sisters1 the offspring of a common ,father in heaven1 whom they ought to love with all their heart1 and each other as themselves4 ,the good of each is really the good of all1 and that of all the good of each4 ,therefore1 no one can injure another without injuring himself in the end4 ,all kinds of tyranny and oppression are utterly sinful4 ,so all war1 violence1 revenge1 and vindictive punishment4 ,so all intemperance1 debauchery1 and sexual pollution4 ,so all falsehood1 covetousness1 fraud1 extortion1 and pecuniary taking of advantage4 ,so all pride and domineering of superiors over inferiors4 ,so all religious bigotry1 thrusting down1 persecution1 and sectarian bitterness4 ,so every thing contrary to personal holiness1 to the piety which loves ,god supremely1 and man as a brother1 whether friend or foe4 ,these reliable spirits are everywhere reformers1 regenerators of the world1 individually and socially4 ,they are for the reconciliation of all things--for universal harmony--on the great principles of truth1 purity1 justice1 love1 and wisdom4 ,and they all predict a better future for the human race here on earth1 as well as in the future state4 #afag4 8#g4 ,it is the imperative duty of every human being to exercise his own powers1 faculties1 reason1 and judgment1 with modesty1 humility1 and firmness1 and not to be overawed1 borne down1 or led away captive1 by any assuming spirit in or out of the flesh4 ,every one is accountable for himself1 and ought both to judge and act for himself1 with supreme reverence for ,god and his moral perfections1 according to his own highest convictions of truth and duty4 ,thus he should examine the ,bible and all books4 ,thus all human governments1 authorities1 powers1 constitutions1 laws1 customs1 and usages1 in church and state4 ,thus try all spirits1 and their communications--all pretended prophets1 philosophers1 and teachers--all professions and assumptions whatsoever4 ,no one should imperiously dictate1 or cower down before another4 ,but truth1 rectitude1 reason1 and the suasion of wisdom1 should alone sway the minds of moral agents4 #afah4 8,such is a fair digest and summary of the principal doctrines put forth in ninety-nine one hundredths of the communications of reliable spirits throughout the country4 ,i have stated them in my own language1 as ,i have understood them4 ,it will be seen that they differ in some respects from every sectarian view of theology1 religion1 and morality now popular in the world40 ,the ,hon4 ,j4 ,w4 ,edmonds's ,testimony4 #afai4 ,to those who have not seen the original statement of the benevolent and distinguished ,judge ,edmonds1 respecting his conversion1 the subjoined account1 taken from the introduction to his work on 8,spiritualism10 may prove interesting4 #afbj4 8,it was in ,january1 #ahea1 that my attention was first called to the subject of #8spiritual intercourse4' ,i had1 in the course of my life1 read and heard from the pulpit so many contradictory and conflicting doctrines on the subject 7of man's future existence7 that ,i hardly knew what to believe4 #afba4 8,for about four months ,i devoted at least two evenings in a week1 and sometimes more1 to witnessing the phenomenon in all its phases4 ,i kept careful records of all ,i witnessed1 and1 from time to time1 compared them with each other1 to detect inconsistencies and contradictions4 ,i read all ,i could lay my hands upon1 on the subject1 and especially all the professed #8exposures of the humbug4' ,in fine1 ,i availed myself of every opportunity that was afforded thoroughly to sift the matter to the bottom4 ,i was all this time an unbeliever4 ,at length the evidence came1 and with such force that no sane man could withhold his faith4 #afbb4 8,to detail what ,i witnessed for those four months1 and recorded1 would fill1 at least1 one hundred and thirty closely-written pages4 ,i will1 however1 mention a few things1 which will give a general idea of that which characterized interviews now numbering several hundred4 ,most of them have occurred in the presence of others4 ,i have preserved their names in my records4 99 99 99 99 99 ,these considerations grow out of this fact3 #afbc4 8,first4 ,that ,i have thus very many witnesses whom ,i can invoke to establish the truth of my statements4 #afbd4 8,second4 ,that if ,i have been deluded1 and have not seen and heard what ,i think ,i have1 my delusion has been shared by many as shrewd1 as intelligent1 as honest1 and as enlightened people as are to be found anywhere among us4 #afbe4 8,my attention was first drawn to the intercourse by the rappings1 then the most common1 but now the most inconsiderable1 mode of communing4 ,of course ,i was on the look-out for deception1 and at first relied upon my senses1 and the conclusions which my reason might draw from their evidence4 99 99 99 #afbf4 8,after depending upon my senses as to these various phases of the phenomenon1 ,i invoked the aid of science1 and1 with the assistance of an accomplished electrician and his machinery1 and of eight or ten intelligent1 educated1 and shrewd persons1 examined the matter4 ,we pursued our inquiries many days1 and established1 to our satisfaction1 two things3 first1 that the sounds were not produced by the agency of any person present or near us2 and1 secondly1 that they were not forthcoming at our will and pleasure4 ,in the mean time1 another feature attracted my attention1 and that was #8physical manifestations1' as they are termed4 ,thus1 ,i have known a pine table1 with four legs1 lifted up bodily from the floor1 in the centre of a circle of six or eight persons1 turned upside down1 and laid upon its top at our feet1 then lifted up over our heads1 and put leaning against the back of the sofa on which we sat4 99 99 99 99 ,i have seen a mahogany centre-table1 having only a centre leg1 and with a lamp burning upon it1 lifted from the floor1 at least a foot1 in spite of the efforts of those present1 and shaken backward and forward1 as one would shake a goblet in his hand4 99 99 99 99 #afbg4 8,i have known a dinner-bell1 taken from a shelf in a closet1 rung over the heads of four or five persons in that closet1 then rung around the room over the heads of twelve or fifteen persons in the back parlour1 and then borne through the folding-doors to the farther end of the front parlour1 and then dropped on the floor4 #afbh4 8,i have known persons pulled about1 with a force which it was impossible for them to resist2 and once1 when all my strength was added1 in vain1 to that of one thus affected4 #afbi4 8,i have known a mahogany chair thrown on its side1 and moved swiftly back and forth on the floor1 no one touching it1 through a room where there were1 at least1 a dozen people sitting4 ,yet no one was touched1 and it was repeatedly stopped within a few inches of me1 when it was coming with a violence which1 if not arrested1 must have broken my legs4 #afcj4 8,this is not a tithe1 nay1 not an hundredth part1 of what ,i have seen1 of the same character4 ,at the same time1 ,i have heard from others1 whose testimony would be credited in any human transaction1 and which ,i could not permit myself to disregard1 accounts of still more extraordinary transactions2 for ,i have been by no means so much favoured in this respect as some4 #afca4 8,intelligence was a remarkable feature of the phenomenon4 ,thus1 ,i have frequently known mental questions answered--that is1 questions merely framed in the mind of the interrogator1 and not revealed by him or known to others4 ,preparatory to meeting a circle1 ,i have sat down alone in my room1 and carefully prepared a series of questions to be propounded2 and ,i have been surprised to find my questions answered1 and in the precise order in which ,i wrote them1 without my even taking my memorandum out of my pocket1 and when ,i knew that no person present knew that ,i had prepared questions1 much less what they were4 #afcb4 8,my most secret thoughts--those which ,i never uttered to mortal man or woman--have been freely spoken1 as if ,i had uttered them4 #afcc4 8,i have known ,latin1 ,french1 and ,spanish words spelled out through the rappings2 and ,i have heard mediums1 who knew no language but their own1 speak in those languages1 and in ,italian1 ,german1 and ,greek1 and in other languages unknown to me1 but which were represented to be ,arabic1 ,chinese1 and ,indian1 and all done with the ease and rapidity of a native4 #afcd4 8,i have seen a person who knew nothing of music1 except a little that he had learned at a country singing-school1 go to the piano and play in perfect keeping1 as to time and concord1 the several parts of an overture to an opera4 #afce4 8,when ,i was absent last winter1 in ,central ,america1 my friends in town heard of my whereabouts1 and of the state of my health1 seven times2 and1 on my return1 by comparing their information with the entries in my journal1 it was found to be invariably correct4 #afcf4 8,i went into the investigation1 originally thinking it a deception1 and intending to make public my exposure of it4 ,having1 from my researches1 come to a different conclusion1 ,i feel that the obligation to make known the result is just as strong4 ,therefore it is1 mainly1 that ,i give the result to the world4 8,j4 ,w4 ,,edmonds40 ,testimony of ,henry ,lloyd ,garrison4 #afcg4 ,mr4 ,garrison is spoken of as a man of unimpeachable veracity and independent mind4 ,his testimony will have weight with one class of inquirers1 if not with another4 ,the following is from the 8,liberator0 of ,march #c1 #ahed4 #afch4 8,we are often privately asked1 what we think of the #8,spiritual ,manifestations1' so called1 and whether we have had any opportunities to investigate them4 #afci4 8,when we first heard of the #8,rochester knockings1' we supposed 7not personally knowing the persons implicated7 that there might be some collusion in that particular case1 or1 if not1 that the phenomena would ere long elicit a satisfactory solution1 independent of all spiritual agency4 ,as the manifestations have spread from house to house1 from city to city1 from one part of the country to the other1 across the ,atlantic into ,europe1 till now the civilized world is compelled to acknowledge their reality1 however diverse in accounting for them--as these manifestations continue to increase in variety and power1 so that all suspicion of trick or imposture becomes simply absurd and preposterous--and as every attempt to find a solution for them in some physical theory relating to electricity1 the odic force1 clairvoyance1 and the like1 has thus far proved abortive--it becomes every intelligent mind to enter into an investigation of them with candour and fairness1 as opportunity may offer1 and to bear such testimony in regard to them as the facts may warrant1 no matter what ridicule it may excite on the part of the uninformed or skeptical4 #afdj4 8,as for ourselves1 most assuredly we have been in no haste to jump to a conclusion in regard to phenomena so universally diffused1 and of so extraordinary a character4 ,for the last three years1 we have kept pace with nearly all that has been published on the subject2 and we have witnessed1 at various times1 many surprising #8manifestations2' and our conviction is1 that they cannot be accounted for on any other theory than that of spiritual agency4 ,this theory1 however1 is not unattended with discrepancies1 difficulties1 and trials4 ,it is certain that1 if it be true1 there are many deceptive spirits1 and that the apostolic injunction to #8believe not every spirit1' but to try them in every possible way1 is specially to be regarded1 or the consequences may prove very disastrous4 #afda4 8,we might write a pretty long essay on what we have seen and heard1 touching this matter2 but this we reserve for some other occasion4 ,we shall now merely describe some of the phenomena which we witnessed in ,new ,york during our recent visit to that city4 #afdb4 8,the medium in this instance was ,mrs4 ,brown1 formerly ,mrs4 ,fish1 of ,rochester4 ,the circle was composed of six gentlemen and four ladies4 ,the table was of ample dimensions1 so as to accommodate the party without inconvenience4 ,we sat around it in the usual manner1 7the hands of each individual resting upon the table17 and engaged in social chit-chat4 ,while waiting for some demonstrations from the invisible world1 we had our right foot patted as by a human hand1 and the right leg of our pantaloons strongly pulled1 by some unseen agency4 ,this was done repeatedly1 though we said nothing at the time2 but1 thinking it might be possible that the foot of some one of the company might undesignedly be in contact with our own1 we cautiously felt around to ascertain if this were the case1 but there was nothing tangible2 and the moment we put our foot down1 the same familiar tappings and jerks followed4 ,still1 we made no disclosure4 ,raps were then distinctly heard1 and the alphabet was called for4 ,letter by letter1 it was rapped out that the medium must put her feet in the custody of one of the party1 and then we were told to wait for demonstrations4 ,this was evidently done to convince every one present that the medium had nothing to do with the phenomena1 by way of fraud or collusion2 and1 during the entire sitting1 7a protracted one17 before any remarkable feat was performed1 the medium was invariably ordered to take such a position as to render it clearly impossible for her to be privy to it4 ,the presence of several spirits was indicated during the evening1 and satisfactory tests were made2 but the most communicative and efficient one purported to be that of #8,jesse ,hutchinson4' ,it was he who had been playing bo-peep with us under the table2 and1 now that the medium was secured1 to the satisfaction of all present1 he renewed his salutations1 not only to us personally1 but to nearly every one of the circle4 ,the ladies had their dresses1 and the gentlemen their pantaloons1 pulled1 and their feet patted1 in the most emphatic manner4 ,heavy raps were now made on the floor2 and1 on being requested to that effect1 #8,jesse' beat a march--it seemed to us ,washington's march--in admirable time1 and in the most spirited manner2 no drummer could have done it more skilfully4 ,he was then asked to beat time1 while the company joined in singing several tunes--#8,the ,old ,granite ,state1' among others--which he did to perfection4 ,he then spelt out the following communications by the alphabet3 #8,i am most happy1 dear friends1 to be able to give you such tangible evidence of my presence4 ,the good time has truly come4 ,the gates of the ,new ,jerusalem are open1 and the good spirits1 made more pure by the change of spheres1 are knocking at the door of your souls4' #afdc4 8,isaac ,t4 ,hopper now indicated his presence to his daughter1 who was at the table1 and made some physical demonstrations4 ,his message1 as rapped out1 was as follows3 #8,i am truly happy to echo back joy and gladness from my happy home4 ,truth is bearing its way on gloriously1 and the subject of ,spiritualism will work miracles in the cause of reform4 ,my friends1 the rock of prejudice begins to yield to the hammer of truth2 and1 now1 with the aid of good spirits1 you can blast it without the use of powder4' ,and he subsequently added1 #8,i want you to see that spirits have power to move matter4' #afdd4 8,it was next rapped out1 #8,put the bell under the table4' ,we1 accordingly1 took the bell1 7an ordinary table-bell17 and put it down at our feet4 ,in a few moments1 it was smartly rung by an unseen power1 and then fell to the floor4 ,this was done again and again--the bell making the circuit of the table1 and ringing so loudly that the servant-girl1 in an adjacent room1 supposing she was needed1 came in to inquire what was wanted4 #afde4 8,next1 a cane with a hooked handle was laid on the carpet1 under the table4 ,immediately1 it struck the table violently1 and rubbed along the under surface its entire length4 ,it then fell to the floor1 and traversed over and under the feet of several of the party1 like a living snake--in one or two instances the foot being involuntarily lifted to enable it to pass under4 ,its movements were exceedingly curious4 ,at one time1 we caught hold of the handle as it protruded itself by our side1 and endeavoured to pull it from under the table2 but the resistance was as strong as though another hand was grasping it at the opposite end4 #afdf4 8,we were now directed to put several things under the table1 observe how they were placed1 and wait for results4 ,when told to look1 we found that a penknife was missing1 nor could it be discovered by the most careful search4 ,on again resuming our seats1 we were told to take another look2 and1 behold6 there was the penknife1 precisely where it had been originally placed6 #afdg4 8,next1 we were directed to lay some writing-paper1 with a pencil upon it1 under the table4 ,this was done2 and1 in a few moments1 on being told to look1 we found the word #8,jesse' written upon it in a scrawling hand1 as though made with great difficulty4 ,the same experiment was again made1 and #8,isaac ,t4 ,h4' 7,hopper7 was written very legibly1 and in a different hand4 ,a third time this was done1 and #8,mary ,jane' was recorded1--the name of a young lady who had been communicating with a gentleman present4 ,the first two autographs we have in our possession4 #afdh4 8,we now made two requests of #8,jesse1' to convince us yet more strongly of his presence4 ,the first was1 to press our right foot firmly to the floor1 and to make loud raps directly under it4 ,this was quickly done1 the foot being grasped as by a mortal hand1 and vibrating to the raps thus strangely made4 ,the second was1 if possible1 to take us by the right hand with his own1 so as to make the touch palpable beyond a doubt4 ,keeping the hand carefully in custody between our knees as we sat--the hands of all the company1 including those of the medium1 being on the table--we1 in a few moments1 had it patted1 first on one side1 then on the other1 briskly and repeatedly1 as if by another hand1 having a negative feeling1 as though there was no warmth in it1 but natural in every other respect4 ,for the general gratification1 the same thing was done to others of the party4 #afdi4 8,how shall demonstrations like these be accounted for1 except on the hypothesis of spirit-agency8 ,if we cannot positively affirm that ,isaac ,t4 ,hopper and ,jesse ,hutchinson were present on that occasion1 we are1 at least1 prepared to declare1 as our own conviction1 as well as that of the entire company1 we believe1 that invisible spirits1 not of this mundane sphere1 performed the phenomena we have thus briefly narrated to our readers40 ,testimony of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,newton4 #afej4 ,the following is extracted from a highly interesting letter1 entitled1 8,the ,ministry of ,angels ,realized10 addressed by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,newton to the ,edward's ,congregational ,church1 ,boston1 of which they were members4 ,mr4 ,newton is editor of the 8,new ,england ,spiritualist10 and sustains a reputation for high moral and intellectual attainment4 #afea4 8,the results1 however1 of this first investigation1 at the time1 were 7for reasons not then apparent1 but which have since been made plain to us7 far from satisfactory4 ,though we witnessed some striking evidences of invisible intelligent agency1 there was nothing by which this agency could be possibly identified2 and the conclusion seemed most in accordance with our previous opinions1 that1 if any agency beyond that of human beings was concerned1 it was that of evil and seducing spirits4 ,some months subsequently to this1 we were led to attempt the investigation under circumstances more favourable to arriving at a satisfactory conclusion4 99 99 99 ,the results of this interview were of the most surprising1 yea1 astounding character4 ,an intelligence1 claiming to be that of a venerated parent1 who had long since passed within the veil1 manifested its presence1 and addressed to one of us a communication glowing with parental affection1 and breathing the very spirit of the upper realm4 ,this was accompanied by the statement of a number of facts1 pertaining to his earthly life1 none of which1 we were fully satisfied1 could have been known to any person1 bodily present1 except the inquirer1 and some of them unknown even to him4 ,although the investigation had been approached with minds on the alert and perceptions sharpened to detect collusion1 imposture1 deception1 or diabolism1 in any of its forms1 no trace of them could be perceived2 all was conducted with evident frankness and candour1 on the part of those concerned2 and no solution of the mystery was then arrived at1 and no adequate one has since been offered1 which does not recognise the agency of intelligent beings4 ,a trumpet-blast from the clouds could scarcely have been more startling to our prejudices and unbelief than was that message from the hidden world4 99 99 99 ,as may be well supposed1 the interest awakened by this occurrence was sufficient to lead to a further investigation4 ,but a truth so novel and startling could not at once be received1 however demonstrative and convincing the evidence on which it rested4 ,nor was it until evidence had accumulated upon evidence1 and proof become piled upon proof--not until manifestations of the most marvellous character had been repeatedly witnessed1 under a great variety of circumstances1 and notwithstanding the application of every conceivable test--that we could consent to acknowledge1 even to ourselves1 a belief in the agency of spiritual beings4 ,that belief1 however1 in spite of prejudice and skepticism1 in spite of the general cry of 8humbug0 and 8imposture10 in spite of all attempts of scientific men to explain the marvels on the basis of materialism1 7which explanations we found in every case to be wholly inadequate to account for what we witnessed17 that belief became at length forced upon our minds by irresistible evidence4 #afeb4 8,but the question still pressed upon us1 who were these invisible beings8 and what their character and designs8 ,they claimed to be the spirits of departed human beings4 ,some of them insisted that they were our relatives and friends1 and they furnished most startling and inexplicable proofs of their identity4 ,they professed to be thus manifesting themselves to our outward senses1 for the purest and holiest of purposes4 99 99 99 #afec4 8,the most favourable of opportunities were offered us for making investigation1 and they were carefully and prayerfully improved4 #afed4 8,for several months did we continue to apply to what was transpiring under our notice1 through the mediumship of others1 the keenest powers of observation1 and the highest exercise of moral perception1 which have been granted us2 ever seeking light and aid from ,him who has said1 #8,ask1 and ye shall receive4' #afee4 8,at length1 these intelligences from another sphere began to manifest themselves to us in a manner most unlooked-for and diverse from any thing we had elsewhere witnessed1 in the quietness and seclusion of our own home1 and without the intervention of any other person4 ,from small and gentle beginnings1 they have gone forward1 as we were able to bear the increasing light1 to give greater1 and higher1 and clearer proofs of the reality of their presence1 their identity1 and their heavenly mission2 until1 through a period of six or seven months1 we have been permitted1 as we believe1 the almost daily enjoyment of the sweetest and most intimate communion with the spirits of #8just ones made perfect above4' 8,a4 ,e4 ,,newton1 ,s4 ,j4 ,,newton40 ,testimony of ,members of the ,new ,york ,circle4 #afef4 ,the following is a statement of facts by ,mrs4 ,charles ,partridge1 taken from the minutes of the ,new ,york circle1 attested by several highly respectable and credible persons1 among whom is my personal friend1 ,doctor ,gray4 #afeg4 8,persons at the circle have been unexpectedly turned round in the chairs in which they were sitting1 and moved to and from the table4 ,chairs and sofas have suddenly started from their positions against the wall1 and moved forward to the centre of the room1 when they were required in the formation of the circle4 ,the persons in the circle have each successively lifted his own side of the table1 and the invisible power has raised the opposite side correspondingly4 ,occasionally the spirits have raised the table entirely1 and sustained it in air1 at a distance of from one to three feet from the floor1 so that all could satisfy themselves that no person in the flesh was touching it4 ,lights of various colours have been produced in dark rooms4 ,a man has been suspended in1 and conveyed through1 the air1 a distance of fifty feet1 or more4 ,the communications have been given in various ways1 but chiefly in writing1 and by the rappings through the ordinary alphabetical mode4 #afeh4 8,at the close of the session held on the #agth of ,november1 #ahea1 the spirits1 through the alphabet1 and in their usual manner1 said1 #8,we wish to give you a sentence for you to find out and remember2' when the following was communicated3 #8,debemos amar todo el mundo aun nuestros enemigos4' ,no person present on that occasion understood a word of this language1 but we were subsequently informed that it was ,spanish4 #afei4 8,during the session on the #aith of ,january1 #aheb1 the spirits signified their desire to make a communication in ,hebrew4 ,mr4 ,partridge asked who should call the alphabet1 and received for answer1 #8,the only person present who understands it--,george ,bush4' ,professor ,bush thereupon proceeded to repeat the ,hebrew alphabet1 and a communication in that language was received4 #affj4 8,many additional facts might be given to show that spirits communicate in various languages through ,e4 ,p4 ,fowler2 but the above will suffice for the purposes of this statement4 #affa4 8,we cannot allow the present occasion to pass1 without an expression of the entire confidence and unqualified esteem with which ,mr4 ,fowler is regarded by the members of the ,new ,york circle1 and by those who know him generally4 ,we have had an intimate personal acquaintance with him for two years past--some of us for a much longer period--and we have only known him as a high-minded and honourable young man4 ,from the beginning1 he has steadily refused to accept the slightest compensation for his time and services while employed in the capacity of a medium2 and we deem it but an act of simple justice to ,mr4 ,f4 to record the fact that1 on all occasions1 we have found him entirely unassuming in his deportment1 and eminently truthful in his life4 8,r4 ,t4 ,,hallock1 ,m4 ,d41 ,j4 ,t4 ,,warner1 ,m4 ,d41 ,,almira ,l4 ,,fowler1 ,a4 ,g4 ,,hull1 ,m4 ,d41 ,w4 ,j4 ,,baner1 ,,john ,f4 ,,gray1 ,m4 ,d41 ,,samuel ,t4 ,,fowler1 ,,mr4 ,,mrs4 ,,charles ,,partridge40 ,testimony of the ,rev4 ,d4 ,f4 ,goddard1 ,boston4 #affb4 8,this is to certify that1 during a long investigation of the modern phenomena which are now attracting attention in our own country and in the old1 ,i have repeatedly seen my own table1 in my own room1 to which ,i know there is no nice machinery affixed for purposes of deception1 without any contact whatever of earthly kind1 raised1 tipped1 moved about the room1 as if a strong man was there at work4 ,also1 a piano-forte played upon in the same way1 without mortal contact1 producing most beautiful music--an ocean piece1 in which a storm was represented succeeded by a calm4 ,these phenomena occurred in the presence of several other individuals of both sexes1 all of whom saw1 and all of whom are ready to testify4 ,i have also received from a medium1 who never saw me before1 and knew nothing of my family1 the fact of my father's death1 his name1 and a perfect fac-simile of his handwriting2 and this when ,i was not expecting such handwriting1 and could not have possibly imitated it1 without a copy1 in the labour of three months4 ,d4 ,f4 ,,goddard40 #affc4 ,as this work may be read by many who have not perused any other book on the subject of which it treats1 ,i hope that those who take it up1 having a knowledge of the most important spirit manifestations heretofore published1 will excuse my quoting them here4 ,my object is to furnish the readers of this volume a reasonably1 comprehensive view of ,spiritualism1 without the necessity of their referring to works which may not be easily accessible4 #affd4 ,to the cool ,yankee sagacity of ,mrs4 ,fox and her daughters1 the world is indebted for the happy result that these manifestations did not1 like those which preceded them in other parts of the world1 end in a mere inexplicable mystery1 and erroneous inferences as to their origin4 ,i allude here to the well-known fact1 that similar manifestations were made in the early part of the last century1 in ,epworth1 ,england1 at the mansion of the celebrated clergyman1 ,wesley1 and that one of his daughters was endowed with the attributes of a medium for many years1 without the art of alphabetic communication having been suggested4 #affe4 ,i might here republish the history of the famous 8rappings and knockings0 at ,hydesville and ,rochester1 in the ,state of ,new ,york2 but as regards evidence1 they amount to about the same thing1 only not so concentrated1 as those demonstrations which occurred at the residence of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,phelps1 in ,stratford1 ,connecticut4 ,the doctor1 who is a ,congregationalist1 and one of the most worthy men in the world1 became a convert to ,spiritualism in consequence of these manifestations1 an account of which is subjoined4 ,i quote it from the excellent work of ,e4 ,w4 ,capron1 ,esq41 entitled1 8,modern ,spiritualism1 its ,facts and ,fanaticisms40 #afff4 ,i omit quoting the history of the abortive effort made by the spirits to communicate with the ,wesleys1 but refer the reader to the account published in a work entitled1 8,memoirs of the ,wesley ,family10 by ,adam ,clark1 ,,ll4,d41 second edition1 #ahdf2 or to the work of ,mr4 ,capron1 already specified4 ,manifestations at ,stratford1 ,conn41 in the ,house of ,rev4 ,eliakim ,phelps1 ,d4,d4--,remarkable ,exhibitions of ,power4--,singular ,occurrences4--,image-making4--,destruct ion of ,furniture4--,incendiary ,spirits4--,the ,spirits identified4--,unhappy ,spirits1 from the remembrance of wrong done in this ,world4--,wrong-doing revealed4--,directions given for restoring ill-gotten ,gains4--,discontinuance of the ,manifestations4 #affg4 8,while these strange occurrences were taking place at ,rochester and ,auburn1 and the press and people were busy in trying to account for them on strictly mundane principles1 making all manner of insinuations against the character and motives of those who even dared to investigate for themselves1 some manifestations took place at ,stratford1 ,conn41 which attracted attention to that quarter1 as well on account of the character and standing of the gentleman at whose house they occurred1 as the very strange1 boisterous1 and violent character of the manifestations4 ,i have been allowed to examine all the records kept of the occurrences by ,dr4 ,phelps1 and shall be able1 therefore1 to present the history with more minuteness and accuracy than has ever before appeared4 #affh4 8,the first disturbances took place on the tenth day of ,march1 #ahej1 at the house of ,rev4 ,eliakim ,phelps1 ,d4,d4 ,the house had been occupied by him from the #bb;d of ,february1 #ahdh4 ,it is a large and genteel country mansion1 separated from the street by a fence forty-five feet in front of the house2 which is thirty-two feet in front1 and1 including the piazza1 seventy feet deep1 with a hall thirteen feet wide1 running through the whole depth of the building4 ,adjoining1 and opening from this hall1 are two parlours and a dining-room4 ,on the second floor are five sleeping-rooms1 and on the third floor two4 ,the kitchen is in the basement4 ,the house was built about the year #ahbi or #8#cj by a ,captain ,dondall1 who for several years commanded a vessel in the ,china trade1 and who died in the ,bay of ,canton within two or three years after his family had taken up their residence in the house4 ,the property then passed into the hands of another sea-captain1 by the name of ,purcell1 who1 with his family1 occupied it for several years4 ,captain ,purcell dying suddenly in ,new ,york1 the family removed1 and the house was occupied by an ,episcopal clergyman for a school a year or more1 and afterward by a ,mr----1 also as a school for boys4 #affi4 8,none of the families who had thus far occupied the house had ever been disturbed1 or witnessed any thing aside from ordinary events4 ,at the death of ,captain ,purcell it became the property of the two daughters1 of whom ,dr4 ,phelps purchased it during the month of ,november1 #ahdg4 ,for two years previous to this it had been unoccupied4 ,dr4 ,phelps and family commenced their residence therein on the #bb;d of ,february1 #ahdh4 ,nothing occurred to excite the attention of the family out of the ordinary course of events until the #ajth of ,march1 #ahej2 and1 as before stated1 nothing can be learned of any strange or unusual events occurring there previous to that time4 ,it will be observed by the dates given that ,dr4 ,phelps had occupied the house more than two years1 had found it an agreeable and quiet place of residence--having never himself or any member of the family been disturbed or alarmed by unusual occurrences4 ,on the #ajth of ,march1 as above stated1 it being the ,sabbath1 ,dr4 ,phelps and family1 consisting of ,mrs4 ,phelps1 two daughters1 and two sons1 the eldest a daughter aged sixteen1 a son of twelve years1 and a second daughter of six years1 children of ,mrs4 ,phelps by a former marriage1 and another son of ,dr4 ,phelps by the present marriage1 not then three years old1 all attended church2 and an ,irish servant girl1 who had been employed in the family some six months1 and had shown herself to be honest and trustworthy1 had gone on that day to ,bridgeport1 to attend the ,catholic church4 ,on leaving the house in the morning1 it appears that the doctor had secured the chamber doors1 and put the keys in his pocket2 those which could be were locked inside and the keys left in them4 ,the only door by which the chambers could be entered was locked1 and the key taken by ,dr4 ,phelps4 ,he also locked the front door inside1 left the key in the lock1 and1 passing out at the back door1 locked that1 and placed the key in his pocket4 ,on returning from church at noon1 the front door was found standing open2 the chamber doors1 which were left fastened1 were now open2 and in the nursery the furniture was thrown about in disorder2 chairs on the bed1 and thrown down upon the floor2 the shovel1 tongs1 and poker1 with other things1 were in unusual positions and places1 every thing showing unmistakable signs of the work of some rude hand making mischief in their absence4 ,upon discovering the disorder here1 ,dr4 ,phelps passed into other rooms on the same floor1 but could see no further evidence of intrusion4 ,the first supposition was1 very naturally1 that some person or persons had entered and robbed the house4 ,search was immediately made in the closets where silver plate1 spoons1 forks1 etc41 were kept4 ,all were found safe and undisturbed4 ,a gold watch1 left in an exposed place1 remained there as left4 ,the impression still remained that burglars had been in2 and1 on examination of the windows1 one was found that could be raised from the outside1 and though there was no evidence of entrance having been made there1 no doubt existed that this was the place of access4 ,thinking they might return during the afternoon1 ,dr4 ,phelps remained at home1 the other members of the family going again to church4 ,being left alone1 the doctor armed himself1 and1 selecting a secluded position1 awaited the return of the burglars4 ,there was no disturbance during the afternoon2 no sound of footfall2 all remained quiet4 ,on the return of the family1 after the service1 usually closing at three o'clock1 several other articles were found out of place1 but not in a way to make it certain that they were not moved in the morning4 ,articles of kitchen furniture were changed about4 ,a teakettle1 which had been used at dinner-time1 was found hidden behind some boxes in the cellar4 ,the bread1 sugar-bowl1 eggs1 and numerous other things kept in the kitchen1 were found where they did not belong1 and where they had evidently been placed in some way which the family could not account for4 ,upon entering the middle chamber1 occupied as a sleeping-room1 a sheet was found spread over the bed outside the counterpane1 and beneath which was a nightgown and chemise laid out with the arms folded across the breast1 with stockings placed in a position to represent1 as it seemed1 a corpse disposed as is usual before placing it in the coffin4 ,on the wall were written characters resembling those said by certain clairvoyants to belong to a spiritual language1 but which none of the family were able to decipher4 ,whether they had any significance1 or how they came there1 was alike an unanswerable question by the family2 they had not observed them before4 ,occurrences ceased for that day and night1 yet1 no one thinking of any mystery in the matter1 they imputed it to roguish boys1 or others1 who had effected entrance with false keys1 for mischief rather than for robbery1 and that the culprits would soon be detected4 ,the next morning1 ,march #aath1 when the family went up stairs1 after breakfast1 the middle chamber had again been visited1 exhibiting much the same scene of disorder presented the previous day4 ,a sheet was spread out upon the floor1 the washstand laid upon its back upon the sheet1 a candlestick set upon the stand1 the washbowl placed upon one side1 and the pitcher on the other4 ,the nightgown and chemise1 used on the previous occasion to represent a dead body1 were found one in the bowl1 the other in the pitcher4 ,it appears that these articles of clothing were not then in use2 they had been placed in a trunk which stood in a closet adjoining that room4 ,they were replaced in the trunk when removed from the bed the day before4 ,as they were conversing in relation to the disposition of the things as above stated1 ,mrs4 ,phelps looked under the bed1 and discovered articles there1 partially concealed by the bed1 resembling those in question4 ,they were taken out and pronounced to be the same4 ,dr4 ,phelps had not before examined them1 but then took them1 noted the name and number on each1 as they were marked1 folded and placed them again in the trunk1 remarking that he would put them where they would stay2 did not lock the trunk1 not having a key1 but locked the closet and placed the key about his own person2 then requesting the family to all leave the room first1 which they did1 the doctor1 following1 locked the door of the room1 and kept the key4 ,having observed that ,mrs4 ,phelps seemed a little troubled as to the mystery1 he thought to convince her that there was no mystery in the matter1 and1 having secured the closet and room1 he descended to the rooms below1 following them all4 ,after the lapse of some fifteen minutes1 some person spoke to the doctor1 upon which he went up to the chambers4 ,at the head of the stairs1 out in the hall1 he found the same articles which he had left as before stated4 ,he examined them1 and was positive they were the same4 ,he went to the door1 found it locked1 entered by applying the key from his pocket1 went to the closet1 found it locked1 took the key from his pocket1 opened the door1 looked in the trunk1 and the articles were gone6 ,dr4 ,phelps states that he was confident there was no deception in the case1 and that he then1 for the first1 felt that there was a mystery about the affair4 ,he had never believed in the appearing of ghosts or departed spirits1 warnings1 or any thing of that nature1 and1 at the age of threescore1 had never seen or heard any thing connected with that class of phenomena4 ,the evidence upon which such superstitions1 as he termed them1 rest1 he had never examined1 and1 while he had no proof positive that they were impossible1 and never did occur1 he had no evidence to found a belief upon that they ever had4 ,his idea of spiritual manifestations seems to have been that most1 if not all1 followed by a strict scrutiny1 might be accounted for on natural or known principles1 or some physical means1 which would disrobe them of the mysterious altogether4 ,but it was not to rest here4 ,on the same day 7,march #aath7 the moving and throwing of furniture commenced4 ,an umbrella1 standing at the end of the hall1 leaped1 without visible assistance1 a distance of at least twenty-five feet4 ,dr4 ,phelps saw the movement1 and knows there was no perceptible agency by which the motion was produced4 ,a bucket1 standing at the head of the stairs1 was thrown into the entry below4 ,smaller articles1 such as nails1 forks1 knives1 spoons1 bits of tin1 iron1 and keys1 were thrown from different directions about the house4 ,he says1 #8,there were times when they came from such directions that they might have been thrown by some person in the house'--at least1 that may be admitted2 but in very many cases the motion and point of starting were such as to preclude all possibility of deception on the part of persons in the rooms4 ,during the afternoon1 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,phelps had occasion to go to ,bridgeport1 a distance of some three miles4 ,during their absence the shovel and tongs1 standing in the dining-room1 were thrown violently down the basement stairs2 a piece of mourning-crape fastened to the knocker of the back door1 and the mirrors in the front chambers covered with sheets and tablecloths1 as is the custom in some parts of the country while a person lies dead in the house4 ,the crape on the door ,dr4 ,phelps did not see1 but the covering on the mirrors he removed with his own hands4 ,the position of the mirrors in one room was such that the coverings could not1 without great difficulty1 have been placed there by any person about the house4 ,various articles were said to have been thrown about the room--the phenomena continuing in his absence about the same as when he was present in the fore part of the day4 ,soon after sundown all was again quiet1 and so continued through the night4 #afgj4 8,the next morning1 7,march #abth17 soon after the family were up1 the same phenomena began again2 knives1 forks1 spoons1 blocks of wood1 nails1 etc4 etc4 were thrown from different directions1 and with increased frequency1 attended by still stranger circumstances1 and those of a still more mysterious character4 ,mrs4 ,phelps expressed some alarm1 and a wish that some of the neighbours might be called in4 ,dr4 ,phelps called on a retired clergyman of ,stratford1 a man of extensive information1 much experience1 and sound judgment1 who was universally admitted to be capable of rendering correct judgment and good advice in such a case4 ,he requested him to call and spend an hour at the house1 to which he cheerfully consented4 ,dr4 ,p4 told him that his family had been a little excited by some occurrences in the house1 but did not state any of the details of the matter1 but desired that he would sit with them for a short time and witness for himself4 ,he remained all day1 but was1 at first1 firmly of the opinion that the occurrences were produced1 in some way1 through the agency of the girl1 or some other person about the house1 and his main attention was directed to the girl in the kitchen1 or the children1 in the expectation that he should detect them in doing it4 #afga4 8,the door leading from the parlours to the kitchen was1 by his request1 locked1 and all communication between it and the other parts of the house cut off2 still1 the throwing of articles went on as before4 ,the children were sent out of the room1 and the doors locked2 but this made no difference4 ,he stayed through most of the day on ,thursday1 and returned soon after breakfast next morning1 and remained most of the time for nearly three weeks4 ,he became satisfied1 before the close of the second day1 that neither the girl in the kitchen nor the children had any agency in producing the strange movements4 ,during the day 7,march #abth7 some of the neighbours were in the house1 and small blocks of wood were seen to fall in different places in their presence2 but only one person noticed them in a way to excite inquiry1 and that person was requested not to mention what she had seen4 #afgb4 8,on ,wednesday1 ,march #acth1 the manifestations commenced early in the morning1 in the middle chamber1 the room in which two children slept1 and began while they were both asleep4 ,a book1 standing in the library1 ten or twelve feet from the bed1 leaped from the shelf into the middle of the room4 ,the blower1 which was in the grate1 leaped out on the floor1 a distance of at least six feet1 the noise of which first awakened the children4 ,at the breakfast-table several articles were thrown2 among them a large potato1 which had been sent from ,pennsylvania1 and laid up in a closet in the east chamber1 fell on the table directly by the side of ,dr4 ,p4's plate1 in a manner that no person could have done it without instant detection4 ,the doctor's curiosity was much excited1 and he watched1 with all the scrutiny he was capable1 every person in the room4 ,he took up the potato and let it fall from different heights1 in order to determine how far it must have fallen to have made the concussion that it did2 and it was adjudged by all that the distance could not have been more than twelve or fifteen inches4 #afgc4 8,rev4 ,mr4---- came in soon after breakfast1 and remained during the day4 ,several ,bibles were opened at different passages1 which seemed to be selected with a great deal of care1 and indicated either by placing small pieces of paper on them or turning down a leaf4 ,these things first occurred in the middle chamber1 where the library stood4 ,while the family were at dinner similar things were done in the parlour adjoining the dining-room4 ,two ,bibles and an ,episcopal prayer-book were opened at different passages1 chairs turned forward on the floor1 two solar lamps placed on the floor1 a hat and man's cap put one on each2 nearly every thing in the room had been moved1 and in so short a time1 that it seems wholly inadmissible that any person about the house could have done it2 beside1 the whole household were in the dining-room1 all seated at the table1 except the servant1 and she was employed waiting on the table4 #afgd4 8,in the afternoon the demonstrations were confined to the middle parlour2 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,phelps1 and ,mr4----1 and1 a part of the time1 the eldest daughter1 being present2 in the absence of the daughter the doors were locked1 and the three first named only were present4 #afge4 8,the throwing of various things occupied the afternoon4 ,the articles thrown were picked up and placed upon the mantel1 and between the hours of one and four o'clock1 the number amounted to forty-six2 among which were nails1 bits of tin1 iron1 keys1 and small blocks1 all of which were gathered from different parts of the house2 most of them from closets on the second floor and the chambers4 ,at one time1 while ,mr4 ,m---- was standing near the centre of the room1 a padlock1 which was known to have been in the closet of the middle chamber1 fell at his feet4 ,he took it in his hand1 letting it fall from different heights1 to discover the probable distance it must have fallen to produce the concussion4 ,after various trials it was judged to have fallen not more than two or two and a half feet4 ,as ,dr4 ,p4 was sitting1 perhaps ten feet from the piano-forte1 he saw a small toy-mouse1 which was on the piano1 arise as if tossed1 and1 describing a parabola as it came1 fall at his side1 so near that he took it from the floor without leaving his chair4 ,this he speaks of seeing as distinctly as he ever saw any thing1 the whole being perfectly in his view4 ,he also saw1 in the same way1 among other things1 a nail1 cotton-spool1 and key1 arise from behind the sofa1 which stood diagonally across the corner of the room4 ,he arose1 went to the sofa1 looking behind and under it1 but could discover nothing which might give impulse to the articles4 ,while examining the carpet about the sofa to find if any other things were there1 without success1 as his eyes were directed to one spot1 there arose from that very point a piece of cheese-rind1 perhaps eight inches from the floor2 when he saw it first it arose four or five feet1 passed over the sofa1 and fell on the floor4 ,he is positive it was not there when he was looking at the carpet1 and knows there were no visible means of its moving4 #afgf4 8,mr4 ,m---- suggested1 as he was about to leave on ,wednesday night1 that if the strange phenomena should return1 he would like to have some other persons called in4 ,early the next morning1 ,thursday1 the #adth1 the manifestations commenced about as they had on the previous day4 ,soon after breakfast a sheet was found spread upon the floor1 several ,bibles were opened at different places1 the candlesticks1 in a row1 the highest in the middle1 and covered with a sheet2 other articles changed about the room1 without any seeming design1 more than to attract attention4 ,mr4 ,m---- proposed that notes be despatched to ,rev4 ,mr4 ,w----1 ,congregational minister1 and ,mr4 ,plant1 a lawyer of high standing and respectability1 which was accordingly done4 ,it was at this time that they first began to hear rappings and heavy poundings4 ,a loud sound1 like some person striking the floor with some heavy substance1 was heard1 generally in the middle chamber4 ,this was usually done when no one was in the chamber1 and on any one entering all was still4 ,in one instance a chair was seen to rise from the floor and beat down again1 five or six times1 with a violence which caused the house to tremble so as to be felt in all the adjoining apartments4 ,a large plated candlestick1 standing on the mantel1 was moved by some unseen power to the floor1 and then rose up and down1 beating the floor1 until the candlestick was broken4 ,this was the first article that was damaged about the house4 ,several times during the day loud noises1 like some one pounding with an axe or some heavy substance on the floor1 were heard in different parts of the house1 and several times the loud poundings terminated with a frightful scream2 it was not a cry of distress1 or any thing that could be easily imitated1 seeming like something between the cry of a cat and the bleating of a calf1 but louder than either4 ,these sounds occurred in all probably twenty times while the manifestations were going on4 ,sometimes the screams seemed to be in the third story1 sometimes in the front-hall chamber1 several times out in the yard1 and occasionally in other places4 ,there was at no time any audible expression of words4 ,the sounds consisted of poundings1 knockings1 and screamings4 ,on this day the first images were found1 which will be spoken of more fully hereafter4 #afgg4 8,in the evening of this day1 just after some young ladies had called1 ,dr4 ,p4#8s daughter returned to the parlour1 it being between nine and ten o'clock4 ,after seeing the young ladies to the door1 an iron stand1 in which stood the fire-shovel1 tongs1 and poker1 leaped from the hearth1 where it stood1 into the middle of the floor1 and rose up and beat the floor with a force that made a jar that could be felt1 and the sound heard1 in any part of the house4 ,this was seen only by the daughter1 but ,dr4 ,p4 and wife heard the noise4 ,the daughter ran through the dining-room to get up stairs1 and1 as she passed1 a large table was standing1 with the other furniture1 arranged for breakfast the next morning4 ,the table was three feet nine inches wide1 and five feet three inches long1 made of solid mahogany2 and when she entered the room it rose up and beat five or six times against the floor with a force which made the house jar4 ,the noise was heard by many persons in the house4 ,mrs4 ,p4 was alarmed1 and screamed out1 #8,oh1 take me from this place6' ,this happened between nine and ten o'clock1 ,p4 ,m4 ,previous to this time all manifestations had ceased by sundown1 or a little after4 #afgh4 8,soon after daylight on ,friday1 ,march #aeth1 movements similar to those on previous days commenced4 ,henry1 a lad then eleven and a half years of age1 attended the academy1 and nothing had1 thus far1 ever occurred to connect these strange phenomena with his presence4 ,dr4 ,p4 had never heard or thought of particular persons being #8mediums4' ,but on this day the remarkable occurrences seemed to be connected more or less with this boy4 ,his cap was torn on his head1 so as to be entirely destroyed4 ,another one which he put on was taken in the same way4 ,first a small hole opened in the crown2 this gradually extended1 and in a short time it was torn into many pieces4 ,on another cap characters were made1 apparently with chalk4 ,they resembled those sometimes made by persons in the higher mesmeric state1 describing them as characters of a spiritual language4 ,five or six of these characters were1 at one time1 made on the boy's cap4 ,others1 supposed to constitute a sentence1 were written on a red pocket-handkerchief2 others on his pantaloons and coat1 and on the inside of his sack-coat4 ,copies of these characters were taken with great care1 and were preserved till ,september following1 when they were mysteriously destroyed4 ,from this time it became evident that some of the phenomena had some kind of connection with this boy4 #afgi4 8,an umbrella which he was carrying was1 in a mysterious manner1 torn in several pieces4 ,his pantaloons were torn from the bottom upward1 as high as the knee1 and sometimes higher1 and were literally torn to ribbons1 an inch or more wide4 ,this occurred several times under the immediate inspection of ,rev4 ,mr4 ,m41 which seems to fix the fact that1 in those instances at least1 no power visible did it4 ,thus it continued for several weeks1 clothing to the amount of twenty dollars being destroyed4 ,at one time1 while he was riding in a carriage with ,dr4 ,p41 his cap on his head was torn in a mysterious manner1 and his pants torn from the waistband to the bottom1 in a way that no human power could have done4 ,dr4 ,p4 heard them torn1 but could see nothing doing it1 and knows the boy could not have done it himself4 ,it was on this day1 ,march #aeth1 that images1 dressed in articles of clothing1 were again seen2 only two or three appeared on that day4 ,the most extraordinary occurrences of this kind took place on ,saturday1 the #afth4 ,soon after breakfast two or three images appeared in the middle chamber2 soon again another1 followed by others still1 numbering in all eleven or twelve4 ,they were formed of articles of clothing1 found about the house1 stuffed to resemble the human figure4 ,a lady's dress would be stuffed in some cases with a muff2 again with a pillow1 and sometimes with other dresses2 a bonnet and shoes were aptly placed to complete the figure4 ,these1 on this occasion1 all but one1 represented females in the attitude of devotion1 some having ,bibles or prayer-books placed before them4 ,one1 formed of ,mrs4 ,p4#8s dress1 so much resembled the real1 that the little boy1 scarce three years old1 coming into the room with his sister1 older1 whispered1 #8,be still1 ma is saying prayers4' #afhj4 8,a portable writing-desk1 usually standing on the secretary in the room1 was taken and placed upon the floor1 a towel spread over it1 and the image of a child kneeling beside it4 ,a ,yankee clock was taken from the mantel in the nursery and placed upon the floor in the middle room1 a distance of twenty feet1 and so carefully done that the clock was still going when discovered in its new place1 though it stopped some time after4 ,it does not appear that any of these images were seen in the process of construction1 or that the clothing1 which was gathered from different localities1 was seen in the act of moving4 ,when persons entered the room every thing was still1 the clothing about the floor1 which1 upon going in again within a few minutes1 were found wrought into forms4 ,the marked rapidity of their construction1 and the lifelike appearance of them1 seems to have been truly wonderful4 ,during this day several others than members of the family were present4 ,in several instances1 when the rooms were closed and the doors guarded1 so that no person could enter1 the images were constructed4 ,to one reading or listening to the relation of these facts1 the mischief and cunning evinced will seem amusing as well as most wonderful2 but to the family1 who bore the annoyance and witnessed the terrifying demonstrations1 it was a serious and trying affair4 #afha4 8,the reader will keep in mind that this was on ,saturday of the first week of these strange proceedings1 and many persons were still believing that they must be produced by some one in the house2 every member of the family therefore was subjected to the most rigid scrutiny1 which makes it morally certain that no member of the household could have had any agency in the matter without being at once detected4 ,beside the neatness and despatch with which they were formed1 the natural appearance of most of them must have required taste and skill beyond the conception of ordinary persons in the flesh4 ,mr4 ,m4 remained there throughout the day1 ,mr4 ,w41 ,governor ,plant1 and ,captain ,s41 a part of the day4 ,during the day and evening various things were thrown in different parts of the house4 ,a brick-bat1 which lay on the stairs leading to the third story1 was thrown violently down stairs1 passing very near the head of the eldest daughter as she was descending the stairs4 ,a fire-shovel was also thrown near her1 which she first saw high above her in a position to fall upon her head4 ,she was several times constrained to cry out from fear1 so much as to cause apprehension on her account4 #afhb4 8,i omit1 in this place1 at the request of ,dr4 ,phelps1 a minute account of occurrences in which the medium seemed to be one who has now grown to be a young woman1 and would feel a repugnance at having her name mentioned in connection with the subject4 ,at one time a ribbon was tied around her neck1 while she was sleeping1 so tight as to cause a serious affection of the brain4 ,dr4 ,phelps was sitting in the room when it was done4 ,several other remarkable occurrences are omitted1 on account of her connection with them4 ,in the main they do not differ materially in their nature from the occurrences herein related4 #afhc4 8,the hiding of hats1 caps1 clothing1 c41 seems at this time to have become of common occurrence4 ,on several occasions a hat was seen to go up stairs--not thrown1 but seemed to be carried rapidly by unseen hands4 ,for several days ,dr4 ,p4 was forced to keep his hat under lock and key to prevent its disappearance1 if left out as usual4 ,coats1 hats1 and canes of gentlemen1 who were strangers in the house1 were spirited away2 the only object seeming to be the gratification of mischievous desires1 with the exception of a few instances4 ,they were found sometimes in the chimney1 under the bed1 and in the bottom of trunks4 ,the design seemed to be to detain the owners to witness further demonstrations4 ,two gentlemen from an adjoining town called1 one of whom had expressed an earnest desire to witness the phenomena2 but having passed several hours1 and seeing nothing1 they were about to leave1 when the person who expressed the wish found himself minus a hat4 ,a thorough searching followed1 but no hat could be found2 consequently1 the gentleman decided to remain until the next day4 ,during the evening and night1 phenomena transpired sufficient to gratify his most abundant desire4 ,similar cases1 with like results1 afterward occurred4 #afhd4 8,on the nineteenth and twentieth1 little occurred to cause alarm4 ,some of the family heard loud and frightful screams in an adjacent outhouse1 which must have been torturing to the feelings1 much more so than the silent images4 ,small articles were also thrown about the house4 ,reports had now got abroad1 and some excitement was being produced1 as is always the case in country towns1 where each person knows their neighbour's private business quite as well1 and sometimes better1 than those most interested4 ,and in a matter of this kind all efforts to prevent publicity would prove unavailing4 ,curiosity and staring wonder would overstep all bounds of propriety and respect for the private rights and feelings of the family1 forgetting that it is no slight thing for the harmony and quiet of a household to be invaded1 each member being subjected to suspicion1 ill-natured scrutiny1 or careless reproach4 ,on this subject ,i can speak from experience1 having myself passed the ordeal4 ,to persons of refined sensibility it is a trial indeed4 ,in this case1 ,dr4 ,p4 adopted the rule of giving all who called an opportunity to investigate for themselves1 and to this rule he adhered1 notwithstanding the annoyance such a constant visitation must have occasioned4 ,in one instance1 while a rabble was gathered outside1 a stranger1 who came unintroduced by letter or otherwise1 asked to spend the night1 and was refused for obvious reasons4 #afhe4 8,on ,friday and ,saturday1 ,march #bc;d and #bdth1 the disturbances increased1 and became still more annoying4 ,loud poundings and screams were heard in different places1 and on ,saturday evening1 between sunset and dark1 ,harry was passing through the dining-room1 and thought himself suddenly caught up by some unseen power from the floor1 and supposed that he was about to be carried off through the ceiling4 ,he was very much frightened1 and screamed so as to alarm the family1 and remained in a state of great nervous excitement for two or three hours1 and the effects did not wholly wear off for more than a week4 ,at times he was in such a state as to require two men to hold him4 ,for several days after this1 he spent a portion of his time with one of the neighbours during the day2 but the disturbances continued the same at the house1 although he appeared to be more or less the medium as long as the phenomena continued4 ,at one time he was thrown into a cistern of water2 at another he was tied up and suspended from a tree1 and several times was thrown into a state of apparent insensibility1 in which he would remain from ten to fifteen minutes1 and for which no human cause could be assigned4 #afhf4 8,somewhere about the #bjth or #bb;d of ,march1 ,dr4 ,p4#8s attention was called to a pamphlet1 7,capron and ,barron's17 giving a history of the #8mysterious noises' at ,rochester and ,auburn4 ,several persons who had read the same proposed to question the agents of these disturbances in the manner there recorded1 and see if they could get answers to questions4 ,to this the doctor objected1 for reasons known to himself1 but which may readily be imagined by those knowing his position in life1 and his general opinions of such phenomena4 #afhg4 8,on the #bfth of ,march ,anna left ,stratford1 and on the #c;d of ,april ,harry also left4 ,no manifestations took place while both were away4 ,harry was absent a week1 and ,anna three weeks2 but the very day that ,harry returned1 the manifestations commenced with greater power than ever4 ,even before he arrived at the house1 a paper with some mysterious characters was dropped near the front door4 ,these characters were interpreted by a clairvoyant#cg to read as follows3 #afhh4 #8,fear not when he returns2 all danger is o'er4 ,we came1 we disturbed thy house2 but shall no more4 ,believe us not evil or good1 till we prove ,our speech to humanity1 our language of love4' #afhi4 ,this was supposed to indicate that no further disturbance would be made2 but in the course of two or three hours another paper was found in the boy's hat1 in these words3 #afij4 #8,the good ones say that all is done1 ,but the wicked ones say it has just begun4' #afia4 ,the #8wicked ones1' in this case1 seemed to come nearer the truth than the #8good ones2' for1 on the afternoon of the eighth of ,april1 the breaking of glass commenced for the first time1 by the breaking of a pane in a mysterious manner4 ,in the evening of the same day another was broken during family prayers1 some of the pieces falling inside and some outside4 ,there were no indications of any thing being thrown against it4 #afib4 ,from this time forward for several weeks glass was broken almost daily1 until the whole number of panes broken amounted to seventy-one in the house and out-buildings4 ,most of them were broken by something being thrown against them2 among the articles were a brush1 a shoe1 a poker1 a fire-shovel1 a candlestick1 a pair of snuffers1 books1 and numerous other things2 occasionally a stone or piece of brick1 thrown from the outside4 #afic4 ,dr4 ,p4 thinks it would have been possible1 but not probable1 that1 in some of these cases1 they might have been broken by human agency2 but he was an eye-witness in some twenty or thirty cases1 and knows that they could not have been so done4 ,he saw a brush1 which he knew to have been on a certain shelf but a moment before1 and no person near the shelf1 fly to the window1 break out a glass1 and fall down between the shutter and sash1 where he knew from the position that no one could have thrown it4 ,he saw a tumbler1 which was standing on a bureau1 rise from its place1 fly to the window1 and dash out the only pane remaining whole in the window1 when no person was within twenty feet of it1 and the only persons in the room were himself and ,harry1 the latter standing by the doctor's side in the doorway of the room--a position in which it was utterly impossible for him to have done it without detection4 #afid4 ,the mysterious visitors1 whoever they were1 seemed at times to be actuated by a spirit of sheer mischief in the destruction of property1 particularly glass and crockery4 ,even the glass in the carriage-top was broken out4 ,pitchers of water were1 on two or three occasions1 poured into the beds1 and the pitchers and other vessels thrown about the room and broken4 ,the damage to furniture during the whole time was nearly two hundred dollars4 ,sometimes there was a cessation of #8hostilities' for two or three days2 but they would then return with additional violence2 in fact1 they increased gradually in violence from the beginning to the middle of ,april4 ,on the evening of that day1 and during the night1 they were more violent and destructive than ever before4 ,on the night of the #acth of ,april1 loud pounding and beating1 as with some hard substance1 were frequent in the room adjoining that in which ,dr4 ,p4 slept2 so loud and continued were they1 that at one o'clock no person in the house had been able to sleep4 ,soon after1 a small drawer was taken from a dressing-table1 and beaten so violently against the bedstead as to break it into fragments1 some of which were thrown against the windows1 breaking two panes of glass4 ,the knockings were now transferred to ,mrs4 ,p4#8s room4 ,she was pinched1 pricked with pins1 and otherwise annoyed in a manner beyond explanation #8on any known laws of matter or mind4' ,mr4 ,w4 ,c4 was staying in the house that night4 ,he went to the room by request1 and proposed to interrogate them1 as they were then doing at ,rochester and other places in ,western ,new ,york4 ,being left to act his pleasure1 he queried1 and was replied to as follows3 #8,who are you8 ,if a spirit1 knock4' ,immediately there were heard on the head of the bed distinct knocks4 ,q4--#8,are you a good or bad spirit8 ,if good1 knock4' ,to this there was no answering sound4 #8,if a bad spirit1 knock4' ,at once the same sounds as before were heard4 ,q4--#8,will you spell your name if the alphabet is called8' ,a4--,knock4 ,it was done2 and a name was spelled out1 and a communication made of a most extraordinary character1 detailing the particulars of a transaction in which a portion of the family were said to have been defrauded out of a large property4 ,as this whole communication relates to a matter which may yet come before the tribunals of our country for adjudication1 ,i am expressly prohibited from making any extracts from this part of the journal4 ,i regret this more1 as the facts in this case form one of the most wonderful and unaccountable cases on record4 #afie4 ,the family concluded that1 after these important disclosures were made1 the disturbances would cease2 but they were doomed to be disappointed4 ,the following night no communications were made1 but the throwing of articles and breaking of windows1 crockery1 etc41 were renewed with greater violence than before4 ,four or five panes of glass were broken in one room in the space of half an hour4 ,while the family were together in the east chamber1 a small sauce-dish1 with an iron handle1 rose from the floor1 under the washstand1 and beat against the bedstead with such violence as to break the handle off1 and was then thrown back from whence it started4 ,it beat seven or eight times against the bedstead1 producing a noise that could easily be heard twenty rods4 ,a round of a chair was beaten against the bedstead in the same manner1 when there was no person within seven or eight feet of it4 ,a lamp that was on the mantel leaped into the middle of the floor1 and was extinguished4 ,being left thus suddenly in the dark produced no little agitation1 and ,mrs4 ,phelps proposed that they should take the children and go into the street1 rather than stay in the house that night4 ,in a few minutes two gentlemen1 who had appointed to spend the night with them1 arrived1 and the more violent of the manifestations ceased4 #afif4 ,about this time1 ,dr4 ,p4#8s attention was called to the fact that the demonstrations were much more violent in the presence of some persons than of others4 ,while some were present they would cease entirely1 and commence as soon as they left1 with great vehemence4 #afig4 ,on the #agth the communications were renewed1 and from that time they had frequent communications1 mainly respecting the property affair4 ,at one time they asked how they should know that this was really from the spirit it purported to be1 and requested his signature2 when in less than four minutes a small piece of paper1 having on it an exact fac-simile of his handwriting1 was seen sticking to the wall--the writing apparently done with a pencil4 ,dr4 ,phelps still preserves the original paper1 with the name inked over4 ,it was stuck to the wall by being made damp4 #afih4 ,it was now discovered that1 in order to get the rapping1 the presence of ,henry was necessary4 ,at one time a request was made by the rapping to send him to ,new ,york1 and a threat that all the windows in the house would be broken1 if they did not1 was made2 but in a few minutes after1 a small piece of paper was seen to fall1 apparently from the ceiling1 and on it written1 #8,send him not to ,new ,york--evil will befall him4' ,it was evident that there were two or more contending agencies engaged in the manifestations4 ,it was not easy to define or imagine what their objects were4 ,at times1 when one was making a communication1 the other would rap1 seemingly to make confusion4 ,at other times1 when a communication was being made by alphabet1 a paper would be dropped down1 and on it written1 #8,it is all a lie2 don't believe what he says40 ,sometimes language the most profane1 and occasionally1 but rarely1 obscene1 would be written out in this way4 ,inquiry was made as to how these contradictory communications were to be accounted for1 and the answer was that an opposing spirit was attempting to defeat the object of the first2 that this spirit was now one of his tormentors2 that both were in a state of misery1 and his suffering would be mitigated if the object of the first could be accomplished1 although he would never go to a state of happiness4 #afii4 8,among the spirits who communicated were two who professed to be in a state of happiness1 and three in a state of misery4 ,one of the good spirits claimed to be a sister of him who made the first communication2 she communicated frequently1 and constantly manifested herself in the morning and evening devotions of the family1 and always gave two distinct knocks at the utterance of #8,amen4' ,upon inquiry as to the meaning of these two knocks1 the answer was given that it was a response1 after the manner of the ,episcopal service1 signifying that she joined in the devotions4 #agjj4 ,much that was communicated after the first few days was of a trifling and childish character2 some1 more like what would be received from street rowdies than any thing else4 ,to the question why they destroyed property1 they replied1 #8,for fun4' ,it was asked of the opposing spirit what could be done to afford him relief2 he answered that #8,the best thing they could do would be to give him a piece of pie4' ,sometimes letters would come1 purporting to be from ministers of ,philadelphia1 giving accounts of conversions in their congregations and additions to their churches4 ,these were addressed to the doctor1 and indicated a knowledge of things in ,philadelphia to an astonishing degree4 ,some of the letters were addressed to ,mrs4 ,phelps1 signed1 or rather purporting to be signed1 by departed spirits of persons who had lived in ,philadelphia1 and all1 or nearly all1 who had lived in a single square1 and were the acquaintances of ,mrs4 ,phelps1 during a residence in that city1 in the time of her former marriage4 ,sentimental notes were also addressed to the daughter4 ,these letters and billets were frequent1 amounting in all to nearly one hundred1 and were all written in one hand1 though purporting to come from different persons4 ,the fact was at one time referred to1 and an explanation desired1 to which the following was given3 #8,we do not write with the hand--do not touch the pencil2 we write with the will4' ,at one time a paper was thrown down to ,mrs4 ,phelps1 while in the parlour with a number of ladies1 having written on it1 with a pencil1 as follows3 #agja4 #8,,sir3 ,sir ,sambo's compliments1 and begs the laddyes to accept as a token of esteem4' #agjb4 ,a lady in the family of ,dr4 ,phelps had1 in a humorous way1 requested the spirits to write her a letter that she might send to a friend in ,philadelphia4 ,the spirit complied with the request by sending down the following3 #agjc4 #8,,dear ,,mary3 ,i have just time to write and tell you ,i am well4 ,give my love to ,miss ,k4 and her uncle4 ,also to ,mrs4 and ,mr4 ,d4 ,also to ,sarah4 ,good-bye4 ,h4 ,p4 ,,devil4' #agjd4 ,the initials of the lady's name who asked for the letter were ,h4 ,p4 #agje4 ,papers were also thrown down1 signed #8,beelzebub' and #8,sam ,slick4' ,sometimes names of persons whom the family had known in ,philadelphia1 but who had been dead several years1 were signed to these papers4 #agjf4 ,the following was in pencil1 and seems to be written in the same hand as the other4 ,it was superscribed #8,e4 ,phelps3' #agjg4 #8,if you promise not to write what ,i told you1 ,i will not throw any thing all this week4' #agjh4 ,on the #bhth of ,july1 #ahej1 two singular letters were thrown down1 addressed to ,dr4 ,phelps4 ,they were both in one handwriting1 but were signed by two different orthodox clergymen of ,philadelphia4 ,their interest in religious movements1 and their acquaintance with the phraseology of #8revival' correspondence1 are seen at a glance4 #8,st4 ,peter's1' in the second letter1 is a ,puseyite church4 #agji4 #8,,dear ,,brother3 ,the ,lord is dealing bountifully with his chosen people4 ,brother ,barnes admitted to the church forty-nine last ,sunday1 and ,brother ,parker thirty-four to-day4 ,brother ,converse has had the cholera1 and ,brother ,fairchild has grown so fleshy as scarcely to be recognised4 ,our friend ,mr4 ,tarr has buried his wife4 ,she died of consumption4 ,e4 ,tarr is married4 ,brother ,mahu1 being suddenly inspired last ,sunday1 spoke so eloquently and so loud1 and used such majestic action1 as to be quite done up for a while4 ,he broke a blood-vessel4 ,old ,tiers has gone crazy1 and is shut up in a mad-house1 or1 rather1 a hospital4 ,the ,h----s have gone into the country to spend some time4 ,that's all the news4 #8,your faithful brother in ,christ1 #8,r4 ,a4' #agaj4 #8,,dear ,,brother3 ,the millennium truly is coming4 ,the day of the ,lord is at hand4 ,we are adding countless numbers to the altar of the ,lord4 ,brother ,a---- became inspired last ,sunday to such a degree1 that his soul took its flight to the regions above1 and has not yet returned4 ,the ,catholic churches1 ,st4 ,joseph's and ,st4 ,mary's1 were burned down2 ,st4 ,peter's1 also--,i believe that is a ,catholic church4 ,brother ,mahu was preaching from the text1 #8,resist the devil1' c41 when he was suddenly overturned by an invisible power1 which frightened him so that his hair turned white in five minutes4 #agaa4 #8,brother ,barnes1 to render his church more attractive1 is going to have opera-singing and dancing every ,sunday afternoon4 ,mrs4 ,alexander ,tower1 old ,mr4 ,tiers1 ,brother ,fairchild1 and ,mrs4 ,somerville are going to dance4 ,i think they will find it a very lucrative employment4 ,jane and ,martha still progress in ,hebrew4 #8,your affectionate brother1 ,m4 ,r4' #agab4 ,on ,sunday1 ,april #bgth1 #ahea1 on returning from church1 the family found strange characters written on the last leaf of a writing-book1 lying on the hall floor1 although it was known to be in the nursery previous to their going away4 ,none of the family had any knowledge of how the book got into the hall4#ch #agac4 ,h4 ,c4 ,gordon1 a clairvoyant1 interpreted the characters as follows3 ,the first line1 #ieth ,psalm1 #b;d verse2 second line1 #c;d and #fth verse2 and the third line1 the #ajth verse4 #agad4 ,certain characters were found on the wall in the east chamber1 on ,sunday morning1 ,may #dth1 #ahea4 ,they were made with a candle on the wall near the south window4 #agae4 ,these were translated to be1 #8,spirits of a higher order desire to communicate with you soon4' #agaf4 ,spirit-writing1 without visible human agency1 has never been a common mode of communicating1 although it was among the early occurrences at ,hydesville1 ,rochester1 and ,auburn4#ci #agag4 ,sometimes these missives were enclosed in a book1 and thrown down stairs or into the room2 sometimes wrapped about a key or nail1 or any thing that would give a momentum1 and thrown into the room4 ,often they were seen to fall from above2 this occurring frequently when the doors were closed1 and it was not possible for any visible agent to have been the cause4 ,writing would appear on the wall at times1 made1 as it appeared1 with a pencil4 ,on one occasion1 ,dr4 ,phelps was writing at his desk1 and1 turning his back for a few moments1 without leaving his chair1 turned again to his paper1 where he found written in large letters1 #8,very nice paper and very nice ink for the devil4' ,the ink was not yet dry1 the desk was not two feet from him as he sat1 and he was entirely alone in the room4 #agah4 ,about the first of ,may1 ,dr4 ,phelps1 of ,boston1 brother of the ,rev4 ,doctor1 and ,prof4 ,phelps1 of ,andover1 a son of the ,rev4 ,doctor1 went to ,stratford to #8expose the humbug1' and with a full belief that it was a trick of evil-minded persons1 and that they should be able to detect and expose it without trouble2 and they were disappointed1 as hundreds have been under like circumstances4 ,on ,tuesday evening a loud rap was heard on the back door1 seeming to be made by the knocker1 loud enough to be heard twenty rods distant4 ,the servant went to the door1 but no person was there4 ,after the lapse of five or eight minutes1 the rap was repeated4 ,it was then supposed that some one had done it mischievously2 but1 on looking about1 no person was discovered4 ,it was in the shades of evening1 but not dark enough to prevent any person being seen1 who might have done it1 as easily as at mid-day4 ,the knocking came the third time1 when ,dr4 ,phelps--the visitor--placed himself in the hall1 perhaps four feet from the door1 and the ,professor1 of ,andover1 took a position on the steps without1 each having full view of the door4 ,the same loud raps were repeated on the door between them4 ,the knocker did not move1 nor could the eye detect any cause for what met the ear4 ,the noise was heard throughout the house1 and both the gentlemen were positive that no visible agent was employed to produce it4 ,about bed-time1 a loud pounding was heard on the chamber-door4 ,the gentlemen1 each with a candle in hand1 stood on either side of the door1 as the pounding1 as though done with a heavy boot1 was continued4 ,the noise appeared to each to be on the side of the door opposite to him4 ,on the following morning1 as ,dr4 ,phelps1 of ,stratford1 was standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the third story1 a noise as loud and much resembling the report of a pistol occurred apparently close to his ear4 ,these boisterous sounds occurred at intervals during a great part of the time that the disturbance was continued4 ,sometimes for weeks they would not be heard2 and again for days they were heard every day4 #agai4 ,it would seem1 from various occurrences1 that the agents of these sounds1 whoever they were1 must have been human beings1 or1 at least1 possessed of all the leading characteristics of humanity4 ,they were evidently influenced by kindness or unkindness1 by respect and confidence1 as persons generally are in this life4 ,some instances illustrating this are given4 ,one morning1 during the breakfast hour1 they would push the table suddenly1 raise up one side and shake it in such a manner as to spill the coffee1 and otherwise occasion serious inconvenience4 ,a person at the table spoke to them in a tone of authority1 commanding them to desist2 but the act was at once repeated4 ,again they were commanded to cease1 but increased violence followed this command4 ,this was five or six times repeated1 and the shaking was each time renewed4 ,at length another person at the table said1 #8,i request you kindly to cease this annoyance1 and allow us to take our breakfast quietly1' and they ceased at once1 without a repetition4 ,it was found1 from this time1 that kindness had about the same effect upon them that it produces upon mankind at large4 ,a lady1 the wife of a clergyman1 spent a few weeks in the family during the summer1 who received many communications from them1 would often1 when the scissors1 thimble1 or things of that kind1 were mislaid1 say1 #8,i will thank the spirits to return my thimble1 scissors1' or whatever was missing1 and the article named would drop at her side1 or in her lap1 within a minute4 ,things of this kind occurred very many times in the course of the time that these phenomena were continued4 ,if a key or knife1 or any thing of the kind1 was mislaid1 and any person was looking for it1 frequently it would be thrown to them as though their wants were anticipated4 ,dr4 ,phelps was once with ,harry in the stable1 when the currycomb could not be found1 and he asked ,harry where it was1 to which ,harry replied that he did not know4 ,at that moment1 the doctor saw it rise1 as if thrown1 from a point ten feet distant from them1 and1 describing a parabola1 fall within a short distance of the spot where they both were standing4 #agbj4 ,about the middle of ,may1 ,dr4 ,phelps and ,harry were riding to ,huntington1 a distance of seven miles4 ,when they had proceeded about one mile on the way1 a stone1 about the size of a hen's egg1 was thrown into the carriage1 and lodged on ,dr4 ,phelps's hat4 ,soon another and another were thrown in4 ,the carriage was a covered one1 and the back curtain was down1 and there was no way a stone could have been thrown in by ordinary means4 ,at one house where they stopped1 the moment the front door was opened1 two stones were thrown1 one of which entered the door as it stood partly open1 and the other hit one of the lights of glass1 and broke it4 ,harry was standing on the door-steps at the time1 and there was no one in the street who could have thrown them4 ,two stones were also thrown against another house where they stopped of an errand4 ,sixteen stones were thrown into the carriage on the doctor's return1 and1 including those thrown against the two houses1 twenty1 in driving three or four hours4 #agba4 ,as it was now apparent that these strange things were in some way connected with ,harry as a medium1 it was thought best to separate him from the family4 ,accordingly board was obtained for him in a family some two miles distant4 ,one day1 when he came home1 he told his mother1 in great secrecy1 that on the night previous he had been awakened from his sleep by some person dressed in white1 whom he saw standing by his bedside4 ,he was frightened1 and was about to scream1 when the person spoke and said1 #8,be not afraid1 my son2 ,i am your father2' and then placed in the boy's hand a silver watch1 and told him to wear it for his sake4 ,the boy affirms that he had the watch in his hand2 that it was not a dream2 and that he was entirely awake2 and that his father told him to tell no one of it but his mother and ,dr4 ,p4 ,his mother told him it was nothing but a dream1 and turned it off as a light affair4 #agbb4 ,it seems that a valuable silver watch had been left the boy by his father1 which was not in use1 but had been kept locked up in a drawer of a dressing-table1 to which he 7,harry7 had no access4 ,a member of the family1 having occasion to look into the drawer1 saw the watch1 and knows it was there1 and that the drawer was locked1 and the key given to ,mrs4 ,p4 ,a few minutes after the conversation with his mother about the apparition and the watch1 the night previous1 he came in from the yard with the watch in his hand6 ,he said his father had again appeared to him1 and put the watch into his hand again1 and said1 #8,wear this for my sake4' ,he brought the watch into the house1 and showed it to his mother1 and said that his father said1 #8,tell your mother to look at the second-hand4' ,the hand was off1 and lay on the face of the watch under the crystal4 ,a credible person will make oath1 if called upon1 that she saw the watch in the drawer1 where it was usually kept1 not more than six or eight minutes before1 and that she locked the drawer and gave the key to ,mrs4 ,phelps4 ,the key had been in possession of no other person1 and ,harry had not been in the room during the time4 ,the watch was taken to ,dr4 ,p41 and he tried to replace the second-hand1 but could not succeed4 ,he closed it1 leaving the hand loose on the face1 and passed it back to ,harry1 saying that he must take it to the watch-maker4 ,when he took it in his hand1 he exclaimed1 #8,why1 it's on6' ,they looked1 and it was on and going4 ,in a few minutes it was off again1 and was put on a second time1 all within a minute or two4 ,the doctor affirms that it was not out of his sight a moment2 that he knows the watch was not opened1 and that no visible power was employed in doing it4 #agbc4 ,on one occasion the piano-forte was played while it is known that no person was in the room2 and1 at another time1 it was turned around1 the front toward the wall1 and so far removed from the side of the room as to allow the player room to sit next to the wall2 the stool was also appropriately placed4 #agbd4 ,on several occasions1 about this time1 certain members of the family saw1 or thought they did1 visible appearances4 ,dr4 ,p4 did not give entire credit to these statements2 not but what he had full confidence in the honesty of the family1 but the excited state in which some of them had been for a long time led him to think that they might imagine they saw what had no existence in fact4 ,toward the last of ,may1 it was signified that one of the spirits who had communicated would appear visibly--first to the daughter1 then to ,mrs4 ,p41 and then to the doctor himself4 ,they asked in what manner he would appear1 and the answer was1 #8,in a sheet4' ,between ten and eleven o'clock the same night1 soon after the family had retired1 ,anna1 who occupied the east bedroom1 the door between her room and that where the doctor and his wife slept being open1 and a lamp burning on a stand so placed as to light both rooms1 called to her mother1 and said1 #8,there it is1 in a sheet4' ,dr4 ,p4 asked where2 when she said it was in the door between the two rooms1 coming from the room the doctor occupied1 but the doctor saw nothing4 ,the daughter was frightened1 and covered up her head1 and in a few minutes looked up and saw nothing4 ,he was represented as moving slowly from one room to the other4 #agbe4 ,in about two minutes ,mrs4 ,phelps exclaimed1 #8,there it is6' and drew the clothes over her head4 ,both the daughter and mother saw it at this time1 but still the doctor saw nothing1 although in as favourable a position as either of the others4 #agbf4 ,after two or three minutes had elapsed1 the doctor also saw it4 ,it appeared to him to move slowly from the hall chamber into his1 and turn and move slowly back4 ,it had the appearance of a very tall person with a sheet thrown around it2 he saw only the sheet4 ,in about one minute1 something was thrown on to the bed1 which proved to be a sheet which had been taken from the wardrobe in the hall4 ,dr4 ,phelps declares that he was not frightened in the least1 and could not have been mistaken in the appearance4 ,some two or three weeks subsequent to this a similar appearance was seen1 and ,dr4 ,p4 sprang out of bed1 determined to seize hold of it if possible4 ,it came part way into his room1 and then moved slowly back4 ,the daughter affirmed that the doctor was within two or three feet of it when it disappeared1 and a sheet dropped into a chair4 ,these were the only instances in which the doctor saw any thing himself4 ,others of the family saw persons in a mysterious way several times4 #agbg4 ,at one time1 while ,anna was in the dining-room1 and a cousin of hers and some of the children in the front yard1 her attention was arrested by some one entering the front parlour4 ,she went in1 and saw three gentlemen--two of them sitting on the sofa1 and one on a chair by the table--all having their hats on1 and drawn down over their eyes more than usual2 the one by the table had his feet upon the table1 and was reading a paper4 ,she was surprised that neither of them rose up1 or looked at her1 as she entered the room2 and when she was within five or six feet of the one nearest her1 he leaned over on one side and fell1 chair and all1 on the floor1 and instantly all disappeared6 ,she was frightened1 and ran to her cousin1 who was near the front door4 ,she came in1 but no persons were there1 neither could they have entered without her seeing them4 ,the chair was thrown down1 but no person near who could have done it4 #agbh4 ,a few other instances occurred in which appearances were supposed to have been seen2 but the circumstances were not of a character to put the matter beyond a doubt1 therefore no record was kept of them4 ,about the middle of ,may1 ,dr4 ,phelps spent some time with the ,fox family in ,new ,york4 ,he soon decided that the manifestations were essentially the same as those at his house1 with a few points of difference4 ,with them property was not destroyed1 and they were not painfully annoyed4 ,the sounds were different1 it being with them a double or rolling sound1 and at his house a single knock4 ,they could call upon and receive answers from different spirits1 or what claimed to be different ones4 ,this could be done at his house4 ,during the months of ,june and ,july the same general occurrences continued at ,stratford4 ,sometimes for two or three days there would seem to be an entire cessation of #8hostilities4' ,then they would commence again with redoubled force4 ,people from all parts of the country were visiting the house1 to whom every facility was afforded to search into the cause4 ,newspaper discussions were going on1 casting the most unjust and painful reflections1 subjecting the family to suffering little short of martyrdom1 while numberless other persons had as good an opportunity of explaining the matter as the persecuted family4 ,in this affliction ,i can sympathize somewhat with ,dr4 ,phelps and family4 ,in the first days of these phenomena in ,western ,new ,york1 all persons who were involved with or interested in them were looked upon and treated at once as void of all common feeling or sensibility1 both privately and publicly2 their names passed about1 coupled with opprobrious epithets2 their houses were entered without ceremony1 and even in the face of direct request to the contrary2 their right to quiet and repose invaded1 their houses often being crowded with visitors1 prompted by idle curiosity and a malicious desire to torture1 beyond the midnight hour2 still insisting to remain1 and adding insult to injury by declaring in your ears that it was an arrant cheat--a grand humbug--being carried on2 and all for--what8 ,and at the same time those whose ill-fortune it then seemed to be to have an identity with it were weeping and praying for the scourge to be removed from them2 for scourge it seemed1 indeed1 under such circumstances4 #agbi4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,phelps concluded1 in ,august1 as the demonstrations were then less frequent1 on taking a short journey of three weeks4 ,the disturbances were still more annoying in their absence than before2 and it was decided as best to close the house for the winter1 and remain away4 ,accordingly1 on the #aath of ,september1 ,harry left for ,pennsylvania1 and it was arranged that the other members of the family should follow within three weeks4 ,it seems that1 although the manifestations were connected more intimately with ,harry1 his presence was not all-important1 as they did not cease altogether when he left2 but communications were still made1 though with less force and violence4 ,the knockings were not as loud1 and the communications less free or frequent4 ,at one time a note was thrown into the room1 while ,dr4 ,p4 was writing at the desk1 which contained the following3 8,how soon do the family expect to go to ,pennsylvania8 ,i wish to make some arrangements before they go4 ,please answer in writing4' ,the doctor replied as desired1 as follows3 #8,about the first of ,october1' and placed the paper in a position where he had before put writings of the kind1 and heard nothing further4 #agcj4 ,two or three days after this1 a communication was given by use of the alphabet1 saying that ,root1 a gentleman who had been in the house1 had destroyed the doctor's book4 ,he inquired #8,what book8' and was answered #8,the big book4' ,yet he did not know what book was designated1 and repeated the question1 and received the answer1 #8,the big book in the secretary4' ,still it was not understood4 ,again was spelled1 #8,look and see6' ,dr4 ,phelps had in the secretary two blank books2 in the larger one he had written a full account of the mysterious manifestations1 in the form of a diary1 and1 having noted them as they occurred from day to day1 they were recorded with more minuteness than could afterward be done4 ,upon looking1 it was discovered that every page that had been written upon was torn from the book and gone4 ,after a long search1 the fragments of the leaves were found in the vault4 ,copies of the characters which the doctor had carefully taken1 and felt anxious to preserve1 were every scrap gone4 ,there were1 in a dressing-table drawer in the chamber1 a great number of the notes sent4 ,these were set on fire with a match and burned in the drawer4 ,the fire was discovered by the smoke1 but not until the papers were so far charred as to injure them beyond preservation4 ,a few of these writings only are retained1 which were in other places4 ,the last of the annoyances was on the #beth of ,september1 and was that of throwing ink upon the daughter's dress4 ,she was standing on the piazza1 near the front door2 the window of the front chamber was open1 from which was thrown a small bottle of ink4 ,the ink went over her dress in a way to entirely unfit it for further use4 ,there was no person in the chamber who would have done such a thing for mischief2 and1 indeed1 no person in the house who would have been guilty of it4 #agca4 ,the young lady was just setting out for a visit at ,new ,haven1 from which she was anticipating much pleasure1 and ,i cannot conceive of any feeling1 short of sheer malevolence1 that would prompt such an act4 #agcb4 ,on the second day of ,october1 the family1 with the exception of ,dr4 ,phelps and the cook1 left ,stratford to go to ,pennsylvania4 ,during their absence all demonstrations ceased1 with what may be termed one exception4 ,a letter1 addressed by ,dr4 ,phelps to ,mrs4 ,phelps1 contained1 when it reached her1 some of the spirit-writing in pencil1 saying that #8her husband was sick and wished her to return if she expected to see him alive4' ,he was then in good health2 but the next week was sick and confined to his bed two or three days4 ,there may or may not have been some connection between the two occurrences4 ,it was the design of ,dr4 ,phelps to separate the family for a time1 in order1 if possible1 to get rid of the annoyance2 and for the five weeks he remained at ,stratford1 after the family had left1 no disturbances took place4 ,harry stayed in ,bucks county 7,pa47 all winter1 and the other members of the family lived in ,philadelphia4 #agcc4 ,in the month of ,march the family returned to ,stratford4 ,the house had been closed and under the charge of a neighbour1 and no sign of any disturbance was visible1 as every article of furniture was found just as they left it4 ,about the fourth or fifth day after their return slight rapping was heard as they sat at the tea-table4 ,they affected not to notice it1 and the next day it was repeated more distinctly1 but no response was made4 ,soon after1 certain characters were found about the house1 which were known1 from the circumstances1 to be of recent origin4 ,two or three days after1 distinct communications were made by a spirit purporting to be ,dr4 ,phelps's daughter1 who died at the age of twelve years4 ,on being questioned1 this spirit could not give any evidence of identity4 #agcd4 ,about the first of ,may several communications of a trifling character were given4 ,on one occasion the doctor asked if they would be troubled any more as they had been1 when they answered by rapping the following3 #agce4 #8,be not afraid that they will trouble you more1 ,though we have not quitted ,connecticut shore4' #agcf4 ,at another time certain characters were given1 which were interpreted by the rapping as follows3 #8,evil one has gone1 and better one has come4' ,no communications were made after the early part of ,may1 but some things occurred indicating their presence and desire for mischief4 #agcg4 ,at one time1 on cutting a loaf of bread1 there were found in it nails1 pen-holders1 small sticks1 and tin1 under circumstances which showed that they must have been placed there after it was put on the table and before the family were ready for tea4 ,at one time ,harry's hat was hid away1 and then his cap1 and then another hat4 ,he took his brother's cap to use1 and that was also taken away4 ,on the evening of the #ahth of ,july they set fire to some papers in the doctor's secretary1 and some twenty papers and letters were burned before they were discovered4 ,fire was set at the same time to the papers in both the closets1 under the stairs in the hall4 ,they were discovered by the smoke4 ,two or three days after this1 when some friends who had visited them were about to leave1 their bonnets and some other articles could not be found1 although search was made in every part of the house1 until the train by which they were to go to ,new ,york had passed4 ,they were at last found1 locked into an enclosed washstand1 in a way that made it morally certain that they could not have been placed there by human hands4 #agch4 ,on the #bith of ,july ,harry left to spend some time at ,new ,lebanon1 ,n4 ,y41 and during his absence no manifestations were noticed1 although they were constantly on the look-out for something of the kind4 ,anna and her mother left for ,philadelphia on the #beth of ,september1 and they had been so long exempt from annoyances that they hoped they had ceased altogether4 ,but ,harry had the manifestations at ,new ,lebanon1 and there was first operated on1 by invisible agency1 to produce a magnetic sleep1 into which he passed with a sudden shock4 ,he had never been magnetized before1 although frequent attempts had been made to do so4 ,in this state he evinced all the phenomena common to good clairvoyance4 ,on his return to ,stratford1 on the #ith of ,october1 the sounds accompanied him almost constantly2 but they seemed less inclined to mischief than formerly1 because1 as they said1 #8,harry had passed to a higher state1 where the low and ignorant spirits could not communicate with him4' #agci4 ,on several occasions characters of a unique description were made4 ,some were written early in ,april1 #ahea1 which ,harry interpreted to read3 #8,we are to take our leave of you soon4' #agdj4 ,some were traced out with chalk on the piazza of the house1 on the #cast of ,march1 #ahej4 #agda4 ,these ,harry interpreted to mean3 #8,you may expect good spirits to come by-and-by4' ,the same characters had been said1 by ,a4 ,j4 ,davis1 to read3 #8,our society desires through various mediums to impart thoughts4' ,the spirit that seemed to be most prominent in all these communications claimed to be ,harry's father1 and sometimes a sister of ,dr4 ,phelps1 who died about three years previous to this2 also a child of ,dr4 ,phelps1 who died more than twenty-two years before4 ,the communications seemed generally to come from the boy's father4 ,on the #abth of ,october he passed into a mesmeric state1 and wrote some characters1 which he translated as follows3 #agdb4 #8,my dear children3 ,i love you1 and try to do every thing that will do you good4 ,obey dear ,mr4 ,phelps in every thing1 for he knows what is right and what is wrong4 ,this is the advice of your spirit father4' #agdc4 ,on the same paper were written others1 which1 being translated1 read3 #8,you were troubled once with evil spirits1 but now they are no more4 ,they have bid adieu1 and good spirits have come and are with you all the time4' #agdd4 ,again occur others1 which read3 #8,you must not fear1 brother1 that you will be troubled with evil spirits any more4 ,no1 brother1 no more4 ,your spirit sister1 ,,bliss4' #agde4 ,the person here supposed to communicate is a sister of ,dr4 ,phelps1 a widow1 who left the earth-sphere in #ahdh1 and by whom several of the previous communications are said to have been made4 ,other characters1 of the same general formation1 were made at the same time1 but were not then translated4 #agdf4 ,on the evening of the #abth1 ,dr4 ,phelps1 ,harry1 and two younger children1 were seated at a table2 responses were frequently given by raps under the table4 ,dr4 ,phelps inquired if it would accommodate them at all to have some substance to rap with2 to which they replied affirmatively4 ,he threw down a table-knife2 the raps seemed immediately to be made by striking the knife against the table-leaf1 and soon it was tossed up on to the table4 ,a small tea-bell was then placed under the table2 it was rung several times1 and tossed on to the table as the knife had been4 ,it was again put down1 and returned as before2 the same being repeated several times in succession4 ,the light was then extinguished1 and the candle put under the table with a match-box containing matches1 and the spirits requested to light it4 ,they distinctly heard the match drawn upon the bottom of the box1 which was prepared with sand-paper for that use4 ,all saw the light1 but the first match went out4 ,again the scratching of the match was heard2 it ignited1 the candle lighted1 and was placed upon the table6 ,the experiment was repeated several times1 with the same result2 every precaution being taken to prevent collusion in the matter4 #agdg4 ,on a subsequent occasion a chair was placed upon the table by invisible power1 and the two children1 ,harry and ,hannah1 raised up and placed upon it2 they could neither of them tell how it was done4 ,the sensation was that of some person placing a hand under them and raising them up4 ,many of these things occurred when the room was darkened1 as has been the case in numerous other places1 and for which explanations have been recorded1 as given by the spirits4 ,on the evening of the #bjth of ,october1 the light being put out of the room1 the bell was placed under the table1 with a request that it should be rung1 and placed in the doctor's hand4 ,he was sitting by the table with both his hands lying on his lap open1 with the palms upward4 ,the bell rung several times with some violence1 and then was placed in his left hand4 ,this was repeated four or five times in succession4 ,dr4 ,p4 sat beyond the reach of any one1 and the room was sufficiently light for him to have detected any movement on the part of persons present4 ,he requested them to let him feel the hand that placed the bell in his4 ,very soon a hand came in contact with his1 took hold of his fingers1 shaking his hand1 passed slowly over the back of his hand1 then over the palm again1 took hold of his fingers1 and he felt what he is sure to have been a human hand4 ,he describes it as being cold and moist1 which accords with my own experience repeatedly1 and that of my friends4 ,they then took hold of his foot1 shook it with much force1 loosened the string1 took off the shoe1 and placed it upon the table before him4 ,at his request the shoe was replaced1 the heel adjusted1 and the strings drawn up1 but not tied4 #agdh4 ,on a subsequent occasion a large-sized tea-bell was rung under the table1 then rose up1 passed round the room1 ringing violently all the way1 and fell upon the table4 ,the candle was in the closet1 but the room was sufficiently light to make it certain that no person left the table to convey it4 ,it was manifest that from the time ,harry returned from ,new ,lebanon the manifestations began gradually to subside4 ,they were less frequent and less marked4 ,it was arranged that he should accompany the family to ,philadelphia1 and go to a boarding-school at a town about twenty miles distant from the city4 ,at different times he had been told that if he went there he would again be annoyed by bad spirits4 ,the question was many times put1 #8,will you annoy him again if he goes to the school8' ,a4--#8,we will not1 but others will4'--#8,what others8' ,a4--#8,those who were with him last summer4'--#8,will they disturb him if he stays here and goes to the academy in ,stratford8'--#8,no4 ,they will not disturb him while he is with you4'--#8,what will they do if he goes to ,pennsylvania8' ,a4--#8,they will tear his clothes1 destroy his books1 and break his windows4'--#8,can you not control those bad spirits1 and prevent their doing him any injury8'--#8,no4'--#8,will you do all you can8'--#8,yes4' ,at another time ,dr4 ,phelps inquired if they would not leave him1 as his mother was so much opposed to the whole thing4 #8,will you not1 to oblige her1 leave him1 that he may be a medium no longer8' said the doctor4 ,the reply was1 #8,if we leave him1 evil spirits will get possession of him again4' ,these communications were made by what purported to be the boy's father4 ,for two weeks previous to going to ,philadelphia the manifestations had almost wholly subsided2 perhaps only occurred when requested2 and notwithstanding the repeated declarations that when he should leave for the school in ,pennsylvania1 the bad spirits would come in and make him trouble1 it was determined to try the experiment1 and on the #aath of ,november the family set out for ,philadelphia1 where they were to spend the winter1 while ,harry was to go to school4 ,he remained with the family in ,philadelphia about a week1 where a few communications were given to ,dr4 ,phelps in private4 ,the spirits said they would begin to annoy the boy on the cars1 on his way to the school1 would pinch him and tear his clothes1 so that1 when he got there1 they would be found torn1 and that the troubles would follow him in the school as long as he stayed there4 ,dr4 ,phelps1 under all the circumstances1 thought it best not to send him2 but on consultation it was decided to have him go1 and on the #aith of ,november he started for the school4 ,dr4 ,p4 went a mile or two with him1 put him under the care of the conductor1 and told him to report on his return if any thing worthy of notice occurred on the way4 ,in two days the doctor was sent for to come and take him away4 ,he said that soon after his father left him on the cars1 he was pinched1 pricked with pins1 and annoyed in various other ways1 until he reached his destination2 that1 on his arrival there1 he found that his pantaloons were torn in front1 between the waistband and the knees1 in two places1 several inches in length4 ,he changed them for another pair which were new and made of very substantial material1 and these were torn down in front at least half a yard in length1 before the doctor arrived there4 ,the knockings had attended him in school and other places2 his books were torn and damaged to the amount of two dollars1 which the doctor paid4 ,the family where he was had become alarmed1 and would not keep him1 and he was taken away4 ,the boy stated that on one of the evenings1 while he was there1 he was walking in the street1 when his cap was mysteriously taken from his head and thrown upon the sidewalk4 ,as he stooped to pick it up he saw the flash of a gun at some distance1 and a bullet passed over his back and struck a board fence near him4 ,he was afterward informed by the rapping that1 had he not stooped down1 he would have been killed1 and that his friendly spirit took this means to preserve him4 #agdi4 ,dr4 ,p4 now concluded to return with ,harry to ,stratford1 and was told that the bad spirits would have no control over him there4 ,the family in which they resided in ,philadelphia had become alarmed at the strange occurrences1 and finally they again returned to ,stratford4 ,from that time the disturbances began to subside1 and by the #aeth of ,december1 #ahea1 they had ceased altogether4 ,the family remained at ,stratford till the spring of #aheb1 when they returned to their former residence in the city4 ,the house at ,stratford is occupied by another family1 but no disturbances have ever occurred with the family which now occupy the house1 and none with ,dr4 ,p4#8s family since the above date4 #agej4 ,thus ends one of the most remarkable histories in the whole course of modern spiritual manifestations4 ,the authority on which it comes to the world is indisputable1 and the characters of all concerned are beyond suspicion4 ,it will be observed that generally the demonstrations1 as in case of ,mr4 ,calvin ,r4 ,brown1 in the ,fox family1 were less boisterous after the family consented to hold communication with them4 ,it seemed to be the desire of a spirit to communicate and set right a matter which was making him unhappy4 ,this accomplished1 the demonstrations ceased4 #agea4 ,from the foregoing narrative it will be seen that these phenomena do not attach to places1 as some have supposed4 ,it makes the fact equally clear that they do attach to persons1 and that without certain media they cannot1 to any extent1 take place4 ,if there is such a thing as #8haunted houses1' they must belong to another class of phenomena1 or a very different phase of the same1 than those always depending on the presence of particular persons4 #ageb4 ,another fact seems also to be proved by the above narration1 namely1 that persons may be powerful mediums at one time and afterward lose the power1 for neither of the media of ,dr4 ,phelps's family in ,stratford have had any proof of mediumship for years40 ,idea of the existence of a spiritual sun1 and a vital spiritual oxygen1 found to exist independently in the mind of a much esteemed author4 #agec4 ,the most wonderful and important of all the facts communicated to me by my spirit father1 and subsequently sanctioned by a convocation of spirits1 were the following3 #a4 ,that there is a special spirit sun1 concentric with our sun1 which illuminates the spirit world1 without perceptibly affecting our visual organs4 #b4 ,that there is a peculiar vital gas which spirits breathe1 although inscrutable to our senses or chemical tests1 which we respire in our spiritual capacity4 ,these facts ,i have considered as among those1 which it was impossible could have been learned from the minds of ,mrs4 ,gourlay or myself1 as they were certainly new to both of us1 and difficult to realize when communicated4 ,my attention has been recently directed by a friend to an essay in a work entitled 8,rambles and ,reveries of a ,student10 wherein ,i find 7page #aa7 the ideas in question to have been awakened in the author without the smallest interchange of ideas with ,mrs4 ,gourlay or myself4 ,i have been under the impression that his leaning would have been unfavourable to ,spiritualism4 ,the language employed is as follows3 #aged4 ,i hold it as a truth1 that a divine atmosphere surrounds our earth--an aroma emitted from the world of spirits1 in which dwell the great truths and secrets of the universe--a great world that pours down riches upon us1 as the sun pours down heat2 and as without the sun this world would be but a formless wilderness1 so1 without this spirit sun1 would it be barren of thought or beauty4 #agee4 ,above us and around us exists a spiritual atmosphere1 more subtle than the natural one4 ,as the latter is the supporter of physical life1 so the former is of psychal4 ,we absorb the delicate magnetic aromata from all substances1 through the medium of the air1 as well as the comparatively coarse oxygen2 so all of our soul-life comes from this spirit atmosphere--all thought1 all feeling1 all appreciation of truth and beauty4 #agef4 ,man is the apex of earth-creation1 and the basis of all heavenly life--the foundation of all spiritual existence4 ,standing thus in a middle plane as the highest thing of earth1 and the lowest of heaven1 he holds magnetic relationship to both2 the earth not only supplying the physical requirements of his being1 such as food1 drink1 and air1 but he absorbs impalpable nourishment from all his surroundings3 the aroma from flowers1 and trees1 and fruit1 as well as the magnetic emanations from people2 intuitively appreciating harmonious influences--feeling an instinctive repulsion when under those that are inharmonious4 ,this antagonism1 or horror1 we call antipathy2 and biography abounds with strange stories of its individual action4 ,whenever antipathy is experienced1 it is a proof that something exists in the peculiar magnetic sphere which has no affinity with the other sphere4 #ageg4 ,an animal is but a highly organized combination of the mechanical and chemical forces of the earth1 returning to the earth when death ensues3 the only good resulting from its life is1 that gross matter has been changed into a little higher condition by the combination4 #ageh4 ,man1 regarded as the animal1 possesses nothing after his death but the spiritual attributes he has received1 corresponding to the physical things he sought in his earthly life2 if that was low and sensual1 his spiritual condition will be the same2 for the spirit land is as much a spiritual condition as it is a place4 #agei4 ,as man's external form grows from appropriating substance from the earth1 so are thoughts and sentiments1 and all things relating to the soul1 appropriated from the spirit world4 ,take the earth from man1 and he ceases to exist as a physical being2 take the spirit world from him1 and he ceases to exist as an immortal soul4 #agfj4 ,all physical things have corresponding truths in the spiritual world1 and a man is truly harmonious when he receives the corresponding essence or quality with the material thing--not as a mere symbolization1 but as an actuality1 as real to the soul as its corresponding earthly truth is to the body4 ,as a petty illustration1 we will say that where an apple is eaten1 a harmonious man receives not only the nutriment contained in the fruit1 but he also receives its spiritual correspondence1 so as to be doubly nourished by it4 #agfa4 8,men having a stronger magnetic relationship to the spirit world1 are easily exhausted1 for they do not receive strength enough from the earth sphere to keep soul and body in harmony4 #agfb4 ,persons en rapport with the earth are the labourers and tillers of the ground1 living only in the lowest plane of mental life4 #agfc4 ,the truly harmonious men receive equally the spiritual and physical elements3 they are electrical conductors1 whose attracting points bend downward as well as upward1 dispensing1 equally1 thought and strength to their less harmonious fellows1 with but little exhaustion4 #agfd4 ,men originate nothing3 they have merely different degrees of receptivity2 are merely more or less in magnetic relationship with the higher world4 ,a principle1 or truth1 is not your truth1 or my truth1 but ,god's truth2 as much as a drop of water in the ocean1 or a sand-grain in the great desert2 as little a personal possession as the cloud above your head4 ,if we look at it abstractly1 we perceive the absurdity of all quarrels in relation to originality of ideas--water refreshes the thirsty traveller1 whether drunk from his own cup or the cup of another2 and if we can incorporate a new truth into our lives1 it is unimportant whether we receive it directly or indirectly from the great fountain4 #agfe4 ,the intellectual struggle of the student is but an education of the soul1 training it to become susceptible to higher influences--an attempt to enter into unalloyed magnetic relationship with the spirit world4 #agff4 ,prayer is a simple and natural method of becoming en rapport with higher beings and a higher world3 yet no thinker ever believed that prayer would move the ,divine ,being to alter ,his eternal plans4 ,as ,he is the fountain of all ,love and all ,wisdom1 ,his designs must be without flaw--must be for eternal good3 yet prayer is one of the most holy1 beautiful1 and useful of things2 it is the earnest asking of the soul for comfort--whatever the words may be--and by the exaltation of feeling1 we rise up from the earth-life into the higher spiritual planes1 and become harmonized by the indwelling harmonies of those spheres4 ,prayer is aspiration4 ,prayer is the desire to embrace the ,infinite4 ,the form of prayer is unimportant2 its power lies in the indwelling desire of good4 ,men should not have forms and times of prayer1 but their whole lives should be long1 unending acts of prayer40 #agfg4 ,it seems that the light of ,spiritualism had begun to dawn in the mind of the author of the preceding passage4 ,his language respecting prayer is in strict conformity with the doctrine of ,spiritualism4 #agfh4 ,as the author1 to whom reference is thus made1 was on terms of great mutual friendship with my late sister1 as well as with myself1 ,i have consulted her spirit as to the origin of the impressions which had been thus indited by our common friend4 ,it appears from her reply to my inquiry1 that these ideas were communicated to him by my spirit father1 and that his conversion to ,spiritualism had commenced prior to his decease1 which took place about two years ago4 ,,of ,,matter1 ,,mind1 ,,and ,,spirit4 ,of ,matter4 #agfi4 ,it is a fact1 that as we study more deeply the nature of matter1 we find that we know the less about it4 ,the crude impressions by which it makes us sensible of its presence are1 of course1 intuitively received1 and are reiterated incessantly4 ,hence1 the mass of mankind do not imagine that there can be any mystery respecting that ponderable matter which influences the scale-beam4 ,the existence of any other matter1 people generally are slow to admit4 ,the electric fluid and caloric1 the supposed causes of electricity and heat1 were rarely believed in1 out of the scientific world1 but ponderable matter is the last thing of which any person would imagine himself ignorant4 ,yet we find that some of the most experienced investigators of nature1 have not made up their minds as to what ponderable matter is4 #aggj4 ,according to ,newton1 matter consists of hard1 impenetrable particles1 endowed with vis inerti1 gravitation1 and chemical attraction for other particles2 vis inerti being that force by which a body1 if in motion1 requires a certain degree of force to arrest or retard it1 or to put it into motion if at rest4 ,gravitation causes all masses to attract each other reciprocally1 with a force exactly proportioned to their vis inerti2 so that these forces are reciprocally measures of each other4 ,it is usual to make gravitation its own measure1 by estimating it to be as the weight of the mass2 while weight is only the reciprocal attraction of gravitation between the body tried1 and the earth4 7#fd47 #agga4 ,these properties being conceded as belonging to matter1 and the measure of its quantity1 the next question is1 of what does massive matter consist8 ,as to the ratio of weight to bulk1 which is designated as 8specific gravity10 we see an immense disparity between solids4 ,potassium1 for instance1 weighs three-fourths of its bulk of water1 while platinum weighs twenty-one times its bulk in that fluid4 ,the density of gaseous hydrogen is to that of platina not more than #a to #be1jjj1 and yet it may be rarified to the one-hundredth part of its normal spissitude1 while apparently filling the same space4 ,thus the same space may be filled successively by different portions of matter1 yet the quantity of matter in the space1 in the first case1 may be to the quantity contained in the second1 as #b1ejj1jjj to #a4 ,newton's definition of material particles was as follows3 #aggb4 8,it seems probable to me that ,god1 in the beginning1 formed matter in solid1 massy1 hard1 impenetrable1 movable particles1 of such sizes and figures1 and with such other properties1 and in such proportion to space1 as most conduced to the end for which he formed them2 and that those primitive particles1 being solids1 are incomparably harder than any porous bodies compounded of them2 even so very hard as never to wear or break in pieces2 no mundane power being able to divide what ,god himself intended to be indivisible40 #aggc4 ,boscovitch1 observing that all that was essential to material atoms was attraction and repulsion1 the latter being the substitute of ,newton's impenetrability1 suggested an hypothesis which dispensed with the atom1 and assumed only the forces of attraction and repulsion2 alternating1 as it appears to me1 in a way more original than warrantable4 ,this idea of atoms has been modified by an accomplished mathematician1 ,exley1 of ,bristol1 ,england4 ,i quote here ,exley's view3 #aggd4 8,the reader has only to allow that each atom of matter consists of an indefinitely extensive sphere of attraction1 resting on a very small concentric sphere of repulsion1 the force being everywhere1 from the centre1 inversely as the square of the distance1 repulsive near the centre1 and then attractive4 ,now that part which regards the attraction has already obtained the consent of all the followers of ,newton2 and much more than the other part1 which respects repulsion1 has been already received in the principles of our present philosophy4 #agge4 ,it may be here asked--,are we absolutely to exclude solid atoms8 ,i confess ,i can find no use for them4 ,it is true1 ,sir ,isaac ,newton thought that the atoms of matter consisted of minute solids4 #aggf4 ,but this hypothesis1 however convenient and consonant with our prejudices1 is not absolutely necessary to the explanation of natural phenomena2 for1 it may be conceived1 according to the theory of ,boscovitch1 that matter consists not of solid particles1 but of mere mathematical centres1 of forces attractive and repulsive1 whose relations to space were ordained1 and whose actions are regulated and maintained by the ,creator of the universe4 ,both hypotheses1 however1 agree in one great principle1 viz43 that the properties of bodies depend upon forces emanating from immovable points 7whether substantial or not is of little importance7 of their masses4 #aggg4 ,the atoms of matter constituted as in the theory now proposed possess all the individuality1 indivisibility1 and indestructibility1 which the learned and illustrious ,newton ascribes to his small solids1 and they answer all the ends he has mentioned2 the central points1 indeed1 will be utterly impenetrable by each other1 since the repulsion there is infinite2 and if at those centres we suppose small solids to be placed1 they can answer no farther end than is accomplished by this immensely great repulsive force2 for from what we know of matter1 we must suppose them to be indefinitely small1 if we introduce such solids2 and hence they will occupy the place where the repulsion is infinitely great2 such solids would be found only an obstacle1 and an incumbrance to the free actions of matter2 since1 however small we imagine them to be1 their magnitude will be infinite if compared with a mathematical point1 the centre of an atom1 which is devoid altogether of magnitude4 ,it may be added1 that if any reader wish to retain these solids at the centres of the atoms1 it will not materially affect the conclusions1 provided he allow us to have them as small as we please2 and so much1 if he intend to philosophize1 he must grant1 whatever course he may determine to pursue40 #aggh4 ,these efforts to define matter derive interest from the following attempt of ,farraday to sustain a view inconsistent with that of ,newton1 by practical illustration3 ,strictures on a ,speculation by ,farraday1 respecting the ,nature of ,matter4 #aggi4 ,this sagacious investigator adverts to the fact1 that after each atom in a mass of metallic potassium has combined with an atom of oxygen and an atom of water1 forming thus a hydrated oxide--caustic potash--the resulting aggregate occupies much less space than its metallic ingredient previously occupied2 so that1 taking equal bulks of the hydrate and of potassium1 there will be in the metal only #dcj metallic atoms1 while in the hydrate there will be #gjj such atoms4 ,yet in the latter1 besides the #gjj metallic atoms1 there will be an equal number of aqueous and oxygenous atoms1 in all #bhjj ponderable atoms4 ,it follows1 that if the atoms of potassium are to be considered as minute impenetrable particles1 kept at certain distances by an equilibrium of forces1 there must be1 in a mass of potassium1 vastly more space than matter4 ,moreover1 it is the space alone that can be continuous4 ,the non-contiguous material atoms cannot form a continuous mass4 ,consequently1 the well-known power of potassium to conduct electricity must be a quality of the continuous empty space which it comprises1 not of the discontinuous particles of matter with which that space is regularly interspersed4 ,it is in the next place urged1 that while1 agreeably to these considerations1 space is shown to be a conductor1 there are considerations equally tending to prove it to be a non-conductor1 since in certain non-conducting bodies1 such as resins1 there must be nearly as much vacant space as in potassium4 ,hence the supposition that atoms are minute impenetrable particles1 involves the necessity of considering empty space as a conductor in metals1 and as a non-conductor in resins1 and of course in sulphur and other electrics4 ,this is considered as a reductio ad absurdum4 ,to avoid this contradiction1 ,farraday supposes that atoms are not minute impenetrable bodies1 but1 existing throughout the whole space in which their properties are observed1 may penetrate each other4 ,consistently1 although the atoms of potassium pervade the whole space which they apparently occupy1 the entrance into that space of an equivalent number of atoms of oxygen and water1 in consequence of some reciprocal reaction1 causes a contraction in the boundaries by which the combination thus formed is enclosed4 ,this is an original and interesting view of this subject1 well worthy of the contemplation of chemical philosophers4 #aghj4 ,but1 upon these premises1 ,farraday has ventured on some inferences which1 upon various accounts1 appear to me unwarrantable4 ,i agree that 8a0 representing a particle of matter1 and 8m0 representing its properties1 it is only with 8m0 that we have any acquaintance1 the existence of 8a0 resting merely on an inference4 ,heretofore ,i have often appealed to this fact1 in order to show that the evidence of imponderable1 no less than of ponderable matter1 is precisely the existence of properties which can only be accounted for by inferring the existence of an appropriate matter to which those properties appertain4 ,yet ,i cannot concur in the idea that1 because it is only with 8m0 that we are acquainted1 the existence of 8a0 must not be inevitably inferred1 so that bodies are to be considered as constituted of their materialized powers4 ,i use the word 8materialized10 because it is fully admitted by ,farraday1 that by dispensing with an impenetrable atom 8a0 we do not get rid of the idea of matter1 but have to imagine each atom as existing throughout the whole sphere of its force1 instead of being condensed about the centre4 ,this seems to follow from the following language3 #agha4 8,the view now stated of the constitution of matter would seem to involve necessarily the conclusion that matter fills all space1 or at least the space to which gravitation extends1 including the sun and its system2 for gravitation is a property of matter dependent on a certain force1 and it is this force which constitutes matter40 #aghb4 ,literally1 this paragraph seems to convey the impression1 that1 agreeably to this new idea of matter1 the sun and his planets are not distinct bodies1 but consist of certain material powers reciprocally penetrating each other1 and pervading a space larger than that comprised within the orbit of ,neptune4 ,we do not live upon1 but within1 the matter of which the earth is constituted1 or rather within a mixture of all the solar and planetary matter belonging to our solar system4 ,i cannot conceive that the sagacious author seriously intended to sanction any notion involving these consequences4 ,i shall assume1 therefore1 that1 excepting the case of gravitation1 his new idea of matter was intended to be restricted to those powers which display themselves within masses at insensible distances1 and shall proceed to state the objections which seem to exist against the new idea as associated with those powers4 #aghc4 ,evidently the arguments of ,farraday against the existence1 in potassium and other masses of matter1 of impenetrable atoms endowed with cohesion1 chemical affinity1 momentum1 and gravitation1 rest upon the inference that in metals there is nothing to perform the part of an electrical conductor besides continuous empty space4 ,this illustrious philosopher has heretofore appeared to be disinclined to admit the existence of any matter devoid of ponderability6 ,the main object of certain letters which ,i addressed to him was to prove that the phenomena of induction could not1 as he had represented1 be an 8action0 of ponderable atoms1 but1 on the contrary1 must be considered as an affection of them consequent to the intervention of an imponderable matter1 without which the phenomena of electricity would be inexplicable4 ,this repugnance to the admission of an imponderable electrical cause1 has been the more remarkable1 as his researches have not only proved the existence of prodigious electrical power in metals1 but likewise that it is evolved during chemico-electric reaction1 in equivalent proportion to the quantity of ponderable matter decomposed or combined4 #aghd4 ,according to his researches1 a grain of water1 by electrolytic reaction with four grains of zinc1 evolves as much electricity as would charge fifteen millions of square feet of coated glass when supplied by a plate machine of fifty inches in diameter4 ,but in addition to the proofs of the existence of electrical powers in metals thus furnished1 it is demonstrated that this power must be inseparably associated with metals1 by the well-known fact that in the electro-magnetic machine--an apparatus which we owe to his genius1 and the mechanical ingenuity of ,pixii and ,saxton--a coil of wire1 being subjected to the inductive influence of a magnet1 is capable of furnishing1 within the circuit which it forms1 all the phenomena of an electrical current1 whether of ignition1 shock1 or electrolysis4 #aghe4 ,the existence in metals of an enormous calorific power must be evident from the heat evolved by mere hammering4 ,it is well known that by a skilful application of the hammer1 a piece of iron1 between it and a cold anvil1 may be ignited4 ,to what other cause than their inherent calorific power can the ignition of metals by the discharge of a ,leyden battery be ascribed8 #aghf4 ,it follows1 that the existence of an immense calorific and electrical power is undeniable4 ,the materiality of these powers1 or of their cause1 is all that has been questionable4 ,but1 according to the speculations of ,farraday1 all the powers of matter are material2 not only the calorific and electrical powers are thus to be considered1 but likewise the powers of cohesion1 chemical affinity1 inertia1 and gravitation1 while of all these material powers only the latter can be ponderable6 #aghg4 ,thus1 a disinclination on the part of this distinguished investigator to admit the existence of one or two imponderable principles1 has led him into speculations involving the existence of a much greater number4 ,but if1 while the rest of the properties of the metal are represented by ,newtonian atoms1 the calorific and electrical powers be both material and imponderable1 and of these such enormous quantities exist in potassium1 as well as in zinc and all other metals1 so much of the reasoning in question as is founded on the vacuity of the space between the metallic atoms is groundless4 #aghh4 ,although the space occupied by the hydrated oxide of potassium comprises #bhjj ponderable atoms1 while that occupied by an equal mass of the metal comprises only #dcj1 there may be in the latter proportionally as much more of the material1 though imponderable1 powers of heat and electricity1 as there is less of matter endowed with ponderability4 #aghi4 ,thus1 while assuming the existence of fewer imponderable causes than the celebrated author of the speculation has himself proposed1 we explain the conducting power of metals1 without being under the necessity of attributing to void space the property of electrical conduction4 ,moreover1 ,i consider it quite consistent to suppose that the presence of the ethereal basis of electricity is indispensable to electrical conduction1 and that diversities in this faculty are due to the proportion of that material power present1 and the mode of its association with other matter4 ,the immense superiority of metals will be explained1 by referring it to their being peculiarly replete with the ethereal basis of heat and electricity4 #agij4 ,hence ,farraday's suggestions respecting the materiality of what has heretofore been designated as the properties of bodies1 furnish the means of refuting his arguments against the existence of ponderable impenetrable atoms as the basis of cohesion1 chemical affinity1 momentum1 and gravitation4 #agia4 ,but ,i will1 in the next place1 prove that his suggestions not only furnish an answer to his objections to the views in this respect heretofore entertained1 but are likewise pregnant with consequences directly inconsistent with the view of the subject which he has recently presented4 #agib4 ,i have said that of all the powers which are1 according to ,farraday's speculations1 to be deemed material1 gravitation can alone be ponderable2 since1 according to his speculations1 gravitation1 in common with every power heretofore attributed to impenetrable particles1 must be a matter independently pervading the space throughout which it is perceived4 ,this being the consequence1 by what tie is gravitation1 or1 in other words1 weight--indissolubly attached to the rest8 ,it cannot be pretended that either of the powers is the property of any other4 ,each of them is an m1 and cannot play the part of an a1 not only because an m1 an effect1 cannot be an a1 its cause1 but because1 according to the premises1 no a can exist4 ,nor can it be advanced that they are the same power1 since chemical affinity and cohesion act only at insensible distances1 while gravitation acts at any and every distance1 with forces inversely as their squares2 and1 moreover1 the power of chemical affinity is not commensurate with that of gravitation4 ,one part1 by weight1 of hydrogen has a greater affinity1 universally1 for any other element than two hundred parts of gold4 ,by what means then are cohesion1 chemical affinity1 and gravitation inseparably associated in all the ponderable elements of matter8 ,is it not fatal to the validity of the highly ingenious and interesting deductions of ,farraday1 that they are thus shown to be utterly incompetent to explain the inseparable association of cohesion1 chemical affinity1 and inertia with gravitation1 while the existence of a vacuity between ,newtonian atoms1 mainly relied upon as the basis of an argument against their existence1 is shown to be inconsistent both with the ingenious speculation which has called forth these remarks1 and those ,herculean 8researches0 which must perpetuate his fame8 7,see ,appendix for ,farraday's ,speculations on ,electric ,conduction and the ,nature of ,matter47 ,on ,whewell's demonstration that all matter is heavy4 #agic4 ,while the speculations of ,farraday1 isolate gravitation1 as the only matter endowed with weight1 and treat all other matters as weightless1 those of another eminent philosopher1 ,whewell1 would tend to prove that all matter is heavy4 #agid4 ,this subject may be interesting now1 when we are anxious to understand well the nature of matter1 which ,comte would represent as the basis of mind1 and when it becomes a point of departure in forming ideas of spirit and mind1 as they must be contemplated by ,spiritualism4 ,i therefore subjoin a critique upon the allegation that all matter can be heavy1 and on the relation between vis inerti and gravitation4 #agie4 ,one consideration seems to be usually overlooked in contemplating these forces4 ,it is forgotten that inertia is the property of one body1 while gravitation requires two for its existence4 ,if there were only one body in nature1 it might move on1 in obedience to its vis inerti1 for any length of time2 but1 during an isolated existence1 could neither attract nor be attracted4 ,whewell's theorem1 in his own language1 is as follows3 #agif4 8,we see10 alleges ,whewell1 8that the propositions that all bodies are heavy1 and that inertia is proportional to weight1 necessarily follow from those fundamental ideas which we unavoidably employ in all attempts to reason concerning the mechanical relations of bodies40 7,see ,demonstration that all ,matter is heavy1 by the ,rev4 ,william ,whewell1 ,b4,d4 ,silliman's ,journal1 vol4 #db1 page #bfe47 ,to ,,professor ,,whewell3 #agig4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i thank you for your kind attention in sending me a copy of your pamphlet1 entitled a 8,demonstration that all ,matter is heavy10 comprising a communication made to the ,cambridge ,philosophical ,society4 #agih4 ,i conceive that to demonstrate that all matter is heavy1 is1 in other words1 to prove that all matter is endowed with attraction of gravitation1 or that general property which1 when it causes bodies to tend toward the centre of the earth1 is called weight4 ,hence to assert that all matter is heavy1 is no more than to say1 that attraction of gravitation exists between all or any masses of matter4 #agii4 ,you say1 8it may be urged that we have no difficulty in conceiving of matter which is not heavy40 ,i have no hesitation in asserting that there should be no difficulty in entertaining such a conception2 since ,i cannot understand why any two masses may not be as readily conceived to repel1 as to attract each other1 or neither to attract nor to repel4 ,is it not easier to imagine two remote masses indifferent to each other1 than that they act upon each other8 ,is any thing more difficult to understand than that a body can act where it is not8 #ahjj4 ,it is also mentioned by you1 that it may be urged 8that inertia and weight are two separate properties of matter40 ,now ,i will not only urge1 but also1 with all due deference1 will undertake to show1 that the existence of inertia may as well be proven1 and its quantity estimated1 by means of repulsion as by means of attraction4 #ahja4 ,suppose two bodies1 ,a and ,b1 to be endowed with reciprocal attraction1 or1 in other words1 to gravitate toward each other4 ,being placed at a distance1 and then allowed to approach1 if1 after any given time1 it were found that they had moved severally any ascertained distances1 evidently their relative inertias would be considered as inversely as those distances4 #ahjb4 ,in the next place1 let us suppose two bodies1 ,x and ,y1 endowed with the opposite force of reciprocal repulsion1 to be placed in proximity1 and then allowed to fly apart4 ,the distances run through by them severally1 being1 at any given time1 determined1 might not their respective inertias be taken to be inversely as those distances2 so that the question would be as well ascertained in this case as in that above stated1 in which gravitation should be resorted to as the test8 #ahjc4 ,it seems to me that this question is sufficiently answered in the affirmative1 in your second paragraph1 page #g1 7p4 #bfi17 in which you allege1 that 8one body has twice as much inertia as another1 if1 when the same force acts upon it for the same time1 it acquires but half the velocity4 ,this is the fundamental conception of inertia40 #ahjd4 ,in the third paragraph1 fourth page1 7p4 #bfa17 you say1 8that the quantity of matter is measured by those sensible properties of matter which undergo quantitative addition1 subtraction1 and division1 as the matter is added1 subtracted1 or divided1 the quantity of matter cannot be known in any other way2 but this mode of measuring the quantity of matter1 in order to be true at all1 must be true universally40 #ahje4 ,also your fourth paragraph1 fifth page1 7p4 #bfh17 concludes with this allegation3 8,and thus we have proved1 that if there be any kind of matter which is not heavy1 the weight can no longer avail us1 in any case1 to any extent1 as the measure of the quantity of matter40 #ahjf4 ,in reply to these allegations1 let me inquire1 ,cannot a matter exist of which the sensible properties do not admit of being measured by human means8 ,because some kinds of matter can be measured by 8those sensible qualities which undergo quantitative addition1 subtraction1 and division10 does it follow that there may not be matter which is incapable of being thus measured8 ,and wherefore would the method of obtaining philosophical truth be 8futile0 in the one case1 because inapplicable in the other8 ,because the inertias of ,a and ,b have been discovered1 by means of their gravitation1 does it follow that the inertias of ,x and ,y cannot be discovered by their self-repellent power8 ,why should the inapplicability of gravitation in the one case render its employment futile in the other8 #ahjg4 ,it is self-evident1 that matter without weight cannot be estimated by weighing1 but ,i deny that on that account such weightless matter may not be otherwise estimated4 ,the inertias of ,a and ,b cannot be better measured by gravitation than those of ,x and ,y by repulsion1 as already shown4 #ahjh4 ,you seem to infer1 in paragraph second1 page sixth1 7p4 #bfh17 that we should be equally destitute of the means of measuring matter accurately1 8were any kind of matter heavy indeed1 but not so heavy1 in proportion to its quantity of matter1 as other kinds40 #ahji4 ,if1 in the case of all matter1 weight be admitted to be the only measure of quantity1 it were inconsistent to suppose any given quantity of matter1 of any one kind1 to have less weight than an equal quantity of another kind2 but upon what other than a conventional basis is it to be assumed that there is more matter in a cubic inch of platinum than in a cubic inch of tin8 in a cubic inch of mercury than in a cubic inch of iron8 ,judging by the chemical efficacy of the masses1 although the weight of mercury is to that of iron as #ac4f is to #h1 there are more equivalents of the latter than the former in any given bulk1 since by weight twenty-eight parts of iron are equivalent to two hundred and two parts of mercury4 #ahaj4 ,weight is one of the properties of certain kinds of matter1 and has been advantageously resorted to1 in preference to any other property1 in estimating the quantity of the matter to which it appertains4 ,nevertheless1 measurement by bulk is found expedient or necessary in many cases4 ,but may we not appeal to any general property which admits of being measured or estimated8 ,farraday has inferred that the quantity of electricity is as the quantity of gas which it evolves4 ,light has been considered as proportional in quantity to the surface which it illuminates with a given intensity at a certain distance4 ,the quantity of caloric has been held to be directly as the weight of water which it will render aeriform2 and has also been estimated by the degree of its expansive or thermometric influence4 ,what scale-beam is more delicate than the thermoscope of ,melloni8 #ahaa4 ,in the last paragraph but one1 seventh page1 7p4 #bgj17 you suggest1 that 8perhaps some persons might conceive that the identity of weight and inertia is obvious at once1 for both are merely resistance to motion2 inertia1 resistance to all motion1 or change of motion2 weight1 resistance to motion upward40 #ahab4 ,i am surprised that you should think the opinion of any person worthy of attention1 who should entertain so narrow a view of weight1 as antagonist of momentum1 as that above quoted1 8that it is a resistance to motion upward40 ,agreeably to the definition given at the commencement of the letter1 weight1 in its usual practical sense1 is only one case of the general force which causes all ponderable masses of matter to gravitate toward each other1 and which is of course liable to resist any conflicting motion1 whatever may be the direction4 ,when1 in the form of solar attraction1 it overcomes that inertia of the planets which would otherwise cause them to leave their orbits1 does gravitation 8resist motion upward80 #ahac4 ,in the next paragraph you allege1 that 8there is a difference in these two kinds of resistance to motion4 ,inertia is instantaneous1 weight is continuous1 resistance40 #ahad4 ,it is to this allegation ,i object1 that as you have defined inertia to be 8resistance to motion1 or to change of motion10 it follows that it can be instantaneous only where the impulse which it resists is instantaneous4 ,it cannot be less continuous than the force by which it is overcome4 #ahae4 ,gravity has been considered as acting upon falling bodies by an infinity of impulses1 each producing an adequate acceleration2 but to every such accelerating impulse1 producing of course a 8change of motion10 will there not be a commensurate resistance from inertia8 and the impulses and resistances being both infinite1 will not one be as continuous as the other8 #ahaf4 ,i have already adverted to inertia as the continuous antagonist of solar attraction in the case of revolving planets4 #ahag4 ,agreeably to ,mossotti1 the creation consists of two kinds of matter1 of which the homogeneous particles are mutually repellent1 the heterogeneous mutually attractive4 ,consistently with this hypothesis1 per se1 any matter must be imponderable2 being endowed with a property the very opposite of attraction of gravitation4 ,this last-mentioned property exists between masses consisting of both kinds of particles1 so far as the attraction between the heterogeneous atoms predominates over the repulsion between those which are homogeneous4 ,it would follow from these premises1 that all matter is ponderable or otherwise1 accordingly as it may be situated4 #ahah4 ,can the ether by which1 according to the undulatory theory1 light is transmitted1 consist of ponderable matter8 ,were it so1 would it not be attracted about the planets with forces proportioned to their weight1 respectively8 and becoming of unequal density1 would not the diversity in its density1 thus arising1 affect its undulations1 as the transmission of sound is influenced by any variations in the density of the aeriform fluid by which it is propagated8 ,with esteem1 ,i am yours truly1 ,,robert ,,hare 7,see appendix for ,whewell's ,essay47 ,additional ,remarks on the ,speculations of ,farraday and ,exley1 above noticed4 #ahai4 ,is it possible for a mere centre to be endowed with a force8 or reasonable that language should not make a distinction between something and nothing1 between cause and effect1 between matter and the properties of matter8 m being the properties1 and a the ,newtonian atom1 of which they have been considered as the attributes1 ,i cannot concur in the reasoning which infers that where we can only perceive phenomena1 we are to dispense with the idea of causation1 because that causation is not directly perceptible4 ,it seems to me1 from the meaning of the words1 that no cause can exist without some effect1 nor can any effect exist without a cause4 ,language founded on the existence of ideas cannot be disused4 ,can there be any reason for considering any thing as endowed with existence which gives no evidence of existence8 ,we distinguish between the thing which causes and the effect which it produces4 ,the cause evidently has a centrality2 the effect1 though it indicates by the direction in which it arrives1 the centre whence it proceeds1 is remote from that centre4 ,the existence of this centrality seems to be recognised in the suggestion that atoms are centres of forces4 ,this implies that the source or cause is at the centre in each atom1 and1 of course1 the phenomenon1 being more or less remote from the centre1 cannot be the source or cause1 and hence has been treated as an effect or property4 #ahbj4 ,the suggestion that the office of atoms may be performed by centres of forces1 in fact1 assigns to a mere centre the part now performed by a ,newtonian atom4 ,but it must be evident that the centre is that point within any rotating mass1 which does not turn therewith2 and which1 where neither of the opposite motions resulting from rotation take place1 can neither have length nor breadth4 ,this reduces the idea of a centre to a common definition with a mathematical point2 which is nihility in the extreme4 ,an absolutely void space may be identified with nihility1 and a mathematical point is a portion of that space1 without length1 breadth1 or thickness4 ,to endow centres with forces is to disregard the axiom1 8,out of nothing nothing can come40 ,moreover1 wherefore should there be a force at certain mathematical points1 and yet others be destitute of the same attribute8 ,manifestly1 if some mathematical points are deficient of powers with which others are endowed1 there must be something associated with one1 which is not associated with the other4 ,this justifies the ,newtonian idea1 that the force1 though proceeding from the centre1 is1 like the terrestrial attraction of gravitation1 the resultant of the complicated attraction of the whole of a body surrounding the centre4 ,but the centrality of the force does not seem to accord with the idea of the inferred diffusion of properties4 ,in the instance of gravitation it does not account for those attributes by which this globe acts as a solid mass within its material superficies1 and yet1 according to the ,farradian definition1 reaches beyond the moon6 #ahba4 ,but the idea of that polarity1 of which ,farraday has done so much to establish the existence in all matter1 in one form or another1 seems to involve that1 to constitute atoms1 there must be two centres of analogous1 but opposite1 forces in each3 whence it ensues that crystals shoot in prisms or spicul1 as water is seen to shoot in freezing2 and through which salts1 as deposited by the evaporation of the solvent from a solution of them1 are seen to travel over the sides of the vessel2 and upon which property the phenomena of electricity and magnetism appear to be dependent4 ,how is this to be reconciled with this notion of each atom existing in a diffusible penetrable state throughout the space in which its properties prevail8 ,since these opposite polarities are energetic in their reciprocal polar attraction1 what keeps them together1 yet prevents them from so uniting as to produce neutralization8 #ahbb4 ,mr4 ,exley's ideas1 if admitted1 leave no alternative but either to place a ,newtonian atom within each of his concentric spheres1 or to assume that nothing can have properties1 or that effects can exist without causes4 ,what is to cause a force at any mathematical point more than at any other8 ,how1 in case of a moving body1 are the forces to appear successively to proceed from various centres1 if there be nothing in which it is inherent1 which moves and carries its forces or properties wheresoever it goes8 ,does not this suggestion that atoms are centres of their forces1 by making the cart draw itself1 force the effect to be its own cause8 ,it is quite consistent with the ,newtonian definition1 that the resultant of the action of every part of a mass should comport as if it proceeded from a common centre1 as does terrestrial gravitation2 and of course1 whether we have the ,newtonian idea or that of ,boscovitch1 ,farraday1 or ,exley1 we have forces proceeding from centres4 ,the great difference is that agreeably to the one these forces emanate from nothing2 agreeably to the other1 from something4 ,i used to define matter to my pupils as that which has properties4 ,in the mind1 is not force distinguished from some moving power which gives it rise8 ,is not this distinction inevitable8 and were the word force employed to designate the moving power which exercises force1 would it not confound ideas1 without altering the actual state of the case8 ,would it not impoverish language1 without improving science8 ,of ,mundane1 ,ethereal1 and ,ponderable ,matter1 in their ,chemical relations4 #ahbc4 ,the bodies which occupy the attention of a chemist are found in one of three states--those of solidity1 fluidity1 and elasticity4 ,ice1 liquid water1 and steam exemplify these different states4 ,the fact is thus illustrated1 that the same chemical compound1 consisting of oxygen and hydrogen1 may exist in either state1 according to the temperature to which it may be subjected4 #ahbd4 ,experience justifies the surmise1 that scarcely any body in nature is utterly insusceptible of these three states1 provided it were heated or refrigerated with an unlimited power4 #ahbe4 ,beside the property of gravitation1 of which the energy is inversely as the square of the distance1 however great1 7as when it enables the two suns1 apparently forming but one--the double star1 #fa ,cygni 7#acdj7--;at the distance of six thousand millions of miles1 to attract each other so as to revolve about their common centre of gravity17 atoms are endowed with a force called attraction of aggregation1 which operates only at insensible distances1 so that when brought into due proximity they unite and form a coherent mass4 ,again1 they are endowed1 as already mentioned1 with chemical affinity1 which varies with the kind of particles in which it exists as a property2 being the characteristic by which they are distinguished one from the other4 #ahbf4 ,according to the doctrine which chemists have heretofore suggested for the existence of matter in the elastic or gaseous state1 each aerial or gaseous atom was conceived to be enveloped in an atmosphere of fluid called caloric1 resembling the ether in the self-repellent power of its constituent particles4 ,this atmosphere has been assumed to impart to atoms which it envelopes its own inherent power of reciprocal repulsion1 like that which those of the ether have4 ,but ,dalton showed that there was no repulsion between gaseous atoms when heterogeneous4 ,two or more such gases1 hydrogen and nitrogen1 for instance1 being comprised in the same cavity1 there would be no repulsion between the atoms of hydrogen and those of nitrogen1 but only between those of the same gas4 ,this has been held to be equally true1 however many gases might be mingled1 or whatever vapours might be superadded4 #ahbg4 ,the idea is thus refuted1 which ascribes the repulsive power to the same elastic fluid1 since in that case the diversity of the gaseous atoms could not so affect the repulsive influence as to nullify it between heterogeneous atoms1 while sustaining this repulsion1 where the atoms should be alike4 #ahbh4 ,moreover1 as the rays of light have been found to be mere undulations in the ether2 the rays of heat1 being perfectly analogous in their attributes1 must also be due to ethereal undulations4 ,but vaporization may be affected by radiant heat1 and gases owe their aeriform state to the same cause as vapor or steam2 yet transient undulations evidently cannot form a permanent combination1 so as to confer the durable elasticity of a permanent gas4 #ahbi4 ,it appears1 then1 that neither the doctrine of caloric1 nor the undulatory doctrine1 as it is received1 will explain the creation of permanent gas4 ,under these circumstances a modification of the existing opinions is called for4 ,it has1 for some years1 occurred to me1 that the ,newtonian doctrine of radiation might be associated with that of undulation4 #ahcj4 ,the fact that radiant heat could be collected by a mirror so as to raise the temperature of bodies placed in the focus1 and that this process could take place in vacuo1 as ascertained by ,sir ,humphrey ,davy1 had been adduced as unquestionable evidence of the materiality of caloric1 the supposed fluid cause of heat4 ,but as the cold proceeding from a snowball or any cold body could be collected by the same process1 it was urged by some chemists that the evidence of the materiality of the cause of cold must also be admitted4 ,prevost met this argument by suggesting that no body in nature is absolutely cold4 ,every body1 however refrigerated1 is not so cold as to be incapable of greater refrigeration4 ,hence all bodies being absolutely above the zero of nature1 are throwing off rays to each other1 and where there is equality of temperature1 they do not cause any change in their relative temperatures4 ,the rays thrown off by ,a are compensated by those which it receives from ,b1 and vice versa4 ,but if ,a throws off to ,b more than ,b reciprocates1 the temperature of ,a must fall until an equilibrium is attained4 ,thus1 ,a being the mirror and ,b the snowball1 the mirror is refrigerated1 and causes a greater radiation from any body situated about its focus4 ,this explanation was generally received1 but to me1 the following rationale1 which ,i advanced1 appeared preferable3 #ahca4 ,i assumed caloric to exist throughout the sublunary creation1 as the luminiferous ether is assumed to be diffused throughout all space by the undulationists2 the diffusion arising from the reciprocal repulsion of its particles being similar to that which had been supposed to cause the diffusion of caloric4 ,there is the greatest analogy between this diffusion and that which is known to exist in the case of gases4 ,the process is the same1 whether the gas be dense like chlorine1 or thirty-six times as rare1 as in the instance of hydrogen1 and in the luminiferous ether resembles the process by which hydrogen is rarified1 or might be rendered more rare1 were the pressure of the atmosphere removed4 #ahcb4 ,it is known that in any gas or gaseous mixture like that which we breathe1 if a deficit of pressure be caused in any spot1 the gaseous particles will quickly move toward it1 in order to restore the equilibrium of pressure1 and that if1 on the other hand1 any augmentation of pressure be produced at any spot1 the gas will move outward to restore the equilibrium4 #ahcc4 ,the particles being symmetrically arranged in lines1 a row of particles may be conceived to lie between every two remote points4 ,if we suppose any number of points in the focal body1 and a corresponding number in the surface of the mirror1 it may be conceived that the intervening ethereal or calorific particles will move in rows one way or the other1 as the pressure in the focal space may become greater or less4 ,thus an effect is brought about1 equivalent to that which the ,newtonian idea of radiation involves2 lines of particles proceed from the hotter points to the colder ones4 #ahcd4 ,the arrangement of the particles of caloric1 which was originally1 in my view1 confined to the sublunary creation1 appears of necessity to belong to the luminiferous ether1 required by the theory ascribing light to undulations1 though the last-mentioned medium must be endowed with ubiquity as above stated1 so as to abound in every part of space through which light reaches the eye4 #ahce4 ,the undulatory hypothesis supposes that a wave-like motion being imparted to a row of particles1 by a luminous point in the surface of the luminous body1 is transmitted1 like the sound producing waves in the air1 to the other end of the row4 #ahcf4 ,this undulatory progression has been roughly illustrated by the transitory serpentine movements which may be made in a cord1 stretched like a clothes-line between the tops of posts4 #ahcg4 ,in order to make this illustration elucidate the conception which ,i advance1 we have only to suppose that the cord1 instead of being attached to the post1 should be drawn rapidly over pulleys1 and1 while thus actuated1 be subjected to a cause of undulatory vibration4 ,it may be conceived that1 by this process1 the ethereal particles1 while performing all which the undulatory theory requires1 might at the same time perform all required by that of emission and material calorific radiation4 ,directed upon a vaporizable liquid1 the undulations might perform the part of sensible heat2 the ethereal particles1 successively combining1 might furnish the latent heat requisite to the constitution of vapour4 #ahch4 ,agreeably to ,newton1 the seven colours of the spectrum are due to as many different kinds of radiant particles of various refrangibility1 or susceptibility of being bent from the rectilinear path when passed through the same refracting medium4#dj #ahci4 ,according to the undulatory theory1 the colours are caused by diversities in the undulations producing them4 ,retaining this feature1 the last-mentioned hypothesis1 as modified by myself1 appears to be competent to explain the phenomena of light as well as those of vaporization1 produced by calorific radiation1 since not only is any vaporizing liquid subjected to the transient effect of the undulations1 but also may combine with the ethereal particles as they come into contact with it4 #ahdj4 ,thus modified1 the rationale of the rainbow1 or prismatic spectrum1 would not be that the colours indicate as many varieties of original radiant particles1 but that they are to be explained agreeably to the undulatory hypothesis1 which ascribes them to as many varieties in the undulations1 just as the notes in music are ascribed to diversities of vibration4 #ahda4 ,the ether1 under this view1 performs the part heretofore assigned to latent heat1 by combining with solids so as to render them susceptible of expansion1 and of electrical conduction by being liable to the polarization which constitutes electricity4 #ahdb4 ,sensible heat1 according to this aspect1 is due to the vibrations of the ethereal fluid1 which is sustained by the sun1 by ignition in the interior of the earth1 and by chemical reaction1 including combustion and respiration4 #ahdc4 ,the correctness of the inference1 that conductors owe their conductive power to ethereal matter entering into their composition1 has been insisted upon in my strictures on ,farraday's speculation in some of the preceding pages4 ,the facts admitted by this distinguished investigator of nature's laws1 gave to me a basis on which to rest an argument in favour of the existence of an imponderable cause of heat and electricity in metals1 which seems to me unanswerable4 #ahdd4 ,agreeably to the hypothesis respecting which the preceding preparatory suggestions have been made1 gasification is not due to a repulsive atmosphere of ethereal matter1 severally appropriated to each ponderable constituent atom1 but to an attraction for every such atom exercised by the ethereal fluid1 such as water exercises toward sugar1 quick-lime1 salt1 or any soluble substance4 ,the ether attracts the particles of certain solids1 and is of course reacted upon by them4 ,the particles thus attracted naturally distribute themselves throughout it1 at symmetrical distances4 ,hence the law of ,pettit and ,dulong is verified1 which1 at least1 holds good with all gasifiable atoms1 that their capacity is inversely as their atomic weight4 #ahde4 ,the atomic weights of hydrogen1 nitrogen1 and chlorine being severally #a1 #ad1 #cf1 when associated with equal volumes of the imponderable ether1 they will have still the same weight4 ,equal volumes will weigh the same as the atoms with which they are associated2 and the capacity for heat1 being directly as the volumes1 will be inversely as the weights1 the calculation being the same1 whether ether or caloric be the imponderable principle to which they owe their gasification4 ,by concurring with those chemists1 who estimate the atoms of oxygen at #af1 instead of #h1 this gas will come into the same calculation4 #ahdf4 ,when heterogeneous gases are confined within the same cavity1 that they should not react with each other is no more wonderful1 than that the same mass of water may at the same time hold different substances in solution1 which may add to its hydrostatic pressure though they have no reciprocal reaction4 #ahdg4 ,sensible heat appears to be due to vibrations in the ether1 kept up by the solar rays or central ignition within this globe4 ,by the heat thus acquired the self-repellent power of the ether is augmented4 ,when by refrigeration this source of repulsion is diminished beyond a certain limit1 the atoms of certain vaporizable particles1 such as those of steam and other condensible vapours1 are approximated sufficiently to attract each other1 and consequently coalesce and are condensed4 #ahdh4 ,it follows that light is due to undulation1 sensible heat to vibration1 and electricity to the polarization caused in the ethereal medium1 while either in a free1 or in a combined state4 ,thus this luminiferous ether performs the part heretofore attributed to latent heat or caloric in one state2 in another state1 that of sensible heat4 ,suggestions of ,massotti1 respecting the ,nature of ,matter4 #ahdi4 ,massotti has suggested that all bodies consist of two kinds of ultimate particles2 that any two or more particles of one kind are repulsive of each other1 while any two or more of different kinds are reciprocally attractive4 ,hence atoms are formed1 consisting of one atom of one kind and one of the other kind4 ,of course1 were the opposite forces exercised by the heterogeneous and homogeneous equal1 the resulting atoms would be neither attractive nor repulsive2 but assuming the attractive power to have the ascendency1 the hypothesis would account for the property of gravitation4 #ahej4 ,let the suggestions of ,massotti be modified1 so far as that the extremities of each particle1 whether of one or the other kind1 are to be considered as endowed with opposite polarities1 like those of the magnetic needle1 as already suggested in the case of matter in general4 ,then in one relative position of the extremities they may be reciprocally repulsive1 in the other reciprocally attractive2 likewise one of the kinds of matter1 like the light-producing ether of the undulationists1 may pervade the universe1 and be condensed in a peculiarly great quantity within perfect conductors3 all this being premised1 it may be conceived how the waves of opposite polarization1 which proceed from oppositely electrified1 or in other words1 oppositely polarized bodies1 cause the matter through which they pass to be decomposed or explosively rent4 #ahea4 ,as elsewhere stated1 in large bodies of water1 waves are the effect of transference of motion successively from one part of the mass to the other2 the rolling of the wave causing nothing to pass but the motion1 and of course1 the momentum is invariably consequent to motion4 ,the waves by which sound is transmitted1 are analogous2 nothing being transferred excepting a vibration of the air1 capable of affecting the tympanum of the ear with the impression requisite to create in the sensorium the idea of sound4 #aheb4 ,any affection of matter1 capable of existing in successive parts of a material body1 so that while the body is stationary1 the affection passes from one part of the mass to others1 may be considered as a wave of that affection1 as reasonably as the affection called momentum is considered as producing a wave in water1 when passing through it1 as above described4 ,it is in this way that ,i consider that the term wave of polarization may be applied to an affection of matter consisting of an abnormal position of the poles of the constituent particles1 successively induced in rows of atoms1 so as to proceed from one part of the series to the other4 #ahec4 ,and as two sets of waves1 of which the hollows of one should correspond with the elevations of the others1 would1 by being associated1 produce an even surface and equalization of the momentum in the aqueous liquid1 so1 in opposite polarities1 there might be reciprocal neutralization by the coming together of the polarities4 ,on ,electro-polarity as the ,cause of ,electrical ,phenomena4 #ahed4 ,agreeably to the view which ,i take of the present state of our electrical knowledge1 the phenomena designated under the name of electricity are due entirely to a process which ,i designate as polarization1 and the consequences thereof4 ,those attractions and repulsions which have been found to exist between particles of matter1 instead of being an endowment of the whole mass of each particle1 seem confined1 as already suggested1 to particular terminations or spots1 as we see this property on a larger scale in the loadstone or natural magnet4 ,in the body long known under this appellation1 the attractive power which it exercises is displayed usually at two distinct portions of its superficies1 which are called poles4 ,when a piece of steel wire is duly rubbed by either of these poles1 it acquires a similar attractive polarity1 which always appears at the extremities4 ,when formed into an appropriate shape and freely suspended1 such a wire magnet constitutes the compass needle1 having the wonderful and all-important faculty of arranging itself within a meridian plane1 so as to be always nearly north and south2 the same pole invariably pointing in the same direction4 ,the poles are named from the quarter to which they point1 one being called the north pole of the needle1 the other the south pole4 ,this involves that the north pole of the earth itself has nominally south polarity2 the south pole1 north polarity4 #ahee4 ,when two suspended compass needles are sufficiently approximated1 it will be seen that between the poles which point in the same direction1 there is repulsion2 between those which point in different directions1 attraction4 ,when the dissimilar poles are brought into contact1 they adhere2 and if left cohering1 will continue attached for any length of time2 and while in that state of coherence1 the magnetic power of the poles thus touching1 being neutralized1 disappears4#da #ahef4 ,if two needles be laid parallel1 an interval between them1 the extremities being made to communicate by applying two wires of suitable dimensions1 also parallel to each other1 the magnetic power will be neutralized4 #aheg4 ,it is inferred that analogous phenomena take place in the particles of masses or surfaces which are endowed with chemical affinity or even cohesive attraction4 #aheh4 ,it is to the existence of the power by which these effects are caused1 at opposite terminations1 that bodies1 in congealing or freezing from the state of liquidity1 shoot into prismatic1 oblong1 regular forms1 called crystals4 ,this is illustrated in the formation of ice1 which is seen to shoot into such prismatic crystals4 #ahei4 ,when a pane of glass is so situated as to have the focus of a solar microscope thrown upon any spot1 so that the glass thus affected may be between the eye of an observer and the microscope1 any small crystals formed are greatly magnified4 ,hence if the focal space be moistened with a solution of certain salts1 the solvent evaporating1 crystallization ensues1 and is seen to form appropriate figures for each salt employed4 ,it is owing to this property that when certain solutions of various substances are evaporated1 the soluble solid1 as it is deposited from the solvent1 arranges itself longitudinally2 one atom attaching itself to the pole of another1 until it creeps over the sides of the vessel in great quantity4 ,the appearance of arborescence in certain minerals is thus accounted for4 ,when an amalgam of mercury with silver is hung by a platina wire within a bottle of a solution of silver in nitric acid1 there is formed a beautiful branching of silver filaments4 ,these are longer1 though more slowly formed1 as the solution is more dilute4 ,in very dilute solutions ,i have seen prisms of silver of more than an inch in length1 so delicate1 that but for the brilliancy of the surface they could not have been detected by the eye4 #ahfj4 ,farraday distinguished two kinds of polarity--ferro-magnetic and dia-magnetic4 ,that above described as taking place between steel magnets is designated as ferro-magnetic4 ,dia-magnetic particles under magnetic influence take position at right angles to that which would ensue from ferro-magnetism4 #ahfa4 ,this explanation being premised to enable the student to comprehend what is meant by polarity1 ,i will proceed to explain electric phenomena1 according to the theory which ,i hold4 #ahfb4 ,it is expected that the preceding discussions have prepared the reader to conceive that the atoms of all ponderable matter are endowed with two analogous but opposite polar powers1 which we term polarity4 ,that in any two atoms the dissimilar polar powers tend to make them unite1 the similar powers having the opposite tendency4 ,that in any inert mass the opposite powers or polarities are in contact1 and thus reciprocally neutralized4 #ahfc4 ,it will be also understood that the ethereal fluid which pervades the universe as the means of illumination is assumed to consist in like manner of atoms or particles which are endowed with polarity1 so that when the opposite poles are in proximity1 there is neutralization3 repulsion1 and disturbance1 when similar poles are approximated4 ,this being premised1 the allegation may be intelligible1 that when bodies are electrified1 the poles of the component atoms or particles are conceived to be deranged from their natural position of reciprocal neutralization1 so that they react with exterior bodies1 disturbing the poles of their constituent particles1 and thus electrifying them by induction4 #ahfd4 ,this abnormal state of disturbance1 is conceived to be produced on glass or resin1 or any electric1 when duly subjected to friction4 #ahfe4 ,thus when in an electric machine a vitreous surface is rubbed by a leather cushion1 the particles both of the leather and glass surfaces are deranged from their natural state of reciprocal neutralization1 and present their poles in an active state1 and the glass surface1 moving through the ethereal medium1 7#hab7 polarizes it as it passes1 the ether resuming its normal state till the ethereal atmosphere over the conductor is reached4 ,to that it imparts durable polarity2 the metallic superficies of the conductor taking the opposite state1 so that the charge is retained until the glass goes to and returns from the cushion1 with a farther supply of polarity4 #ahff4 ,the charges of polarization received by the plates at each succeeding revolution of the plate or cylinder1 is divided with the ethereal atmosphere over the conductor1 and this process is reiterated till the frictional power has accomplished its maximum effect4 ,then the conductor is said to be charged positively1 according to the theory of one fluid1 and vitreously1 according to that of ,dufay1 or the theory of two fluids4 ,meanwhile1 if the cushion communicates duly with an insulated conductor1 a process perfectly analogous to that just described has been charging that conductor1 pari passu1 with the one first mentioned4 ,by these means we have two excited or charged conductors4 #ahfg4 ,if1 before charging these conquerors1 two scalps of hair be severally situated on them1 it will be perceived that1 as the charging proceeds1 the hairs on each of the scalps rise1 and endeavour to keep away from each other4 ,but1 meanwhile1 the whole of the hair on either is attracted by that on the other conductor4 ,moreover1 on touching both conductors with any metallic rod1 simultaneously1 the whole of the excitement disappears1 and the hairs assume their normal position4 #ahfh4 ,in producing this discharge1 iron is not more effective than any other metal4 ,it is1 in fact1 known to be less competent for this species of conduction1 than copper1 silver1 or gold4 #ahfi4 ,when the conductors are excited they have a powerful effect upon gold leaves1 suspended as in the electrometer4 #ahgj4 ,the state of the conductors1 when excited1 as described here1 is said to be static4 ,such a state of excitement is distinguished as a statical charge of electricity4 #ahga4 ,in the next place1 if we procure a horse-shoe magnet1 lay it on a table1 cover it with a sheet of paper1 and then sift over it iron filings1 we shall see the shape of the magnet delineated upon the paper1 by the filings arranging themselves above its corners in preference4 ,but as the sifting proceeds1 the filings will be seen to extend themselves in filaments1 so as very much to resemble the electrified hair above described4 ,a tuft of the ferruginous filaments will be formed upon each pole of the magnet1 each filament avoiding its neighbours1 as far as possible4 ,but while each filament1 in either tuft1 avoids every other in its appropriate tuft1 the whole of the filaments in one1 are attracted by those in the other4 ,thus1 the charges of polarity which cause each similarly polarized filament to avoid those in the same state1 induce those polarized by one of the poles of the magnet1 to attract such as are polarized by the other pole of the magnet4 #ahgb4 ,here is1 so far1 a great analogy between the phenomena of the polarization of filings and the polarization of the hair1 above described4 ,but then there is this difference3 excepting iron1 cobalt1 and nickel1 there is no metal which can1 by contact with the poles of a magnet1 neutralize the polarity by which the iron filings are affected2 and even these metals produce this result by a process1 the inverse of that by which charges of statical electricity are neutralized4 ,in fact1 the magnetic metal1 far from acting as a discharger1 acts as a keeper2 and a piece of iron1 of a suitable shape1 applied to the terminations of a horse-shoe magnet1 prevents the gradual diminution of the magnetism1 which otherwise ensues4 ,hence the name keeper is applied to it1 as well as armature1 derived from the ,french4 #ahgc4 ,it will be perceived that1 in a steel magnet1 the charges are sustained at the terminations of a conductor1 which1 as estimated by ,cavendish1 conducts electricity with a velocity two hundred thousand times as great as water4 #ahgd4 ,the charge of the conductor of the machine is superficial1 a gilt globe of glass holding as good a charge as a solid globe of metal2 and1 moreover1 in this superficial charge1 the ether and the air participate1 undergoing a polar affection1 analogous to that of the filings exposed to the influence of the magnet4 #ahge4 ,on the other hand1 in the use of the steel magnet1 the charge is internal1 and1 other things being equal1 increases with the quantity of iron charged2 neither the air nor the ether participate in this magnetic charge4 ,there is no mode in which the charges of the poles of a magnet can be made to pass from one to the other1 through any interposed conducting mass4 #ahgf4 ,the retention of the charge seems to be dependent upon a state of the particles in which they are capable of being deranged from their normal position with a certain degree of extraneous influence1 and can only resume their natural relative position by a contrary application of a similar agent4 ,although steel differs from iron only in containing1 as an ingredient1 one-fiftieth of carbon1 this gives it the highly valuable property of hardening1 when suddenly refrigerated2 a result which may be accounted for by supposing that1 in consequence of the sudden exposure to a powerful conducting medium1 there is a sort of a jerk by which the particles loose from their midst an undue portion of their ethereal constituents1 and cannot recover their normal arrangement after the refrigeration4 ,when this effect is reached to a maximum1 the steel is so brittle as sometimes to fly into two or more pieces when left to itself4 ,when soft iron is subjected to the magnetizing process1 it exchanges one polarity for the other with such speed1 that1 in some electro-magnetic instruments1 this reversal is effected more than one hundred times in a second2 but precisely in proportion as the magnetism is readily received1 it is more readily lost4 ,on the other side1 when hardened to a maximum1 steel can scarcely be magnetized at all4 ,thus1 to have a permanent magnet1 we must employ the metal in a state of induration between the extremes4 ,these facts tend to corroborate the inference that magnetism is dependent on the relative position of the ferruginous particles4 ,it is presumed that the ferruginous particles of which the filings consist indicate1 by their direction1 as seen externally1 the direction in which the constituent particles of the magnet are situated beneath the metallic surface4#db #ahgg4 ,if to a wire1 connecting the poles of a galvanic battery1 iron filings are applied1 each ferruginous particle becomes a little magnet1 and displays exactly the same disposition to unite in filaments as has been represented to take place when they are exposed upon a sheet of paper1 to the influence of a magnet supporting it4 ,but while this affection is thus identical with that induced by the steel magnet1 it differs therefrom1 in its being as transient as the galvanic discharges to which it owes its existence4 ,these1 at the lowest estimate1 are sufficiently rapid to go round the globe in two seconds2 whence it may be conceived that the time taken to percur a few inches of wire must be almost infinitely brief4 ,hence1 although the filings continue in a state of magnetization so long as the action of the battery is sustained1 and the wire kept in due contact with the poles of the battery1 it is only by a rapid reiteration of discharges1 that this result is effected4 #ahgh4 ,as the relative position of the particles composing the steel magnet has been inferred to be indicated by that of the movable filings which they influence1 we may suppose the position of the particles composing the wire1 to be indicated by that which the filings take by which it is encircled4 ,these are situated always as if forming tangents to the circumference of the wire1 and hence it may be perceived that the metallic particles1 forming the wire1 have been shifted from their normal position1 parallel to the axis1 so as to take that tangential direction which the magnetization evinces4 #ahgi4 ,on one end of the wire being in communication with one pole of a voltaic series1 on touching the other pole of the series with the other end of the wire1 filaments of the particles previously situated parallel to the axis1 are jerked out of the normal position with an inconceivable quickness1 the discharge1 however1 not affecting successive parts of the length absolutely at once1 but successively2 so that there is a time required for the process1 however inconceivably minute it may appear to us4 ,the effect upon the filaments of filings1 at the different ends of the wire1 are perfectly simultaneous1 and the effect analogous1 but different in this respect1 that the positive poles are presented externally at one end1 the negative at the other1 so that1 when the polarizing affections meet at an intermediate point within the wire1 neutrality ensues4 #ahhj4 ,thus it will be perceived that no current passes through the wire1 any more than the water which is seen to form a wave1 on one side of a lake1 passes with the wave which is seen apparently to proceed to the other side4 ,notoriously1 in this case1 nothing passes but the momentum1 which is successively imparted to successive portions of the intervening water2 so1 in the galvanic discharge1 successive portions of the intervening wire are affected by the original disturbing jerks1 of which the power passes from each portion to that next beyond it1 just as the momentum in the case of the aqueous wave4 #ahha4 ,upon these considerations ,i hold myself as warranted in calling the affections of the wire1 as described1 waves of polarization1 not that the affection of the wire has the smallest similitude to that with which water produces waves1 but that1 in both cases1 there is a successive communication of a property4 ,it is well known that there is this analogy in the two cases2 in either1 opposite waves1 on due meeting1 produce reciprocal neutrality4 #ahhb4 ,the neutralization of the electro-polarity induced upon the charged conductors 7#ahfg7 by touching both at the same time by a conducting rod1 is effected in some degree analogously to the process in the voltaic discharge2 since waves of opposite polarization are produced at each extremity1 and1 rushing toward an intermediate point1 are neutralized by meeting4 ,but the polarization in the case of the conductors1 as has been stated1 7#ahgd17 is superficial1 and extends not only to the surfaces of the conductors1 but likewise to the surrounding ether and air1 and does not affect the ponderable atoms of the wire unless the charge be too great to pass in this superficial manner4 ,in that case1 being condensed upon the wire to a state of great intensity1 it causes a polarization of the atoms composing it1 similar to that of the voltaic discharge1 though less durable4 #ahhc4 ,from the preceding exposition it follows that the conduction and insulation of that species of electricity which is excited by an electrical machine or other frictional processes1 exists upon the superficies of insulated masses1 or that of the circumambient particles of the air or ether4 ,this frictional electricity likewise passes preferably over the surfaces of conductors1 so that the moistened surface of glass1 or other non-conductors1 conveys it with enormous facility4 ,it is notorious1 that when the air is moist1 electrical machines are paralyzed4 ,but this cannot be in consequence of the moist air acting as a conductor4 ,agreeably to some experiments which ,i made1 a fog from hot water does not act as a conductor4 ,evidently1 were a fog or a cloud a conductor1 the air and moisture forming a thunder cloud could not be electrified1 so as to give the discharges which constitute lightning4 #ahhd4 ,it is well known that a tube will carry more lightning than a rod1 of which the sectional area should comprise the same quantity of metal4 ,yet1 when the wire is too small to carry a charge outside1 it is acted upon intestinally and may be explosively deflagrated4 ,but while the existence of a film of moisture upon the glass legs of an electrical machine1 may paralyze its power1 to a powerful galvanic battery moisture is well known to be essential4 #ahhe4 ,if the poles of a powerful voltaic series1 while highly charged1 were severally to have a conducting communication with the conductors of an electrical machine1 it would discharge them so rapidly1 that the most active working would not enable them to give a spark2 yet at the poles of the same series there might be charges accumulated which would1 in effecting chemical decomposition1 heating1 deflagrating wire1 or inducing magnetism1 be immensely superior to that created by a machine4 #ahhf4 ,farraday's reasoning and observations1 founded on the idea that the only difference between galvanic and frictional electricity was that between quantity and intensity1 led him to take up the idea that a grain of water with an equivalent of zinc would evolve as much electricity as sixteen millions of square feet of coated glass1 charged by a powerful machine of fifty inches in diameter4 ,i am surprised that ,farraday did not consider his premises erroneous1 when he found them involving such startling conclusions4 #ahhg4 ,the source of this startling inference was1 ,i think1 as follows3 ,farraday entertained the opinion1 that the only difference between voltaic and frictional electricity was that of quantity and intensity4 ,he went so far as to intimate that this opinion would be entertained the more confidently as the electrician forming his decision should be better acquainted with the subject4 ,i advanced what appeared to me unanswerable objections to this conclusion1 but such as were not deemed by him worthy of reply4 ,unduly confident in his postulate1 ,farraday first ascertained the greatest effect which could be produced by a certain number of turns of a powerful machine1 with a fifty inch plate1 in causing a deviation of the galvanometric needle1 and then1 comparing the quantity of zinc and water required to produce the same effect through galvanic action1 by a rule-of-three statement the result above mentioned was obtained4 ,in my view the error arose from overlooking the fact that in the one case the whole discharge was exercised in polarizing the ponderable matter1 while in the other only a portion of the discharge was thus employed1 being only a secondary effect of the polarization of the circumambient medium4 ,only that portion of the charge which was forced into an association with the ponderable matter1 had any effect on the galvanometric needle4 #ahhh4 ,according to ,gaziot's experiments1 a ,grove's battery of #cbj pairs would not give a spark before contact at any distance1 although frictional machines1 proportionally powerful1 have given sparks at twenty inches4 #ahhi4 ,thus the laws of conduction and insulation1 as respects the two kinds of electricity in question1 are different2 the waves of polarization are in the case of the galvanic circuit confined to absolute contact with conducting ponderable matter4 ,it cannot pass through the electrical medium or the air by the disruptive process4 ,when once a passage has been made for it1 it may pass convectively1 carrying with it the polarizable matter1 as may be seen in the arch formed between the poles of a powerful voltaic series after contact4 #ahij4 ,this arch cannot be formed between two metallic points1 because none but those of a most fixed and infusible nature can support the heat produced4 ,it is only between charcoal points that it can be created1 because no other competent conductor is infusible at the temperature of its volatilization4 ,it is in fact only by the process in question1 that charcoal can be volatilized per se4 ,it may be inferred that as those waves of electro-polarity which require the presence of ponderable as well as ethereal matter cannot pass over an interval without the assistance of ponderable matter such as is supplied by the coal4 ,on contact with each other1 the points completing the circuit are subjected to an intensity of the polarizing power which causes the carbon of the points1 in the state of vapour1 to become associated with the ethereal waves1 and thus produces the flaming arch1 which distinguishes the scene of reciprocal neutralization4 ,of ,mind1 as existing independently1 and as distinguished from ,matter4 #ahia4 ,three ideas must coexist in every rational being2 nihility1 mind1 and matter4 ,we can1 of course1 conceive of a perfectly void space1 and likewise of a mathematical point1 which designates a position not an entity4 ,yet1 position cannot be determined without surrounding entities1 between which this point exists1 without having claim to any portion of those entities1 whether there be only one actual material surface1 or where several are cornered together4 ,of such points we have already treated1 as forming at the immovable centre of a rotating mass1 so that a centre is1 of course1 one state of the existence of such a point4 #ahib4 ,after the considerations already presented1 it will be seen that there is great difficulty in conceiving of the existence of an atom of matter endowed with polarity1 and of course with two centres of two analogous1 but opposite and irreconcilable forces4 ,and we must consider that there are more than fifty such heterogeneous elementary atoms1 all endowed with various degrees of affinity1 so as that two may unite energetically to the exclusion of a third4 ,this is designated as a case of decomposition1 and may be exemplified by the process in which water is explosively decomposed by potassium1 with which the oxygen of the water unites to the exclusion of hydrogen4 ,when we see that from seven parts1 by weight1 of charcoal1 and about nine parts of water1 sugar ensues2 that the sweetness with which this sugar is endowed1 is the result of a difference between this substance and starch1 in the proportion of the watery elements3 starch consisting of less water than sugar1 with the same amount of charcoal2 when we learn that twelve parts1 by weight1 of charcoal1 fourteen parts of nitrogen1 and one of hydrogen1 constitute the deadly prussic acid2 and when1 in fact1 we discover that the atoms of matter which compose our flesh are capable of entering into as many active chemical combinations as the beads of a kaleidoscope can be productive of figures1 then it will be manifest that the phenomena characterizing what we call matter1 as well as the powers of that matter1 are such as to prove our utter incapacity to comprehend the powers and properties of material atoms1 and that we must not object to any wonder that nature may produce1 because it is beyond our comprehension4#dc #ahic4 ,the belief in the powers displayed by matter does not then result from their being explicable1 but from their being evident1 just as the elaboration of the chick from the egg demonstrates the fact that the yolk and the white have been converted into a chicken without our being enabled to comprehend the process by which it has been effected4 ,such being the imperfection of our knowledge respecting the intricate nature of matter and its reactions1 it seems to me inconsistent that there should have been such backwardness to believe in the independent existence of mind1 of which the phenomena and properties are quite as evident as those of matter1 the mode of existence and operation in either case being inscrutable4 #ahid4 ,the great distinction between mind and matter is the presence of will on the one side1 and the absence of it upon the other4 ,vis inerti is the antipodes of will2 and if gravitation have any association with will1 it will be that of the ,creator2 but in the inert mass actuated1 it serves only to add to the evidence of incapability of self-actuation4 #ahie4 ,passion and reason1 the parents of will1 are properties as manifest as those which1 surrounding a centre1 give to it that idea of a central force which indicates the presence of material atoms1 though it does not constitute them1 as ,i have urged4 #ahif4 ,the existence of vis inerti1 gravitation1 and chemical affinity1 is not more evident as properties of ponderable matter than reason and passion and consequent will are of mind2 nor is will less evidently the offspring of reason and passion1 than momentum is of vis inerti and gravitation4 ,the existence of these attributes of mind is as evident as is the existence of those of ponderable matter1 and the incomprehensibility of their origin or mode of operation should no more be an obstacle to belief in the former case than in the latter4 #ahig4 ,nothing is more thoroughly fundamental and essential in the doctrine inculcated by revelation than the omnipotency of the will of ,god4 ,according to ,scripture1 the whole heaven and earth1 and all that is in them1 sprung into existence in consequence of the fiat of the ,deity1 whose will1 under the designation of 8overruling providence10 is alleged to regulate every thing1 even to the fall of a sparrow1 or the advent of a pestilence4 ,it follows that the suggestions which ,i have made respecting the powers of mind are perfectly orthodox1 so far as the mind of the ,creator is concerned2 and as1 according to orthodoxy1 man is made after ,god's own image1 however humble and minute may be the being so made1 his mind1 so far as it exists1 must be1 within the sphere allotted to it1 existing upon an analogous footing to that of its author4 ,the idea of all things coming from the creative power of ,god as the first cause1 involves the existence of the divine-will power1 of the first cause2 and consequently1 beings endowed with an analogous will1 must1 so far as they have any available existence1 be endowed with will-power1 of which the potentiality may be more extensive in spirits than in mortals4 #ahih4 ,it is because there is no other imaginable power which can be productive of the rationality of the universal creation1 that forms the great argument for assuming the will of a reasoning ,deity to be the cause of causes4 ,vain were it to appeal to any irrational force under the name of odylic1 or any other1 to explain the divine attributes on which this argument reposes4 ,in like manner1 the assailants of ,spiritualism cannot find any nominal force1 whether new or old1 which can explain the rationality of the results which ,i have submitted to the public in this book1 as coming from the minds of my spirit friends4 ,of ,spirit independently1 or as distinguished from ,mind and ,matter4 #ahii4 ,it has been alleged above1 that three ideas must exist in the conception of every rational being2 nihility1 mind1 matter4 #aijj4 ,mind is distinct from matter in its usual acceptation2 but it also differs from nihility4 ,there are some attributes common to mind and matter2 since they cannot be considered as nothing1 they must both be something4 ,therefore1 the word thing applies to either1 and thing is sometimes received as synonymous with matter4 ,but between these two kinds of things1 mind and matter1 we have an intermediate thing called spirit1 which is sometimes confounded with mind4 ,in its original sense1 this word merely denoted a thin or refined matter1 such as air1 wind1 breath4 ,in chemistry1 it has been applied to every thing obtained by distillation1 as1 for instance1 spirit of wine1 spirit of salt1 spirit of nitre1 of vitriol1 spirit of turpentine4#dd #aija4 ,hence1 by analogy1 when the mind of a mortal1 after death1 was seen1 or supposed to be seen1 in a shadowy form called a ghost or shade1 it was conceived to be the spirit or essence of the mortal body which it had inhabited4 ,it was the body which the mind took or kept for its integuments after abandoning its perishable mundane casket1 as the spirits are wont to call the carnal body4 #aijb4 ,it is difficult for us mortals to conceive of mind without such a spiritual body4 ,yet1 agreeably to information from my spirit friends1 the substances of which the bodies1 the country1 and habitations of spirits are constituted1 seem to have the attributes of materiality no less than the substances of which the bodies1 the territory1 and the habitations of mortals are constituted4 ,their spiritual substances perform for them the same offices as our material substances do for ours1 yet it is expedient to distinguish them by different appellations1 and those cited here have been sanctioned by custom at least as far as the time of ,st4 ,paul1 or when these words in ,genesis were first used3 8,the spirit of ,god moved on the surface of the water40 #aijc4 ,hence1 the words materialism and materialist have been made synonymous with unbelief or unbeliever in a future state of spiritual existence4 #aijd4 ,spirit has also been confounded with mind or soul1 or so associated that we speak of the spirit of a friend1 when intending to convey the idea of soul or mind4 #aije4 ,the soul seems to be understood as the basis both of the passions and the reason1 uniting both the power of thinking and reasoning with those of loving and hating1 of benevolence and malevolence1 so that even the soul of ,jehovah has been represented in ,scripture as being actuated by jealousy1 wrath1 and vindictiveness4 #aijf4 ,according to information from the spirit world1 spirit is viewed as the clothing of the soul1 and is not constant in its characteristics2 but1 on the contrary1 varies with the plane which it occupies1 so that its density is inversely as the rank attained4 ,it is on this account that the inferior spirits cannot rise above the level to which they rightfully belong4 #aijg4 ,the impression is conveyed that there is a state to be attained in the spiritual heaven1 wherein the tenuity of the integuments of the soul are still more refined4 #aijh4 ,according to the speculation in which ,i indulged in a previous page1 a centre cannot differ from the nihility involved by the conception of a mathematical point1 without a circumambient something1 to which the difference is due1 and1 however difficult to conceive in what way the attributes of a human soul are associated about the centre whence their influence proceeds1 this difficulty1 having been shown to exist no less in the case of ponderable atoms1 would be an objection to the existence of matter as much as of mind4 ,of the ,soul1 as distinguished from ,mind and ,matter4 #aiji4 ,the word mind is much used as synonymous with intellect or understanding1 though it seems to me we consider it as more or less associated with the passions which actuate it4 ,the word soul1 on the other hand1 involves the association of every thing which distinguishes a being capable of passion1 and competent to reason1 from a corpse4 ,it is remarkable that1 as spirits become more pure and intellectual1 they should be alleged to become more refined in their spiritual integuments1 thus removing further from the mundane state1 and becoming less capable of giving those manifestations in which violent movements are witnessed4 ,on the ,odic1 or ,odylic1 ,force4 #aiaj4 ,there never was perhaps a more eloquent exhibition of that which has been designated as ratiocinatio verbosa1 than in the appeals made to the odic force as the means of explaining spiritual manifestations4 ,it may be inferred1 from the speculation into which ,i entered1 when treating of mediumship1 7#hjf17 that there is a spiritual light and spiritual electricity1 which performs for spirits in the spiritual world what our electricity and light does for us in this world4 ,it was pointed out that the term magnetism had been applied to mesmeric phenomena rather in consequence of an analogy between them and those of electro-magnetism1 than from any identity4 ,to this spiritual electricity1 mortals1 in their spiritual organism1 which coexists with the mortal body1 during mundane life1 are liable2 being unconsciously under its influence4 #aiaa4 ,the phenomena of mundane light being ascribed to the undulations of an ethereal fluid pervading the visible universe1 7#ahca17 and electricity being ascribed to the polarization of the same fluid1 so the spirits ascribe their electricity and their light to the undulation and polarization of an analogous ethereal fluid4 ,it is to this ethereal fluid of the spiritual world1 that the phenomena called odic belong1 as ,i conceive4 ,we may speak of that ether as the odic fluid1 and we may designate the light and electricity which it produces as odic light1 and odic electricity4 #aiab4 ,but the use of the term force1 as applied either to the ether appropriate to this mundane sphere1 or to that which belongs more especially to the spirit world1 seems to me erroneous4 ,imponderable fluids may be instrumental to forces1 but1 per se1 cannot have force4 ,no imponderable material fluid can per se have any force1 unless that of the reciprocal repulsion of particles1 which causes their equable diffusion and resistance to condensation4 ,electricity has less force in proportion as it is more isolated4 ,in vacuo it passes more diffusely and with less noise in proportion as the vacuum is more perfect4 ,the violence of electrical phenomena is always dependent upon the reaction of the ponderable masses upon or between which it acts4 ,in proportion as the matter on which it operates is more favourable to its condensation therein1 or thereupon1 the more violent is the deflagration or explosion which results4 ,but in all the phenomena which have hitherto been recognised as the objects of strict physical examination1 vis inerti has been indispensable to the exhibition of force4 8,give me but where to stand1 and ,i will move the world10 was the exclamation of ,archimedes2 but the conviction thus expressed1 of the necessity of a resisting basis1 is universally recognised4 ,in other words1 there can be no action without reaction1 whether chemical1 mechanical1 or muscular force be applied4 ,of course1 it is preposterous to speak of an isolated imponderable physical fluid1 as possessing force per se4 ,when left to itself it would remain inert1 like any other inanimate matter4 ,clearly1 isolated action on the part of such a fluid cannot be shown in any case whatever4 #aiac4 ,reichenbach alleged the substance or principle to which the name odic has been given to be visible1 but he did not adduce any instance of its acting as a moving power so as to justify its being designated as the odic force4 #aiad4 ,it is1 however1 unnecessary that those who admit the existence of an invisible ethereal medium through which1 without muscular contact1 or agency1 effects are produced by will1 should concur in their opinions respecting the nature of that imponderable principle4 ,the question between those agreeing in the preceding principles1 is whether it is to the will of mortals or to the will of disembodied spirits that such manifestations are to be attributed4 ,i should think that no person who shall have read the communications which ,i have introduced into this work1 as coming from my spirit friends1 can ascribe those communications to the medium and myself4 ,they must either suppose that there is a wilful manufacture of the wonderful and interesting information therein contained1 setting aside the test conditions1 through which they are sanctioned1 as unreliable2 or they must ascribe a wonderful fertility to the minds of the media and myself1 through whom they have been obtained4 #aiae4 ,so far from the ideas being obtained from my mind1 which proceed from my spirit father1 that he and ,i cannot come to one opinion on some points after much discussion4 ,my father and sister have1 by reiterated communication1 as well established a conviction on my mind of their being that which they allege themselves to be1 as if a correspondence had been carried on with them for the same space of time1 say eighteen months1 while they should be residing in another part of the country4 #aiaf4 ,but the whole superstructure built up by the most confident among the recent assailants of ,spiritualism1 ,mahan1 rests on the error already exposed in the case of its commission by ,dr4 ,bell4 #aiag4 ,it is assumed that spirits can never tell any ideas which do not exist in the minds of some persons present4 ,who was present when my spirit messenger conveyed to ,mrs4 ,gourlay the request to send her husband to bank to inquire when a note would be due8 ,again1 when cards were selected without the denomination having been seen by any mortal present1 how could the denomination of the cards be spelt out upon the alphabetic disk8 #aiah4 ,in his work1 ,mr4 ,mahan assumes that the odic force is identical with that which is the immediate cause of the spirit manifestations4 ,agreeably to the considerations above presented1 no imponderable material principle1 such as the ether of the undulation theory is supposed to be1 can be a force4 ,the only part which it can perform is that of being a medium of force4 ,the fluid of electricity was never assumed to be a moving power1 neither according to the ,franklinian hypothesis of one fluid1 nor that of two fluids1 according to ,dufay4 ,without chemical or mechanical disturbance1 they would be as still as the water in a pond during a perfect calm4 #aiai4 ,there is evidently1 however1 in nature1 an imponderable cause of motion1 and of other changes1 more complicate than simple motion1 and1 ,i believe1 only one such cause1 and that is mind4 ,no one who attributes the creation to the mind of the ,creator1 but must admit that the mind of the ,creator and ,ruler of the universe is the moving power of the universe4 ,it must also be admitted that the mind of man1 as a moving power1 is very minute in comparison with that of its ,author1 or ,source1 but still resembling it so far as it reasons1 and obeys the dictates of that reason1 and causes matter to move in consequence of its designs1 desires1 wishes1 or emotions4 #aibj4 ,but if this will of the ,creator exists1 it must have some medium through which it reaches the objects which it influences1 just as the ether of the undulationist is necessary to the transmission of light4 ,it is through this medium that gravitation exists as one of the effects of divine will1 since1 although it appears to be a property of matter1 it is inferred to be no less the effect of an habitual exercise of volition1 than the erect posture preserved in man1 by analogous means1 unconsciously2 whence1 in him1 it ceases with sleep4 ,the human will1 within its comparatively minute1 humble sphere of action1 must require also a medium analogous to that through which ,god acts2 otherwise1 how does a thought so quickly move the toe8 ,while encompassed by its perishable tenement1 there is a certain extent of this will-power enjoyed through the laws of ,god2 but on casting off this envelope1 the spirit1 to be qualified for its new state of existence1 becomes endowed with more extensive power of the nature in question4 #aiba4 ,this power of the will exists and is displayed in the mesmeric phenomena1 where the will of one individual dominates over the limbs of another4 ,the power of the will of an individual over his own muscles1 not only in the usual movement1 but in producing a rigidity of the muscles of the arm or thigh1 is of course notorious4 ,but it appears that there are some persons morbidly susceptible of this rigidity1 or at least preternaturally liable to it4 ,again1 others have a will which is1 in some degree1 preternatural2 hence1 when such persons are in proximity1 the one can actuate the muscles of the other1 and even modify the impressions on the brain4 #aibb4 ,spirits1 as above stated1 appear to be endowed with this will-power to an extent proportioned to their necessities4 ,hence it was substantiated by my spirit father in the first instance1 and by the convocation of spirits in the second1 that they1 like the genius of ,aladdin's lamp1 can create1 in their own world1 the objects of rational desire or fancy by a fiat1 but their will-power cannot directly move mundane bodies4 ,in order to effect this1 they must avail themselves of the coarser medium of the human will-power1 in which case they act1 as one mortal may act upon the will-power of another in proximity4 ,the will-power aura of human beings and of spirits seems to emanate from their organism respectively1 and1 no doubt1 connects duly with that of ,god4 ,hence1 there is thus1 that association of the divine will1 with all animated beings1 which is suggested by the popular theology4 ,the will1 and the aura through which it acts1 varying with the organism with which it is associated1 it requires a certain coincidence in the attributes of a spirit and a mortal1 to enable the former to use the aura of the latter to produce any manifestation of its will or ideas4 ,but so far as this coincidence exists1 the power is enjoyed4 ,that such coincidences have arisen1 ,i conceive must be evident from the careful consideration of the facts which ,i have recorded in this work4 #aibc4 ,the question is put by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mahan1 why the odic force1 existing in nature1 may not be productive of the results ascribed to disembodied spirits8 ,he overlooks the fact that no inanimate imponderable principle can be1 per se1 a moving power2 that inanimate matter does not move itself4 ,then1 as ,i understand1 agreeably to another phase1 he inquires why may it not become an instrument to the minds of the mortals concerned8 #aibd4 ,in the first place1 there are facts within my experience which cannot be explained by any possible exertion of any mundane mind1 were those concerned to concur in striving to accomplish the result4 ,thus1 how would it be possible for ,mrs4 ,gourlay and myself to have brought about the result of which an account has been given in the supplemental preface of this work1 and upon which remarks have been made in other pages8 ,it is utterly impossible that1 by any imaginable process1 ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 having no previous hint1 could have become the instrument of my volition at the distance of nearly a hundred miles from ,philadelphia1 and when1 at the time1 she was intently engaged in receiving1 as she alleges1 a communication from her spirit mother to her brother1 who was her visitor from his abode in ,maine4 #aibe4 ,again1 it cannot be imagined that things would be communicated by my spirit father and others1 of which ,i was ignorant when they were made4 ,the same may be said of ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 as she knew nothing of the facts communicated to her1 for me4 ,then1 when the narrative of those facts was read over to the spirit1 there were often things to be explained and views to be justified1 in opposition to my previous impressions4 ,conversing frequently with ,mrs4 ,gourlay1 ,i know that she had none of the important impressions respecting the spheres1 which were conveyed through her for my edification4 ,,religious ,,errors ,,of ,,mr4 ,,mahan4 ,proposition of ,mr4 ,mahan4 #aibf4 8,evidence that the ,scriptures are given by inspiration of the ,spirit of ,god1 as contrasted with the evidence1 that the spirit manifestations are from the spirits of men40 #aibg4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mahan1 not satisfied with endeavouring to refute ,spiritualism directly1 devotes some pages of his work to the object of bearing it down by the weight of ,scriptural superiority1 both as to the evidence1 and its moral tendencies4 ,this renders the expediency of the strictures which ,i have made1 or may make1 on the other side of the question1 unquestionable4 #aibh4 ,there are several truths1 which ,i deem to be axiomatic1 which are irreconcilable with the truth of ,revelation1 7#ah to #bj47 ,merely to state them is to refute ,mr4 ,mahan's allegation above cited4 ,with readers who will not admit the axioms to which allusion is made1 ,i must agree to differ4 7,see page #cd47 #aibi4 ,in the first place1 ,i have represented it as a contradiction to allege that an omnipotent1 omniscient1 and prescient ,god can subject any thing to probation1 7#achj47 #aicj4 ,in the next place1 ,i hold that an omnipotent ,god cannot wish men to have any religion1 without that object being effected4 ,will not any event arrive ,for which both will and power strive8 ,must not any result obtain ,which power unites with will to gain8 #aica4 ,i answer these queries in the affirmative1 and of course consider the theology of ,revelation as involved in a contradiction1 so far as it represents an omnipotent and prescient ,god as wishing any creed to be adopted which has not been adopted4 #aicb4 ,as a corollary to these axioms1 it results that ,god never has performed any miracle for the purpose of conveying a knowledge of the true religion2 simply because all that have been alleged to have come from ,god have only produced religious discord4 ,of course ,god1 foreseeing the failure of those miracles1 would not have resorted to them4 ,did ,god a special creed require1 ,each soul would he not with that creed inspire8 #aicc4 ,this ,i answer affirmatively4 ,the truth of the affirmative is as clear to my mind as any of ,euclid's axioms4 #aicd4 ,another conclusion ,i consider as inevitable3 that no document can be substantiated by the facts of which it furnishes the sole evidence4 #aice4 ,in this predicament ,i place the ,bible1 the ,koran1 the ,shaster1 or ,veda1 and the ,zendavesta1 or any religious record of antiquity4 #aicf4 ,manifestly1 a record made by man can have no higher authority than that of the men whose testimony it records1 and those by whom it was recorded4 ,of the origin of the ,books of ,moses no higher evidence exists1 according to the testimony of the ,bible itself1 than that of an obscure priest and a fanatical king4 #aicg4 ,if we are to judge of the ,jewish priesthood by the example afforded by ,samuel1 we have no more reason to trust a ,hebrew pontiff than a ,romish pope1 7#ajia47 ,bishop ,hopkins has sufficiently shown how far priests are to be trusted1 7#abif47 ,what would be said of any book1 alleged to be due to ,divine inspiration1 if it had1 agreeably to its own authority1 an origin no more reliable than the allegation of a priest that it had been found in a temple or church1 there being no other evidence of its not having been forged by the priest1 or his accomplices1 than his own allegation8 ,what better evidence would there be of the sacred origin of such a document1 than there is of the ,book of ,mormon--the ,bible brought forward by ,joe ,smith8 ,yet the following quotation will show that there was no ,bible in use in ,judea in the reign of ,josiah1 #cej years after the reign of ,david1 and just before the ,babylonian captivity2 and that1 in consequence1 idolatry had to a great extent superseded the true worship4 #aich4 ,under these circumstances1 the high priest alleged a copy of the ,bible to be found1 and sent it by a scribe to the king4 ,this monarch had lived in such ignorance of the existence of this holy code1 that he was thrown into a state of such deep penitence for the sinful omissions arising from his ignorance1 as to rend his clothes by way of expressing his sorrow4 ,moreover1 orders were forthwith given to have the abuses abated1 which had been introduced solely through ignorance4 #aici4 ,i view this evidence of the highest importance at this time1 when such men as ,mahan1 and the anonymous author of the parodied letter1 7#aahb17 are appealing to the ,bible as the inspired word of ,god1 and thus making ,god sanction a catalogue of atrocious crimes and indecencies1 and when this imposture is to sit as an incubus on those truly moral impressions which the blessed spirits of the immortal ,washington and other worthies1 as well as my honoured father1 would communicate for the amelioration of the religion and morals of mankind4 ,i repeat1 that ,i consider it of immense importance that attention should be called to the questionable foundation on which these pretensions to inspiration are erected4 ,i shall1 therefore1 not only quote a portion of these pretended words of ,god1 but also that part of a chapter in the ,book of ,josephus which narrates the same all-important occurrence more fully and satisfactorily1 though giving the same evidence essentially4 ,scriptural ,account of the ,finding of the ,books of ,moses by ,hilkiah1 the ,high ,priest4--#b ,chron4 xxxiv42 #b ,kings xxii4 #aidj4 8,and when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the ,lord1 ,hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the ,lord given by ,moses4 ,and ,hilkiah answered and said to ,shaphan the scribe1 ,i have found the book of the law in the house of the ,lord4 ,and ,hilkiah delivered the book to ,shaphan4 ,and ,shaphan carried the book to the king1 and brought the king word back again1 saying1 ,all that was committed to thy servants1 they do it4 ,and they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the ,lord1 and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers1 and to the hand of the workmen4 ,then ,shaphan the scribe told the king1 saying1 ,hilkiah the priest hath given me a book4 ,and ,shaphan read it before the king4 ,and it came to pass when the king had heard the words of the law1 that he rent his clothes4 ,and the king commanded ,hilkiah1 and ,ahikam the son of ,shaphan1 and ,abdon the son of ,micah1 and ,shaphan the scribe1 and ,asaiah a servant of the king's1 saying1 ,go1 inquire of the ,lord for me1 and for them that are left in ,israel1 and in ,judah1 concerning the words of the book that is found2 for great is the wrath of the ,lord that is poured out upon us1 because our fathers have not kept the word of the ,lord1 to do after all that is written in this book4 ,and ,hilkiah1 and they that the king had appointed1 went to ,huldah the prophetess1 the wife of ,shallum the son of ,tikvath1 the son of ,hasrah1 keeper of the wardrobe2 7now she dwelt in ,jerusalem in the college37 and they spake to her to that effect4 ,and she answered them1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 ,tell ye the man that sent you to me1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,behold1 ,i will bring evil upon this place1 and upon the inhabitants thereof1 even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of ,judah3 because they have forsaken me1 and have burned incense unto other gods1 that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands2 therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place1 and shall not be quenched4 ,and as for the king of ,judah1 who sent you to inquire of the ,lord1 so shall ye say unto him1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel concerning the words which thou hast heard2 because thy heart was tender1 and thou didst humble thyself before ,god when thou heardest his words against this place1 and against the inhabitants thereof1 and humbledst thyself before me1 and didst rend thy clothes1 and weep before me2 ,i have even heard thee also1 saith the ,lord4 ,behold1 ,i will gather thee to thy fathers1 and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace1 neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that ,i will bring upon this place1 and upon the inhabitants of the same4 ,so they brought the king word again4 ,then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of ,judah and ,jerusalem4 ,and the king went up into the house of the ,lord1 and all the men of ,judah1 and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 and the priests1 and the ,levites1 and all the people1 great and small3 and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the ,lord4 ,and the king stood in his place1 and made a covenant before the ,lord1 to walk after the ,lord1 and to keep his commandments1 and his testimonies1 and his statutes1 with all his heart1 and with all his soul1 to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book4 ,and he caused all that were present in ,jerusalem and ,benjamin to stand to it4 ,and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem did according to the covenant of ,god1 the ,god of their fathers4 ,and ,josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of ,israel1 and made all that were present in ,israel to serve1 even to serve the ,lord their ,god4 ,and all his days they departed not from following the ,lord1 the ,god of their fathers40 ,account of the ,finding of the ,books of ,moses1 by ,josephus4 #aida4 8,the repairs of the temple being completed1 and all expenses defrayed1 ,hilkiah1 in conformity to the king's orders1 took out the money for the purpose of converting it into vessels for the use of the temple2 and1 upon removing the gold1 happened to discover the sacred books of ,moses4 ,this he took out and gave to ,shaphan1 the king's secretary1 to peruse1 who1 upon reading them over1 went to the king1 accompanied by ,hilkiah1 who told him that he had executed all his commands relative to the reparation of the temple1 and at the same time presented the book to him in great form1 assuring him what it was1 and where they had found it4 #aidb4 8,the king ordered ,shaphan to read a part of the contents1 which being done1 he rent his robes1 in dread of the heavy curses denounced against a wicked generation4 ,in the height of his affliction1 he desired the secretary1 with ,hilkiah1 and several priests who were present1 to go to the prophetess ,huldah1 the wife of ,shallum1 a man of eminence1 and unite their endeavours to prevail upon her to make intercession with ,god for pardon toward himself and his subjects4 ,he told them there was great reason to apprehend that the vengeance of ,heaven would fall upon the present generation as a punishment for the iniquity of their progenitors1 and particularly their neglect and contempt of the laws of ,moses2 and that1 without obtaining a reconciliation1 they should be dispersed over the face of the earth1 and terminate their lives in misery4 #aidc4 8,hilkiah1 with those who were appointed to accompany him1 immediately repaired to the prophetess1 and having related the cause of the king's affliction1 and his earnest desire of her intercession with ,heaven in behalf of him and his subjects1 she bade them return him this answer3 ,that the sentence already pronounced was not to be recalled on any supplication or intercession whatever4 ,that the people were to be banished from their own country1 and punished for their disobedience with the loss of all human comforts4 ,that the judgment was irrevocable1 for their obstinately persisting in their superstitious and idolatrous practices1 notwithstanding so many warnings to a timely repentance1 and the menacing predictions of the prophets1 if they persevered in their abominations4 #aidd4 8,this unchangeable decree was to show1 by the event1 that there is a just and overruling ,disposer of all things1 and the predictions which he delivered by the means of the prophets will be infallibly verified1 as the certain indications of his whole will respecting mankind4 ,the prophetess added1 #8,tell the king1 however1 that1 in consideration of his own pious and virtuous example1 the judgment shall be averted from the people during his days2 but that the day of his death shall be the eve of their final destruction4' #aide4 8,as soon as ,josiah received this message from the prophetess1 he immediately despatched messengers to the several cities within his dominions1 commanding all the priests and ,levites1 and men of all ages and conditions1 to repair with the utmost speed to ,jerusalem4 ,these orders being obeyed1 and the people assembled1 the king went to the temple1 where1 in the hearing of the whole multitude1 he caused the laws of ,god1 as contained in the books of ,moses1 to be distinctly read2 after which he bound himself and the people1 with their universal consent1 by a most solemn oath1 strictly to observe every article contained in the sacred books1 respecting the laws and religion established by ,moses4 ,this solemn oath was followed by prayers and oblations for the divine blessing and protection4 #aidf4 8,the king strictly enjoined the high priest to take a particular account of the plate and vessel in the temple1 and to cast out so many of them as they should find to have been dedicated by any of his ancestors to idolatrous services4 ,those that were found were reduced to dust1 and in that state thrown into the air4 ,all the priests were likewise put to death1 that were not of the flock of ,aaron4 #aidg4 8,having effected this reformation in ,jerusalem1 ,josiah made a progress throughout his whole dominions1 where he destroyed all the relics of ,jeroboam's superstition and idolatry1 and burnt the bones of false prophets1 upon the very altar which that impious king had set up4 ,of this we have taken notice before1 as well as the intervention of the prophet1 with a prediction in the hearing of the multitude1 at the time when ,jeroboam was offering sacrifice1 #8,that one of the race of ,david1 ,josiah by name1 was to do this4' ,the prediction was verified1 by the event1 three hundred and fifty-one years after it was foretold4 #aidh4 8,so ardent was the zeal of ,josiah for extending the great work of reformation1 that he went in person to several of the ,israelites who had escaped the ,assyrian bondage1 in order to dissuade them from continuing in superstition1 and prevail with them to embrace the pure religion of their forefathers1 according to the long established custom of their country4 ,nor did he rest here1 but caused the towns and villages to be searched for the discovery of any remains of idolatrous practices that might lie concealed4 ,the very figures of the horses over the porch of the temple1 which their forefathers had dedicated to the sun1 and all the monuments to which the people had ascribed divine honour1 were1 by his special order1 taken away and destroyed4 #aidi4 8,having thus purged the whole nation from idolatry1 and fully restored the true worship of the one only and true ,god1 he called an assembly of the people at ,jerusalem1 for the purpose of celebrating the passover1 the time for that festival being near at hand4 ,on this occasion the king gave out of his own store1 for paschal sacrifices1 thirty goats1 a thousand lambs1 and three thousand oxen4 ,the heads of the priests presented to the others of the sacerdotal order two thousand six hundred lambs1 and the chief of the ,levites gave to their tribes five thousand lambs1 and five hundred oxen4 ,a solemn sacrifice was made of these victims1 according to the precepts of ,moses1 and the ceremony was performed under the direction of the priests4 ,from the time of the prophet ,samuel to that day1 there had never been a festival celebrated with equal solemnity2 for this had the allowed preference1 because the whole was conducted in strict conformity to the very letter of the laws1 and the precise mode of their forefathers4 ,josiah1 after the accomplishment of a work of such moment and importance to the nation in general1 enjoyed his government in honour1 peace1 and plenty1 till he closed his life40--,book #aj1 page #aec4 ,if the ,pentateuch had been previously known to the ,jews1 it is incredible that it could have become obsolete and forgotten prior to the alleged discovery of it in the ,temple1 in the reign of ,josiah4 #aiej4 ,after the ,pentateuch had been viewed as the word of ,god1 made known to a people as their peculiar inheritance1 lifting them1 in their own estimation1 above the rest of mankind1 as ,god's chosen people1 this code being the sole authority for their bloody and rapacious course toward their neighbours1 is it credible that such a document1 had it ever existed1 could have become both obsolete and forgotten8#de ,yet we have no alternative but to admit this absurdity1 or to conclude that the ,bible has no better authority than the ,book of ,mormon2 the one being no more than the other the work of a designing priesthood and would-be rulers4 #aiea4 ,what credit would be given to any work having no better authority for divine origin than that of the allegation that some pope had found it in a cathedral or in the ,vatican1 and had sent it to some monarchical bigot as the mislaid testament of the ,almighty1 given by inspiration through some ancient predecessor of his holiness8 #aieb4 ,it may be difficult to conceive that ,hilkiah and his associates1 in writing a book1 as proceeding by inspiration from ,jehovah1 could have fabricated any facts so derogatory to an immaculate ,deity as those mentioned under the authority of ,moses4 ,how impious must have been their conceptions1 to represent him as authorizing them to borrow trinkets of the ,egyptians1 in order to purloin them2 the sanctioning the cold-blooded murder of three thousand people for religious error2 the slaughtering of whole nations1 even to their suckling babes1 as in the case of the ,midianites1 ,canaanites1 and ,amalekites1 with the setting aside virgins for the fate from which the ,roman ,virginius relieved his daughter by his dagger6 ,it is difficult to conceive that an idea1 so derogatory of ,god1 could have been entertained by his chosen people4 ,yet1 on the other hand1 inasmuch as they were written1 there must have been some mind so impious as to have originated them2 and it may be a less wonder that such fabricators should have existed in a cruel and barbarous age of the world1 than that1 in the present age of superior morality and civilization1 they should find endorsers in the professed ministers of the ,being whom they have thus misrepresented4 #aiec4 ,mr4 ,mahan alleges3 8,every reader will agree with us in the assumption that the incorruptible ,god has never performed and never will perform a miracle in attestation of that which is unreal or untrue4 ,a religion really and truly attested by divine miracles must therefore be admitted to be true40 #aied4 ,to this very admissible truism1 ,i add that an omnipotent and prescient ,god could not have any occasion to perform miracles in attestation of any thing1 since1 by the premises1 his will must be carried out without miracles4 ,that any thing should1 even for an instant1 be contrary to his will1 is inconsistent with his foresight and omnipotency4 ,it would be a miracle that any thing counter to his will should exist4 #aiee4 ,the next postulate of ,mr4 ,mahan is3 8,no religion attested as true by divine miracles can be false40 #aief4 ,was this proposition ever impugned8 ,no one would resist the unquestionable dictates of ,god1 however conveyed1 whether by miracles or any other means4 ,the question is not whether a religion attested by divine miracles should be accredited1 but whether there were ever any miracles1 attesting any religion1 performed2 and if so1 what religion has the peculiar merit of having been thus attested8 ,millions1 who believe in other religions1 deride those miracles of revelation which ,mr4 ,mahan would adduce2 and ,protestants do not admit many which the ,romish ,church sanctions4 ,for one1 ,i deny that any miracle has ever been performed with the view of attesting any religion whatever4 ,no miracle could be necessary to attest the will of ,omnipotence any more than to enable a man to wave his hand4 ,but1 admitting that it ever has been necessary1 no miracle has ever been resorted to for the purpose in question1 since none has answered the desired end4 ,this would not have been the case had miracles been resorted to by prescient omnipotence4 #aieg4 ,a miracle1 as defined by this author1 on page #cde of his work1 is an event 8whose existence and characteristics can be accounted for but by a reference to the direct and immediate interposition of creative power1 as their exclusive cause40 #aieh4 ,i reassert that1 where omnipotence and prescience are concerned1 such interposition could1 in no case1 be requisite4 ,the miracle would be1 that there could be any thing so contrary to omnipotent will as to require any miraculous interference to set it right6 #aiei4 ,instead of assuming1 with orthodoxy1 that our heavenly ,father is quite omnipotent1 spirits hold that his powers are only such as this magnificent and almost infinite universe involves2 consequently1 there is no necessity on their part to admit that every thing must be exactly as ,god wishes it to be4 ,they are not obliged to consider him as allowing mischievous ignorance1 sin1 and misery to exist1 while by a fiat he could correct them2 and still less are they involved in the necessity of supposing that1 while able to make every thing perfect1 he1 from choice1 makes them imperfect1 and yet has had to resort to drowning his creatures by a great flood1 and subjecting whole nations to degrading captivity2 authorizing one nation to massacre another1 even to each suckling babe1 for wrongs done centuries before4 #aifj4 ,by ,spiritualism1 the ,deity is represented as operating by general laws1 from which1 consistently with his attributes1 he cannot deviate1 having to perform no miracle to attain his ends2 and that through these laws he is incessantly acting for the good of mankind2 and the whole universe is progressing under his benign controlling influence4 #aifa4 ,thus we have the two systems1 that of progression last mentioned1 and that of probation above objected to2 which last1 being in diametric opposition to an axiomatic truth1 is1 on this account alone1 manifestly absurd4 #aifb4 ,but1 admitting that miracles could1 without inconsistency1 be supposed to be resorted to by prescient omnipotence1 in order to produce or prevent some consequence of a general law1 in the making or carrying out of which an all-wise and all-powerful being inconsistently displays a want of wisdom and foresight1 it must be perfectly clear that a prescient being would resort to such miracles as would produce the desired effect2 not such as would be only partially seen or believed1 and would become a new source of discord4 ,omnipotence could certainly devise miracles which could be seen and be believed in by all men2 and which would so impress their minds1 as to make them believe in what they should hear and see4 ,by a single fiat1 ,god1 if as omnipotent as represented in ,scripture1 could make all his people of one mind4 ,he would not send them a 8sword to separate father from child1 mother from daughter1 mother-in-law from daughter-in-law10 and to make the subordinates of each household rise in rebellion against their master4 ,a prescient ,god would not perform miracles of such doubtful character as1 for want of evidence1 to oblige one of the miracle-makers to enforce a belief in them by treacherous and cruel assassination1 as did ,moses4 ,god would require no evidence of his miracles but such as could be recorded in the minds of believers4 ,he would not have the records of his will so situated1 as to be liable to be confounded with the fabrications of priestcraft4 ,if devils were to be cast out1 he would not have drowned a herd of swine1 merely to give those immortal miscreants a ducking4 #aifc4 ,so far are the miracles narrated in the gospel from commanding my credence1 that the account of them proves to me1 that the ,evangelists were men without discretion1 in recording any thing so absurd and incredible1 and so useless to the main object1 of giving a knowledge of ,god1 and of the means of reaching a future happy state4 #aifd4 ,how absurd to represent ,god as performing miracles remotely and indirectly bearing upon his object1 instead of exercising his omnipotent power universally1 effectually1 and at once6 #aife4 ,if ,god were to adopt any miraculous means to make his will known1 they would not be such as would fail in attaining their end4 ,none but an idiot would resort to measures foreknown to be incompetent to the object for which they should be devised4 ,as no miracles that have been alleged to have been performed have been productive of general conviction of the truth of the creed which they have been alleged to support1 it follows that they could not have had a divine origin4 ,a prescient ,god would not have resorted to incompetent miracles4 #aiff4 ,this reverend author is likewise of opinion that nothing but miracles can be appealed to as evidence of the divine origin of ,christianity or of any other religion4 #aifg4 ,when miracles are appealed to by different sects1 in support of their conflicting pretensions1 it must result that1 if religion is to be founded only on miracles1 that religion only can be recognised as true whose miracles are so pre-eminently evident as to abrogate all others that conflict with it4 ,but it is notorious that the miracles brought forward by each sect are denied1 if not ridiculed1 by others4 ,appealing to miracles is1 in fact1 appealing to the human evidence on which they depend4 ,in like manner1 any religion which rests on assumed inspiration1 rests1 in fact1 on the evidence proving that the inspiration claimed ever took place4 #aifh4 ,but are we to believe in all miracles which have been alleged by men to have happened8 ,are we to believe any book to be inspired1 because men1 who contradict each other1 alleged it to be inspired8 and if several books are alleged to be inspired1 how are we to choose between them8 ,is a man's choice of these books to be governed by his education8 ,if brought up in ,turkey1 is he to believe that the ,koran is the word of ,god2 if in ,christendom1 the gospel8 ,if all who surround him were to treat it as impious to doubt that a book is the word of ,god1 is he to submit to this dictation1 or is he to exercise his own judgment1 and examine whether the ,bible of the ,christian1 and the miracles on which it rests1 are not more likely to be true than the ,koran and the miracles on which it rests8 ,but if1 after having examined both of these works1 he finds that the miracles on which they rest are1 in both cases1 entirely dependent on human testimony1 and that this testimony is disputed on one side by the ,mohammedans1 and on the other by the ,christians1 and that each party only admits such miracles to be true as harmonize with his own religion2 that miracles told by profane writers rather tend to discredit than to corroborate the occurrences with which they are associated1--will not the inference naturally arise that the belief in miracles is the result of religion1 not religion the result of belief in miracles8 #aifi4 ,an analogous result may be perceived in relation to any extraordinary manifestation in ,spiritualism4 ,scarcely any one will believe that the spirit hand 7#aeac7 has been seen and felt at ,koons's establishment in ,ohio1 unless previously a convert to ,spiritualism4 ,thus he does not become a spiritualist by reading the account of that manifestation1 but believes the manifestation because he has been converted to ,spiritualism4 ,did the truth of that manifestation rest upon the evidence of only one set of eye-witnesses1 even spiritualists had not believed in it4 ,as miracles have ever been alleged to have been seen only by very few persons1 and have never been of a nature to be seen by a succession of observers1 ,i cannot conceive why any man1 in any age or time1 could be reasonably expected to display a credulity1 the inverse of that now exhibited1 as respects this spiritual manifestation4 ,scarcely any person1 without being an eye-witness of the fact1 has been brought to believe that tables move without human contact4 ,by recurrence1 the reader may perceive that in my letter of ,february #c1 #ahed1 ,i use this language in my letter to ,mr4 ,holcomb3 ,you believe that tables move without contact1 because you have seen them so moved2 ,i am skeptical1 because ,i have never seen them moved without contact1 though ,i have been at several circles1 7#fih47 #aigj4 ,when ,i stated to my friend1 ,professor ,henry1 the experiment illustrated by plate #c1 with the utmost precision1 made twice on two different evenings1 he said3 8,i would believe you as soon as any man in the world1 but ,i cannot believe that40 ,yet the result of that experiment was nothing more than the fact of bodies moving when uninfluenced by any apparent mortal agency1 accompanied by a demonstration of a governing reason2 a result which has been established again and again by myself with the greatest precision1 and by many other investigators4 ,evidently1 if this had never been repeated1 it would have been treated as a mental hallucination on my part by my comrades in science and all the rest of the community4 #aiga4 ,such is the difficulty of inducing credence1 in enlightened minds1 of any thing which is inconsistent with those laws of nature with which they have become familiar4 ,clearly1 in the present advanced state of the human mind1 no miracles would be believed on hearsay testimony4 #aigb4 ,it seems as if facts1 incredible at first view1 are always believed when they are confirmed by being seen by independent and disinterested and intelligent observers sufficiently often1 and under such modifications1 as to make all such observers believe in them4 ,we are willing to believe in a mysterious fact as one of a genus1 but not when isolated4 ,if ,i may judge by the incredulity with which my observations in ,spiritualism have been met by those who had previously considered me reliable1 ,i should deem it utterly impossible among intelligent1 well-educated people of the present day to induce a belief in an isolated miracle2 and1 as respects ignorant1 bigoted sectarians1 the difficulty to obtain credence would be at least as great4 #aigc4 ,were our heavenly ,father now to cause miracles to be performed as wonderful and as isolated as those mentioned in ,scripture1 as no one would know any thing of them direct from ,god1 excepting those by whom they might be witnessed1 it would only cause the narrators of them to be ridiculed1 as those spiritualists were ridiculed who first asserted their belief in spiritual manifestations4 ,in order1 therefore1 that miracles should be believed in by an enlightened community1 belief would have to be instilled by education or supported by reiterated observation1 since1 in enlightened communities1 no miracles would be believed in but those which should come within these conditions4 #aigd4 ,there is not a single miracle mentioned in the gospel which tends to throw light upon the alleged object of ,christ's mission4 ,the object of their performance was mainly to prove his supernatural power to those who should believe in them1 and thus to cause him to be accredited as a missionary from ,god4 ,so far from their ever having had an effect of this kind on my mind1 gospel miracles tended only to destroy my confidence in the veracity or discretion of their narrators1 upon the same principle that spiritualists have lost weight with their intelligent friends by mentioning manifestations which were considered by these as incredible4 #aige4 ,i can foresee a great triumph for spiritualists1 sooner or later1 in the world to come1 if not in this2 but this result will not flow from the conversion of their skeptical friends to a belief in the manifestations which may have been viewed by the narrators1 as described4 ,the conversion of skeptics will arise from their own observation1 with the concurrent testimony of many reliable witnesses1 all tending to the verification of analogous phenomena4 #aigf4 ,the miracles of ,scripture never have had nor never can have this species of corroboration1 and of course will make but little progress among people educated under conflicting impressions4 ,in this age of bigotry in favour of all educational mysteries and extreme skepticism as to innovations1 the last thing which could obtain credence would be miracles of the nature of those which ,mr4 ,mahan assumes to be the only foundation for religious belief4 #aigg4 ,it has already been urged that ,moses was1 by his own account1 a worldly man1 who1 as ,i conceive1 was guilty of a misrepresentation in alleging that the ,creator of the hundred millions of solar systems comprised in this universe 7#acdb7 made him and his people especially the object of a partiality1 authorizing them to plunder and extirpate all the neighbouring people3 moreover1 that ,moses was worldly-minded in the extreme1 and so intent upon acquiring lands in this world1 as to neglect his opportunities1 if he had any1 of learning from ,jehovah1 in frequent alleged intercourse with him1 any information respecting the immortality of the soul1 7#ajia1 #ajih1 #abga47 ,my attention has been recently turned to the #bdth chapter of ,exodus4 ,it is there mentioned that ,moses1 with more than seventy elders of ,israel1 went up the mount1 and there had an interview with the ,god of ,israel1 when 8they saw ,god40 ,it is then stated that 8,the ,lord spake unto ,moses1 saying1 ,speak unto the children of ,israel1 that they bring me an offering4 ,and this is the offering which you shall take of them1 gold1 silver1 and brass1 and blue and purple1 fine linen1 and goats' hair10 c4#df #aigh4 ,there are then two or three chapters occupied with the specification of the various valuable articles of gold1 and precious wood1 and stones1 required by an omnipotent ,god to furnish a tabernacle4 ,such is the misuse made by this pretended missionary of ,god1 of the opportunity of learning that which is above all price4 ,how many thousands of human beings have been willing to lay down their lives for religious truth6--and yet this pretended favourite of ,jehovah1 by his own account1 spent his time in getting baubles1 making the ,almighty his agent4 ,it may be that the whole is a fable1 and that the account originated in the time of ,hilkiah1 when the ,pentateuch was acknowledged to have been found accidentally4 ,but if ,moses and the elders really ascended the mount1 and represented themselves as seeing ,god1 and receiving those directions1 evidently they were all a set of impostors1 who resorted to this mode of obtaining furniture for the tabernacle4 ,great ,importance attached to a ,belief in ,immortality by ,cyrus the ,great1 ,king of ,persia1 as contrasted with the recklessness of ,moses respecting the same ,belief4 #aigi4 ,among the errors propagated industriously by fanatical sectarians1 is that of representing the ,old and ,new ,testament as of inestimable importance1 as the only source of our knowledge of a future state of existence1 of which heathen writers are mentioned as deficient4 ,in refutation of the calumny thus promulgated1 ,i deem it expedient to quote the following sentiments ascribed by ,xenophon to ,cyrus1 ,king of ,persia1 in addressing his children3 #aihj4 8,think not1 my dearest children1 that when ,i depart from you1 ,i shall be no more3 remember that my soul1 even while ,i lived among you1 was invisible2 yet by my actions you were sensible it existed in this body4 ,believe it1 therefore1 existing still1 though it still be unseen4 ,how quickly would the honours of illustrious men perish after death1 if their souls performed nothing to preserve their fame6 ,for my part1 ,i could never think that the soul1 which1 while in a mortal body1 lives1 when departed from it1 dies2 or that its consciousness is lost when it is discharged out of an unconscious habitation2 on the contrary1 it most truly exists when it is freed from all corporeal alliance40 #aiha4 ,let this be compared with the inexcusable inattention of ,moses1 taking his own narrative to be true1 in communicating with ,god about every thing else1 almost1 excepting that which concerns immortal life4 ,if the despicable criminality of ,abraham in putting his wife at the pleasure of two heathen kings successively1 and their repugnance to have violated his connubial rights1 be taken as a fit test of comparative morality1 if these sentiments of ,king ,cyrus be compared with those of the ,jewish lawgiver as respects immortality1 the chosen people of ,god were much below some neighbouring heathens both in morality and religion4 #aihb4 ,this inference will be fortified by comparing the portraiture of the ,deity as given by ,moses 7#aadj7 and ,samuel1 7#ajia17 with that given by ,seneca1 7#abbd47 ,the ,worship of a ,book1 ,idolatry4 #aihc4 ,much has been said in ,scripture and by its votaries against idolatry1 but ,i do most seriously consider the ,old ,testament as a more pernicious idol than any image or statue can be in the nature of things4 #aihd4 ,an image or statue does not speak2 it suggests nothing cruel1 unjust1 or indecent to the worshipper2 neither do any of the objects usually treated as idols4 ,it must evidently be an error to accuse idolaters of contemplating the inert image to which they kneel1 as their ,god4 ,they must see that it neither does nor can do any thing4 ,they must perceive that1 fixed in one place1 the image cannot have that ubiquity or efficacy1 essential to divine power4 ,it follows that the object of adoration must be an invisible power associated with the idol1 which may occupy the image only when invoked4 ,in every temple devoted to ,jupiter there might be a statue of ,jupiter1 and yet it was never held that there was more than one ,jupiter4 ,from the verses subjoined1 from ,pope's translation of the ,iliad1 it appears that ,homer gave to ,jupiter a supremacy which made the other deities bear to him no higher relation than that which the archangels do to ,god1 according to ,christianity3 #aihe4 8,let down our golden everlasting chain1 ,whose strong embrace holds heaven1 and earth1 and main2 ,strive all1 of mortal or immortal birth1 ,to drag by this the ,thunderer down to earth4 ,ye strive in vain4 ,if ,i but lift this hand1 ,i heave the heavens1 the ocean1 and the land2 ,for such ,i reign1 unbounded and above1 ,and such are men and gods compared to ,jove40 #aihf4 ,but when a book is made the word of ,god1 which patronizes men as belonging to a chosen seed who are guilty of cruelty1 robbery1 fraud1 massacre in cold blood1 it becomes a more active and mischievous idol than any dumb beast1 image1 or statue can be4 ,an idolater worships a silent idol as the representative of ,god4 ,the idol cannot say1 8,i am a jealous ,god3 ,i wax hot in my wrath40 #aihg4 ,mr4 ,mahan urges1 that the sufferings undergone by martyrs to ,christianity is evidence of its truth1 whereas1 it seems to me that it only proves the conviction of the parties1 which1 if displayed by a dervise or a fakir1 would be called bigotry4 ,but if suffering in a cause is evidence in its favour1 there have been sufferers on the other side1 as well as on that which this author has undertaken to uphold4 ,it is but fair1 if those who suffer for one side should have their suffering held up as proof of their conscientiousness1 the same conscientiousness should be conceded to those who have suffered for the other4 ,the author of the pages ,i am about to quote1 the ,rev4 ,robert ,taylor1 was1 for want of a better answer to his publication1 condemned to ,oakam ,jail1 in ,england1 for one year4 ,it was there he wrote his ,diagesis1 copies of which may be had of ,mr4 ,curtis1 ,no4 #cd ,arch street1 as well as other books which may assist readers to form an opinion for themselves4 ,i shall quote some pages from this work1 which1 being studied after reading ,mahan's arrogant allegations1 will make good the old saying1 that 8,one story is good until another is told40 #aihh4 8,the ordinary notion1 that the four gospels were written by the persons whose names they bear1 and that they have descended to us from original autographs of ,matthew and ,john1 immediate disciples1 and of ,mark and ,luke1 contemporaries and companions1 of ,christ1 in like manner as the writings of still more early poets and historians have descended to us from the pens of the authors to whom they are attributed1 is altogether untenable4 ,it has been entirely surrendered by the most able and ingenuous ,christian writers1 and will no longer be maintained by any but those whose zeal outruns their knowledge1 and whose recklessness and temerity of assertion can serve only to dishonour and betray the cause they so injudiciously seek to defend4 #aihi4 8,the surrender of a position which the world has for ages been led to consider impregnable1 by the admission of all that the early objection of the learned ,christian ,bishop1 ,,faustus the ,manichean1 implied1 when he pressed ,augustine with that bold challenge which ,augustine was not able to answer1 that1#dg #8,it was certain that the ,new ,testament was not written by ,christ himself1 nor by his apostles1 but a long while after them1 by some unknown persons1 who1 lest they should not be credited when they wrote of affairs they were little acquainted with1 affixed to their works the names of apostles1 or of such as were supposed to have been their companions1 asserting that what they had written themselves was written ,,according ,,to those persons to whom they ascribed it4' #aiij4 8,this admission has not been held to be fatal to the claims of divine revelation1 nor was it held to be so even by the learned ,father himself who so strenuously insisted on it1 since he declares his own unshaken faith in ,christ's mystical crucifixion1 notwithstanding4 #aiia4 8,adroitly handled as the passage has been by the ingenuity of theologians1 it has been made rather to subserve the cause of the evidences of the ,christian religion than to injure it4 ,since1 though it be admitted that the ,christian world has #8all along been under a delusion' in this respect1 and has held these writings to be of higher authority than they really are2 yet the writings themselves and their authors are innocent of having contributed to that delusion1 and never bore on them1 nor in them1 any challenge to so high authority as the mistaken piety of ,christians has ascribed to them1 but did all along profess no more than to have been written1 as ,faustus testifies1 not ,,by1 but ,,according to1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john2 and by persons of whom indeed it is not known who or what they were1 nor was it of any consequence that it should be1 after the general acquiescence of the church had established the sufficient correctness of the compilations they had made4 #aiib4 8,and here the longo post tempore 7the great while after7 is a favourable presumption of the sufficient opportunity that all persons#dh had1 of knowing and being satisfied that the gospels which the church received were indeed all that they purported to be2 that is1 faithful narrations of the life and doctrines of ,christ according to what could be collected from the verbal accounts which his apostles had given1 or by tradition been supposed to have given1 and1 as such1 #8worthy of all acceptation4' #aiic4 8,the objection of ,faustus becomes from its own nature the most indubitable and inexceptionable evidence1 carrying us up to the very early age1 the fourth century1 in which he wrote1 with a demonstration that the gospels were then universally known and received under the precise designation1 and none other1 than that with which they have come down to us1 even as the gospels1 respectively1 according to ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4 #aiid4 8,of course there can be no occasion to pursue the inquiry into the authenticity of the ,christian ,scriptures lower down than the fourth century4 #aiie4 8#a4 ,though1 in that age1 there was no established canon or authoritative declaration that such and none other than those which have come down to us were the books which contained the ,christian rule of faith4 #aiif4 8#b4 ,and though #8no manuscript of these writings now in existence is prior to the sixth century1 and various readings which1 as appears from the quotations of the ,fathers1 were in the text of the ,greek ,testament are to be found in none of the manuscripts which are at present remaining4'--,michaelis1 vol4 ii4 p4 #afj4 #aiig4 8#c4 ,and though many passages which are now found in these ,scriptures were not contained in any ancient copies whatever4 #aiih4 8#d4 ,and though #8in our common editions of the ,greek ,testament are ,,many readings which exist not in a single manuscript1 but are founded on ,,mere ,,conjecture4' --,marsh's ,michaelis1 vol4 ii4 p4 #dif4 #aiii4 8#e4 ,and though #8it is notorious1 that the orthodox charge the heretics with corrupting the text1 and that the heretics recriminate upon the orthodox4'--,unitarian ,new ,version1 p4 #aba4 #bjjj4 8#f4 ,and though #8it is an undoubted fact that the heretics were in the right in many points of criticism where the ,fathers accused them of wilful corruption4'--,bp4 ,marsh1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cfb4 #bjja4 8#g4 ,and though #8it is notorious that forged writings under the names of the apostles were in circulation almost from the apostolic age4'--,see #b ,thess4 ii4 #b1 quoted in ,unitarian ,new ,version4#di #bjjb4 8#h4 ,and though1 #8not long after ,christ's ascension into heaven1 several histories of his life and doctrines1 full of pious frauds and fabulous wonders1 were composed by persons whose intentions1 perhaps1 were not bad1 but whose writings discovered the greatest superstition and ignorance4'--,mosheim1 vol4 i4 p4 #aji4 #bjjc4 8#i4 ,and though1 says the great ,scaliger1 #8,they put into their ,scriptures whatever they thought would serve their purpose4'#ej #bjjd4 8#aj4 ,and though1 #8notwithstanding those twelve known infallible and faithful judges of controversy1 7the twelve apostles17 there were as many and as damnable heresies crept in1 even in the apostolic age1 as in any other age1 perhaps1 during the same space of time4'--,reeve's ,preliminary ,discourse to the ,commonitory of ,vincentius ,lirinensis1 p4 #aij4 #bjje4 8#aa4 ,and though there were in the manuscripts of the ,new ,testament1 at the time of editing the last printed copies of the ,greek text1 upward of ,,one ,,hundred ,,and ,,thirty ,,thousand various readings40--,unitarian ,new ,version1 p4 #bb4 #bjjf4 8#ab4 ,and though #8the confusion unavoidable in these versions 7the ancient ,latin1 from which all our ,european versions are derived7 had arisen to such a height1 that ,st4 ,jerome1 in his ,preface to the ,gospels1 complains that no one copy resembled another4'--,michaelis1 vol4 ii4 p4 #aai4 #bjjg4 8#ac4 ,and though the ,gospels fatally contradict each other2 that is1 in several important particulars1 they do so to such an extent as no ingenuity of supposition has yet been able to reconcile3 after ,marsh1 ,michaelis1 and the most learned critics1 have stuck1 and owned the conquest4 #bjjh4 8#ad4 ,and though the difference of character between the three first ,gospels and that ascribed to ,st4 ,john is so flagrantly egregious1 that the most learned ,christian divines and profoundest scholars have frankly avowed that the ,jesus ,christ of ,st4 ,john is a wholly different character from the ,jesus ,christ of ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke2 and that their account and his should both be true is flatly impossible4#ea #bjji4 8#ae4 ,and though such was the idolatrous adulation paid to the authority of ,origen1 that emendations of the text which were but suggested by him were taken in as part of the ,new ,testament2 though he himself acknowledged that they were supported by the authority of no manuscript whatever4--,marsh1 in loco4 #bjaj4 8#af4 ,and though1 even so late as the period of the ,reformation1 we have whole passages which have been thrust into the text1 and thrust out1 just as it served the turn which the ,protestant tricksters had to serve4 #bjaa4 8#ag4 ,and though we have on record the most indubitable historical evidence of a general censure and correction of the ,gospels having been made at ,constantinople1 in the year #ejf1 by order of the ,emperor ,anastasius4#eb #bjab4 8#ah4 ,and though we have like unquestionable historical evidence of measureless and inappreciable alterations of the same having been made by our own ,lanfranc1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 for the avowed purpose of accommodating them to the faith of the orthodox40#ec ,evidence of ,josephus and ,gibbon vs4 ,mr4 ,mahan4 #bjac4 ,the silence of ,josephus respecting ,christ induced some ,christians to concoct the pious fraud of interpolating in his history a notice of the career and crucifixion of ,christ1 but subsequent ,christian writers have detected and exposed the interpolation2 so that the history alluded to1 written soon after ,christ's death by the distinguished ,hebrew1 contains no notice of those events2 and1 from the following passage in ,gibbon1 it appears that it did not awaken much attention among the ,romans4 ,yet ,mahan1 assuming the opposite to be true1 urges it as evidence of the evangelical account1 that the phenomena drew universal attention4 #bjad4 8,how shall we excuse10 says ,gibbon1 8the supine inattention of the pagan and philosophic world to those evidences which were presented by the hand of ,omnipotence1 not to their reason1 but to their senses8 ,this miraculous event1 which ought to have excited the wonder1 the curiosity1 and the devotion of mankind1 passed without notice in an age of science and history4 ,it happened during the lifetime of ,seneca and the elder ,pliny1 who must have experienced the immediate effects or received the earliest intelligence of the prodigy4 ,each of these philosophers1 in a laborious work1 has recorded all the great phenomena of nature--earthquakes1 meteors1 comets1 and eclipses--which his indefatigable curiosity could collect2 both one and the other have omitted to mention the greatest phenomenon to which the mortal eye has been witness since the creation of the globe40 7,gibbon1 vol4 ii4 chap4 xv4 p4 #cgi47 ,the ,worshippers of the ,golden ,calf more righteous than their ,assassins4 #bjae4 ,the example is set in the ,old ,testament of attributing the worst motives to every one who does not concur with the accusers in religious opinions4 ,i conscientiously believe that the ,israelites who made the golden calf were at least as righteous in their worship as those who treacherously and cruelly massacred them in obedience to an order strangely represented as sanctioned by ,jehovah3 8,put every man his sword by his side1 and go in and out of the camp1 and slay every man his brother1 every man his companion1 and every man his neighbour2 and the children of ,levi did according to the words of ,moses1 and there fell of the people on that day about three thousand men40 #bjaf4 ,obviously1 the only way in which those who1 with ,mr4 ,mahan1 can find any pretence for ascribing this horrible sanguinary order to the inspiration of ,god1 is by treating idolatry as so wicked as to be punished1 not only in the immediate transgressor1 but in his offspring to the third and fourth generation4 ,is it not a fairer way of viewing this affair to infer that ,moses and his partisans were covetous1 unprincipled men1 who did not hesitate at swindling1 lying1 massacre1 or any measures requisite to give him and them ascendency8 ,was there ever a greater analogy between the measures of any two evil-doers than those of ,mohammed and ,moses1 both professing communion with ,god1 which we now know could not have taken place1 and both pleading his commands to exercise the most horrible intolerance at home1 as well as cruel rapacity abroad8 #bjag4 ,mohammed appears to have been more successful than ,moses in convincing his followers of his mission4 ,there seems to have been a great distrust of ,moses1 which he artfully always ascribes to the impiety of the unbelievers2 like all other religious impostors1 identifying his word with that of ,god4 ,nothing but his inability to convince the skeptics of the divine origin of his mission could have induced them to worship idols in opposition to his remonstrance2 and the fact that ,aaron assisted them in casting the golden calf1 can only be explained by his participation in the heresy4 ,does not this alleged conduct on the part of ,aaron render the whole affair so absurd as to throw doubt over the whole history8 ,moses1 while killing the malcontents1 could hardly avoid punishing their ringleader4 ,moreover1 how could one who would assist in idolatrous worship1 be fit to hold the office of high-priest1 into which he was soon afterward installed with great pomp8 #bjah4 ,it is perfectly clear1 to my mind1 that a pagan who sincerely worships any thing as his ,god1 really worships ,god4 ,he stands in the same relation to his ,god that a debtor stands to his real creditor when paying a forged draft4 #bjai4 ,wicked priests have raised a cry against idolaters1 as the real thief strives1 by calling after some innocent person within view1 to divert the hue and cry from himself4 ,as an exemplification of this species of wickedness1 ,i quote here a speech made to the ,emperor ,constantius by ,julius ,firmicius ,maternus1 7,taylor's ,diagesis1 page #add37 #bjbj4 7,addressing the ,emperor ,constantius47 8,take away1 take away1 in perfect security10 exclaims this self-called ,christian priest1 8,o most holy emperor1 take away all the ornaments of their temples4 ,let the fire of the mint or the flames of the mines melt down their gods4 ,seize upon all their wealthy endowments1 and turn them to your own use and property4 ,and1 ,o most sacred emperor1 it is absolutely necessary for you to revenge and punish this evil4 ,you are commanded by the law of the ,most ,high ,god to persecute all sorts of idolatry with the utmost severity2 hear and commend to your own sacred understanding what ,god himself commands4 ,he commands you not to spare your son or your brother2 he bids you plunge the avenging knife even into the heart of your wife that sleeps in your bosom2 to persecute your dearest friend with a sublime severity2 and to arm your whole people against these sacrilegious pagans1 and tear them limb from limb4 ,yea1 even whole cities1 if you should find this guilt in them1 must be cut off4 ,o most holy emperor1 ,god promises you the rewards of his mercy1 upon condition of your thus acting4 ,do1 therefore1 what he commands1 complete what he prescribes40 #bjba4 ,it should be recollected that this diabolical address was made to the ,christian son and successor of ,constantine4 ,can there be a more shocking picture of the mischievous consequences of the example and doctrines of ,moses as respects idolaters8 ,certainly1 ,constantius was not any better for his ,christianity1 when he could listen1 without indignation1 to such wicked suggestions6 #bjbb4 ,it is alleged that in the city of ,thessalonica the ,emperor ,theodosius put to death all the pagans that breathed1 in obedience to ,christianized ,mosaic intolerance1 which in modern times was carried out in the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew's day1 and the ,inquisition4 ,such were the effects of the propagation of ,christianity1 with the appendage of the ,pentateuch to the swordlike attributes with which ,christ endowed himself3 8,think not that ,i am come to send peace on earth2 ,i come not to send peace1 but a sword60 ,matt4 x4 #cd4 #bjbc4 ,shakspeare truly makes one of his characters say that whosoever takes away the good name of another commits a more wicked theft than one who takes a purse4 ,but in this portrait of the effect of calumny there is one important feature omitted1 which is sometimes the most injurious3 ,i allude to the pain of mind created by a false accusation4 ,if1 as ,i have before urged1 it be wrong to hurt the flesh by a blow1 is it not wrong to hurt the soul by calumny8 ,the sting of the fangs of the viper1 no less than the paw of the lion1 may give a mortal infliction2 but no less painful may be the effect of a false human tongue4 ,is it not as great a wrong to wound a man's soul as his flesh8 ,yet there never has been any hesitation on the part of sectarians to express any painful opinion as to heretics or idolaters4 ,the word infidel1 so much more deserved by themselves for their violation of the precepts they profess1 is used as a matter of course1 and1 coupling with an error in worship a heinous sinfulness1 the idolater is always in the wrong4 ,but reasonably1 upon the grounds which have been advanced in the preceding portion of this work1 7#abde17 idolatry may be an imputation against the intellectual pretension1 but not against the integrity1 of the worshipper2 and for one ,i consider the propensity to the worship of idols displayed throughout the whole of the ,jewish history1 and even by ,solomon the 8,wise10 as a strong proof that there never was sufficient evidence presented to the ,jews of the divine origin of the books of ,moses1 or any others represented as conveying ,god's holy word4 #bjbd4 ,it is not doing as we would be done by to accuse any worshipper of bad motives1 for the reasons which ,i have above given2 and when it is considered how unwilling people are to part with their property1 the fact that the ,israelites gave their gold ornaments to enable ,aaron to cast a golden calf1 shows that they sincerely believed that their worship would be acceptable to some deity who had the best claim to their acknowledgment4 ,if they mistook the object1 it must have been an error of the understanding1 which it would have been evidently more reasonable to have corrected by reasoning and evidence1 than by punishment4 #bjbe4 ,while such eminent men as ,mahan1 and the learned ,goliah of my mundane guardian spirit1 will hold up this1 to my mind1 barbarous and preposterous ,pentateuch as the word of ,god1 ,i am obliged to meet them upon the ground thus stated2 but there are other highly respectable clergymen1 who concur in questioning that the ,pentateuch existed until after the return of the ,jews from their captivity2 and there is evidence1 agreeably to the quotations ,i have made1 that this alleged work of divine inspiration1 or word of ,god1 as stated in the ,second ,book of ,chronicles1 and #bb;d chapter of the ,second ,book of ,kings1 has no better foundation than the word of the priest ,hilkiah and his accomplices4 #bjbf4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,norton1 in a laborious investigation1 shows that1 according to internal evidence1 almost all the important facts stated in ,genesis and ,exodus are inconsistent with each other or the circumstances under which they are alleged to have happened4 #bjbg4 ,mr4 ,mahan conceives that the willingness of the believers in the gospel to sacrifice their lives in testimony of the sincerity of their conviction proves the truth of revelation4 ,wherefore1 then1 does not their exposure to the slaughtering sword of the partisans of ,moses prove the sincerity of the ,israelites in their worship of their idol8 ,no wise knave would do any thing so absurd4 ,history shows that many of those who have been most willing to make sacrifices for their belief have been great fanatics4 ,their willingness to suffer only proves the intensity of their belief1 not the truth of the miracles which they believe4 #bjbh4 ,having first assumed1 contrary to the fact1 that the mission of ,christ was generally accredited in the contemporaneous pagan communities1 ,mr4 ,mahan claims this to be evidence of the facts stated by the evangelists4 #bjbi4 ,but if the belief in a mission by contemporaries is evidence in its favour1 is not the disbelief of contemporaries evidence on the other side8 ,is not the fact that ,moses could only expel idolatry from the ,hebrews by the sword1 a proof that he was unable to convince them by any adequate evidence of his claims to inspiration8 #bjcj4 ,this surmise1 respecting the inadequacy of the facts and reasoning which ,moses had to advance in favour of his pretensions as a missionary of ,jehovah1 appears to be fully justified in the history given by ,josephus4 ,from the following language1 which this distinguished ,jewish historian alleges to have been held by one of the ,israelites1 it is evident that ,moses was then viewed as no better than ,mohammed or any of the usurping popes of ,christendom4 ,while ,protestants sanction such religious despots as ,moses and ,samuel1 they ought not to complain of the papal despots of ,christendom1 7note to #ajia47 ,just denunciation of the religious imposture and usurpation of ,moses1 by noble-minded ,israelites4#ed #bjca4 8,corah1 an ,hebrew of great wealth and influence1 and famous for his eloquence1 becoming jealous of the dignity to which ,moses had attained1 raised a clamour against him among the ,levites who were of the same tribe1 by suggesting to them1 in an occasional harangue1 #8,that it redounded to their dishonour thus tamely to suffer ,moses1 under pretence of the divine command1 to retain unlimited authority1 vest the priesthood in his brother ,aaron without their suffrages1 and bestow places of honour and profit at pleasure4' ,he added1 #8that these measures were the more oppressive and grievous as founded on the arts of sophistry and insinuation2 that those who are conscious of deserving posts of dignity endeavour to obtain them not by force1 but mild persuasion2 that it was the interest of a state to check the ambition of such aspiring individuals1 before they acquired an influence that might prove destructive4' ,he demanded by what authority ,moses had conferred the priesthood on ,aaron and his sons1 enforcing his own title as superior to theirs1 both by descent and property40 #bjcb4 ,in consequence of this1 ,moses addresses the following prayer1 which certainly is as remote from the sentiments which the precepts of ,christ would call for1 as any which can be imagined3 #bjcc4 8,testify thy wonted kindness to the ,hebrews by inflicting condign punishment on ,dathan and ,abiram1 for suggesting that thy purposes are opposed by my arts4 ,visit these detractors from thy glory with exemplary vengeance4 ,let the earth on which they tread swallow them up1 with their families and substance1 to the manifestation of thy power1 and as an example to posterity not to think unworthily of the ,majesty of heaven40 #bjcd4 ,mr4 ,mahan urges that those who sacrificed their lives for a cause must have had good reason for their course4 ,what are we1 then1 to think of ,zimri the ,hebrew1 who used the following language to ,moses1 and was1 as well as those who concurred with him in opinion1 murdered in consequence1 not after trial1 but by ,lynch law1 as will appear from the sequel8#ee #bjce4 8#8,moses1 you are at liberty to contend for the use and observance of your own laws1 which have obtained a sanction and authority by long custom alone1 or you would have been brought to merited disgrace and punishment1 and found1 to your cost1 that the ,hebrews were not to be deluded by your arts4 ,i will never subject myself to your tyrannical decrees1 assured that1 under a pretext of regard to religion and law1 you seek to enslave us1 and establish a supreme authority over us1 by denying us those liberties to which all free-born men have an undoubted right4 ,was there a more grievous oppression during the whole course of an ,egyptian bondage than the power you usurped of punishing every man by laws of your own formation8 ,you particularly deserve punishment for abrogating and annulling those customs1 laws1 and privileges which are authorized and established by the common consent of nations1 and preferring the suggestions of your fancy to rules so generally followed and rationally founded4 ,conscious that ,i have done nothing wrong1 ,i now frankly declare1 in this assembly1 that ,i have married a strange woman4 ,this ,i confess with an honest boldness1 and would do the same in the face of the world4 ,i also worship the gods whom thou hast forbidden to be worshipped1 as ,i do not hold myself bound to submit to your arbitrary sway either in matters of law or religion1 but must assert the liberty of investigating the truth for myself1 and directing my own personal concerns4' #bjcf4 8,zimri1 in this speech1 delivered the general sentiment of the whole faction1 while the multitude silently waited the issue of his presumptuous conduct1 for they apprehended much confusion would ensue40 #bjcg4 ,but one of ,moses's partisans did not allow this noble asserter of the rights of human nature to survive this bold stand long1 as will appear from the rest of the narrative1 which thus proceeds3 #bjch4 8,his contumacy and flagrantly insolent behaviour to ,moses raised the resentment of one ,phineas to the highest degree4 ,he was a youth eminent for the dignity of his family1 his singular prowess1 and his personal virtues4 ,eleazar the high-priest being his father1 he was nearly allied to the great lawgiver4 ,sensible that to suffer such indignity to pass with impunity would bring both the religion and the laws of the ,hebrews into contempt1 he determined to make an example of the ringleader of the faction1 as his exalted rank would cause that example to have a greater influence on the minds of the people4 ,his resolution being equal to his zeal1 he repaired1 without delay1 to the tent of ,zimri1 and at one stroke slew both him and ,cobi his wife4 ,this resolute act excited an emulation among those of his contemporaries who still maintained a regard for the honour of their country1 to avenge themselves on those who had done it violation2 inasmuch that they fell most furiously upon the faction1 and put great numbers of them to the sword40 #bjci4 ,where is the true-hearted son of ,columbia who would not have been among those who fell with ,zimri1 for the right of choosing his wife and his religion according to his own judgment8 ,remarkable observance of the ,golden ,rule by ,moses1 in his last advice to the ,israelites4#ef #bjdj4 8#8,wherefore1 to avoid this danger of apostasy from the worship of the ,god of your fathers1 suffer not any of your enemies to live after you have conquered them2 but esteem it highly conducive to your interest to destroy them all1 lest1 if you permit them to live1 you become infected by their manners1 and thereby corrupt your own institutions4 ,i do further exhort you to overthrow their altars1 temples1 groves1 and indeed to exterminate their nations with fire and sword4 ,by these means alone the permanency of your happy constitution can be secured to you4'0 #bjda4 ,let these sentiments of ,moses be compared with those of the great ,cyrus1 in which he justly adverts to the immortality of the soul4 ,moses was always worldly1 and1 as respects the lives of neighbouring pagans1 so called1 displayed no better morality than ,thuggism on a great scale4 ,straining at ,spiritual ,gnats1 while swallowing ,scriptural ,camels4 #bjdb4 ,the question is put1 ,wherefore can spirits cause tappings on or tilting of tables1 only when a medium is present8 ,to those who believe in the ,old ,testament as the word of ,god1 it may be in point to inquire1 ,wherefore the mere elevation of the hands of ,moses1 on a hill remote from the field of battle1 enabled the ,israelites to overcome their enemies1 when the opposite result ensued when the hands of the veracious prophet were lowered1 as agreeably to verses #aa and #ab1 chapter xvii4 of ,exodus8 #bjdc4 8,and it came to pass1 when ,moses held up his hand1 that ,israel prevailed2 and when he let down his hand1 ,amalek prevailed4 ,but ,moses's hands were heavy1 and they took a stone and put it under him1 and he sat thereon1 and ,aaron and ,hur stayed up his hands1 the one on the one side and the other on the other side2 and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun40 #bjdd4 ,it follows from the verses in question that the skill1 strength1 or courage of every ,jewish combatant varied with the elevation or depression of the arms of ,moses above or below a mean horizontal plane4 #bjde4 ,surely1 the peculiar influences thus exercised by the author of the ,pentateuch is at least as incredible as that by which the presence of a medium enables spirits to move ponderable bodies1 when otherwise they could not move them4 ,the influence ascribed to ,moses is alleged to have been witnessed only on one occasion1 whereas that attributed to media has been seen in a multiplicity of instances by living witnesses of good character1 who will attest to the facts1 as well as the media themselves4 #bjdf4 ,but1 independently of the incredibility of this ,mosaic miracle as an isolated fact discordant with the laws of nature and human experience1 is it not incredible on account of its inconsistency with the just and humane idea of ,god which the truly pious entertain1 that he should give this assistance to the ,jews in their unchristian warfare8 ,this reasoning is at least as applicable to the alleged arrestation of the sun1 7involving that of the rotary motion of the earth17 in order that ,joshua might make a further slaughter of the vanquished ,canaanites4 ,for this slaughter the prominent excuse seems to have been that ,moses1 wishing to possess the territory of the ,canaanites1 professed to have the authority of ,god for extirpating them as idolaters1 agreeably to the following language1 which is represented by ,mr4 ,mahan and others as the word of ,god1 7,deut4 viii4 #af1 #bj1 #bb37 #bjdg4 8,and thou shalt consume all the people which the ,lord thy ,god shall deliver thee2 thine eye shall have no pity upon them3 neither shalt thou serve their gods2 for that will be a snare unto thee4 ,moreover1 the ,lord thy ,god will send the hornet among them1 until they that are left1 and hide themselves from thee1 be destroyed4 ,and the ,lord thy ,god will put out those nations before thee by little and little2 thou mayest not consume them at once1 lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee40 ,the ,evidence which is insufficient to establish the ,iniquity of a ,sinner cannot be sufficient to establish the ,divine ,authority of a ,book4 #bjdh4 8,one witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or any sin3 at the mouth of two witnesses1 or three witnesses1 shall the matter be established10 7,deut4 xix4 #ae47 #bjdi4 ,agreeably to the preceding quotation from ,scripture1 one witness is not sufficient to convict a man of any iniquity4 ,two witnesses1 at least1 are necessary to establish guilt4 ,but if a single witness be insufficient to establish the iniquity of a man1 how is it to be established1 on the evidence of the priest ,hilkiah alone1 that the manuscript1 which1 as he represented1 he had found in the temple1 was the inspired code of ,moses1 or1 as ,mahan and others would have it1 the word of ,god8 #bjej4 ,should the righteousness of a religious code be established by evidence insufficient to establish the iniquity of an individual8 ,a fortiori1 when1 by proving the righteousness of a code1 a whole generation was to be convicted of iniquity1 was the evidence of one individual sufficient1 especially when the iniquity thus to be adjudged was to draw down the unquenchable wrath of ,god1 agreeably to ,huldah the prophetess8 ,word of ,god1 impiously so called1 or the ,golden ,rule inverted by ,god's alleged ,commands4 #bjea4 8,when thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it1 then proclaim peace unto it4 ,and it shall be1 if it make thee answer of peace1 and open unto thee1 then it shall be that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee1 and they shall serve thee4 ,and if it will make no peace with thee1 but will make war against thee1 then thou shalt besiege it4 ,and when the ,lord thy ,god hath delivered it into thine hands1 thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword3 but the women1 and the little ones1 and the cattle1 and all that is in the city1 even all the spoil thereof1 shalt thou take unto thyself3 and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies1 which the ,lord thy ,god hath given thee4 ,thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee1 which are not of the cities of these nations4 ,but of the cities of these people which the ,lord thy ,god doth give thee for an inheritance1 thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth3 but thou shalt utterly destroy them1 namely1 the ,hittites1 and the ,amorites1 the ,canaanites1 and the ,perizzites1 the ,hivites1 and the ,jebusites1 as the ,lord thy ,god hath commanded thee10 7,deut4 xx4 #aj-ag47 ,,pagan ,,fearlessness ,,of ,,death4 ,opinion of ,mr4 ,huc1 a ,christian ,priest1 that it is their religion which makes ,christians more fearful of death than the ,chinese1 7#gdf47 #bjeb4 ,,parson ,,berg and ,bishop ,mc,ilvaine unjustly represent the doctrines of futurity1 held by ,christians1 as causing those who believe in eternal punishment--in the horrible hell described by ,josephus1 and sanctioned by the gospel1 with the precarious notions of heaven derived from the same authority--to have less fear of death than deists1 by them called infidels4 ,but ,i have known many deists die1 and certainly ,i have never seen any believer in ,christianity meet death with more firmness than those who did not believe4 ,some of the last-mentioned class have died of painful complaints with the most admirable equanimity4 ,but to illustrate the injustice of these reverend gentlemen in their undue assumption of the superior fearlessness of death of those persons who believe in the gospel over those who do not so believe1 ,i will here quote a passage from the travels of a ,christian missionary1 which describes the equanimity with which the ,chinese meet death4 ,from the work of the ,french missionary1 ,mr4 ,huc1 it will be seen that death is contemplated with far less fearful apprehension in ,china than in ,christendom4 ,observations of the ,missionary1 ,mr4 ,huc1 to whom reference has just been made4 #bjec4 8,in no other country than ,china1 perhaps1 could men be heard exchanging compliments on the subject of a coffin4 ,people 7in ,christendom7 are most shy of mentioning the lugubrious objects destined to contain the mortal remains of a relation or friend2 and when death does enter the house1 the coffin is got in in secresy and silence1 in order to spare the feelings of the mourning family4 ,but it is quite otherwise in ,china2 there a coffin is simply an article of the first necessity to the dead1 and of luxury and fancy to the living4 ,in the great towns you see them displayed in the shops with all sorts of tasteful decorations1 painted1 and varnished1 and polished1 and trimmed up to attract the eyes of passengers1 and give them the fancy to buy themselves one4 #bjed4 8,people in easy circumstances1 who have money to spare for their pleasures1 scarcely ever fail to provide themselves beforehand with a coffin to suit their own taste1 and which they consider becoming2 and1 until the moment arrives for lying down in it1 it is kept in the house2 not as an article of immediate necessity1 but as one that cannot fail to be consoling and pleasant to the eye in a nicely-furnished apartment4 #bjee4 8,for well-brought up children1 it is a favourite method of expressing the fervour of their filial piety toward the authors of their being1 a sweet and tender consolation for the heart of a son1 to be able to purchase a beautiful coffin for an aged father or mother1 and come in state to present the gift at the moment when they least expect such an agreeable surprise4 ,if one is not sufficiently favoured by fortune to be able to afford the purchase of a coffin in advance1 care is always taken before #8saluting the world1' as the ,chinese say1 a sick person shall at least have the satisfaction of casting a glance at his last abode2 and if he is surrounded by at all affectionate relations1 they never fail to buy him a coffin and place it by the side of his bed4 #bjef4 8,in the country1 this is not always so easy1 for coffins are not kept quite ready1 and1 besides1 peasants have not such luxurious habits as townspeople4 ,the only way1 then1 is to send for the carpenter of the place1 who takes the measure of the sick person1 not forgetting to observe to him that it must be made a little longer than would seem necessary1 because one always stretches out a little when dead4 ,a bargain is then made concerning the length and breadth1 and especially the cost2 wood is brought1 and the workmen set about their task in the yard1 close to the chamber of the dying person1 who is entertained with the music of the saw and the other tools1 while death is at work with him1 preparing him to occupy the snug abode when it is ready4 #bjeg4 8,all this is done with the most perfect coolness1 and without the slightest emotion1 real or affected4 ,we have ourselves witnessed such scenes more than once1 and it has always been one of the things that most surprised us in the manners of this extraordinary country4 ,a short time after our arrival in the mission of the north1 we were walking one day in the country with a ,chinese seminarist1 who had the patience to reply to all our long and tedious questions about the men and things of the ,celestial ,empire4 ,while we were keeping up the dialogue as well as we could1 in a mixture of ,latin and ,chinese1 using a word of one or the other as we found occasion1 we saw coming toward us a rather numerous crowd1 who advanced in an orderly manner along a narrow path4 ,it might have been called a procession4 #bjeh4 8,our first impulse was to turn aside1 and get into some safe corner behind a large hill2 for1 not having as yet much experience in the manners and customs of the ,chinese1 we had some hesitation in producing ourselves1 for fear of being recognised and thrown into prison2 possibly even condemned and strangled4 ,the crowd had now come up with us1 and we stood aside to let it pass4 ,it was composed of a great number of villagers1 who looked at us with smiling faces1 and had the appearance of being uncommonly pleased4 ,after them came a litter1 on which was borne an empty coffin1 and then another litter1 upon which lay extended a dying man1 wrapped in blankets4 ,his face was haggard and livid1 and his expiring eyes were fixed upon the coffin that preceded him4 ,when every one had passed1 we hastened to ask the meaning of this strange procession4 #8,it is some sick man1' said the seminarist1 #8who has been taken ill in a neighbouring village1 and whom they are bringing home to his family4 ,the ,chinese do not like to die away from their own house4' #8,that is very natural2 but what is the coffin for8' #8,for the sick man1 who probably has not many days to live4 ,they seem to have made every thing ready for his funeral4' ,i remarked by the side of the coffin a piece of white linen4 #8,that1 they mean to use for the mourning4' #bjei4 8,these words threw us in the most profound astonishment1 and we saw then that we had come into a new world--into the midst of a people whose ideas and feelings differed widely from those of ,europeans4 ,these men quietly setting about to prepare for the funeral of a still living friend and relation--this coffin placed purposely under the eyes of the dying man1 doubtless with the purpose of doing what was agreeable to him2 all this plunged us into a strange reverie1 and the walk was continued in silence4 ,the astonishing calmness with which the ,chinese see the approach of death does not fail when the last moment arrives4 ,they expire with the most incomparable tranquillity1 without any of the emotions1 the agitations1 the agonies that usually render the moment of death so terrific40 #bjfj4 ,it is remarkable that ,mr4 ,huc cites an 8entire want of religious feeling1 as among the causes of this indifference to death40#eg ,but it may be inquired whether that can be a proper kind of religious feeling which interferes with equanimity at the prospect of our spiritual birth4 ,i can easily believe ,mr4 ,huc to be correct1 if his entire want of religious feeling means the absence of all fear of an eternal broiling1 like that of ,dives4 #bjfa4 ,it is the absence of that sort of religion which this sectarian would teach2 that which consigns the great majority of mankind to perpetual misery on account of their disbelief in ,romanism4 #bjfb4 ,widely different is the effect of the religion ,i have espoused4 ,it has made a prodigious change in my feelings4 ,i look forward to death with hope1 rather than fear4 7,see page #cb 7#ajh7 of this work for the different effect of ,romanism on my mind47 ,conclusion of ,strictures on ,mr4 ,mahan's ,religious ,errors4 #bjfc4 ,it will be observed that under the general head of ,mr4 ,mahan's errors1 ,i have treated of not only those which he has advocated1 but such as he sanctions by his general endorsement of ,scripture4 ,however1 ,i here take my leave of ,mr4 ,mahan and his errors4 ,,conclusion4 #bjfd4 ,in a work by the ,english bishop ,warburton1 is to be found the following allegation3 8,the doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments is not to be found in1 nor did it make part of1 the ,mosaic dispensation40 ,the ,pentateuch inconsistently represented as the basis of belief in human immortality1 as will appear by the prefixed quotation1 as well as the inability of any of its devotees to point out any part which conflicts with the right reverend author's opinion1 above mentioned4--,injustice of representing disbelievers in the ,bible as not having as good grounds for belief in immortality as those who rest their belief on a work which1 by its silence1 tends to discountenance the hope of a future life4--,those who uphold the ,bible against ,spiritualism1 the real antagonists of the only satisfactory evidence ever given to man of a future habitation in the spirit world4 #bjfe4 ,religious people all very justly insist on the immense importance of a belief in a future state of existence1 in which we are to enjoy a degree of happiness in proportion to our good conduct in this life1 or of misery in proportion as we do evil4 #bjff4 ,throughout ,christendom ,i believe such a belief is necessary to render a person competent as a witness1 or to hold any office4 ,as it is assumed generally by ,christians that there is no other proof of immortality than that alleged to be afforded by ,scripture1 unbelievers in ,scripture are assumed to be unbelievers in a future state1 and the most unfavourable insinuations are made respecting such persons1 7#acaj47 ,bishop ,mc,ilvaine1 in his 8,evidences10 has charitably represented that1 as a class1 such men are peculiarly vicious1 and in their domestic relations immoral2 not recollecting how far ,christian prelates have been found wanting in the present1 as well as in past times4 ,but notwithstanding that the disbelief in a future state is held to be so universally pernicious in its influence1 self-called orthodox ,christians deem it impious not to bow before the ,bible as the holy word of ,god1 or to be wanting in respect for his inspired missionary1 ,moses4 ,but admitting that the books found by ,hilkiah 7#aidj7 were written1 under divine inspiration1 by ,moses1 how does it happen that those books and their author stand in such high estimation1 when they actually give no evidence of immortality1 but rather tend to prove that ,god1 in communicating his will to ,moses1 thought it more important to give to the ,jews directions for the decoration of a tabernacle1 than to impart to them the invaluable knowledge of their eternal existence8 ,moreover1 ,god is represented as holding in especial favour1 those who did not think it of as much importance to inquire into the truth of immortality1 as to obtain decorations for pharisaical worship4 ,why is ,moses1 a materialist1 to be venerated1 who so grossly trifled with his opportunities8 ,there is either a flagitious misrepresentation1 or he1 of all men1 had the best opportunity of learning this all-important truth2 and therefore1 dying ignorant of it1 is proportionally more culpable4 ,wherefore is the uncandid and unfounded pretence resorted to1 that attacking the ,old ,testament is attacking the basis of the hope of heaven1 when1 on the contrary1 that record has really the opposite tendency--that of enfeebling the evidence of immortality8 #bjfg4 ,we see the heathen ,cyrus1 on his death-bed1 7#aihj17 striving to impress upon his children a belief in immortality1 while ,moses1 dying a worldly-minded1 blood-thirsty materialist1 employs his last moments in giving inhuman directions for the merciless massacre of every conquered pagan4 ,yet1 while ,bishop ,mc,ilvaine1 as respects his contemporaries1 represents materialism as irreconcilable with virtue1 ,moses is to be venerated and the books attributed to his authorship idolatrously worshipped as the word of ,god6 ,but if the advocacy of any thing which tends to lessen the hope of immortality be culpable1 is it not culpable1 against the truths of ,spiritualism to hold up a book which authorizes disbelief in immortality1 and that1 too1 upon such questionable authority as an obscure priest and fanatical and barbarous autocrat8 7#aicg47 ,as respects the gospel1 it has1 ,i hope1 been shown that1 with all the exertions of the good parson ,harbaugh to exhibit the heaven of ,scripture in its most favorable aspect1 7#ggg to #hje17 ,spiritualism has immensely the advantage in the description given of the spirit world1 7#dji to #dfi17 sanctioned by the replies given to my queries under test conditions1 7#eeb74 #bjfh4 ,another ground of pre-eminence is the perfect immunity from any association with such a priesthood as that described by the ,right ,rev4 ,bishop ,hopkins4 ,media1 replacing the priests1 will owe their office to nature1 not to any aristocracy1 monarch1 or theocrat1 7#acjg74 #bjfi4 ,private disinterested ,media will always outnumber and control any of the same class who may attempt to acquire unfair ascendancy1 even if1 in the nature of the case1 it were possible that such a wrong could be contemplated4 #bjgj4 ,i trust ,i have shown that the actual morals of ,christendom are irreconcilable with the precepts of the gospel1 which denounce wealth and enjoin submission to wrong1 these morals being also inconsistent with the materialism of the books of ,moses4 ,under these circumstances1 let the reader turn to the evidence which has converted me from a prepossessed skeptic to a devout believer in spiritual communication4 ,let that glorious portraiture of the spirit-world be considered which has been opened to the view of mortals through the high spirits who have accredited me as one of their servants4 ,i will not go over the evidence1 nor recapitulate the arguments which ,i have already so fully urged upon the attention of my readers4 ,i implore them to read with candour1 and think earnestly of the facts and reasoning submitted in this volume4 ,p4 ,s4--,explanation respecting ,jesus ,christ4 ,my spirit sister alleges that ,christ never uttered the language recorded as his1 and upon which ,i have commented4 ,this being admitted1 ,i wish that nothing which ,i have said may be considered as bearing personally on a ,being who is so much the object of devotion with many of my dearest connections1 relations1 and friends4 ,i wish that it should be considered that it is only upon the doctrines imputed to ,christ1 that ,i have intended to animadvert1 not on ,jesus himself4 ,surely ,i am justified as treating that language as coming from ,jesus ,christ1 which is ascribed to him in the only history of his teachings which has come down to us1 and which1 under the name of the holy canonical gospel1 is considered by more than three-fourths of all the ,christians in existence as inspired by ,god6 ,,appendix4 ,under this head ,i place some articles which could not be embodied in this work2 but which it may nevertheless be expedient to place within the reach of certain readers4 ,among the articles referred to is the theory of electricity1 which ,i first published in #ahdh1 and which has been approved by the spirit of ,franklin1 and1 in obedience to his advice1 inserted in this volume4 ,unfortunately1 there are but few persons sufficiently acquainted with the phenomena which form its basis1 and the technical language employed by professed electricians1 to find it agreeable to study the subject in question2 but they may qualify themselves to do so by studying the elementary works on this branch of science4 ,,letter ,,to ,,the ,,episcopal ,,clergy4 ,although the subjoined letter has been published in various channels1 as well as in a separate pamphlet1 ,i deem it proper to record it in this work1 as1 otherwise1 many who may see the one might not see the other4 ,it will be perceived that the substance of my second letter has been already incorporated in the preceding pages1 7#gad to #ggf47 ,of course it is to the first letter that ,i now allude1 and which ,i intend to record here4 ,letter from ,dr4 ,hare to the ,clergy of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church1 offering to lay before them the ,new ,evidence of ,immortality4 7,submitted to the late ,convention1 ,philadelphia1 ,may #ae1 #ahee47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sirs3 ,having1 from my youth1 been on friendly terms with the clergy of the ,episcopal ,church1 within the pale of which ,i was born and christened2 having1 in fact1 had among the clergy of that church some excellent friends and relatives1--it has been a source of regret that ,i have not been able to see doctrines deeply affecting the happiness of mankind in the same light4 ,i am1 however1 fully sensible of the kindness and courtesy with which ,i have been treated by clergymen in general1 and especially by those of the church above designated4 ,i have always been under the belief that in no part of the globe1 nor at any period of human history1 has a priesthood existed as moral1 as sincere1 and truly pious as those of my country2 and among that priesthood1 ,i believe1 none have stood higher in these qualifications than such as are of the ,episcopal ,church4 ,it is happy for me that of late ,i have1 in one respect1 found myself more in accordance with the ,christian clergy3 ,i allude here to the awakening of perfect confidence in the immortality of the soul4 ,there was on this subject1 heretofore1 this difference between my sentiments and those of my clerical friends1 that while ,i hoped for a future state1 ,i was no less skeptical respecting the evidence of witnesses who lived some thousand years ago than of those who have1 in modern times1 alleged themselves to have witnessed supernatural manifestations4 ,i required in the former case1 no less than in the latter1 intuitive proof2 or the consistent testimony of independent observers having sufficient sense1 knowledge1 and integrity to make reliable witnesses4 ,happily1 in the case of ,spiritualism1 both of these tests have been afforded to me1 so that ,i now believe in a future state no less firmly than the orthodox ,christian4 ,like ,st4 ,paul1 in the case of ,christianity1 ,i entered upon the investigation of ,spiritualism with a view to refutation2 but the very instruments which ,i contrived to accomplish that object produced the opposite effect4 ,if human testimony is not to be taken when advanced by contemporaries known to be conscientious1 truthful1 and well informed1 how is it to be relied on with respect to those of whom we know nothing available beside what their own writings mention8 ,i am prepared to submit a communication respecting the spirit world from my father1 sanctioned by a convocation of spirits1 whose approbation was manifested by means which no mortal could pervert4 ,the practical influence on my mind has been to make me far more happy1 to remove all fear of death1 and to render me more watchful as to my deportment in life4 ,i know that my sainted parents1 and other relatives and friends1 my children who died in infancy1 are around me1 witnessing every act and exercising a limited power over my safety and my health4 ,mourning for the dead now seems to be groundless1 and at all events can be indulged only upon selfish considerations4 ,but who would grieve deeply at a transient separation1 even for years1 from friends made happier by the change1 when sure of a happy reunion ultimately8 ,no evidence of any important truth in science can be shown to be more unexceptionable than that which ,i have received of this glorious fact1 that heaven is really 8at hand10 and that our relatives1 friends1 and acquaintances who are worthy of happiness1 while describing themselves as ineffably happy1 are still progressing to higher felicity2 and while hovering aloft in our midst1 are taking interest in our welfare with an augmented zeal or affection1 so that1 by these means1 they may be a solace to us1 in despite of death4 ,as the reverend clergy of the ,episcopal ,church are about to meet in ,philadelphia1 ,i deem it my duty to afford them an opportunity of hearing the evidence on which ,i rely2 and which1 with due effort1 they can have subjected to their own intuition4 ,should the clergy deem it expedient to listen to my exposition1 ,i shall be ready to answer any queries which may be made4 ,i am aware that there may be considerations which may justify the clergy in declining to hear me4 ,i have never1 in my own case1 deemed it wise to seek abstract right at the expense of practical evil4 ,i would not urge persons in certain official stations to become converts to ,spiritualism1 lest it should1 by consequent unpopularity1 interfere with their usefulness1 as in the case of ,judge ,edmonds2 and a like objection must arise as to the conversion of clergymen1 so far as to bring their convictions in competition with their professional vocation4 ,orthodox ,christians are generally educated to believe not only that the revelation on which they rely is true1 but that no other can be justifiable4 ,hence they are evidently displeased that spiritualists should allege themselves to have come by other means to that belief in immortality which is admitted on all sides to be the greatest comfort under the afflictions to which temporal life is liable4 ,there is1 moreover1 this discordancy in doctrine3 ,agreeably to ,scripture1 man is placed here for probation1 and is liable to be eternally punished if he prove delinquent4 ,according to ,spiritualism1 man is placed here for progression1 and when he goes to the next world1 still will have the opportunity to progress1 however wicked he may be when he departs this life4 ,it is conceived by spiritualists that if1 as the orthodox allege1 ,god be omnipotent1 he can make his creatures to suit his will2 if he be omniscient1 he must know what they are when made2 and if he be prescient1 he can foresee what they will be1 and consequently cannot have the smallest conceivable motive for exposing them to probation4 ,i foresee that it may not be deemed expedient to take any notice of this letter2 but whatever may be the result in this way1 does not interfere with the propriety of my putting it in your power to avail yourselves of my offer2 since ,i have a sanction from a higher source1 the spirit of the immortal ,washington1 the proofs of whose communion with me ,i am prepared to submit to any respectable inquirers4 ,i am aware that this language would1 a few years ago1 have made me attach the idea of insanity to the author2 but this cannot1 nevertheless1 in the slightest degree1 be deducible from it now1 from the notorious fact that the same monomania is never entertained by any two persons1 and in my hallucination1 if it be such1 there are a multitude of participators4 ,that is to say1 there are a multitude of persons of every grade who believe that they have communicated with their spirit friends1 as ,i have with mine2 and who1 like me1 have believed themselves to have held communion with the spirits of some of the most distinguished men who have departed this life4 ,a faith in the miracles of the ,new ,testament may as well be adduced as insanity as belief in spiritual manifestations under these circumstances4 ,the fact that manifestations have been made and truthfully described has been admitted by the ,catholic ,church1 but are ascribed to ,satanic agency4 ,let the doctrines of ,spiritualism1 and those of the church in question1 be compared1 in order to determine which owes most to ,satan4 ,the existence of a devil being admitted1 was there ever a more fertile source of diabolical intolerance than the idea that a peculiar belief being necessary to save men's souls from hell fire1 any temporal evil to which mortals might be subjected to coerce belief1 would be as justifiable as the forcible extirpation of an incipient cancer from the body of a child unwilling to submit to the operation8 ,if ever there was a devil's agency1 it may be seen in the auto-da-f1 the ,inquisition1 and the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew's day4 ,of the same devilish character was the execution of ,servetus by ,calvin1 or the persecution of the ,quakers and witches by the ,puritans4 ,respectfully1 your well-wisher1 ,,robert ,,hare4 ,a ,,letter ,,from ,,dr4 ,,hare4 ,addressed to the ,president of the ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 at their meeting1 ,august #ah1 #ahee4 ,,preliminary ,,remarks4 ,having addressed the subjoined letter to the ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 the standing committee resolved that the subject did not fall sufficiently within the objects of the ,association to allow even of its being read to the meeting4 ,in the instance of my letter to the ,episcopal clergy1 it was stated that its acknowledgment by them was not expected2 and after this impression was verified1 ,i admitted that1 in their not replying1 the interest of the church was best consulted4 ,in the present case ,i admit that the harmony of the ,association was perhaps best consulted in not recognising that the objects of the ,association involved the duty of allowing certain facts to be stated before it1 which are at war with the received doctrines of science1 no less than with those of revelation4 ,during the ,dark ,ages1 the so-called word of ,god 7but really the words of ignorant propagandists7 had taken such hold of the proper domain of science1 that it was heresy to assert the rotundity of this planet1 or that the sun did not revolve about it diurnally4 ,but at this time science has established itself upon the domain claimed for religious truth1 so that between the positive science of the atheist ,comte and the dogmatic opinions of the orthodox savan1 there is no room for the germ of ,spiritualism to shoot up4 ,it seems to me that1 in due courtesy and liberality1 the standing committee might have had my letter read to the meeting1 and have let the members judge whether it should be acknowledged4 ,but ,i place it on record in this volume1 and leave the propriety of their having neglected to acknowledge it to be estimated hereafter in this world1 as it has already been in the world of spirits1 as respects its influence on the estimation of the parties4 ,i am aware1 however1 that every man in society is more or less a peon1 and that there is no small analogy between the situation of many holding worldly pre-eminence and that of the poor apothecary of ,shakspeare4 ,conscience and reason are ever under the control of expediency4 ,those who live in society must be governed by the hearts and heads of others as well as their own3 unless they are quite sure that the cause of truth will suffer by their silence1 they should not speak to give others umbrage4 ,i always considered it my duty not to do any thing which would injure the institution of which ,i was a member for nearly thirty years4 ,doubtless1 the sachems of the ,association did what they thought best1 as probably ,i should have done1 had ,i been situated as they were1 and holding their opinions4 ,in the letter as actually sent to the ,association1 ,i introduced the arguments founded on ,dr4 ,bell's observations1 7#aaa1 #bhg1 #hfd17 also the facts and reasoning submitted in the ,supplemental ,preface4 ,i shall1 of course1 leave the reader to recur to those passages1 and introduce here only the other portions of my letter3 ,,to ,,the ,,president ,,of ,,the ,,association ,,for ,,the ,,advancement ,,of ,,science3 ,dear ,sir3 ,being engaged in putting a work to press1 ,i am sorry to be unable to be present at the meeting of the ,association on the #aeth inst4 ,when ,i was at the last meeting1 ,i stated an experiment made with the greatest care and precision1 which proved the existence of a power independent of any possible or conceivable mortal agency2 and ,i had on that occasion an opportunity of experiencing the fate of the ,dutch ambassador who first made the king of ,ava acquainted with the fact that bodies of water can be frozen so as to enable people to walk on a solidified aqueous surface4 ,it was a disease of the mind in either case4 ,but let no one apply to his soul the self-complacent unction that it was my hallucination1 not bigoted ignorance1 that originated that diagnosis4 ,since that time1 the fact of movements being made intelligibly1 without any perceptible or assignable mortal aid1 has been verified hundreds of times by others2 while under my own intuition it has been reiterated many times1 the experiment which ,i adduced having been repeated with every imaginable precaution and instructive variation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,about two years have elapsed1 since ,i erroneously sanctioned ,farraday's explanation of the manifestations1 in ascribing them to involuntary muscular action4 ,this arose from my being1 no less than that philosopher1 so utterly incredulous and intolerant of any idea of spiritual agency in any of the phenomena of nature1 excepting those which ,i ascribed to ,god1 that ,i did not take the possible agency of spirits into view2 but having been obliged to admit the facts conceded by ,dr4 ,bell1 7#bhg17 and having received interesting and intellectual communications of which he has not been informed1 ,i cannot1 with him1 stop half-way3 nor could he1 were he to have the interesting communications with his spirit friends which ,i have had with mine4 ,there has been a time when religion repressed science2 and it would seem that at the present era science is to revenge itself by repressing religious truth1 by sanctioning indirectly the alleged manifestations of antiquity1 while deriding those of the present time2 believing on miracles told by no one knows who1 yet denying the allegations of eye-witnesses known to be truthful2 while straining at spiritual gnats1 swallowing scriptural camels4 ,with high esteem1 your well-wisher1 ,,robert ,,hare4 ,,farraday',s ,,speculation4 ,speculation touching ,electric ,conduction and the nature of ,matter4 ,by ,farraday4 ,having expressed my objections to ,farraday's inferences respecting matter1 c41 ,i feel that justice requires that ,i should submit the article which drew forth my strictures4 ,at this time1 when electricity and matter are scrutinized with a view to understand the analogous1 but different1 entities of the spirit world1 the ideas of an experimental investigator so eminently successful1 must be of interest to readers3 ,light and electricity are two great and searching investigators of the molecular structure of bodies1 and it was1 while considering the probable nature of conduction and insulation in bodies not decomposable by the electricity to which they were subject1 and the relation of electricity to space contemplated as void of that which1 by the anatomist1 is called matter1 that considerations1 something like those which follow1 were presented to my mind4 ,if the view of the constitution of matter1 already referred to1 be assumed to be correct1 and ,i may be allowed to speak of the particles of matter and of the space between them 7in water1 or in the vapour of water1 for instance7 as two different things1 then space must be taken as the only continuous part1 for the particles are considered as separated by space from each other4 ,space will permeate all masses of matter in every direction like a net1 except that1 in place of meshes1 it will form cells1 isolating each atom from its neighbours1 and itself only being continuous4 ,then take the case of a piece of shellac1 a non-conductor1 and it would appear at once1 from such a view of its constitution1 that space is an insulator1 for if it were a conductor1 the shellac could not insulate1 whatever might be the relation as to conducting power of its material atoms2 the space would be like a fine metallic web penetrating it in every direction1 just as we may imagine of a heap of siliceous sand having all its pores filled with water1 or as we may consider of a stick of black wax1 which1 though it contains an infinity of particles of conducting charcoal diffused through every part of it1 cannot conduct1 because a non-conducting body 7a resin7 intervenes and separates them one from another like the supposed space in the lac4 ,next take the case of a metal1 platinum or potassium1 constituted1 according to the atomic theory1 in the same manner4 ,the metal is a conductor2 but how can this be1 except space be a conductor1 for it is the only continuous part of the metal1 and the atoms not only do not touch1 7by the theory17 but1 as we shall see presently1 must be assumed to be a considerable way apart4 ,space1 therefore1 must be a conductor1 or else the metals could not conduct1 but would be in the situation of the black sealing-wax referred to a little while ago4 ,but if space be a conductor1 how then can shellac1 sulphur1 c4 insulate8 for space permeates them in every direction4 ,or1 if space be an insulator1 how can a metal or other similar body conduct8 ,it would seem1 therefore1 that in accepting the ordinary atomic theory1 space may be proved to be a non-conductor in non-conducting bodies1 and a conductor in conducting bodies2 but the reasoning ends in this1 a subversion of that theory altogether1 for if space be an insulator1 it cannot exist in conducting bodies1 and if it be a conductor1 it cannot exist in insulating bodies4 ,any ground of reasoning which tends to such conclusions must in itself be false4 ,in connection with such conclusions1 we may consider shortly what are the probabilities that present themselves to the mind1 if the extension of the atomic theory which chemists have imagined be applied in conjunction with the conducting powers of metals4 ,if the specific gravity of the metals be divided by the atomic numbers1 it gives us the number of atoms1 upon the hypothesis1 in equal bulks of the metals4 ,in the following table the first column of figures expresses nearly the numbers of atoms in1 and the second column of figures the conducting power of1 equal volumes of the metals named3 ,atoms4 ,conducting power4 #ajj gold #fjj #ajj silver #dff #aab lead #jeb #acj tin #ajj #bbj platinum #ajd #bbg zinc #ahj #bhg copper #fcc #bij iron #ajj ,so here iron1 which contains the greatest number of atoms in a given bulk1 is the worst conductor excepting one4 ,gold1 which contains the fewest1 is nearly the best conductor2 not that these conditions are in inverse proportions1 for copper1 which contains nearly as many atoms as iron1 conducts better still than gold1 and with above six times the power of iron4 ,lead1 which contains more atoms than gold1 has only about one-twelfth of its conducting power2 lead1 which is much heavier than tin and much lighter than platina1 has only half the conducting power of either of these metals4 ,and all this happens among substances which we are bound to consider at present as elementary or simple4 ,whichever way we consider the particles of matter and the space between them1 and examine the assumed constitution of matter by this table1 the results are full of perplexity4 ,now let us take the case of potassium1 a compact metallic substance with excellent conducting powers--its oxide or hydrate a non-conductor2 it will supply us with some facts having very important bearings on the assumed atomic construction of matter4 ,when potassium is oxidized1 an atom of it combines with an atom of oxygen to form an atom of potassa1 and an atom of potassa combines with an atom of water1 consisting of two atoms of oxygen and hydrogen1 to form an atom of hydrate of potassa1 so that an atom of hydrate of potassa contains four elementary atoms4 ,the specific gravity of potassium is #jhfe1 and its atomic weight #dj2 the specific gravity of cast hydrate of potassa1 in such a state of purity as ,i could obtain it1 ,i found to be nearly #b2 its atomic weight1 #eg4 ,from these1 which may be taken as facts1 the following strange conclusions flow3 ,a piece of potassium contains less potassium than an equal piece of the potash formed by it and oxygen4 ,we may cast into potassium oxygen1 atom for atom1 and then again both oxygen and hydrogen in a twofold number of atoms1 and with all these additions the matter shall become less and less1 until it is not two-thirds of its original volume4 ,if a given bulk of potassium contains #de atoms1 the same bulk of hydrate of potassa contains #gj atoms nearly of the metal potassium1 and1 besides that1 #baj atoms more of oxygen and hydrogen4 ,in dealing with assumptions1 ,i must assume a little more for the sake of making any kind of statement2 let me therefore assume that in the hydrate of potassa the atoms are all of one size and nearly touching each other1 and that in a cubic inch of that substance there are #bhjj elementary atoms of potassium1 oxygen1 and hydrogen2 take #bajj atoms of oxygen and hydrogen1 and the #gjj atoms of potassium remaining will swell into more than a cubic inch and a half2 and if we diminish the number until only those containable in a cubic inch remain1 we shall have #dcj1 or thereabout4 ,so a space which can contain #bhjj atoms1 and among them #gjj of potassium itself1 is found to be entirely filled by #dcj atoms of potassium1 as they exist in the ordinary state of that metal4 ,surely1 then1 under the suppositions of the atomic theory1 the atoms of potassium must be very far apart in the metal1 i4 e4 there must be much more of space than of matter in that body2 yet it is an excellent conductor2 and so space must be a conductor1 but then what becomes of shellac1 sulphur1 and all the insulators8 for space must also1 by the theory1 exist in them4 ,again1 the volume which will contain #dcj atoms of potassium1 and nothing else while in the state of metal1 will1 when that potassium is converted into nitre1 contain very nearly the same number of atoms of potassium1 i4 e4 #daf1 and also then seven times as many1 or #biab atoms1 of nitrogen and oxygen beside4 ,in carbonate of potassa1 the space which will contain only the #dcj atoms of potassium as metal1 being entirely filled by it1 will1 after the conversion1 contain #bef atoms more of potassium1 making #fhf atoms of that metal1 and in addition #bgdd atoms of oxygen and carbon4 ,these and similar considerations might be extended through compounds of sodium and other bodies1 with results equally striking1 and indeed more so1 when the relations of one substance1 as oxygen and sulphur1 with different bodies are brought into comparison4 ,i am not ignorant that the mind is most powerfully drawn by the phenomena of crystallization1 chemistry1 and physics generally to the acknowledgment of centres of force4 ,i feel myself constrained1 for the present1 hypothetically to admit them1 and cannot do without them2 but ,i feel great difficulty in the conception of atoms of matter which in solids1 fluids1 and vapours are supposed to be more or less apart from each other1 with intervening space not occupied by atoms1 and perceive great contradictions in the conclusions which flow from such a view4 ,if we must assume at all1 as indeed in a branch of knowledge like the present we can hardly help it1 then the safest course appears to be to assume as little as possible2 and in that respect the atoms of ,boscovich appear to me to have a great advantage over the more usual notion4 ,his atoms1 if ,i understand aright1 are mere centres of forces or powers1 not particles of matter in which the powers themselves reside4 ,if in the ordinary view of atoms1 we call the particle of matter away from the powers a1 and the system of powers or forces in and around it m1 then in ,boscovich's theory a disappears1 and is a mere mathematical point1 while in the usual notion it is a little1 unchangeable1 impenetrable piece of matter1 and m is an atmosphere of force grouped around it4 ,in many of the hypothetical uses made of atoms1 as in crystallography1 chemistry1 magnetism1 c41 this difference in the assumption makes little or no alteration in the results2 but in other cases1 as of electric conductors1 the nature of light1 the manner in which bodies combine to produce compounds1 the effect of forces1 as heat or electricity1 upon matter1 the difference will be very great4 ,thus1 referring back to potassium1 in which as a metal the atoms must1 as we have seen1 be1 according to the usual view1 very far apart from each other1 how can we for a moment imagine that its conducting property belongs to it any otherwise than as a consequence of the properties of the space1 or1 as ,i have called it above1 the m8 ,so also its other properties in regard to light1 or magnetism1 or solidity1 or hardness1 or specific gravity1 must belong to it1 in consequence of the properties or forces of the m1 not those of the a1 which1 without the forces1 is conceived of as having no powers4 ,but then1 surely1 the m is the matter of the potassium1 for where is there the least ground 7except in a gratuitous assumption7 for imagining a difference in kind between the nature of that space midway between the centres of two contiguous atoms1 and any other spot between these centres8 ,a difference in degree or even in the nature of the power consistent with the laws of continuity ,i can admit1 but the difference between a supposed little hard particle and the powers around it1 ,i cannot imagine4 ,to my mind1 therefore1 the a or nucleus vanishes1 and the substance consist of the powers or m2 and indeed what notion can we form of the nucleus independent of its powers8 ,all our perception and knowledge of the atom1 and even our fancy1 is limited to ideas of its powers2 what thought remains on which to hang the imagination of an a independent of the acknowledged forces8 ,as mind just entering on the subject may consider it difficult to think of the powers of matter independent of a separate something to be called the matter1 but it is certainly far more difficult1 and indeed impossible to think of or imagine that matter independent of the powers4 ,now1 the powers we know and recognise in every phenomena of the creation1 the abstract matter in one2 why1 then1 assume the existence of that of which we are ignorant1 which we cannot conceive1 and for which there is no philosophical necessity8 ,before concluding these speculations1 ,i will refer to a few of the important differences between the assumption of atoms consisting merely of centres of force like those of ,boscovich1 and that other assumption of molecules of something specially material1 having powers attached in and around them4 ,with the latter atoms a mass of matter consists of atoms and intervening space2 with the former atoms matter is everywhere present1 and there is no intervening space unoccupied by it4 ,in gases the atoms touch each other just as truly as in solids4 ,in this respect the atoms of water touch each other1 whether that substance be in the form of ice1 water1 or steam2 no mere intervening space is present4 ,doubtless1 the centres of force vary in their distance one from another1 but that which is truly the matter of one atom touches the matter of its neighbours4 ,hence matter will be continuous throughout1 and in considering we have not to suppose a distinction between its atoms and any intervening space4 ,the powers around the centres give these centres the properties of atoms of matter2 and these powers again1 when many centres by their conjoint forces are grouped into a mass1 give to every part of that mass the properties of matter4 ,in such a view all the contradiction resulting from the consideration of electric insulation and conduction disappears4 ,the atoms may be conceived of as highly elastic1 instead of being supposed excessively hard and unalterable in form2 the mere compression of a bladder of air between the hands can alter their size a little1 and the experiments of ,cagniard la ,tour carry on this change in size until the difference in bulk at one time and another may be made several hundred times4 ,such is also the case when a solid or a fluid body is converted into vapour4 ,with regard also to the shape of the atoms1 and1 according to the ordinary assumption1 its definite and unalterable character1 another view must now be taken of it4 ,an atom by itself might be conceived of as spherical or spheroidal1 or where many were touching in all directions1 the form might be thought of as a dodecahedron1 for any one would be surrounded by and bear against twelve others1 on different sides4 ,but if an atom be conceived to be a centre of power1 that which is ordinarily referred to under the term shape1 would now be referred to the disposition and relative intensity of the forces4 ,the power arranged in and around a centre might be uniform in arrangement and intensity in every direction outward from that centre1 and then a section of equal intensity of force through the radii would be a sphere2 or the law of decrease of force from the centre outward might vary in different directions1 and then the section of equal intensity might be an oblate or oblong spheroid1 or have other forms2 or the forces might be disposed so as to make the atom polar2 or they might circulate around it equatorially or otherwise1 after the manner of imagined magnetic atoms4 ,in fact1 nothing can be supposed of the disposition of forces in or about a solid nucleus of matter1 which cannot be equally conceived with respect to a centre4 ,in the view of matter now sustained as the lesser assumption1 matter and the atoms of matter would be mutually penetrable4 ,as regards the mutual penetrability of matter1 one would think that the facts respecting potassium and its compounds1 already described1 would be enough to prove that point to a mind which accepts a fact for a fact1 and is not obstructed in its judgment by preconceived notions4 ,with respect to the mutual penetrability of the atoms1 it seems to me to present in many points of view a more beautiful1 yet equally probable and philosophic1 idea of the constitution of bodies than the other hypotheses1 especially in the case of chemical combination4 ,if we suppose an atom of oxygen and an atom of potassium about to combine and produce potash1 the hypothesis of solid1 unchangeable1 impenetrable atoms places these two particles side by side in a position easily1 because mechanically1 imagined1 and not unfrequently represented2 but if these two atoms be centres of power1 they will mutually penetrate to the very centres1 thus forming one atom or molecule1 with powers either uniformly around it or arranged as the resultant of the powers of the two constituent atoms2 and the manner in which two or many centres of force may in this way combine1 and afterward1 under the dominion of stronger forces1 separate1 may in some degree be illustrated by the beautiful case of the conjunction of two sea waves of different velocities into one1 their perfect union for a time1 and final separation into the constituent waves1 considered1 ,i think1 at the meeting of the ,british ,association at ,liverpool4 ,it does not1 of course1 follow from this view that the centres shall always coincide2 that will depend upon the relative disposition of the powers of each atom4 ,the view now stated of the constitution of matter would seem to involve necessarily the conclusion that matter fills all space1 or1 at least1 all space to which gravitation extends1 7including the sun and its system17 for gravitation is a property of matter dependent on a certain force1 and it is this force which constitutes the matter4 ,in that view matter is not merely mutually penetrable1 but each atom extends1 so to say1 throughout the whole of the solar system1 yet always retaining its own centre of force4 ,this1 at first sight1 seems to fall in very harmoniously with ,massotti's mathematical investigations and reference of the phenomena of electricity1 cohesion1 gravitation1 c4 to one force in matter1 and also again with the old adage 8matter cannot act where it is not40 ,but it is no part of my intention to enter into such considerations as these1 or what the bearings of this hypothesis would be on the theory of light and the supposed ether4 ,my desire has been rather to bring certain facts from electrical conduction and chemical combination to bear strongly upon our views regarding the nature of atoms and matter1 and so to assist in distinguishing in natural philosophy our real knowledge--i4 e4 the knowledge of facts and laws--from that1 which1 though it has the form of knowledge1 may1 from its including so much that is mere assumption1 be the very reverse4 ,it is to be regretted that the memoir of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,whewell could not be quoted1 being long and obscure4 ,his opinions1 it is conceived1 have been stated fairly1 7#agif47 ,motives for republishing my ,memoirs on ,electrical ,theory4 ,the principal motive1 without which the other motives would not have prevailed1 is1 that having had an interview with the spirit of ,franklin expressly to have his advice1 it was given decidedly in favour of publication4 ,there is no door in the temple of science which is so easy of access as that which leads to the department of electricity4 ,the illustrations usually given at a popular lecture may1 at the same time1 amuse an infant1 instruct a student1 and yet perplex a profound philosopher4 ,as associated with the phenomena of thunder and lightning1 at one time attributed to the bolt of omnipotent ,jove1 no consequences of scientific research are so awful and sublime3 coupled with the magnetic electric telegraph1 no other result so miraculous4 ,while vis inerti would keep all nature in statu quo1 whether at rest1 or like our planet in motion with a velocity fifty times as great as that of a cannon ball3 while gravitation tends like the clock weight to produce a definite action and1 per se1 never to act again3 electricity1 with a protean diversity of power1 appears to be the great instrument of all those changes by which the quiescent influence of the properties above mentioned1 is modified in the mundane sphere of chemistry and of life4 ,every tyro is aware of the wonderful property imparted to electrics by friction--to the tourmaline by heat2 and that the same process1 on a large scale1 will produce sparks1 ignition1 combustion1 deflagration1 and destroy animal life by an instantaneous shock4 ,it is notorious that these wonderful powers may all be imparted to a naked pane of glass1 while the charge thus imparted is really only two opposite and equal affections1 capable of neutralizing each other by due communication4 ,known also is it1 that properties1 to a certain extent similar1 may be found in a pile of pairs of heterogeneous metals1 with the additional power of electrolysis1 or1 in other words1 of resolving chemical compounds into their ingredients1 7#acgf47 ,it is well known that1 by these means1 water1 long and almost religiously considered as one of the four elements of the universe1 can be decomposed into two kinds of air2 that the earths and alkalies have been resolved into metals and oxygen2 and that there is scarcely any chemical compound consisting of two elements1 which may not1 when in aqueous solution or in fusion by heat1 be directly or indirectly decomposed by electrolysis1 as explained in the note to page #chd4 ,these multifarious feats of electricity have caused it to be contemplated as the source of every thing mysterious in nature4 ,it is not surprising1 therefore1 that those who1 through the accessibility of electricity1 had become partially acquainted with electrical phenomena1 should view it as the source of spiritual manifestations2 while those who have a more extensive knowledge of the nature and extent of electrical jurisdiction should perceive at once that the phenomena in question do not fall within its sphere4 ,after the discovery1 by ,oersted1 of the previously unsuspected reaction between galvanized wire and a magnetic needle1 those who had resorted to either one or two fluids to explain electrical phenomena1 found themselves completely at fault4 ,yet the language originated by ,franklin has been still employed conventionally4 ,this1 though not misleading adepts1 introduces confusion in the minds of those who have merely reached the ante-chamber of the electrical department4 ,under these circumstances1 ,i deem it expedient to republish the exposition of electrical theory which ,i first laid before the scientific world in #ahdh4 ,i hope that those who endeavour to refer spiritual manifestations or animal magnetism to electricity1 in any of its modifications1 will study this exposition of my views4 ,though1 as already stated1 there appears to be1 for the spirit world1 appropriate elements1 distinct from those of this mundane world1 there is1 nevertheless1 a correspondence4 ,we mortals can best prepare ourselves to understand the elements of that world by understanding our own4 ,from an idea of our light and our vital air1 we may by analogy conceive of theirs as a preliminary to any further knowledge4 ,the following theory has been submitted to the spirit of ,franklin1 who fully approved of it1 and fully admitted the validity of the reasons assigned by me for substituting this new exposition of electricity for that which goes under his celebrated name4 ,objections to the ,theories severally of ,franklin1 ,dufay1 and ,ampere1 with an effort to explain ,electrical ,phenomena1 by ,statical or ,undulatory ,polarization4#eh ,by ,robert ,hare1 ,m4,d41 ,emeritus ,professor of ,chemistry in the ,university of ,pennsylvania4 #a4 ,it appears1 from the experiments of ,wheatstone1 that the discharge of a ,leyden jar1 by means of a copper wire1 takes place within a time so small1 that were the transfer of a fluid from the positive to the negative surface requisite for its accomplishment1 a current having a velocity exceeding two hundred thousand miles in a second would be necessary4 #b4 ,the only causes for the velocity of an electric current1 according to ,franklin1 are the repulsion between the particles of the electric fluid of which it has been assumed to consist1 and the attraction between those particles and other matter4 ,these forces are alleged to concur in distributing the supposed fluid throughout space1 whether otherwise void1 or partially occupied by conducting solids or fluids4 ,hence1 when between two or more spaces1 surfaces1 or conducting masses1 there is an unequal distribution of the electric fluid1 the equilibrium is restored whenever a communication is opened by means of a sufficiently conducting medium4 ,agreeably to this view of the subject1 there seems to be a resemblance between the supposed effort of the electrical fluid to attain a state of equable diffusion1 and that which would exist in the case of a gas confined in adjoining receivers1 so as to be more dense within one than within the other2 for1 however the subtilty of the supposed electric fluid may exceed that of any gas1 there seems to be an analogy as respects the processes of diffusion which must prevail4 ,but on opening a communication between cavities in which any aeriform fluid exists1 in different degrees of condensation1 the density must lessen in one cavity and augment in the other1 with a rapidity which must diminish gradually1 and become evanescent with the difference of pressure by which it is induced4 ,far from taking place in an analogous manner1 electrical discharges are effected with an extreme suddenness1 the whole of the redundancy being discharged at once1 in a mode more like the flight of a bullet1 projected with infinite velocity1 than that of a jet gradually varying in celerity from a maximum to a minimum4 #c4 ,so far1 in fact1 is an electrical discharge from displaying the features which belong to the reaction of a condensed elastic fluid1 that agreeably to the observations of our distinguished countryman ,henry1 the result is more like the vibrations of a spring1 which1 in striving to regain its normal position1 goes beyond it4 ,the first discharge between the surfaces of a ,leyden jar is not productive of a perfect equilibrium4 ,the transfer of different polarities goes beyond the point of reciprocal neutralization1 producing a state1 to a small extent1 the opposite of that at first existing2 and hence a refluent discharge ensues1 opposite in direction to the primary one4 ,but even this does not produce an equilibrium1 so that a third effort is made4 ,these alternate discharges were detected by means of the magnetism imparted to needles exposed in coils of copper wire4#ei #d4 ,supposing one or more rows of electrical particles1 forming such a filament of electricity as must occupy the space within a wire of great length1 to be made the medium of discharge to a ,leyden jar2 agreeably to the hypothesis of one fluid1 the electrical filament must be attracted at one end of the wire and repelled at the other1 as soon as its terminations are brought into due communication with the coatings of the jar4 ,yet the influence of the oppositely-charged surfaces of the jar cannot be conceived to extend to those portions of the electricity which are remote from the points of contact1 until they be reached by a succession of vibrations4 ,hence1 it is inconceivable that every particle in the filament of electric matter can be made at the same time to move1 so as to constitute a current having the necessary velocity and volume to transfer1 instantaneously1 the electricity requisite to constitute a charge4 ,even the transmission of the impulses1 in such an infinitesimal of time1 seems to be inconceivable4 #e4 ,in reply to these objections1 it has been urged by the ,franklinians that a conductor being replete with electricity1 as soon as this fluid should be removed at one end1 it ought to move at the other4 ,this might be true of a fluid if incompressible1 but could not hold good were it elastic4 ,a bell wire moves at both ends when pulled only at one2 but this would not ensue were a cord of gum-elastic substituted for the wire4 #f4 ,but if the flow of one fluid1 with the enormous velocity inferred1 be difficult to conceive1 still more must it be incomprehensible that two fluids can rush with similar celerity1 from each surface of the jar1 in opposite directions1 through the narrow channel afforded by a wire2 especially as they are alleged to exercise an intense affinity2 so that it is only by a series of decompositions and recompositions that they can pass each other4 #g4 ,that agreeably to the theory of ,dufay1 equivalent portions of the resinous and vitreous fluids must exchange places during an electrical discharge1 will appear evident from the following considerations3 ,one surface being redundant with vitreous and deficient commensurately of resinous electricity1 and the other redundant with the resinous and deficient of the vitreous fluid1 it is inevitable that1 to restore the equilibrium1 there must be a simultaneous transfer of each redundancy to the surfaces wherein there is a deficiency of it to be supplied4 ,if1 after decomposing a large portion of the neutral compound previously existing on the surface of the jar1 and transferring the ingredients severally in opposite directions1 so as to cause each to exist in excess upon the surface assigned to it1 should the redundancies1 thus originated1 be neutralized by meeting in the discharging rod1 neither surface could recover its quota of the electrical ingredient of which it must have been deprived agreeably to the premises4 #h4 ,this calls to mind the fact that no evidence has been adduced of the existence of any tertium quid1 arising from the union of the supposed electricities1 founded on any property displayed by their resulting combination in the neutral state4 ,it must1 if it exist1 constitute an anomalous matter1 destitute of all properties1 and of the existence of which we have no evidence1 besides that founded on the appearance and disappearance of its alleged ingredients4 #i4 ,but however plausibly the discharges consequent to making a conducting communication from one electrified mass or surface to another mass or surface in an opposite state1 may be ascribed to accumulations either of one or of two fluids1 neither1 according to one theory nor the other1 is it possible to account satisfactorily for the stationary magnetism with which steel may be endowed1 nor the transitory magnetism1 or power of dynamic induction1 acquired by wires transmitting galvanic discharges4 #aj4 ,for the most plausible effort which has been made for the purpose of reconciling the phenomena of electro-magnetism with the theory of two fluids1 or with that of one fluid so far as these theories are convertible1 we are indebted to ,ampere4 #aa4 ,according to the hypothesis advanced by this eminent philosopher1 the difference between a magnetized and an electrified body is not attributable to any diversity in the imponderable matter to which their properties are respectively due1 but to a difference in the actual state or distribution of that matter4 ,statical polarity is the consequence of the unequal distribution of the two electric fluids whose existence he assumes2 while magnetical polarity is the consequence merely of the motion of those fluids1 which1 in magnets1 are supposed to gyrate in opposite directions about each particle of the mass4 ,these gyrations are conceived to take place only in planes at right angles to the axis of the magnet2 so that1 in a straight magnet1 the planes of the orbits must be parallel to each other4#fj #ab4 ,the aggregate effect of all the minute vortices of the electrical fluids1 in any one plane1 bounded by the lateral surfaces of the magnet1 is equivalent externally to one vortex1 since1 in either case1 every electric particle on that surface will so move as to describe tangents to a circle drawn about the axis of the magnet4 ,when the electrical vortices of the pole of one magnet conflict in their direction with those of another1 as when similar magnetic poles are approximated1 repulsion ensues2 but if the vortices are coincident in direction1 as when dissimilar poles are near1 attraction takes place4 ,when a current through a galvanized wire#fa concurs in direction with the magnetic vortices1 as above described1 attraction ensues2 repulsion resulting when it does not so concur4 ,hence1 the magnet1 if movable1 will strive to assume a position in which its electrical currents will not conflict with those of the wire on one side more than on the other2 also the wire1 if movable1 will strive so to arrange itself so as to produce the same result1 which can arrive only when the needle is at right angles to the wire1 and its sides consequently equidistant therefrom4 #ac4 ,electric currents will produce magnetic vortices1 and1 reciprocally1 magnetic vortices will produce electric currents4 ,hence the magnetism imparted to iron by galvanic spirals1 and the ,farradian currents produced by magnetized iron within spirals not galvanized4 #ad4 ,ampere's theory has1 in a high degree1 the usual fault of substituting one mystery for another2 but1 on the other hand1 it has1 in an equally high extent1 the only merit to which any theory can make an indisputable claim3 ,i mean that of associating facts so as to make them more easy to comprehend and to remember1 enabling us1 by analogy1 to foresee results1 and thus affording a clue in our investigations4 ,evidently1 the author of this theory was guided by it in his highly interesting and instructive contrivances2 and ,professor ,henry ascribes his success in improving the electro-magnet to the theoretic clue which he had received from ,ampere4 #ae4 ,nevertheless1 the postulates on which this ,amperean hypothesis is founded appear to me unreasonable4 ,they require us to concede that about every atom of a permanent magnet a process is going on analogous to that generally admitted to exist in a galvanic circuit1 where two fluids pass each other in a common channel by a series of decompositions and recompositions1 7#g47 ,in the galvanic circuit this process is sustained by chemical reaction2 but without any coenduring cause1 how is it to be sustained permanently in a magnet8 ,is it reasonable to assume that the heterogeneous constituents of an imaginary tertium quid are perpetually separating only to reunite8 7#h47fb #af4 ,in cases of complex affinity1 where four particles1 ,a ,b ,c ,d are united into two compounds ,a ,b1 ,c ,d1 it is easy to conceive that1 in obedience to a stronger affinity1 ,a shall combine with ,c1 and ,b with ,d3 but1 without any extraneous agency1 wherefore1 in any one compound1 should a particle ,a quit a particle ,b1 in order to unite with another particle of the same kind2 or wherefore should any one ,b quit one ,a1 in order to combine with another ,a8 #ag4 ,that such a process should take place in consequence of the inductive agency of a similar process already established in a magnet or galvanized wire were difficult to believe2 but it would seem utterly incredible that the most transient influence of such induction should be productive of such permanent electrolytic gyration as has been above specified4 ,moreover1 it is inconceivable that the particles of any matter should1 as required by this hypothesis1 merely by being put into motion1 acquire a power of reciprocal repulsion or attraction of which it were otherwise destitute4 #ah4 ,the vortices being assumed to take place about each atom1 cannot severally occupy an area of greater diameter than can exist between the centres of any two atoms4 ,of course1 the gyratory force exercised about the surface of a magnet by the aggregate movements of the vortices cannot extend beyond the surface more than half the diameter of one of the minute areas of gyration alluded to4 ,wherefore1 then1 do these gyrations1 when similar in direction1 from their concurrence approach each other2 when dissimilar in direction1 from contrariety move away1 even when situated comparatively at a great distance8 #ai4 ,i should consider ,ampere's theory as more reasonable were it founded upon the existence of one fluid2 since1 in that case1 vortices might be imagined without the necessity of supposing an endless and unaccountable separation and reunion of two sets of particles2 not only devoid of any property capable of sustaining their alleged opposite gyrations1 but actually endowed with an intense reciprocal attraction which must render such gyrations impossible4 ,but even if grounded on the idea of one fluid1 this celebrated hypothesis does not seem to me to account for the phenomena which it was intended to explain4 ,if distinct portions of any fluid do not attract or repel each other when at rest1 wherefore should they either attract or repel each other when in motion8 ,evidently mere motion can generate neither attraction nor repulsion4 ,bodies projected horizontally gravitate with the same intensity1 and consequently1 in any given time1 fall to the earth through the same perpendicular distance1 whether moving with the celerity of a cannon ball1 or undergoing no impulse excepting those arising from their own unresisted weights4 #bj4 ,the objections which are thus shown to be applicable in the case of liquids1 of which the neighbouring particles are destitute of the reaction requisite to produce the phenomena requiring explanation1 must operate with still greater force where ethereal fluids are in question1 of which the properties are positively irreconcilable with the phenomena4 ,according both to ,franklin and ,dufay1 bodies1 when similarly electrified1 should repel each other2 yet in point of fact1 collateral wires1 when subjected to similar voltaic discharges1 and of course similarly electrified1 become reciprocally attractive1 while such wires1 when dissimilarly electrified by currents which are not analogous1 become reciprocally repulsive4 #ba4 ,agreeably to ,ampere1 an iron bar1 situated within a coil of wire subjected to a galvanic current1 is magnetized1 because the current in the wire is productive of an electrical whirlpool about every particle of the metal4 ,when the iron is soft1 the magnetism1 and of course the gyrations of which its magnetism consists by the premises1 cease for the most part as soon as the circuit through the coil is broken2 but when the iron is in the more rigid state of hardened steel1 the gyrations continue for any length of time after the exciting cause has ceased4 #bb4 ,this theory does not explain wherefore the hardening of the steel should cause the gyration to be more difficult to induce1 yet more lasting when its induction is effected4 ,evidently the metallic particles must take some part in the process2 since it is dependent for its existence and endurance upon their nature and their state4 ,yet no function is assigned to these particles4 ,in fact1 it is inconceivable either that they can participate in1 or contribute to1 the supposed gyration4 #bc4 ,the electrical fluid in an iron bar cannot form a vortex about each particle1 all the vortices turning in one direction1 without a conflict between those which are contiguous4 ,in order not to conflict with each other1 the alternate vortices would have to turn in different directions1 like interlocking cog-wheels in machinery4 ,but in that case1 if magnetism be due to currents1 the magneto-inductive influence of one set would neutralize that of the other4 ,again1 how can a current1 excited by a battery in one circuitous conductor1 cause1 by dynamic induction1 a current in the opposite direction1 through another conductor parallel to the first1 but insulated therefrom8 ,how can a current of quantity in a ribbon coil#fc give rise to one of intensity in a coil of fine wire1 rushing of course with a velocity commensurate with the intensity thus imparted8 #bd4 ,from the preceding considerations1 and others which will be stated1 it follows that it has been erroneously inferred that the only difference between galvanic and frictional electricity is dependent on quantity and intensity4 ,it must be evident that there is a diversity in the nature of these affections of matter1 sufficient to create a line of demarcation between them4 #be4 ,having stated my objections to the electrical theories heretofore advanced1 it may be proper that ,i should suggest any hypothetical views which may appear to me of a character to amend or to supersede those to which ,i have objected4 ,but however ,i may have been emboldened to point out defects which have appeared to me to be inherent in the theories heretofore accredited1 ,i am far from presuming to devise any substitute which will be unobjectionable4 ,i am fully aware that there is an obscurity as respects the nature and mutual influence of chemical affinity1 heat1 light1 electricity1 magnetism1 and vitality1 which science can only to a minute extent dispel4 #bf4 ,the hypothesis which ,i now deem preferable is so much indebted to the researches and suggestions of ,farraday and others1 that1 were it true1 ,i could claim for myself but a small share of the merit of its origination4 ,that sagacious electrician employs the following language3 8,in the long-continued course of experimental inquiry1 in which ,i have been engaged1 this general result has pressed upon me constantly--namely1 the necessity of admitting two forces or directions of force1 combined with the impossibility of separating these two forces or electricities from each other40 7,experimental ,researches1 #aafc47fd #bg4 ,subsequently1 7#abdd17 after citing another proof of the inseparability of the two electric forces1 he alleges it to be 8another argument in favour of the view that induction and its concomitant phenomena depend upon a polarity of the particles of matter60 ,supposed grounds for a ,theory4 #bh4 ,the grounds upon which ,i venture to advance a theory are as follows3 ,the existence of two heterogeneous polar forces acting in opposite directions1 and necessarily connate and coexistent2 yet capable of reciprocal neutralization1 agreeably to the authority of ,farraday and others3 the polarity of matter in general1 as displayed during the crystallization and vegetation of salts3 also as made evident by ,farraday's late researches1 and the experiments and observations of ,hunt3 the very small proportion of the space in solids1 as in the instance of potassium and other metals1 which are apparently occupied by the ponderable atoms2 while1 agreeably to the researches and speculations of ,farraday1 7rightly interpreted17 the residual space must be replete with imponderable matter3 the experiments and inferences of ,davy and others1 tending to sanction the idea that an imponderable ethereal fluid must pervade the creation3 the perfect identity of the polarizing effects1 transiently created in a wire by subjection to a galvanic discharge1 with those produced by the permanent polarizing power of a steel magnet3 the utter heterogeneousness of the powers of galvanic and frictional electricity1 as respects ability to produce sparks before contact1 and likewise of the polarities which they respectively produce3 and superficiality of electricity proper during discharge as well as when existing upon insulated surfaces1 as demonstrated by atmospheric electricity when conveyed by telegraphic wires1 agreeably to ,henry2 the sounds observed severally by ,page1 ,henry1 and ,mairran1 as being consequent to making and breaking a galvanic circuit through a conductor1 or magnetizing or demagnetizing by means of surrounding galvanized coils4 ,proofs of the existence of an enormous quantity of ,imponderable ,matter in ,metals4 #bi4 ,it has been most sagaciously pointed out by ,farraday that four hundred and thirty atoms1 which form a cube of potassium in the metallic state1 must occupy nearly six times as much space as the same number of similar atoms fill1 when existing in a cube of hydrated oxide of potassium of the same size2 which1 beside seven hundred metallic atoms1 must hold seven hundred atoms of hydrogen and fourteen hundred of oxygen--in all two thousand eight hundred atoms2 whence it follows that1 in the metallic cube1 there must be room for six times as many atoms as it actually holds4 #cj4 ,with all due deference1 ,i am of opinion that this distinguished philosopher has not been consistent in assuming that1 agreeably to the ,newtonian idea of ponderable atoms1 the space in potassium not replete with metal must be vacant2 since1 according to facts established by his researches1 or resulting therefrom1 an enormous quantity both of the causes of heat and of electricity exists in metals4 ,moreover1 agreeably to his recent speculations1 those causes must consist of material1 independent1 imponderable matter1 occupying the whole of the space in which their efficacy is perceptible4 ,to the evolution of the imponderable matter thus associated1 the incandescence of a globule of potassium on contact with water1 may be ascribed1 since it is the consequence of the displacement of such matter by the elements of water1 which1 in replacing it1 converts the metal into the hydrated oxide called caustic potash4 #ca4 ,the existence both of the causes of electricity and heat in metals is likewise confirmed by the fact that the inductive influence of a magnet is sufficient to cause all the phenomena of heat1 electrolysis1 and magnetism1 as exemplified by the magneto-electric machine4 ,the existence of the cause of heat in metals is also evident from the ignition of an iron rod when hammered1 or the deflagration of wire by the discharge of a ,leyden battery4 #cb4 ,the superiority of metals as electrical conductors may be the consequence of the pre-eminent abundance of imponderable matter entering into their composition1 as above alluded to in the case of potassium4 #cc4 ,graham1 in his ,elements1 treating of electricity1 alleges that the 8great discoveries of ,farraday have completely altered the aspect of this department of science1 and suggests that all electrical phenomena whatever involve the presence of matter40 ,unless the distinguished author from whom this quotation is made intended to restrict the meaning of the word matter to ponderable matter1 there was no novelty in the idea that electrical phenomena involve the presence of matter1 since the hypotheses of ,franklin and ,dufay assume the existence of one or more imponderable material fluids4 ,but1 on the other hand1 if the meaning of the word matter is only to comprise that which is ponderable1 the allegation is inconsistent with the authority cited4 ,according to the researches of ,farraday1 there is an enormous electrical power in metals1 and1 according to his speculations1 such powers must be considered as imponderable material principles1 pervading the space within which they prevail1 independently of any ponderable atom acting as a basis for material properties2 the existence of such atoms being represented as questionable4 ,electrical ,phenomena attributed to ,stationary1 or ,undulatory1 ,polarization4 #cd4 ,it having been shown that in electrical discharges there cannot reasonably be any transfer of matter1 so as to justify the idea of their being effected either by one current or by two currents1 the only alternative seems to be that the phenomena are due to a progressive affection of the conducting medium1 analogous in its mode of propagation to waves1 as in the case of liquids1 or the arial or ethereal undulations to which sound and light are ascribed4 7#a1 #b1 #c1 c47 #ce4 ,the idea intended to be conveyed by the word wave1 as applied in common to the undulatory affections above mentioned1 and that which is conceived to be the cause of the phenomena usually ascribed to one or more electrical currents1 requires only that there should be a state of matter1 which1 while it may be utterly different from either of those which constitute the waves of water1 light1 or sound1 may1 nevertheless1 like either1 pass successively from one portion of a mass to another4 #cf4 ,the affection thus designated may be reasonably distinguished from other waves1 as a wave of polarization1 since the wire acts1 so long as subjected to the reiterated discharges of a voltaic series1 as if it were converted into innumerable small magnets1 situated like tangents to radii proceeding from its axis4 #cg4 ,but if a polarizable medium be requisite to electrical discharges1 since they pass through a space when devoid of ponderable matter1 there must be some imponderable medium through which they can be effected4 ,hence we have reason to infer that there is an imponderable existing throughout all space1 as well as within conductors1 which is more or less the medium of the opposite waves essential to electric discharges4 ,quoting his own language1 ,davy's experiments led him to consider 8that space1 7meaning void space17 where there is not an appreciable quantity of this matter1 7meaning ponderable matter17 is capable of exhibiting electrical phenomena30 also that such phenomena 8are produced by a highly subtile fluid or fluids40 ,moreover1 that 8it may be assumed1 as in the hypothesis of ,hooke1 ,euler1 and ,huyghens1 that an ethereal matter susceptible of electrical affections fills all space40 #ch4 ,agreeably to the suggestions above made1 all ponderable matter which is liable to be electrified internally by electrical discharges1 may be considered as consisting of atoms composed of imponderable ethereo-electric particles in a state of combination with ponderable particles1 analogous to that which has been supposed to exist between such particles and caloric when causing expansion1 liquidity1 or the ariform state4 ,atoms1 so constituted of ethereal and ponderable particles1 may be designated as ethereo-ponderable atoms4#fe #ci4 ,a quiescent charge of frictional electricity1 only affecting the superficies of any ponderable mass with which it may be associated1 and having no influence upon the component ethereo-ponderable atoms severally1 is not to be ascribed to redundancies or deficiencies of the ethereal matter1 but to different states of polarization produced in different sets of the particles of such matter existing about the electrifiable bodies4#ff ,during the action of an electrical machine1 these particles are polarized by the opposite polarities transiently induced in the surfaces subjected to friction2 one set of particles going with the electric1 the other remaining with the rubber4 #dj4 ,the particles thus oppositely polarized1 severally divide their appropriate polarities with other ethereal matter surrounding the conductors1 and this1 when insulated1 is retained until a further polarization results from the same process4 ,thus are the ethereo-electric atmospheres respectively surrounding the positive and negative conductors oppositely polarized1 and consequently charged to the degree which the machine is competent to induce4 ,under these circumstances1 if a conducting rod be made to form between them a communication1 by touching each conductor with one of its ends1 the polarities of the ethereo-electric atmospheres by which they are severally surrounded propagate themselves1 by a wave-like process1 over and more or less through the rod1 according to its nature and dimensions1 so as to meet intermediately1 and thus produce reciprocal neutralization4 #da4 ,when the oppositely polarizing waves1 generated by friction1 as above described1 are by means of a conducting communication transmitted to the surface of a coated pane1 the two different portions of the electro-ether there existing are severally polarized in opposite ways1 one being endowed with the properties usually called vitreous1 or positive1 the other with those usually called resinous1 or negative4 ,in fact1 the two polarized atmospheres thus created1 may be conveniently designated as the 8two electricities10 and alluded to in the language heretofore employed in treating of phenomena1 agreeably to the hypothesis which assumes the existence of heterogeneous fluids instead of heterogeneous polarities4 #db4 ,of course it will follow1 that the oppositely polarized ethereal atmospheres thus produced1 one on each surface of the electric which keeps them apart1 must exercise toward each other an attraction perfectly analogous to that which has been supposed to be exercised by the imaginary heterogeneous electric fluids of ,dufay4 ,the electro-ether#fg being elastic1 a condensation over each of the charged surfaces1 proportionable to the attractive force must ensue2 while over the surface of an electrified conductor1 the similarly polarized atoms1 not being attracted by those in an oppositely polarized atmosphere beneath the surface1 tend1 by their reciprocally repulsive reagency1 to exist further apart than in a neutral state4 ,hence1 the electro-ether1 as it exists over the surface of an insulated conductor1 is rendered rarer1 while1 as existing over the surfaces of charged panes or ,leyden jars1 it must be in a state of condensation4#fh ,and1 consequently1 while the space perceptibly electrified by the charge of a conductor1 for equal areas and charging power1 is much more extensive than the space in which the charge of a coated pane is perceptible1 the striking distance being likewise much greater2 yet upon any body1 successively subjected to a discharge from each1 the effect will be more potent when produced by means of the pane4 ,ignition1 ,electrolysis1 and ,magnetism1 ,secondary ,effects of ,frictional ,discharges2 or1 in other words1 of ,polarizing ,electro-ethereal ,waves4 #dc4 ,in proportion as a wire is small in comparison with the charge which it may be made the means of neutralizing1 the conducting power seems to be more dependent on the sectional area1#fi and less upon the extent of surface4 ,the reciprocal repulsion of the similarly polarized ethereal particles must tend always to make them seek the surface1 but at the same time their attraction for the ethereo-ponderable particles composing the wire has the opposite effect1 and tends to derange these from their normal polar state of quiescence4 ,commensurate with the extent in which this state is subverted1 is the resulting heat1 electrolytic power1 and electro-magnetic influence4 ,the phenomena last mentioned are1 however1 secondary effects consequent to the participation of the ethereo-ponderable matter in the undulations resulting from the statical discharge4 #dd4 ,such effects1 making allowance for the extreme minuteness of the time occupied by the process1 are probably1 in all cases1 proportional to the degree in which the ponderable matter is effected1 up to the point at which it is dissipated by deflagration2 but the duration of a statical discharge being almost infinitely minute for any length of coil which can conveniently be subjected thereto1 the electro-magnetic and other effects of a statical discharge are not commensurate with the intensity of the affection of the wire4 #de4 ,there is1 in fact1 this additional reason for the diversity between the electro-magnetic power of a statical discharge1 as compared with that of the voltaic series3 any wire which is of sufficient length and tenuity to display the maximum power of deflagration by the former1 cannot serve for the same purpose in the case of the latter4 ,moreover1 the form of a helix closely wound1 so that the coatings may touch1 which is that most favourable for the reiteration of the magnetic influence of the circuit upon an iron rod1 cannot be adopted in the case of statical discharges of high intensity1 since the proximity of the circumvolutions would enable the ethereal waves1 notwithstanding the interposition of cotton or silk1 to cross superficially from one to the other1 parallel to the axis of the included iron1 instead of pursuing the circuitous channel afforded by the helix with the intensity requisite to the polarization of the ponderable atoms4 ,the extreme ,diversity1 as respects striking ,distance1 between the direct ,effects of ,frictional ,electricity and those directly arising from ,galvanic ,reaction4 #df4 ,the intensity of the excitement produced by different electrical machines is estimated to be as the relative lengths of the sparks which proceed from their prime conductors respectively4 ,admitting that the relative intensity were merely as the length of the spark1 not as the square of that length1 still there would be an infinite difference between the intensity of a voltaic series and that of electrical machines1 if measured by this test4 ,large electrical machines1 like that at the ,polytechnic ,institution1 ,london1 give sparks at twenty inches and more2 while1 agreeably to ,gassiott's experiments1 a ,groves's battery of #cbj pairs1 in full power1 would not1 before contact1 give a spark at any distance1 however minute4 ,it follows1 that1 as respects the species of intensity which is indicated by length of sparks1 or striking distance1 the difference between the electricity of the most powerful voltaic series and electrical machines is not to be represented by any degree of disparity2 it proves that galvanism proper and electricity proper are heterogeneous4 #dg4 ,it should be recollected that the intensity of galvanic action in a series of #cbj pairs1 excepting the loss from conduction1 would be to that of one pair as #cbj to #a4gj ,of course1 the striking distance of a battery of one pair would be #cbj times less than nothing3 #cbj below zero4 #dh4 ,we may infer that the undulatory polarization of ethereo-ponderable matter is the primary1 direct1 and characteristic effect of galvanic excitement1 in its more energetic modifications4 ,yet1 that by peculiar care in securing insulation1 as in the water batteries of ,cross and ,gassiott1 ethereal undulations may be produced1 with the consequent accumulation of ethereal polarity requisite to give sparks before contact1 agreeably to the experiments of those ingenious philosophers4 #di4 ,hence it may be presumed that1 during intense ethereo-ponderable polarization1 superficial ethereal waves may always be a secondary effect1 although the conducting power of the reagents1 requisite to the constitution of powerful galvanic batteries1 is inconsistent with that accumulation of ethereal polarity which constitutes a statical spark-giving charge4 #ej4 ,as all the members forming a voltaic series have to be discharged in one circuit1 the energy of the effort to discharge1 and the velocity of the consequent undulations must be1 cteris paribus1 as the number of members which co-operate to produce the discharge4 ,of course the more active the ethereo-ponderable waves1 the greater must be their efficacy in producing ethereal waves of polarization1 as a secondary effect1 agreeably to the suggestions above made1 7#di1 #cf47 #ea4 ,hence1 in a battery consisting of one galvanic pair excited by reagents of great chemical energy and conducting power1 the electro-magnetic effects are pre-eminent2 while ,de ,luc's electric columns1 consisting of several thousands of minute pairs1 feeble as to their chemical and conducting efficacy1 are pre-eminent for statical spark-giving power1 7#dh47 ,this seems to be quite consistent2 since1 on the one hand1 the waves of polarization must be larger and slower as the pairs are bigger and fewer2 and1 on the other hand1 smaller and more active as the pairs are more minute and more numerous4 ,on the perfect similitude between the ,polarity communicated to ,iron ,filings by a ,magnetized ,steel ,bar and a ,galvanized ,wire4 #eb4 ,if by a sieve1 or any other means1 iron filings be duly strewed over a paper1 resting on a bar magnet1 they will all become magnets1 so as to arrange themselves in rows like the links of a chain4 ,each of the little magnets thus created will1 at its outermost end1 have a polarity similar to that of the pole 7of the magnet7 with which it may be affiliated4 ,of course the resulting ferruginous rows formed severally by the two different poles of the bar will have polarities as opposite as those of the said poles4 #ec4 ,in an analogous mode1 if two wires be made the media of a galvanic discharge1 iron filings1 under their influence1 will receive a magnetic polarity1 arranging themselves about each wire like so many tangents to as many radii proceeding from its axis3 those magnetized by one wire reacting with such as are magnetized by the other4 #ed4 ,the affections of the ferruginous particles during the continuance of the current so called are precisely like those of the same particles when under the influence of the bar magnet4 ,the great discordancy is in the fact that the influence of the magnet is permanent1 while that of the wire is indebted for existence to a series of oppositely polarizing but transient impulses which proceed toward the middle of the circuit from each side1 so as to produce reciprocal neutralization by meeting midway4 #ee4 ,the effect upon the filings1 as originally pointed out by ,oersted1 is precisely such as would arise were the ponderable matter of the wire1 resolved by each impulse into innumerable little magnets1 situated so as to form tangents to as many radii proceeding from the axis of the wire4 #ef4 ,independently of the filings1 the wires react with each other as if their constitution1 during subjection to the discharge1 were such as above supposed4 ,when the discharges through them concur in direction1 they attract1 because the left side of one is next the right side of the other1 bringing the opposite poles of their little magnets into proximity2 but when the discharge is made in opposite directions1 the two right or the two left sides will be in proximity1 and will1 by the consequent approximation of the similar poles of the little magnets1 be productive of repulsion4 #eg4 ,from these last-mentioned facts and considerations1 it must be evident that1 assuming that there is in a galvanized wire a derangement of the poles of the constituent ethereo-ponderable particles analogous to that permanently existing in magnetized steel1 involves no contradiction1 no absurdity1 nor any thing but what is consistent with the researches and inferences of ,davy1 ,farraday1 and other eminent investigators of the phenomena of nature4 ,process by which the ,ethereo-ponderable ,atoms within a ,galvanic ,circuit are polarized by the ,chemical ,reaction4 #eh4 ,in order that an ethereo-ponderable particle of oxygen in any aqueous solution shall unite with an ethereo-ponderable particle of zinc in a galvanic pair1 there must be a partial revolution of the whole row of ethereo-ponderable zinc atoms1 with which the atom assailed is catenated by the attractions between dissimilar poles2 and likewise there must be a series of decompositions and recompositions between every atom of water existing in the circuit1 an atom of hydrogen being eliminated at one end1 an atom of oxygen at the other4 ,the impulse must extend through the negative plate to the conductor1 by which it communicates with the zinc or electro-positive plate4 ,when the circuit is open1 the power of combination exercised by the zinc and oxygen is inadequate to produce this movement in the whole chain of atoms1 liquid and metallic2 but as it is indifferent whether any two atoms are united with each other1 or with any other atoms of the same kind1 the chemical force easily causes them to exchange partners1 as it were1 when the whole are made to form a circuitous row in due contiguity4#ga #ei4 ,as we know that1 during their union with oxygen1 metals give out an enormous quantity of heat and electricity1 it is reasonable to suppose that whenever an atom of oxygen and an atom of zinc jump into union with each other1 a wave is induced in the ethereo-ponderable matter1 and that this wave is sustained by the decompositions and recompositions1 by means of which an atom of hydrogen is evolved at the negative plate1 and probably enabled to assume the aeriform state4 ,there must1 at the same time1 be a communication of wave polarity by contact of the negative plate with the connecting wire1 by which the positive wave in the wire is induced4 ,although the inherent polarities of the atoms are not1 agreeably to this view1 the moving power in galvanism1 yet they facilitate1 and in some cases induce1 the exercise of that power1 by enabling it to act at a distance1 when otherwise it might be inefficient4 #fj4 ,this1 ,i conceive1 is shown in the effect of platina sponge1 upon a mixture of the gaseous elements of water2 also in ,groves's gas battery1 by means of which hydrogen and oxygen gas severally react with water in syphons1 so as to cause each other to condense1 without any communication beside that through the platina1 and an electrolytic decomposition and recomposition extending from one of the aqueous surfaces in contact with one of the gases1 to the other surface in contact with the other gas4 ,difference between ,electro-ethereal and ,ethereo-ponderable ,polarization4 #fa4 ,there are two species of electro-polarity which come under the head of statical electricity4 ,one of these ,farraday illustrates by supposing three bodies1 ,a1 ,b1 and ,c1 in proximity1 but not in contact1 when ,a1 being electrified1 electrifies ,b1 and ,b electrifies ,c by induction4 ,this1 ,farraday calls an action of the particles of the bodies concerned1 whereas1 by his own premises1 it appears to me to be merely a superficial affection of the masses or of a circumambient ethereal matter4 ,this species of polarization1 to which the insulating power of air is necessary1 affects the superficies of a body only1 being displayed as well by a gilt globe of glass as a solid globe of metal4 ,no sensible change appears to be produced in the ponderable conducting superficies by this inductive superficial electrification of masses2 and of course no magnetism4 #fb4 ,when a small image1 of which the scalp has been abundantly furnished with long hair1 is electrified1 the hairy filaments extend themselves and move apart1 as if actuated by a repulsive power3 also1 when iron filings are so managed as to obey the influence of the poles of a powerful magnet1 7#ea17 they arrange themselves in a manner resembling that of the electrified hair4 ,there is1 moreover1 this additional analogy1 that there is an attraction between two portions of hair differently electrified1 like that which arises between filings differently magnetized4 ,yet the properties of the electrified hair and magnetized filings are1 in some respects1 utterly dissimilar4 ,a conducting communication between differently electrified portions of hair would entirely neutralize the respective electrical states2 so that all the electrical phenomena displayed by them would cease4 ,yet such a communication made between the poles1 exciting the filings1 by any non-magnetic conductor1 does not in the slightest degree lessen their polar affections and consequent power of reciprocal influence4 ,upon the electrified hair1 the proximity or the contact of a steel magnet has no more effect than would result under like circumstances from any other metallic mass similarly employed2 but by the approximation1 and still more1 the contact of such a magnet1 the affection of the filings may be enhanced1 lessened1 or nullified1 according to the mode of its employment4 ,in the case of the hair the affection is superficial1 and the requisite charging power must be in proportion to the extent of surface4 ,in the case of the magnetized ferruginous particles1 it is the mass which is affected1 and1 cteris paribus1 the more metal1 the greater the capacity for magnetic power4 ,in the instance of the electrified hair1 as in every other of frictional excitement1 the electrical power resides in imponderable ethereo-electric atmospheres which adhere superficially to the masses1 being liable to be unequally distributed upon them in opposite states of polarity1 consequent to a superficial polarization of the exciting or excited ponderable masses2 but in the instance of bodies permanently magnetic1 or those rendered transiently magnetic by galvanic influence1 the ethereo-electric matter and the ponderable atoms are inferred to be in a state of combination1 forming ethereo-ponderable atoms1 so that both may become parties to the movements and affections of which the positive and negative waves consist4 #fc4 ,thus an explanation is afforded of the hitherto mysterious diversity of the powers of a gold-leaf electroscope and galvanoscopes1 although both are to a miraculous degree sensitive--the latter to the most feeble galvanic discharge1 the former to the slightest statical excitement2 yet neither is in the most minute degree affected by the polarization which affects the other4 #fd4 ,the charge which may exist in a coated pane affords another exemplification of statical or electro-ethereal polarity4 ,in this case1 according to ,farraday1 the particles of glass are thrown into a state of electro-polarity1 and are1 in fact1 partially affected as if they belonged to a conductor2 so that insulators and conductors differ only in the possession in a high degree by the one of a susceptibility of which the other is possessed to an extent barely perceptible4 ,the facts seem to me only to show that either an insulator or conductor may be both affected by the same polarizing force1 the transmission of which the one facilitates1 the other prevents4 ,i am under the impression that it is only by the disruptive process that electricity passes through glass2 of course involving a fracture4 ,it gets through a pane or jar1 not by aid of the vitreous particles1 but in despite of their opposing coherence4 ,the glass in such cases is not liable to be fused1 deflagrated1 or dissipated1 as conductors are4 ,it is forced out of the way of the electrical waves1 being incapable of becoming a party to them4 ,discharges will take place through a vacuity1 rather than through the thinnest leaf of mica4 ,but if1 as ,farraday has alleged1 from within a glass flask hermetically sealed1 an electrical charge has been found to escape1 after a long time1 it proves only that glass is not a perfect insulator1 not that perfect insulation and perfect conduction are different extremes of the same property4 ,on the contrary1 the one is founded upon a constitution competent to the propagation within it of the electro-polarizing waves1 with miraculous facility1 while the other is founded either on an absolute incapacity1 or comparatively an infinitely small ability to be the medium of their conveyance4 ,the one extremely retards1 the other excessively expedites1 its passage through a space otherwise void4#gb ,competency of a ,wire to convey a ,galvanic ,discharge is as its sectional area1 while statical discharges of frictional electricity1 preferring the surface1 are promoted by its extension4 ,yet in proportion as such discharges are heavy1 the ability of a wire to convey them and its magnetic energy become more dependent on its sectional area1 and less upon extent of surface4 #fe4 ,reference has been made to two modes of electrical conduction1 in one of which the efficacy is as the surface2 in the other1 as the area of a section of the conductor4 ,although glass be substantially a non-conductor1 the power of the surface of glass when moistened or gilt to discharge statical electricity is enormous4 ,it has been generally considered that1 as a protection against lightning1 the same weight of metal employed as a pipe would be more efficacious than in the usual solid form of a lightning rod3 yet this law does not hold good with respect to galvanic discharges1 which are not expedited by a mere extension of conducting surface4 ,independently of the augmentation of conducting power1 consequent to radiation and contact with the air1 the cooling influence of which1 according to ,davy1 promotes galvano-electric conduction1 a metallic ribbon does not convey a galvanic discharge better than a wire of similar weight and length4#gc #ff4 ,agreeably to the considerations above stated1 the sectional area of a conductor remaining the same1 in proportion as any statical accumulation which it may discharge is greater1 the effects are less superficial2 and the ethereo-ponderable atoms are affected more analogously to those exposed to galvanic discharges4 ,it is in this way that the discharge of a ,leyden jar imparts magnetic polarization4 ,thus1 on the one hand1 the electro-ethereal matter being polarized and greatly condensed1 combines with and communicates polarization1 and consequently magnetism1 to ethereo-ponderable bodies2 while1 on the other hand1 these1 when polarized by galvanic reaction1 and thus rendered magnetic1 communicate polarity to the electro-ether4 ,hence1 statical electricity1 when produced by galvanism1 and magnetism1 when produced by statical electricity1 are secondary effects4 #fg4 ,where a wire is of such dimensions1 in proportion to the charge1 as to be heated1 ignited1 or dispersed by statical electricity1 there seems to be a transitory concentration of the electric power1 which transforms the nature of the reaction1 and an internal wave of electro-ponderable polarization1 similar to those of galvano-electricity1 is the consequence4 #fh4 ,as above observed1 7#ca17 the current produced by the magneto-electric machine has all the attributes of the galvano-electric current2 yet this is altogether a secondary effect of the changes of polarity in a keeper1 acting upon a wire solely by dynamic induction4 ,but if1 by mere external influence1 the machine above mentioned can produce within a circuit a current such as above described1 is it unreasonable to suppose that the common machine1 when it acts upon a circuit1 may put into activity the matter existing therein1 so as to produce waves of polarization1 having the power of those usually ascribed to a galvano-electrical current8 #fi4 ,it has been shown that both reason and the researches and suggestions of ,farraday warrant the inference that ponderable atoms1 in solids and liquids1 may be considered as swimming in an enormous quantity of condensed imponderable matter1 in which all the particles1 whether ponderable or imponderable1 are1 in their natural state1 held in a certain relative position due to the reciprocal attraction of their dissimilar poles4 ,a galvano-electrified body differs from one in its ordinary state1 in having the relative position of the poles of its ethereo-ponderable atoms so changed1 that their inherent opposite polarities not being productive of reciprocal neutralization1 a reaction with external bodies ensues4 #gj4 ,in statical excitement the affection is superficial as respects the ponderable bodies concerned1 while in dynamic excitement the polarities of the whole mass are deranged oppositely at opposite ends of the electrified mass2 so that the oppositely disturbing impulses1 proceeding from the poles of the disturbing apparatus1 neutralize each other intermediately4 ,supposing the ponderable as well as the imponderable matter in a perfect conductor to be susceptible of the polar arrangement1 of which an electrified state is thus represented to consist1 non-conductors to be insusceptible of such polar derangement2 imperfect conductors may have a constitution intermediate between metals and electrics4 #ga4 ,when an electrical discharge is made through any space devoid of air or other matter1 it must then find its way solely by the polarization of the rare imponderable matter existing therein2 and consequently its corruscations should be proportionably more diffuse1 which is actually found to be true2 but when gaseous ethereo-ponderable atoms intervene1 as in wire1 they enable competent waves to exist within a narrower channel and to attain a greater intensity4 #gb4 ,i consider all bodies as insulators which cause discharges through them to be more difficult than through a vacuum1 and which1 by their interposition within a circuit1 can prevent that propagation of the oppositely polarizing undulations which would otherwise ensue4 ,this furnishes a good mean of discrimination between insulators and conductors1 the criterion being that a discharge ensues more readily as there is more of the one and less of the other in the way3 that the one leads the waves where they would not go1 the other impedes their going where they would proceed4 ,both in the case of disruptive discharge through air1 producing a spark1 or of a deflagrating discharge through wire1 causing its explosion1 there is a dispersion of intervening ponderable particles2 and yet there is this manifest discordancy1 that in one case the undulatory process of transfer is assisted1 in the other resisted4 ,the waves follow the metallic filament with intense attraction1 while they strive to get out of the way of those formed by the aeriform matter1 as if repelled4 ,hence the term disruptive1 from dirumpo1 to break through1 was happily employed by ,farraday to designate spark discharges4 #gc4 ,the zigzag form of the disruptive spark shows that there is a tendency in the aeriform particles to turn the waves out of that straight course1 which1 if unresisted or facilitated1 they would naturally pursue4 ,on the one hand1 the aerial filaments being unsuitable for the conveyance of the electric waves1 these are forced by them out of the normal path--first in one direction1 then in another2 while1 on the other hand1 the finest metallic filament furnishes a channel for the electric waves1 so favourable that this channel is pursued1 although the consequent polarization of the conducting particles be so intense as to make them fly asunder with explosive violence4 ,even when a bell-wire has been dissipated by lightning1 it has been found to facilitate and determine the path of the discharge4 #gd4 ,the various forms of the electric spark1 resulting from varying the gas through which it may be made to pass1 agreeably to the researches of ,farraday1 is explained by the supposition that the peculiarities of the spark is partially the consequence of the polarizability of the gaseous atoms through which the discharge is made1 and varies1 accordingly1 in its appearance4 ,difference between ,frictional ,electricity and ,galvanic does not depend on the one being superior as to ,quantity1 the other as to ,intensity2 but on the different ,degrees in which the ,ethereo-ponderable ,atoms of the ,bodies affected are deranged from their natural state of ,neutralized ,polarity4 #ge4 ,i infer that all magneto-polar charges are attended by an affection of ponderable particles2 and that the reason why the most intense statical charge does not affect a galvanometer is1 that it is only when appositely excited bodies are neutralized by the interposition of a conductor as during a discharge1 that ethereo-ponderable particles are sufficiently polarized to enable them to act upon others in their vicinity1 so as to produce a polar affection the opposite of their own4 7#ed4eh47 ,in this way dynamic induction is consistently explained1 by supposing that the waves of polarization1 in passing along one conductor1 produce1 pari passu1 the opposite polarization in the proximate part of any neighbouring conductor suitably constituted1 situated and arranged to allow it to form a part of a circuit4 #gf4 ,it is only during the state of the incessant generation and destruction of what has been called the two electricities1 that the circuit1 which is the channel for the passage of the polarizing waves1 is endowed with electro-magnetic powers4 ,it was1 no doubt1 in obedience to a perception of this fact1 that ,oersted ascribed the magnetism of a galvanized wire to a conflict of the electricities4 ,undoubtedly1 that state of a conductor in which1 by being a part of an electrical circuit1 it becomes enabled to display electro-magnetic powers1 is so far a conflict of the two electricities1 as the affections of matter1 which are denominated electrical1 consist of two opposite polar forces1 proceeding1 agreeably to the language of ,farraday1 in opposite directions from each side of the source1 and conflicting with each other1 so as to be productive of reciprocal annihilation4 #gg4 ,that a corpuscular change in conductors is concomitant with their subjection to1 or emancipation from1 a galvanic current1 is proved by an experiment of ,henry's1 which he afforded me an opportunity on one occasion of witnessing4 ,i allude to the fact that sound is produced whenever the circuit is suddenly made or suddenly ruptured4 ,by ,i4 ,p4 ,marrian it has been observed that a similar result takes place during the magnetization or demagnetization of iron rods1 by the alternate establishment or arrestation of galvanic discharges through wires coiled about them so as to convert each into an electro-magnet4 ,mr4 ,marrian represents the sound as resembling that produced by striking a rod upon one of its ends4#gdge ,sounds from this source were observed by ,dr4 ,page in #ahch4 ,see ,silliman's ,journal for that year1 vol4 xxxiii4 #gh4 ,thus it appears that there is an analogy between the state of matter which involves permanent magnetism1 and that which constitutes a galvanic current1 so far as this1 that either by one or the other1 during either its access or cessation1 an affection of the ponderable particles concerned ensues1 sufficient to produce sound4 #gi4 ,simultaneously with the production of sounds1 as above stated1 by the opening or closing of the galvanic circuit through a metallic rod or the coils of an electro-magnet1 secondary waves are induced1 called secondary currents4 ,it seems reasonable to ascribe these waves to the same shifting of the poles1 which produces the sonorific undulations4#gf #hj4 ,within the bodies of animals and vegetables1 the electro-ether may be supposed to exist as an atmosphere surrounding the ethereo-ponderable atoms of which their organs are constituted1 so as to occupy all the space which is not replete with such atoms4 ,hence a discharge of frictional electricity may indirectly polarize the whole animal frame1 by producing ethereo-ponderable polarization in the constituent atoms of the fibres of the nerves and muscles4 ,probably this polarization is produced more immediately in the ponderable solids by a discharge from a voltaic series or a wire subjected to electro-or magneto-dynamic induction4 ,in the latter instances the shock is reiterated so rapidly as to appear more enduring1 while in the former it is more startling and producible at an infinitely greater distance4 #ha4 ,agreeably to ,farraday's researches1 7#adhe to #aedc17 there is reason to suppose that in frictional spark discharges1 the consequent shock1 light1 and other peculiarities are in part owing to waves of ethereo-ponderable polarization1 indirectly produced in the intervening gaseous matter4 ,of ,ethereo-ponderable ,deflagration4 #hb4 ,it is well known that between two pieces of charcoal severally attached1 one to the negative1 the other to the positive1 pole of a numerous and well-excited voltaic series1 an arch of flame may be produced by moving them apart after contact4 ,this phenomenon evidently depends upon the volatilization of the ponderable matter concerned2 since it cannot be produced before the carbon has been volatilized by contact1 nor by any body besides charcoal1 this being the only conductor which is sufficiently infusible1 and yet duly volatilizable4 ,metals1 similarly treated1 fuse at the point of contact and cohere4 ,on separation1 after touching1 a single spark ensues1 which1 without repetition of contact1 cannot be reproduced4 ,hence1 it may be inferred that the carbonaceous vapour is indispensable to this process1 as a medium for the ethereo-ponderable polarizing waves1 being soon consumed by the surrounding atmospheric oxygen4 ,the excrescence upon the negative charcoal1 observed by ,silliman1 together with the opposite appearance on the positive charcoal1 may be owing to the lesser affinity for oxygen on the negative side4#gh #hc4 ,there may be some resemblance imagined between this luminous discharge between the poles1 and that which has already been designated as disruptive2 but this flaming arch discharge does not break through the air2 it only usurps its place gradually1 and then sustains this usurpation4 ,it differs from the other as to its cause1 so far as galvanic reaction differs from friction2 moreover1 it requires a volatilizable1 as well as a polarizable ponderable conducting substance to enable its appropriate undulations to meet at a mean distance from the solid polar terminations whence they respectively proceed4 #hd4 ,the most appropriate designation of the phenomenon under consideration is that of ethereo-ponderable undulatory deflagration4 ,under this head we may not only place the flaming arch1 but likewise the active ignition and dissipation of fine wire or leaf metal1 or when attached to one pole1 and made barely to touch the other4 #he4 ,in one of ,farraday's experiments1 a circuit was completed by subjecting platina points1 severally proceeding from the poles of a voltaic series1 while very near to each other1 to the flame of a spirit lamp4 ,this was ascribed by him to the rarefaction of the air1 but ought1 as ,i think1 to be attributed to the polarizable ethereo-ponderable matter of the flame1 performing the same office as the volatilized carbon in the flaming arch1 between charcoal points1 to which reference has been made4 ,summary4 ,from the facts and reasoning which have been above stated1 it is presumed that the following deductions may be considered as highly probable1 if not altogether susceptible of demonstration3 ,the theories of ,franklin1 ,dufay1 and ,ampere are irreconcilable with the premises on which they are founded1 and with facts on all sides admitted4 ,a charge of frictional electricity1 or that species of electric excitement which is produced by friction1 is not due to any accumulation1 nor to any deficiency either of one or of two fluids1 but to the opposite polarities induced in imponderable ethereal matter existing throughout space however otherwise void1 and likewise condensed more or less within ponderable bodies1 so as to enter into combination with their particles1 forming atoms which may be designated as ethereo-ponderable4 ,frictional charges of electricity seek the surfaces of bodies to which they may be imparted1 without sensibly affecting the ethereo-ponderable matter of which they consist4 ,when surfaces thus oppositely charged1 or1 in other words1 having about them oppositely polarized ethereal atmospheres1 are made to communicate1 no current takes place1 nor any transfer of the polarized matter3 yet any conductor1 touching both atmospheres1 furnishes a channel through which the opposite polarities are reciprocally neutralized by being communicated wave-like to an intermediate point4 ,galvano-electric discharges are likewise effected by waves of opposite polarization1 without any flow of matter meriting to be called a current4 ,but such waves are not propagated superficially through the purely ethereal medium2 they occur in masses formed both of the ethereal and ponderable matter4 ,if the generation of frictional electricity1 sufficient to influence the gold-leaf electrometer1 indicate that there are some purely ethereal waves caused by the galvano-electric reaction1 such waves arise from the inductive influence of those created in the ethereo-ponderable matter4 ,when the intensity of a frictional discharge is increased beyond a certain point1 the wire remaining the same1 its powers become enfeebled or destroyed by ignition1 and ultimately deflagration3 if the diameter of the wire be increased1 the surface1 proportionally augmented1 enables more of the ethereal waves to pass superficially1 producing proportionally less ethereo-ponderable undulation4 ,magnetism1 when stationary1 as in magnetic needles and other permanent magnets1 appears to be owing to an enduring polarization of the ethereo-ponderable atoms1 like that transiently produced by a galvanic discharge4 ,the magnetism transiently exhibited by a galvanized wire1 is due to oppositely polarizing impulses1 severally proceeding wave-like to an intermediate part of the circuit where reciprocal neutralization ensues4 ,when magnetism is produced by a frictional discharge operating upon a conducting wire1 it must be deemed a secondary effect1 arising from the polarizing influence of the ethereal waves upon the ethereo-ponderable atoms of the wire4 ,such waves pass superficially in preference2 but when the wire is comparatively small1 the reaction between the waves and the ethereo-ponderable atoms becomes sufficiently powerful to polarize them1 and thus render them competent1 for an extremely minute period of time1 to produce all the affections of a galvano-electric current1 whether of ignition1 of electrolysis1 or magnetization4 ,thus1 as the ethereo-ponderable waves produce such as are purely ethereal1 so purely ethereal waves may produce such as are ethereo-ponderable4 ,the polarization of hair upon electrified scalps is supposed to be due to a superficial association with the surrounding polarized ethereal atoms1 while that of iron filings1 by a magnet or galvanized wire1 is conceived to arise from the influence of polarized ethereo-ponderable atoms1 consisting of ethereal and ponderable matter in a state of combination4 ,farradian discharges are as truly the effects of ethereo-ponderable polarization as those from an electrified conductor1 or coated surfaces of glass are due to static ethereal polarization1 7#ci1 #dj1 #da47gi ,,the ,,end4 ,,printed ,,and ,,stereotyped ,,by ,,holman ,,gray ,,invocation ,,of ,,spirits4#hj ,spirits on high1 or far or near1 ,who happen our humble chanting to hear1 ,our circle with your presence bless2 ,our souls with pious emotions impress4 ,come1 spirits1 come6 our sand runs fast2 ,death waits for his due1 and life may be past4 ,in mercy teach us truth to know1 ,and1 passing death's portal1 whither we go2 ,of your abodes the wonders teach1 ,and how to deserve that haven to reach4 ,come1 spirits1 come6 our sand runs fast2 ,death's portal may yawn1 and life may be past4 ,say how far in the azure sky ,the magical homes of immortals lie3#ha ,tell us how angels draw their breath-- ,that breathing beyond the power of death4#hb ,say1 spirits1 say ,i our sand runs fast2 ,death's warrant may come1 and life may be past4 ,the bliss portray which the good enjoy1 ,the pain and remorse which the bad annoy1 ,the sun which sheds on earth no rays1 ,yet glorious light in heaven displays6#hc ,haste and portray' our sand runs fast2 ,death's mandate may come1 and life may be past4 ,query to the ,high ,spirits4 ,throughout the azure realms of space ,do blessed spirits cheerly fly ,to orbs too far for thoughts to reach1 ,or ,ross' reflector to descry8 ,or bide they near their natal orb1 ,to mingle with their mundane friends1 ,striving their minds to impress with truth ,which to their future welfare tends8 ,reply of the ,spirits4 #8,tis not to orbs vastly remote ,that earth-born spirits wend their flight2 ,about their own planet to rove ,will ever be their great delight4 ,attached by love in lieu of weight1 ,throughout its vast orbit they move1 ,ever striving with lively zeal ,the fate of mortals to improve4#hd ,,portuguese ,,hymn ,,spiritualized4 ,adeste fideles lti triumphantes1 ,venite1 venite in circulum ,ortam videte cli cognoscentiam4 ,venite adoremus1 venite adoremus1 ,venite adoremus ,dominum4 ,ecce in nostro tempore qu nata ,veritati tibi sit gloria ,patris terni verbum clarefactum4 ,venite adoremus1 venite adoremus1 ,venite adoremus ,dominum4 ,valde exultat chorus angelorum ,resonant aul celestium ,gloria in excelsis ,deo4 ,venite adoremus1 venite adoremus1 ,venite adoremus ,dominum4 ,translation of ,portuguese ,hymn1 as altered4 ,come hither1 ye faithful1 joyfully triumphing2 ,come1 come into a circle2 ,behold1 a knowledge of heaven is born to us4 ,come let us adore1 come let us adore our ,god4 ,o truth1 to you who art just born to us1 ,let there be glory rendered1 ,the word of ,god being made evident4 ,come let us adore1 c4 ,greatly does the chorus of angels exult1 ,causing the temples of heaven to resound3 ,glory be to ,god on high4 ,come let us adore1 c4 ,,new ,,and ,,valuable ,,books ,,just ,,published ,,by ,,partridge ,,and ,,brittan1 #cjj ,broadway1 ,new ,york4 ,brittan and ,richmond's ,discussion4 ,four hundred pages1 octavo4 ,this work contains twenty-four letters from each of the parties above named1 embodying a great number of facts and arguments1 pro and con1 designed to illustrate the ,spiritual ,phenomena of all ages1 but especially the modern ,manifestations4 ,to insure a wide circulation1 the work is offered at the low price of #a4 ,the ,present ,age and the ,inner ,life2 ,being a ,sequel to ,spiritual ,intercourse4 ,by ,a4 ,j4 ,davis4 ,this is an elegant book of near #cjj pages octavo1 illustrated4 ,price #a1 postage #bc cents4 ,discourses from the ,spirit-,world1 ,dictated by ,stephen ,olin1 through ,rev4 ,r4 ,p4 ,wilson1 ,writing ,medium4 ,to do good is the ,golden ,rule of the ,universe4 ,this is an interesting volume of some #bjj pages4 ,price #fc cents4 ,the ,spiritual ,telegraph1 ,vol4 ,i4 ,a few copies complete1 bound in a substantial manner--contains the fullest record of the facts1 etc41 of the ,spiritual movement that has yet been published4 ,price #c4 ,the ,shekinah1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,embellished with ,six ,portraits4 ,edited by ,s4 ,b4 ,brittan4 ,the work is elegantly printed and bound in muslin1 at #a #ej4 ,brittan's ,review of ,beecher's ,report1 ,wherein the conclusions of the latter are carefully examined and tested by a comparison with his premises and with the facts4 ,price #be cents4 ,the ,telegraph ,papers4 ,volume ,i41 some #djj pages1 #abmo41 consists of all the more important articles which have appeared in the ,second ,volume of the ,telegraph1 from ,may to ,july inclusive #ahec4 ,price #ge cents4 ,philosophy of the ,spirit-,world4 ,rev4 ,charles ,hammond1 ,medium4 ,price #fc cents1 postage #ab cents4 ,a ,chart1 ,exhibiting an outline of the ,progressive ,history and approaching ,destiny of the ,race4 ,bound1 or on rollers4 ,by ,a4 ,j4 ,davis4 ,price #a #ge4 ,the ,philosophy of ,special ,providences4 ,a ,vision4 ,by ,a4 ,j4 ,davis4 ,price1 #ae cents2 postage1 #c cents4 ,the ,celestial ,telegraph4 ,or1 secrets of the ,life to ,come1 revealed through ,magnetism2 wherein the ,existence1 the ,form1 and the ,occupation of the ,soul after its ,separation from the ,body are proved by many year's ,experiments1 by the means of eight ecstatic ,somnambulists1 who had ,eighty perceptions of ,thirty-six ,deceased ,persons of various ,conditions2 a ,description of them1 their ,conversation1 etc41 with proofs of their ,existence in the ,spiritual ,world4 ,by ,l4 ,a4 ,cahanet4 ,published by ,partridge ,brittan4 ,price1 #a #jj2 postage1 #ai cents4 ,familiar ,spirits1 ,and ,spiritual ,manifestations2 being a ,series of ,articles by ,dr4 ,enoch ,pond1 ,professor in the ,bangor ,theological ,seminary4 ,with a ,reply1 by ,a4 ,bingham1 ,esq41 of ,boston4 ,price #be cents2 postage #c cents4 ,night ,side of ,nature4 ,ghosts and ,ghost ,seers4 ,by ,catharine ,crowe4 ,price1 #a #be2 postage #bj cents4 ,gregory's ,lectures on ,animal ,magnetism4 ,price1 #a #jj2 postage1 #ag cents4 ,the ,macrocosm and ,microcosm2 ,or1 the ,universe ,without and the ,universe ,within4 ,by ,william ,fishbough4 ,this volume comprehends only the first part1 or the ,universe ,without4 ,paper1 bound1 price1 #ej cents2 muslin1 #ge cents2 postage1 #ab cents4 ,arrest1 ,trial1 and ,acquittal of ,abby ,warner1 ,for ,spirit-,rapping4 ,by ,dr4 ,a4 ,underhill4 ,price1 #ab cents2 postage1 #b cents4 ,physico-,physiological ,researches ,in the ,dynamics of ,magnetism1 ,electricity1 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,man3 ,or1 ,thoughts for the ,age4 ,by ,andrew ,jackson ,davis4 ,price #cj cents2 postage cents4 ,biography of ,mrs4 ,semantha ,mettler1 ,and an account of the ,wonderful ,cures performed by her4 ,by ,francis ,h4 ,green1 ,harmonial ,association1 publishers4 ,price1 paper #be cents2 muslin1 #ch cents2 postage1 #f cents4 ,,partridge ,,brittan1 ,publishers1 ,no4 #cjj ,broadway1 ,new ,york4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,see subsequent investigation on ,media2 also ,plate ,,iv4 and description4 #b ,these disks cost at the foundry about #cg cents a piece4 ,one may be used as a pattern by which to cast others4 #c ,there is also this difference1 that in ,fig4 #b the board is supported by only three wheels1 so as to have one in front under the hands of the medium1 by which sufficient pressure is secured to make its rotation certain4 ,but as the position thus given does not fall into the plane of the pulley at the back of the disk1 the wheel in question is supported upon an axle which is secured in staples or holes1 and carries a pulley just at the position where it is coincident with the plane aforesaid4 ,the wheel is visible in front4 #d ,vis inerti1 or force of inertness1 is the force by which a body1 when at rest1 resists being put into motion1 or1 when in motion1 resists arrestation4 ,the force1 in this latter case1 is called momentum1 being directly as the weight multiplied by the velocity4 ,thus1 two pounds1 moving at the rate of one foot per second1 exercise exactly the same momentum as one pound moving at the rate of two feet per second4 ,the force of a spring1 or of explosive compounds1 cannot be called momentum2 neither velocity nor weight enter into its constitution2 though1 when transferred to a projectile1 it produces momentum proportional to the force with which it acts1 the weight moved1 and velocity imparted4 ,muscular force does not come within the definition of momentum1 although it produces this property in a hammer1 proportionably to its weight and the resulting velocity4 ,nor is the force of gravity momentum1 though momentum be generated by it in falling bodies4 #e ,it is suggested that these words may be misapprehended4 ,i use them in the sense given by ,johnson3 8,sight of any thing1 commonly mental view40 ,i understand that evidence to be intuitive which is obtained by the simultaneous action of the mind and the sight1 and1 of course1 of any other of the senses4 ,intuitive is derived from the ,latin word intuo1 to look upon4 8,intuere clum10 according to ,cicero1 means to look at the sky4 #f ,i have since been assured by my spirit friends1 that there was no deception on the part of the medium here alluded to4 ,it has since been alleged by them that it was my own father who made the raps on the small table above mentioned1 when ,i sat at it between the two media4 ,it was my spirit friend1 ,william ,blodget1 who rapped when the flute1 tubes1 and rod were held against the door1 or when the rapping appeared to be made against the partition between the parlours4 #g ,excepting the difference of the table represented in length1 the apparatus here described does not differ from that represented in ,plate #b1 which is accompanied by a description4 #h ,it may be expedient to state that the disk was counterpoised by a weight at the smaller end of the board4 ,this weight was suspended from a hook at one end of a rod1 which was so fastened by staples1 as to have the distance of the hook from the fulcrum adjusted so as to make the weight counterpoise the disk exactly4 ,this experiment may be understood by looking at ,plate #c4 ,the board employed is there represented1 associated with a wire-gauze cage and spring balance4 ,let all these be removed in the mind's eye4 ,suppose the large disk represented in the ,plate ,i to be affixed with its axle to the board1 near where the hook is represented as attached to the balance4 ,suppose a counter-weight at the other end of the board to balance the disk1 so as to keep the board level when left to itself4 ,now1 the cord and weights being applied1 as in the experiment with table1 7#aed17 on the medium placing her hands on the small end1 the results above described ensued4 #i ,though gifted with vision1 they are1 nevertheless1 blind4 #aj ,my father was a member of the convention by which the original constitution of the ,state of ,pennsylvania was made4 ,subsequently1 he served in the legislature1 and held the office of ,speaker of the ,senate4 ,his name must be associated with many of the laws of his time4 ,during leisure he used to amuse himself with the ,latin poets and historians1 as well as with those of ,great ,britain and of ,france4 ,the ,historical ,society of ,pennsylvania have lately published a journal which he wrote of a tour1 made in #agge1 through ,new ,york to ,canada and ,niagara ,falls4 #aa ,is understood in the spheres as synonymous with gradual4 #ab ,i had remarked to the company during the evening that ,i felt a spirit touching my forehead4 ,i had often before that time felt a gentle touch upon my forehead or brow1 as if touched by a feather1 but ,i did not know its cause1 and this was the first intimation4 #ac ,apotheosis from apo1 among1 and theos1 god1 having been used to signify translation to a place among gods1 might not apo-angelosis be used to signify translation to a place among angels1 from apo1 among1 and angelos1 an angel8 #ad 8,praise undeserved is satire in disguise40 ,this being manifestly true1 it follows that whatever applause may be bestowed upon an author by his spiritual advisers1 as he may consider them1 will be so inverted in the mind's eye of an unbeliever as to have all the efficacy of satire4 ,under these circumstances ,i should be terribly satirized were ,i here to give the whole of a communication made by this benevolent philanthropic spirit1 of which the following is a part4 ,were ,i to give his sentiments in full1 it would be rather from the motive of showing how vivacious is the interest taken in the progress of ,spiritualism by certain worthies of the spirit world1 and to give another exemplification of the ardour of the spirit mind after emerging from its mundane tenement4 ,but the main motive for publishing so much of the communication in question as subjoined1 is the confirmation thus afforded of the account previously given by my angel sister1 of the attendance of high spirits upon my lectures at ,boston4 ,this account was also confirmed by independent communications from two other sources4 ,opecancanough1 the ,indian chief1 was present1 as he gave me to understand1 and without knowing the names1 described some of the parties who were present4 ,part of a ,letter from ,mrs4 ,gourlay to the ,author4 ,,philadelphia1 ,november #ad1 #ahed4 8,my ,dear ,sir3 ,having finished reading your letter1 ,i felt a very powerful influence indicating the presence of spirits4 ,accordingly1 seating myself at the instrument1 ,plate ,i4 ,fig4 #b1 the following communication was rapidly given3 8#8,my dear sister1 say to our beloved friend and brother that ,i was present at his lectures in ,boston1 and was much pleased to hear him speak so nobly and fearlessly in the holy cause of ,spiritualism4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 8#8,there was a great assemblage of elevated spirits convened at our friend's lectures in ,boston4 ,among those whom ,i particularly recognised were ,b4 ,franklin1 ,w4 ,e4 ,channing1 ,j4 ,q4 ,adams1 ,h4 ,kirk ,white1 ,byron1 ,burns1 ,moore1 ,dr4 ,physick1 ,dr4 ,rush1 ,dr4 ,chalmers1 and a host of others4 ,his chief supporters were his father and mother1 his loving sister ,martha and brother ,charles1 and his friend ,blodgett1 ,walter ,gourlay1 and myself4 ,w4 ,w4' 8,my dear friend3 ,the above is the communication which ,i received1 verbatim1 and which you will please accept for what it is worth4 ,i believe it came from the source whence it purports to have emanated4 ,i questioned ,w4 ,w4 regarding the nature of the marks of approbation4 ,his reply was1 #8,we rapped several times4' #ae ,first spiritual sphere4 #af ,this spirit1 ,i have ascertained1 was the late ,mr4 ,mc,ilhenny1 treasurer to the ,athenum1 who died in ,august1 #ahed4 ,i took the more interest in this as he was my classmate1 and was present at some of the investigations which led to my conversion4 ,i took leave of him one evening in ,july1 #ahed1 after a walk in ,walnut street4 ,he then appeared to be nearly a convert to ,spiritualism1 though he did not deem it prudent to acknowledge his opinions publicly4 ,his remarks coincided with those ascribed to him by the truly angelic ,maria4 ,within the last month ,maria brought him to communicate with me4 #ag ,to meet the curiosity of the reader1 it may be well to say that communications by the pen are either impressional--that is1 resulting from the volition of the writer1 aided in the matter by the influence of a spirit--or they are automatic2 that is1 produced by the mechanical action of the spirits on the hand of the medium1 entirely independent of the medium's volition4 #ah ,i would state1 on the authority of this lady and her relatives1 many of whom were opposed to ,spiritualism1 that this was the first time that she had ever produced a poetical effusion2 though it has not been an uncommon circumstance for her1 since then1 when under spiritual influence1 to write page after page of extremely beautiful and excellent composition1 both in prose and verse1 far surpassing in elegance of language her natural powers of thought and fancy4 #ai ,this article should have been inserted earlier1 but was mislaid4 #bj ,the fact that my father1 my brother1 my nephew1 and my friend ,general ,cadwalader1 are each residing with their mundane wives1 proves that in this world a hymeneal torch may be lighted1 which may not be extinguished by death4 #ba ,i quote here the language of ,samuel1 the wicked pope of ,judea1 to ,saul1 respecting the destruction of the tribe of ,amalek3 8,thus saith the ,lord of hosts1 ,i remember that which ,amalek did to ,israel1 how he laid wait for him in the way1 when he came up from ,egypt4 ,now go and smite ,amalek1 and utterly destroy all that they have1 and spare them not2 but slay both man and woman1 infant and suckling1 ox and sheep1 camel and ass4 ,and he took ,agag the king of the ,amalekites alive1 and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword4 ,but ,saul and the people spared ,agag1 and the best of the sheep1 and of the oxen1 and of the fatlings1 and the lambs1 and all that was good1 and would not utterly destroy them3 but every thing that was vile and refuse1 that they destroyed utterly40 ,one would think here was butchery enough to satisfy a devil1 but it does not satisfy the ,god of the ,bible4 ,saul is deposed for giving quarter to ,agag1 and not carrying his revenge so far as to destroy the flocks and herds as well as the captive king1 of whom the blood-thirsty1 blasphemous pontiff becomes himself the cold-blooded executioner1 hewing ,agag to death before the ,lord4 ,dr4 ,berg alleges that men are assimilated to the god whom they worship4 ,what ought then to be the effect of worshipping the ,god thus described in the ,bible8 ,how does this comport with the extravagant precepts of ,christ1 agreeably to which we are to return good for evil8 ,there cannot in the history of any pagan country be found an instance more glaring1 of the unjustifiable perpetuation of revenge1 than this putting a whole people to the sword for a wrong done by their ancestors some hundred years before4 ,if examples draw us1 while precepts do no more than lead1 according to the proverb1 what influence are such examples of the morality of the ,bible likely to produce in those who are taught to view it as the word of ,god8 ,from the pernicious influence of such religious errors may the noble spirits of our progenitors relieve us and our offspring6 #bb ,shakspeare's king1 in the tragedy of ,hamlet1 is made to express this correct sentiment in the midst of his villainy3 8,pray ,i cannot1 be my inclination sharp as #8twill40 ,why8 because he still retained the objects for which he sinned4 ,but though ,david had exposed ,uriah to be killed to obtain his wife1 he retained her in despite of his professed penitence4 ,yet of this man ,jehovah is represented as saying1 8,i took thee from the sheepcote1 from following sheep1 that thou shouldst be ruler over my people ,israel1 and ,i have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked1 and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee1 and have made thee a name of the great men that are in earth40 ,thus ,god is represented as the constant companion1 and1 of course1 accomplice of his butchering1 robbery1 and treachery3 just the part which would belong to ,satan1 were such an evil being to exist4 ,he is called to account for the murder of ,uriah1 but the pagans whom he robbed and massacred were only vermin in the estimation of the ,jewish ,jehovah4 #bc ,in ,great ,britain1 nearly forty millions of dollars per annum4 #bd ,perhaps1 however1 the high-church ,episcopalians occupy middle ground4 #be ,god is made out to be a strange bungler4 ,though omnipotent1 he does not make his creatures as he wishes them to be2 and although omniscient1 has to subject them to trial to discover what they are4 ,he does not inform them of that which he wishes them to believe1 but punishes them and their children to the third and fourth generation for his own omission4 ,for no other reason than his having afforded to a particular nation more knowledge of his will than he had afforded to others1 he gives them a right to extirpate their neighbours and take possession of their lands4 #bf 8,i will send my fear before thee1 and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come1 and ,i will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee4 ,and ,i will send hornets before thee1 which shall drive out the ,hivite1 the ,canaanite1 and the ,hittite from before thee4 ,i will not drive them out from before thee in one year2 lest the land become desolate1 and the beasts of the field multiply against thee4 ,by little and little ,i will drive them out from before thee1 until thou be increased1 and inherit the land4 ,and ,i will set thy bounds from the ,red ,sea even unto the sea of the ,philistines1 and from the desert unto the river3 for ,i will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand2 and thou shalt drive them out before thee40 #bg 8,think not that ,i am come to send peace on earth2 ,i came not to send peace1 but a sword4 ,for ,i am come to set a man at variance against his father1 and the daughter against her mother1 and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law40 8,suppose ye that ,i am come to give peace on earth8 ,i tell you1 ,nay2 but rather division3 ,for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided1 three against two1 and two against three4 ,the father shall be divided against the son1 and the son against the father2 the mother against the daughter1 and the daughter against the mother2 the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law1 and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law48 #bh ,the fact that so many of the ,israelites1 assisted and of course countenanced by ,aaron1 the brother of ,moses1 afterward made high-priest1 were thus induced to worship an idol1 shows that they were pious but ignorant4 ,it has elsewhere been urged that any one that worships1 means to worship right as much as a person who pays a debt means to pay the right creditor4 ,it argues against the sufficiency of the facts and reasoning by which ,moses supported his pretensions to inspiration1 that he had to resort to his sword in order to prevent his people from worshipping idols4 ,that they were sincere1 must be evident from their relinquishing their golden trinkets for the purpose of furnishing materials for the calf4 #bi ,it must be admitted that ,moses does not seem to have cared whether his soul perished or not1 provided he could get enough territory on this side of the grave1 by pleading ,god's sanction1 and the skilful use of the sword4 ,he seems to have valued the favour of ,jehovah only for worldly objects4 ,had it been otherwise1 in lieu of so much stress being laid upon the 8promised land10 it had been more wisely rested on the hope of heaven4 ,had ,moses obtained a knowledge of the spirit world1 the ,sadducees had not been materialists1 nor the ,pharisees worldly-minded1 corrupt hypocrites1 as alleged by ,christ4 #cj 8,two or three years since ,professor ,bronn described twenty-six thousand six hundred and seventy-eight species2 and1 upon an average1 one thousand species are discovered every year4 ,m4 ,alcide ,d',orbigny1 in #ahej1 stated the number of mollusks and radiated animals alone at seventeen thousand nine hundred and forty-seven species40 #ca ,the use of the word 8demons0 in the text would seem to make it very uncertain that the ,catholic school entertains the doctrine of an individual1 personal devil4 ,when used in the plural1 as it often is1 it cannot mean the devil1 yet both singular and plural1 the word 8demon0 seems to convey the same idea4 ,scripture commentators make the word demon to signify a spirit1 whether good or bad4 ,but our author does not seem to have yet become very thoroughly grounded in the doctrine of the communion of angels with man2 which will certainly be found to be the only tangible doctrine4--,,translator4 #cb ,having reached this stage of our author's remarks1 his translator begs leave to submit them to a transient review4 ,it is evident that his investigations in the physical demonstrations1 relating to spiritual philosophy1 fall very short of the intelligence of the present time4 ,he seems to be a total stranger to that flood of truth and love that has for years been pouring its blessings on the hearts and minds of tens of thousands of delighted and grateful recipients in the ,western hemisphere1 and by the very means that appear to have been fully in his power of reaching that heavenly boon1 but which were all exhausted to convince the world that the devil has nothing to do with it4 ,this is certainly a point gained on ,catholic ground1 and had our friend supplied some argument equally conclusive for theologians of the opposing school1 he would probably save them the sin of making out of the devil1 by imputation1 a veritable saint4 ,the question will naturally arise with his readers1 ,if the power and intelligence do not emanate from the devil1 from whom or what do they emanate8 ,but on this subject1 from some reason that can only be guessed at1 our author1 the abbot1 is so far silent4 ,the confirmed theory of spirit intercourse1 when the vehicle is mechanical or automatic1 makes the character and intelligence of the communication depend on the communicating spirit1 subject to apparent irregularities4 ,but our author1 in his hurry perhaps to prove his favourite postulate of excluding the devil1 makes them depend on the one1 as he says1 who 8consults the table40 ,if he speaks ,greek1 then the table talks ,greek1 and ditto for all other languages1 c4 ,but certainly the marquis would corner him here4 ,he says1 also1 that the motive power is intercepted by a non-conductor1 as silk round the hands4 ,although this may be true to some extent with feeble mediums1 still the fact that tables often move without contact with any one1 must nullify the abbot's theory1 whatever it may be4 #cc ,this is probably correct1 when the medium writes impressionally2 but exactly the reverse is true when the writing is automatic1 or mechanically controlled by the spirit4--,,translator4 #cd ,our author seems to confound his dramatis person3 he first says it is the language of the communicant1 and afterward the language of the medium which the spirit understands4 ,but the simple theory is1 according to the experience of the ,western hemisphere1 that what is communicated depends on the intelligence of the communicating agent1 which is the spirit4 ,that spirits1 it is true1 possess the clairvoyant faculty1 and can read our thoughts1 but those thoughts must be clothed in a language they understand4--,,translator4 ,i am under the impression that the power of the spirit to construe our thoughts1 varies with the spirit and medium1 and with the same medium under different conditions as to health and tranquillity of mind4 ,no invariable rule can1 in my opinion1 be said to exist as to the powers of spirits to learn our thoughts1 whether we speak one language or another4--,,dr4 ,,hare4 #ce ,this communication1 as well as those immediately preceding and following it1 would have been inserted under the head of ,corroborative ,evidence1 page #ee1 c41 had they been received in time4 #cf ,according to my spirit friends1 this earth forms one of them1 the first2 so that there are six spirit spheres4 #cg ,andrew ,jackson ,davis4 #ch ,wood-cuts of the characters alluded to in this and the succeeding paragraphs1 may be seen in ,mr4 ,capron's book4 #ci 8,mr4 ,sunderland1 in his #8,book of ,human ,nature1' p4 #bhj1 says this was the first of the spirit writing1 but ,mr4 ,capron alleges that he was acquainted with cases of this kind long before the disturbances at ,stratford40 #dj ,latterly1 ,sir ,david ,brewster has conceived that only three elementary species of light are requisite1 according to the theory of emission1 to perform all the offices which ,newton ascribed to seven4 #da ,it should be understood1 that when two magnetic needles are associated by the contact of dissimilar poles1 the extreme poles do not lose their magnetism1 although it will be more feeble than when the needles are independently situated4 #db ,explanation of the ,galvanic ,pile1 ,battery1 or ,series4--,when pieces of zinc and silver are so placed in the mouth as to have their surfaces separated by the tongue1 their extremities extending beyond it externally1 on allowing the latter to touch each other1 a metallic taste is perceived by the person whose tongue is subjected to the process thus described4 ,it has been ascertained that at the same time a minute portion of the zinc is oxydized at the expense of the water which exists in the saliva4 ,suppose a pile of plates of zinc and silver1 or copper1 alternating1 to be separated into couples by the interposition of moistened cloth2 each plate will on one side touch its partner1 on the other side the moistened cloth4 ,every couple of zinc and copper separated by the cloth are situated as the pair above described1 when separated by the tongue1 and are equally capable of giving a discharge which would be sensible to the taste1 under those circumstances4 ,the plates which are in metallic contact have no such disposition to discharge1 because there is no moisture to act upon them1 and no diversity of electrical state can be excited on account of their great conducting power1 which would neutralize any such excitement as soon as it could be created4 ,the surfaces separated by the cloth cannot discharge to each other1 because there is no conductor extending from one to the other4 ,but as the whole pile is a conductor of electricity1 to discharge every pair entering into its constituency it is only necessary to touch each end simultaneously with a good conductor--a wire1 for instance4 ,the whole series will then be discharged at once1 and the energy of the discharge is proportional to the number to be thus discharged4 ,there is an uncertainty and obscurity as to the precise rationale of the effect thus obtained4 ,there is as much difference about this as there is about the nature of matter4 ,it will not be expedient1 therefore1 in presenting a popular view1 to enter upon that intricate question1 and will be enough to state the laws and facts which are admitted generally by men of science4 ,it is universally admitted that1 if each of the terminal plates1 in such a pile or series1 have a platina wire soldered or otherwise well connected with it1 the other ends of the wires extending into some water1 this liquid will be decomposed1 and a similar decomposition may1 directly or indirectly1 be effected of various substances held in solution by water1 as well as substances liquified by heat4 ,moreover1 when the same wire is made to form the means of discharge by extending from one terminal plate to the other1 it acquires the property of attracting iron filings1 and1 so long as the discharge through it is sustained1 will cause the compass needle to arrange itself always at right angles to the wire4 ,under these circumstances1 according to the ,franklinian theory1 a current of electricity passes from the positive to the negative pole2 according to the theory of ,dufay1 a fluid proceeding from each pole1 they combine in the wire4 ,according to the view above given1 two opposite waves of polarization pass1 by which the metallic atoms or particles are shifted from their natural position1 so as to act externally1 as already stated4 ,it is not1 ,i believe1 known to whom the world is indebted for the fundamental observation in galvanism1 made1 as has been mentioned1 by the assistance of the tongue and plates of silver and zinc4 ,subsequently1 ,galvani1 probably without any reference to this phenomenon1 ascertained some other consequences of the reaction of the elementary pair2 but to ,volta we owe the pile or series above described4 ,in whatever form voltaic series may have been subsequently constructed1 the main principles are the same1 the reaction of chemical agents so arranged in succession as to be productive of that intensity of discharge1 and powers of decomposition1 to which allusion has been made4 ,these have latterly been called electrolytic2 and decomposition1 by the voltaic series1 has been called electrolysis1 by ,farraday--a beautiful1 well-conceived1 and expressive word4 7,see ,essay on ,electrical ,theory1 in the ,appendix47 #dc ,it were absurd to draw any conclusion from this1 that incomprehensibility is a reason for believing the miracles ascribed to ,mohammed or any other religious impostor4 ,that we cannot understand how a result is accomplished is no reason for disbelieving it in opposition to the evidence of our senses2 but1 at the same time1 it forms no reason for believing1 of itself1 but is rather a clog upon belief1 when intuitively awakened4 #dd ,in this last sense it is used as synonymous with essence4 ,by chemists1 latterly1 spirit of turpentine is called oil of turpentine4 ,all the volatile oils obtained by delicate distillation1 usually with water1 like oil of turpentine1 are called essential oils or essences4 ,as respects the employment of language to express ideas when a new view is originated1 there is a choice of evils2 we are placed between ,scylla and ,charybdis4 ,there is no alternative but to use an old word in a sense more or less new1 or to coin a new one4 ,in either case there is a manifest disadvantage2 and the question arises1 shall we teach a new meaning for an old word1 or present to those to whom we would convey our ideas a new idea with a new word to designate it8 ,the word matter1 it will be found1 has1 in ,webster's dictionary1 ten meanings assigned to it4 ,though in some of its acceptations it may be considered as applicable to every thing that exists1 so as to qualify space so far as to distinguish it from nihility4 ,nevertheless1 it has been used as distinguishing those substances which are neither spiritual nor mental4 ,the antagonism of spirit and matter in the words1 8,there is a spiritual body and a material body10 is not warranted in chemistry1 since the distillate or spirit evolved by distillation is a material body1 however it may be more volatile or of less density than the caput mortuum left in the alembic or retort4 #de ,it is a remarkable fact that1 although in later times the ,jews have been so frequently named after ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 it does not appear to have been customary during the time which intervened between the supposed era of ,moses and that of the finding of the ,pentateuch in the temple4 ,this serves to show that the ,pentateuch is a fabrication of the priesthood and ,king ,josiah4 #df ,the following trash is thus made to be specified by the ,god of the universe3--gold1 silver1 brass1 blue1 purple1 goats' hair1 red rams'-skins1 badger skins1 shittim-wood1 oil for light1 oil for anointing1 spices1 sweet incense1 onyx-stones1 shew-bread1 candlesticks with six branches1 almond-shaped bowls with a knop and a flower1 knop and branches of beaten gold1 seven lamps1 large dishes1 curtains of fine linen1 spoons1 cherubims of gold4 ,eight columns1 nearly one hundred verses1 are taken up with this mummery1 expressly directed by ,jehovah himself4 ,now1 let the use ,moses made of his opportunities be compared with that which ,i have made of those afforded me by the spirits1 and then judge between ,spiritualism and self-called orthodoxy4 #dg 8,nec ab ipso scriptum constat1 nec ab ejus apostolis sed longo post tempore a quibusdam incerti nominis viris1 qui ne sibi non haberetur fides scribentibus qu nescirent1 partim apostolorum1 partim eorum que apostolos secuti viderentur nomina scriptorum suorum frontibus indiderunt1 asseverantes ,,secundum cos1 se scripsisse qu scripserunt4--,quoted by ,lardner1 vol4 #b1 p4 #bba4 #dh 8,by all persons1 understanding strictly all parsons1 for the common people were nobody1 and never at any time had any voice1 judgment1 or option in the business of religion1 but always believed that which their godfathers and godmothers did promise and vow that they should believe4 ,god or devil1 and any ,scriptures their masters pleased1 were always all one to them4 #di 8#8,almost from the apostolic age6' ,why1 the text itself1 if it prove any thing1 proves that such forged writings were in existence absolutely ,,in the apostolic age1 and among the apostles themselves4 #ej 8,omnia qu ,christianismo conducere putabant bibliis suis interseruerunt4--,tindalio citante4 #ea 8,si forte accidisset1 ut ,johannis ,evangelium per octodecim secula priora prosus ignotum jacuisset1 et nostris demum temporibus1 in modium productum esset omnes haud dubie uno ore confiterentur ,jesum a ,johanne descriptum longe alium esse ac illium ,matthi1 ,marci1 et ,luc1 nec utramque descriptionem simul veram esse posse4--,carol4 ,theoph4 ,bretschneider ,probab1 ,lipsi1 #ahbj4 #eb 8,here it is4 #8,messala ,v4 ,c4 consule1 ,constantinopoli1 jubente ,anastasia ,imperatore1 sancta evangelia1 tanquam ab idiotis evangelistis composita1 reprehenduntur et emendantur4'--,victor ,tununensis1 ,cave's ,historia ,literaria1 vol4 i4 p4 #dae--;i4 e41 #8,the illustrious ,messala being ,consul1 by the command of the ,emperor ,anastasias1 the holy ,gospels1 as having been written by idiot evangelists1 are censured and corrected4'--,victor1 ,bishop of ,tunis in ,africa4 #ec 8,see ,beausobre1 quoted in the ,manifesto of the ,christian ,society2 and this and the preceding extract vindicated1 in the author's ,syntagma1 against the vituperations of the evangelical ,dr4 ,john ,pye ,smith1 in locis40 #ed ,josephus1 book iv4 chap4 ii4 page #di4 #ee ,ibid4 book iv4 chap4 vi4 page #ec4 #ef ,josephus1 book iv4 chap4 viii4 page #ee4 #eg ,see vol4 ii4 page #db1 ,huc's ,travels4 #eh ,according to ,farraday's researches and general experience1 we have reason to believe that all particles of matter are endowed with one or the other of two species of polarity4 ,this word polarity conveys the idea that two terminations in each particle are respectively endowed with forces which are analogous1 but contrary in their nature2 so that of any two homogeneous particles1 the similar poles repel each other1 while the dissimilar attract2 likewise1 when freely suspended1 they take a certain position relatively to each other1 and on due proximity1 the opposite polar forces1 counteracting each other1 appear to be extinct4 ,when deranged from this natural state of reciprocal neutralization1 their liberated poles react with the particles of adjacent bodies1 or those in the surrounding medium4 ,under these circumstances1 any body which may be constituted of the particles thus reacting is said to be polarized1 or in a state of polarization4 ,statical implies stationary2 undulatory1 wave-like4 #ei ,communicated to the ,american ,philosophical ,society4 #fj ,the words gyration1 vortex1 and whirl are considered as synonymous1 and used indifferently to avoid monotony4 #fa ,i consider a wire as galvanized1 when it is made the medium of the discharge from a galvanic battery4 #fb ,in some electro-magnetic apparatus1 the polarity of an electro-magnet is reversed more than #ajj times in a second4 #fc ,see ,silliman's ,journal1 vol4 xxxviii4 p4 #bae1 #ahdj4 #fd ,this seems to have been entirely overlooked in his suggestions respecting the nature of material atoms4 ,it appears to me that the characteristics thus insisted upon are incompatible with the idea that each property is of itself a diffusible matter1 and that in such atoms two polarities can exist inseparable from each other4 #fe ,pouillet suggests that when the passage of a ray of light through glass1 is influenced by a powerful magnet1 agreeably to the experiments of ,farraday1 8consistently with the undulatory theory of light1 it is the ether of the body submitted to the experiment1 which would be modified by the magnetism1 and that it would be very difficult to recognise whether it is modified without any participation of the ponderable matter with which it is so intimately connected40 ,thus the existence of matter1 composed of ethereal as well as ponderable particles1 is sustained by all the evidence which has been brought to uphold the undulatory theory of light4--,l4 ,e4 ,phil4 ,mag4 c41 for #ahdf1 vol4 xxviii41 page #cce4 #ff ,the word statical has been used to designate phenomena which are the effects of electricity when at rest1 as when accumulated upon conductors or the surfaces of panes or jars4 ,phenomena which are supposed to arise from electricity in motion 7forming a current7 are designated as dynamic4 ,thus1 when charging one side of a pane produces the opposite state in the other1 the effect upon the latter is ascribed to statical induction2 but when a discharge of electricity through one wire1 causes a current in another1 forming an adjacent circuit1 the result is ascribed to dynamic induction4 ,this method of designation is employed whether the alleged current be owing to electricity generated by friction1 as in the case of a machine1 or generated by chemical reaction1 as in the case of a galvanic battery4 ,a good word is wanting to distinguish electricity1 when produced by friction1 from electricity produced by galvano-chemical reaction3 for want of a better1 ,i will resort to that employed by ,noad1 7frictional17 which has the advantage of being self-explanatory4 #fg ,as the word ether is used in various senses1 the syllables 8electro0 being prefixed1 serve to designate that which is intended4 #fh ,see my communication on 8,free ,electricity10 in ,silliman's ,american ,journal of ,science1 vol4 iii41 ,new ,series1 number for ,may1 #ahdg4 #fi ,the sectional area of a conductor is the area of the superficies which would be exposed by cutting it through at right angles to its axis4 #gj ,according to ,colomb's experiments1 electrical attraction and repulsion are inversely as the squares of the distances3 ought not the inductive power of statical charges which is produced by those forces1 and which precedes and determines the length of the resulting spark1 to obey the same law8 ,if this calculation be correct1 the intensity must be as the squares of the striking distances1 as indicated by sparks4 ,it may be urged that the striking distances1 as measured by the length of the sparks1 is in the compound ratio of the quantity and intensity4 ,as to the quantity1 however1 galvanic sources have always been treated as pre-eminent in efficacy1 so that on that side there could be no disparity4 ,moreover1 ,i have found1 that in galvanic apparatus of only one1 or even of two pairs1 as in the calorimotors1 the intensity lessened as the surfaces were enlarged4 ,by a pair of fifty square feet of zinc surface1 a white heat could not be produced in a wire of any size1 however small4 ,the calorific power of such apparatus can only be made evident by the production of a comparatively very low temperature1 in a comparatively very large mass4 #ga ,suppose a number of boys and girls1 associated as partners for a dance1 to stand up in a row1 severally united1 and distinguished into couples by those joining hands2 the sexes being regularly alternating1 so that no two of the same sex should be hand in hand4 ,under these conditions no effort to take a boy from one end of the row1 or a girl from the other end1 could be effected with the consent of the couples concerned1 both partners in which would thus be deprived of the power of joining in the dance4 ,but should it be understood that only an exchange of partners was all that should be intended1 and1 consistently1 a boy from one end and a girl from the other end of the row1 taken simultaneously and allowed to form a couple1 forthwith1 the rest merely shifting their hands from one neighbour to another1 there would no longer be the same motive for resistance and the required exchange might be cheerfully accomplished4 #gb ,by a void ,i mean a ,torrecellian vacuum4 ,the omnipresence of the electro-ether must render the existence of a perfect void impossible4 #gc ,it is well known that ,wollaston effected the decomposition of water by the aid of a powerful electrical machine4 ,having enclosed platina wires within glass tubes1 these were fused so as to cover the ends4 ,the glass was afterward so far removed1 by grinding1 as to expose minute metallic points to the liquid4 ,under these circumstances1 the electricity conveyed by the wires1 being prevented from proceeding over them superficially1 was obliged to make its way through the ethereo-ponderable matter of which metals consist4 ,instead of proving the identity of galvanism with frictional electricity1 this experiment shows that in one characteristic1 at least1 there is a discordancy4 ,at the same time it may indicate that ethereal may give rise to ethereo-ponderable undulations4 #gd ,agreeably to experiments of ,farraday1 the particles of a glass prism may be as influenced by an electro-magnet as to affect the passage of polarized light4 #ge ,l4 and ,e4 ,phil4 ,mag4 and ,jour41 vol4 xlv4 p4 #chc1 #ahdd4 #gf ,these phenomena excite more interest in consequence of the employment1 for medical purposes1 of an apparatus originally contrived by ,callan1 but since ingeniously modified by our countryman1 ,dr4 ,page1 into a form which has been designated as the electrotome4 ,a coil of coarse copper wire1 covered with cotton1 like bonnet wire1 is wound about a wooden cylinder4 ,around the coil thus formed1 a coil of fine copper wire similarly covered is wound1 leaving the extremities accessible4 ,one end of the coarse coil communicating constantly with one pole of a galvanic battery1 the other end is left free2 so that by scraping with it the teeth of a rasp attached to the other pole1 a rapid closing and opening of the circuit may be effected4 ,under these circumstances1 an observer1 holding the ends of the fine coil1 receives shocks more or less severe1 according to the construction of the battery1 the energy of the agents employed to excite it1 or the total weight and relative dimensions of the coils as to length and sectional area4 ,agreeably to the received doctrine1 the shocks thus produced are owing to secondary currents caused by dynamic induction4 ,agreeably to the hypothesis which ,i have advanced1 the atoms of the coarse wire1 polarized by waves proceeding from the poles of the battery1 induce a corresponding polarization of the atoms of the fine wire2 the aggregate polarity imparted being as the number of atoms in the former to the number of atoms in the latter3 or 7to use an equivalent ratio7 as the weight of the coarse1 to the weight of the fine wire4 ,but as on breaking the circuit through the coarse wire1 the ethereo-ponderable atoms in both wires resume their neutral positions1 while this requires each circuit to be run through within the same minute interval1 the velocities of their respective waves will be inversely as their sectional areas and directly as their lengths3 in other words1 the velocity in the fine wire will be as much greater as the channel which it affords is narrower and longer4 ,the cylinder included within the coils as above stated being removed1 a cylindrical space is vacated4 ,if into the cavity thus made iron rods1 like knitting needles1 be introduced1 one after the other1 while the apparatus is in operation1 the shocks increase in severity as the number augments2 so that from being supportable they may be rendered intolerable4 ,the shock takes place without the presence of iron1 but is much increased by its assistance4#gg ,these facts appear to me to justify a surmise that the ethereo-ponderable atoms of iron1 in becoming magnetized and demagnetized1 co-operate with the ethereo-ponderable atoms of the copper coils in the induction of secondary undulations4 ,it is conceived that these may be owing to the intestinal change attended by sound1 as above stated1 7#gc27 this being caused by a sudden approximation of the poles of the atoms1 previously moved apart by the influence of the galvanized coil4 ,but if this sudden coming together of the previously separated poles of atoms within a magnetized cylinder of iron1 can contribute to the energy of secondary waves1 it is consistent to infer that these waves owe their origin to an analogous approximation of the separated poles of the cupreous atoms1 forming the finer coil1 in which the secondary undulations may be created without the presence of iron4 ,of course1 this reasoning will apply to all cases in which the phenomena hitherto attributed to ,farradian currents are the result of dynamic induction4 ,thus it appears that the polarization of magnets1 and that created and sustained when a galvanized coil or helix acts upon another in proximity1 have the same relation to galvanic discharges that the charges upon insulated surfaces have to their appropriate discharges4 ,the permanent magnetism of steel seems to have some analogy with the charge upon a coated pane1 while we may consider as analogous with the charges upon insulated conductors1 already adverted to1 7#fa1 #fb17 that state of the ethereo-ponderable particles1 7#ch17 of a wire helix1 which state1 resulting from the influence of an included magnet1 or neighbouring galvanized coil1 and being discharged on a change of relative position1 or breach of the galvanizing circuit1 is productive of spark1 shock1 ignition1 or electrolysis1 as exemplified by ,callan's coil1 ,page's electrotome1 or the magneto-electric machine4 #gg ,agreeably to the usual construction1 the cylinder about which the inner coarse wire coil is wound is originally of iron1 so that there is as much of this metal contained as it can hold4 ,various contrivances are resorted to for the closing and opening of the circuit1 which are more ingenious and convenient than scraping a rasp1 as above described4 #gh ,american ,journal of ,science1 vol4 x4 p4 #aba1 #ahbf4 #gi ,it is well known that if a rod of iron be included in a coil of coated copper wire1 on making the coil the medium of a voltaic discharge1 the wire is magnetized4 ,agreeably to a communication from ,joule1 in the ,l4 ,e4 ,phil4 ,mag4 ,jour4 for ,feb11 #ahdg1 the bar is at the same time lengthened1 without any augmentation of bulk1 so that its other dimensions must be lessened in proportion to the elongation4 ,all these facts tend to prove that a change in the relative position of the constituent ethereo-ponderable atoms of iron accompanies its magnetization1 either as an immediate cause or as a collateral effect4 #hj ,to the tune of ,moore's 8,canadian ,boat ,song40 #ha ,see paragraph #daj4 #hb ,see paragraph #ddi4 #hc ,see paragraph #dae4 #hd ,tune 8,ye ,banks and ,braes o' ,bonnie ,doon40