,a ,,defence ,,of ,,modern ,,spiritualism4 ,,by ,,alfred ,r4 ,,wallace1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 ,,author ,,of 8,,the ,,natural ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,malay ,,archipelago10 8,,explorations ,,on ,,the ,,amazon10 8,,the ,,theory ,,of ,,natural ,,selection10 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,,with ,a ,,preface ,,by ,,epes ,,sargent4 ,,second ,,thousand4 ,,boston3 ,,colby ,,and ,,rich1 #i ,,montgomery ,,place4 #ahgd4 ,,preface4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the signs are1 that both the moral and the religious systems of the future will be greatly modified by the advance of science4 ,they will be more and more conformed to the facts of nature2 not only to the facts which a diligent ,materialism1 working in a single direction1 has brought to light1 but to the transcendent facts which ,modern ,spiritualism has restored and proved4 ,the one order of facts is incomplete without the other2 and ,materialism is as surely doomed to be encircled and transfigured by the wider horizon of ,spiritualism1 as the ,ptolemaic system of the universe was doomed to be superseded by the ,copernican4 ,unpopular facts often encounter an opposition quite as persistent as that which follows unpopular theories2 and so intelligent ,spiritualists are not disturbed by the antagonism which their facts have met with from the ,huxleys1 ,tyndalls1 ,carpenters1 and ,bchners of our day4 ,all these men1 working as they are for science in their different ways1 though under the disadvantage of an ignorance of certain phenomena of vast significance1 are welcomed as fellow-laborers in the cause of truth by ,spiritualists2 for the latter1 relying on their facts1 are confident that genuine ,science includes them all1 and that every new discovery must be in harmony with all that they hold as true4 ,opposition to the phenomena1 proceeding as it does from lack of knowledge1 simply indicates the magnitude and astonishing character of the facts themselves1 which could excite such incredulity in the face of such overwhelming testimony4 ,among the men of science who have either admitted the facts1 or both the facts and the theory1 of ,spiritualism1 are ,hare1 chemist2 ,varley1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 electrician2 ,flammarion1 astronomer2 ,crookes1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 chemist2 ,hoefle1 author of the 8,history of ,chemistry20 ,nichols1 chemist2 ,fichte1 philosopher2 ,liais1 astronomer2 ,hermann ,goldschmidt1 astronomer1 and the discoverer of fourteen planets2 ,von ,esenbach1 the greatest modern ,german botanist2 ,huggins1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 astronomer and spectroscopist2 ,de ,morgan1 mathematician2 ,dille1 physicist2 ,elliotson1 ,ashburner1 and ,gray1 physicians and surgeons4 ,to no one eminent man of science1 however1 has ,spiritualism been more indebted than to ,alfred ,russell ,wallace1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 distinguished for his researches in natural history1 paleontology1 and anthropology4 ,his 8,defence of ,spiritualism10 here presented1 appeared originally in the ,london ,fortnightly ,review for ,may and ,june1 #ahgd4 ,containing as it does the latest facts1 no better tract for ,spiritualists to offer as an answer to their opponents has yet appeared4 ,mr4 ,wallace1 though he arrived1 simultaneously with ,mr4 ,darwin1 at similar conclusions in regard to the origin of species1 differs from him on a most important point2 for ,mr4 ,wallace believes that 8a superior intelligence is necessary to account for man40 ,his acquaintance with the phenomena of ,spiritualism must always give him1 in the sweep and comprehensiveness of his anthropology1 a great advantage over ,mr4 ,darwin4 ,besides his great work on the 8,natural ,history of the ,malay ,archipelago10 and an account of his 8,explorations on the ,amazon10 ,mr4 ,wallace is the author of 8,the ,theory of ,natural ,selection10 and of many valuable papers in scientific journals4 ,dr4 ,hooker1 president of the ,british ,scientific ,association1 wrote1 in #ahfh1 8,of ,mr4 ,wallace1 and his many contributions to philosophical biology1 it is not easy to speak without enthusiasm2 for1 putting aside their great merits1 he1 throughout his many writings1 with a modesty as rare as ,i believe it to be in him unconscious1 forgets his own unquestionable claims to the honor of having originated1 independently of ,mr4 ,darwin1 the theories which he so ably defends40 ,the testimony of such an investigator as ,mr4 ,wallace in behalf of the stupendous phenomena of ,spiritualism is not to be lightly put aside or ignored4 ,what can be said in reply to such an array of facts as he presents8 ,e4 ,s4 ,a ,,defence ,,of ,,modern ,,spiritualism4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is with great diffidence1 but under an imperative sense of duty1 that the present writer accepts the opportunity afforded him of submitting to his readers some general account of a widespread movement1 which1 though for the most part treated with ridicule or contempt1 he believes to embody truths of the most vital importance to human progress4#a ,the subject to be treated is of such vast extent1 the evidence concerning it is so varied and so extraordinary1 the prejudices that surround it are so inveterate1 that it is not possible to do it justice without entering into considerable detail4 ,the reader who ventures on the perusal of the succeeding pages may1 therefore1 have his patience tried2 but if he is able to throw aside his preconceived ideas of what is possible and what is impossible1 and in the acceptance or rejection of the evidence submitted to him will carefully weigh and be solely guided by the nature of the concurrent testimony1 the writer ventures to believe that he will not find his time and patience ill bestowed4 ,footnote #a3 ,the following are the more important works which have been used in the preparation of this article3 ,judge ,edmonds's 8,spiritual ,tracts10 ,new ,york1 #aheh-ahfj4 ,robert ,dale ,owen's 8,footfalls on the ,boundary of ,another ,world10 ,trbner ,co41 #ahfa4 ,e4 ,hardinge's 8,modern ,american ,spiritualism10 ,new ,york1 #ahgj4 ,robert ,dale ,owen's 8,debatable ,land between this ,world and the ,next10 ,trbner ,co41 #ahga4 8,report on ,spiritualism of the ,committee of the ,london ,dialectical ,society10 ,longmans ,co41 #ahga4 8,year-,book of ,spiritualism10 ,boston and ,london1 #ahga4 ,hudson ,tuttle's 8,arcana of ,spiritualism10 ,boston1 #ahga4 ,the ,spiritual ,magazine1 #ahfa-ahgd4 ,the ,spiritualist ,newspaper1 #ahgb-ahgd4 ,the ,medium and ,daybreak1 #ahfi-ahgd4 ,few men1 in this busy age1 have leisure to read massive volumes devoted to special subjects4 ,they gain much of their general knowledge1 outside the limits of their profession or of any peculiar study1 by means of periodical literature2 and1 as a rule1 they are supplied with copious and accurate1 though general1 information4 ,some of our best thinkers and workers make known the results of their researches to the readers of magazines and reviews2 and it is seldom that a writer whose information is meagre1 or obtained at second-hand1 is permitted to come before the public in their pages as an authoritative teacher4 ,but as regards the subject we are now about to consider1 this rule has not hitherto been followed4 ,those who have devoted many years to an examination of its phenomena have been1 in most cases1 refused a hearing2 while men who have bestowed on it no adequate attention1 and are almost wholly ignorant of the researches of others1 have alone supplied the information to which a large proportion of the public have had access4 ,in support of this statement it is necessary to refer1 with brief comments1 to some of the more prominent articles in which the phenomena and pretensions of ,spiritualism have been recently discussed4 ,at the beginning of the present year the readers of this ,review were treated to 8,experiences of ,spiritualism10 by a writer of no mean ability1 and of thoroughly advanced views4 ,he assures his readers that he 8conscientiously endeavored to qualify himself for speaking on this subject0 by attending five sances1 the details of several of which he narrates2 and he comes to the conclusion that mediums are by no means ingenious deceivers1 but 8jugglers of the most vulgar order20 that the 8spiritualistic mind falls a victim to the most patent frauds10 and greedily 8accepts jugglery as manifestations of spirits02 and1 lastly1 that the mediums are as credulous as their dupes1 and fall straightway into any trap that is laid for them4 ,now1 on the evidence before him1 and on the assumption that no more or better evidence would have been forthcoming had he devoted fifty instead of five evenings to the inquiry1 the conclusions of ,lord ,amberley are perfectly logical2 but1 so far from what he witnessed being a 8specimen of the kind of manifestations by which ,spiritualists are convinced10 a very little acquaintance with the literature of the subject would have shown him that no ,spiritualist of any mark was ever convinced by any quantity of such evidence4 ,in an article published since ,lord ,amberley's--in ,london ,society for ,february--the author1 a barrister and well-known literary man1 says3 8,it was difficult for me to give in to the idea that solid objects could be conveyed1 invisibly1 through closed doors1 or that heavy furniture could be moved without the interposition of hands4 ,philosophers will say these things are absolutely impossible2 nevertheless1 it is absolutely certain that they do occur4 ,i have met in the houses of private friends1 as witnesses of these phenomena1 persons whose testimony would go for a good deal in a court of justice4 ,they have included peers1 members of parliament1 diplomatists of the highest rank1 judges1 barristers1 physicians1 clergymen1 members of learned societies1 chemists1 engineers1 journalists1 and thinkers of all sorts and degrees4 ,they have suggested and carried into effect tests of the most rigid and satisfactory character4 ,the media 7all non-professional7 have been searched before and after sances4 ,the precaution has even been taken of providing them unexpectedly with other apparel4 ,they have been tied2 they have been sealed2 they have been secured in every cunning and dexterous manner that ingenuity could devise1 but no deception has been discovered and no imposture brought to light4 ,neither was there any motive for imposture4 ,no fee or reward of any kind depended upon the success or non-success of the manifestations40 ,now here we have a nice question of probabilities4 ,we must either believe that ,lord ,amberley is almost infinitely more acute than ,mr4 ,dunphy and his host of eminent friends--so that after five sances 7most of them failures7 he has got to the bottom of a mystery in which they1 notwithstanding their utmost endeavors1 still hopelessly flounder--or1 that the noble lord's acuteness does not surpass the combined acuteness of all these persons2 in which case their much larger experience1 and their having witnessed many things ,lord ,amberley has not witnessed1 must be held to have the greater weight1 and to show1 at all events1 that all mediums are not 8jugglers of the most vulgar order40 ,in ,october last the ,new ,quarterly ,magazine1 in its opening number1 had an article entitled 8,a ,spiritualistic ,sance20 but which proved to be an account of certain ingenious contrivances by which some of the phenomena usual at sances were imitated1 and both ,spiritualists and skeptics deceived and confounded4 ,this appears at first sight to be an exposure of ,spiritualism1 but it is really very favorable to its pretensions2 for it goes on the assumption that the marvelous phenomena witnessed do really occur1 but are produced by various mechanical contrivances4 ,in this case the rooms above1 below1 and at the side of that in which the sance was held had to be prepared with specially constructed machinery1 with assistants to work it4 ,the apparatus1 as described1 would cost at least #ajj1 and would then only serve to produce a few fixed phenomena1 such as happen frequently in private houses and at the lodgings of mediums who have not exclusive possession of any of the adjoining rooms1 or the means of obtaining expensive machinery and hired assistants4 ,the article bears internal evidence of being altogether a fictitious narrative2 but it helps to demonstrate1 if any demonstration is required1 that the phenomena which occur under such protean forms and varied conditions1 and in private houses quite as often as at the apartments of the mediums1 are in no way produced by machinery4 ,perhaps the most prominent recent attack on ,spiritualism was that in the ,quarterly ,review for ,october1 #ahga1 which is known to have been written by an eminent physiologist1 and did much to blind the public to the real nature of the movement4 ,this article1 after giving a light sketch of the reported phenomena1 entered into some details as to planchette-writing and table-lifting--facts on which no ,spiritualist depends as evidence to a third party--and then proceeded to define its standpoint as follows3 8,our position1 then1 is that the so-called spiritual communications come from within1 not from without1 the individuals who suppose themselves to be the recipients of them2 that they belong to the class termed #8subjective' by physiologists and psychologists1 and that the movements by which they are expressed1 whether the tilting of tables or the writing of planchettes1 are really produced by their own muscular action exerted independently of their own wills and quite unconsciously to themselves40 ,several pages are then devoted to accounts of sances which1 like ,lord ,amberley's1 were mostly failures2 and to the experiences of a ,bath clergyman who believed that the communications came from devils2 and1 generally1 such weak and inconclusive phenomena only are adduced as can be easily explained by the well-worn formul of 8unconscious cerebration10 8expectant attention10 and 8unconscious muscular action40 ,a few of the more startling physical phenomena are mentioned merely to be discredited and the judgment of the witnesses impugned2 but no attempt is made to place before the reader any information as to the amount or the weight of the testimony to such phenomena1 or to the long series of diverse phenomena which lead up to and confirm them4 ,some of the experiments of ,prof4 ,hare and ,mr4 ,crookes are quoted and criticised in the spirit of assuming that these experienced physicists were ignorant of the simplest principles of mechanics1 and failed to use the most ordinary precautions4 ,of the numerous and varied cases on record1 of heavy bodies being moved without direct or indirect contact by any human being1 no notice is taken1 except so far as quoting ,mr4 ,c4 ,f4 ,varley's statement1 that he had seen1 in broad daylight1 a small table moved ten feet1 with no one near it but himself1 and not touched by him--8as an example of the manner in which minds of this limited order are apt to become the dupes of their own imaginings40 ,this article1 like the others here referred to1 shows in the writer an utter forgetfulness of the maxim1 that an argument is not answered till it is answered at its best4 ,amid the vast mass of recorded facts now accumulated by ,spiritualists1 there is1 of course1 much that is weak and inconclusive1 much that is of no value as evidence1 except to those who have independent reasons for faith in them4 ,from this undigested mass it is the easiest thing in the world to pick out arguments that can be refuted and facts that can be explained away2 but what is that to the purpose8 ,it is not these that have convinced any one2 but those weightier1 oft-repeated and oft-tested facts which the writers referred to invariably ignore4 ,prof4 ,tyndall has also given the world 7in his 8,fragments of ,science10 published in #ahga7 some account of his attempt to investigate these phenomena4 ,again1 we have a minute record of a sance which was a failure1 and in which the ,professor1 like ,lord ,amberley1 easily imposed on some too credulous ,spiritualists by improvising a few manifestations of his own4 ,the article in question is dated as far back as #ahfd4 ,we may therefore conclude that the ,professor has not seen much of the subject2 nor can he have made himself acquainted with what others have seen and carefully verified1 or he would hardly have thought his communication worthy of the place it occupies among original researches and positive additions to human knowledge4 ,both its facts and its reasonings have been well replied to by ,mr4 ,patrick ,fraser ,alexander1 in his little work entitled 8,spiritualism2 a ,narrative and a ,discussion10 which we recommend to those who care to see how a very acute yet unprejudiced mind looks at the phenomena1 and how inconclusive1 even from a scientific standpoint1 are the experiences adduced by ,prof4 ,tyndall4 ,the discussion in the ,pall ,mall ,gazette in #ahfh1 and a considerable private correspondence1 indicates that scientific men almost invariably assume that1 in this inquiry1 they should be permitted1 at the very outset1 to impose conditions2 and if1 under such conditions1 nothing happens1 they consider it a proof of imposture or delusion4 ,but they well know that1 in all other branches of research1 ,nature1 not they1 determines the essential conditions1 without a compliance with which no experiment will succeed4 ,these conditions have to be learnt by a patient questioning of ,nature1 and they are different for each branch of science4 ,how much more may they be expected to differ in an inquiry which deals with subtle forces of the nature of which the physicist is wholly and absolutely ignorant6 ,to ask to be allowed to deal with these unknown phenomena as he has hitherto dealt with known phenomena1 is practically to prejudge the question1 since it assumes that both are governed by the same laws4 ,from the sketch which has now been given of the recent treatment of the subject by popular and scientific writers1 we can summarize pretty accurately their mental attitude in regard to it4 ,they have seen very little of the phenomena themselves1 and they cannot believe that others have seen much more4 ,they have encountered people who are easily deceived by a little unexpected trickery1 and they conclude that the convictions of ,spiritualists generally are founded on phenomena produced1 either consciously or unconsciously1 in a similar way4 ,they are so firmly convinced1 on a priori grounds1 that the more remarkable phenomena said to happen do not really happen1 that they will back their conviction against the direct testimony of any body of men1 preferring to believe that they are all the victims of some mysterious delusion whenever imposture is out of the question4 ,to influence persons in this frame of mind1 it is evident that more personal testimony to isolated facts is utterly useless4 ,they have1 to use the admirable expression of ,dr4 ,carpenter1 8no place in the existing fabric of their thought into which such facts can be fitted40 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 to modify the 8fabric of thought0 itself2 and it appears to the present writer that this can best be done by a general historic sketch of the subject1 and by showing1 by separate lines of inquiry1 how wide and varied is the evidence1 and how remarkably these lines converge toward one uniform conclusion4 ,the endeavor will be made to indicate1 by typical examples of each class of evidence and without unnecessary detail1 the cumulative force of the argument4 ,,historical ,,sketch4 ,modern ,spiritualism dates from ,march1 #ahdh2 it being then that1 for the first time1 intelligent communications were held with the unknown cause of the mysterious knockings and other sounds1 similar to those which had disturbed the ,mompesson and ,wesley families in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries4 ,this discovery was made by ,miss ,kate ,fox1 a girl of nine years old1 and the first recognized example of an extensive class now known as mediums4 ,it is worthy of remark that this very first 8modern spiritual manifestation0 was subjected to the test of unlimited examination by all the inhabitants of the village of ,hydesville1 ,new ,york4 ,though all were utter skeptics1 no one could discover any cause for the noises1 which continued1 though with less violence1 when all the children had left the house4 ,nothing is more common than the remark that it is absurd and illogical to impute noises1 of which we cannot discover the cause1 to the agency of spirits4 ,so it undoubtedly is when the noises are merely noises2 but is it so illogical when these noises turn out to be signals1 and signals which spell out a fact1 which fact1 though wholly unknown to all present1 turns out to be true8 ,yet1 on this very first occasion1 twenty-six years ago1 the signals declared that a murdered man was buried in the cellar of the house2 it indicated the exact spot in the cellar under which the body lay2 and upon digging there1 at a depth of six or seven feet1 considerable portions of a human skeleton were found4 ,yet more3 the name of the murdered man was given1 and it was ascertained that such a person had visited that very house and had disappeared five years before1 and had never been heard of since4 ,the signals further declared that he1 the murdered man1 was the signaller2 and as all the witnesses had satisfied themselves that the signals were not made by any living person or by any assignable cause1 the logical conclusion from the facts was1 that it was the spirit#b of the murdered man2 although such a conclusion might be to some in the highest degree improbable1 and to others in the highest degree absurd4 ,footnote #b3 ,it may be as well here to explain that the word 8spirit10 which is often considered to be so objectionable by scientific men1 is used throughout this article 7or at all events in the earlier portions of it7 merely to avoid circumlocution1 in the sense of the 8intelligent cause of the phenomena10 and not as implying 8the spirits of the dead10 unless so expressly stated4 ,the ,misses ,fox now became involuntary mediums1 and the family 7which had removed to the city of ,rochester7 were accused of imposture1 and offered to submit the children to examination by a committee of townsmen appointed in public meeting4 ,three committees were successively appointed2 the last1 composed of violent skeptics who had accused the previous committees of stupidity or connivance4 ,but all three1 after unlimited investigation1 were forced to declare that the cause of the phenomena was undiscoverable4 ,the sounds occurred on the wall and floor while the mediums1 after being thoroughly searched by ladies1 8stood on pillows1 barefooted1 and with their clothes tied round their ankles40 ,the last and most skeptical committee reported that1 8,they had heard sounds1 and failed utterly to discover their origin4 ,they had proved that neither machinery nor imposture had been used2 and their questions1 many of them being mental1 were answered correctly40 ,when we consider that the mediums were two children under twelve years of age1 and the examiners utterly skeptical ,american citizens1 thoroughly resolved to detect imposture1 and urged on by excited public meetings1 it may perhaps be considered that even at this early stage the question of imposture or delusion was pretty well settled in the negative4 ,in a short time persons who sat with the ,misses ,fox found themselves to have similar powers in a greater or less degree2 and in two or three years the movement had spread over a large part of the ,united ,states1 developing into a variety of strange forms1 encountering the most violent skepticism and the most rancorous hostility1 yet always progressing1 and making converts even among the most enlightened and best educated classes4 ,in #ahea1 some of the most intelligent men in ,new ,york--judges1 senators1 doctors1 lawyers1 merchants1 clergymen and authors--formed themselves into a society for investigation4 ,judge ,edmonds was one of these2 and a sketch of the kind and amount of evidence that was required to convince him will be given further on4 ,in #ahed a second spiritual society was formed in ,new ,york4 ,it had the names of four judges and two physicians among its ,vice-,presidents1 showing that the movement had by this time become respectable1 and that men in high social positions were not afraid of identifying themselves with it4 ,a little later ,professor ,mapes1 an eminent agricultural chemist1 was led to undertake the investigation of ,spiritualism4 ,he formed a circle of twelve friends1 most of them men of talent1 and skeptics1 who bound themselves to sit together weekly1 with a medium1 twenty times4 ,for the first eighteen evenings the phenomena were so trivial and unsatisfactory that most of the party felt disgusted at the loss of time2 but the last two sittings produced phenomena of so startling a character that the investigation was continued by the same circle for four years1 and all became ,spiritualists4 ,by this time the movement had spread into every part of the ,union1 and1 notwithstanding that its adherents were abused as impostors or dupes1 that they were in several cases expelled from colleges and churches and were confined as lunatics1 and that the whole thing was 8explained0 over and over again--it has continued to spread up to the present hour4 ,the secret of this appears to have been1 that the explanations given never applied to the phenomena continually occurring1 and of which there were numerous witnesses4 ,a medium was raised in the air in a crowded room in full daylight4 78,modern ,american ,spiritualism10 p4 #bgi47 ,a scientific skeptic prepared a small portable apparatus1 by which he could produce an instantaneous illumination2 and1 taking it to a dark sance at which numerous musical instruments were played1 suddenly lighted up the room while a large drum was being violently beaten1 in the certain expectation of revealing the impostor to the whole company4 ,but what they all saw was the drumstick itself beating the drum1 with no human being near it4 ,it struck a few more blows1 then rose into the air and descended gently on to the shoulder of a lady4 7,same work1 p4 #ccg47 ,at ,toronto1 ,canada1 in a well-lighted room1 an accompaniment to a song was played on a closed and locked piano4 7,same work1 p4 #dfc47 ,communications were given in raised letters on the arm of an ignorant servant girl1 who often could not read them4 ,they sometimes appeared while she was at her household work1 and after being read by her master or mistress would disappear4 7,same work1 p4 #aif47 ,letters closed in any number of envelopes1 sealed up of even pasted together over the whole of the written surface1 were read and answered by certain mediums in whom this special power was developed4 ,it mattered not what language the letters were written in2 and it is upon record that letters in ,german1 ,greek1 ,hebrew1 ,arabic1 ,chinese1 ,french1 ,welsh and ,mexican1 have been correctly answered in the corresponding languages by a medium who knew none of them4 7,judge ,edmonds's 8,letters on ,spiritualism10 pp4 #ei-ajc1 ,appendix47 ,other mediums drew portraits of deceased persons whom they had never known or heard of4 ,others healed diseases4 ,but those who helped most to spread the belief were1 perhaps1 the trance-speakers1 who1 in eloquent and powerful language1 developed the principles and the uses of ,spiritualism1 answered objections1 spread abroad a knowledge of the phenomena1 and thus induced skeptics to inquire into the facts2 and inquiry was almost invariably followed by conversion4 ,having repeatedly listened to three of these speakers who have visited this country1 ,i can bear witness that they fully equal1 and not unfrequently surpass our best orators and preachers2 whether in finished eloquence1 in close and logical argument1 or in the readiness with which appropriate and convincing replies are made to all objectors4 ,they are also remarkable for the perfect courtesy and suavity of their manner1 and for the extreme patience and gentleness with which they meet the most violent opposition and the most unjust accusations4 ,men of the highest rank and greatest ability became convinced by these varied phenomena4 ,no amount of education1 of legal1 medical or scientific training1 was proof against the overwhelming force of the facts1 whenever these facts were systematically and perseveringly inquired into4 ,the number of ,spiritualists in the ,union is1 according to those who have the best means of judging1 from eight to eleven millions4 ,this is the estimate of ,judge ,edmonds1 who has had extensive correspondence on the subject with every part of the ,united ,states4 ,the ,hon4 ,r4 ,d4 ,owen1 who has also had great opportunities of knowing the facts1 considers it to be approximately correct2 and it is affirmed by the editors of the 8,year-,book of ,spiritualism0 for #ahga4 ,these numbers have been held to be absurdly exaggerated by persons having less information1 especially by strangers who have made superficial inquiries in ,america2 but it must be remembered that the ,spiritualists are to a very limited extent an organized body1 and that the mass of them make no public profession of their belief1 but still remain members of some denominational church--circumstances that would greatly deceive an outsider4 ,nevertheless1 the organization is of considerable extent4 ,there were in ,america1 in #ahgj1 #bj ,state ,associations and #aje ,societies of ,spiritualists1 #bjg lecturers1 and about the same number of public mediums4 ,in other parts of the world the movement has progressed more or less rapidly4 ,several of the more celebrated ,american mediums have visited this country1 and not only made converts in all classes of society1 but led to the formation of private circles and the discovery of mediumistic power in hundreds of families4 ,there is scarcely a city or a considerable town in ,continental ,europe at the present moment where ,spiritualists are not reckoned by hundreds1 if not by thousands4 ,there are said1 on good authority1 to be fifty thousand avowed ,spiritualists in ,paris and ten thousand in ,lyons2 and the numbers in ,england may be roughly estimated by the fact that there are four exclusively spiritual periodicals1 one of which has a circulation of five thousand weekly4 ,,deductions ,,from ,,the ,,preceding ,,sketch4 ,before proceeding to a statement of the evidence which has convinced the more educated and more skeptical converts1 let us consider briefly the bearing of the undoubted fact1 that 7to keep within bounds7 many thousands of well-informed men1 belonging to all classes of society and all professions1 have1 in each of the great civilized nations of the world1 acknowledged the objective reality of these phenomena2 although1 almost without exception1 they at first viewed them with dislike or contempt1 as impostures or delusions4 ,there is nothing parallel to it in the history of human thought2 because there never before existed so strong and apparently so well-founded a conviction that phenomena of this kind never have happened and never can happen4 ,it is often said1 that the number of adherents to a belief is no proof of its truth4 ,this remark justly applies to most religions whose arguments appeal to the emotions and the intellect but not to the evidence of the senses4 ,it is equally just as applied to a great part of modern science4 ,the almost universal belief in gravitation1 and in the undulatory theory of light1 does not render them in any degree more probable2 because very few indeed of the believers have tested the facts which most convincingly demonstrate those theories1 or are able to follow out the reasoning by which they are demonstrated4 ,it is for the most part a blind belief accepted upon authority4 ,but with these spiritual phenomena the case is very different4 ,they are to most men so new1 so strange1 so incredible1 so opposed to their whole habit of thought1 so apparently opposed to the pervading scientific spirit of the age1 that they cannot and do not accept them on second-hand evidence1 as they do almost every other kind of knowledge4 ,the thousands or millions of ,spiritualists1 therefore1 represent to a very large extent men who have witnessed1 examined1 and tested the evidence for themselves1 over and over and over again1 till that which they had at first been unable to admit could be true1 they have at last been compelled to acknowledge is true4 ,this accounts for the utter failure of all the attempted 8exposures0 and 8explanations0 to convince one solitary believer of his error4 ,the exposers and explainers have never got beyond those first difficulties which constitute the pons asinorum of ,spiritualism1 which every believer has to get over1 but at which early stage of investigation no converts are ever made4 ,by explaining table-turning1 or table-tilting1 or raps1 you do not influence a man who was never convinced by these1 but who1 in broad daylight1 sees objects move without contact1 and behave as if guided by intelligent beings2 and who sees this in a variety of forms1 in a variety of places1 and under such varied and stringent conditions1 as to make the fact to him just as real as the movement of iron to the magnet4 ,by explaining automatic writing 7which itself convinces no one but the writer1 and not always even him71 you do not affect the belief of the man who has obtained writing when neither pencil nor paper was touched by any one2 or has seen a hand not attached to any human body take up a pencil and write2 or2 as ,mr4 ,andrew ,leighton1 of ,liverpool1 testifies1 has seen a pencil rise of itself on a table and write the words3 8,and is this world of strife to end in dust at last80 ,thus it is that there are so few recantations or perverts in ,spiritualism2 so few1 that it may be truly said there are none4 ,after much inquiry and reading ,i can find no example of a man who1 having acquired a good personal knowledge of all the chief phases of the phenomena1 has subsequently come to disbelieve in their reality4 ,if the 8explanations0 and 8exposures0 were good for anything1 or if it were an imposture to expose or a delusion to explain1 this could not be the case1 because there are numbers of men who have become convinced of the facts1 but who have not accepted the spiritual theory4 ,these are1 for the most part1 in an uncomfortable and unsettled frame of mind1 and would gladly welcome an explanation which really explained anything--but they find it not4 ,as an eminent example of this class1 ,i may mention ,dr4 ,j4 ,lockhart ,robertson1 long one of the editors of the ,journal of ,mental ,science--a physician who1 having made mental disease his special study1 would not be easily taken in by any psychological delusions4 ,the phenomena he witnessed fourteen years ago were of a violent character2 a very strong table being1 at his own request and in his own house1 broken to pieces while he held the medium's hands4 ,he afterwards himself tried to break a remaining leg of the table1 but failed to do so after exerting all his strength4 ,another table was tilted over while all the party sat on it4 ,he subsequently had a sitting with ,mr4 ,home1 and witnessed the usual phenomena occurring with that extraordinary medium--such as the accordion playing 8most wonderful music without any human agency10 8a shadow hand1 not that of any one present1 which lifts a pencil and writes with it10 c41 c42 and he says that he can 8no more doubt the physical manifestations of 7so-called7 ,spiritualism than he would any other fact--as1 for example1 the fall of an apple to the ground of which his senses informed him40 ,his record of these phenomena1 with the confirmation by a friend who was present1 is published in the 8,dialectical ,society's ,report on ,spiritualism10 p4 #bdg2 and1 at a meeting of ,spiritualists in #ahgj1 he reasserted the facts1 but denied their spiritual origin4 ,to such a man the ,quarterly ,reviewer's explanations are worthless2 yet it may be safely said1 that every advanced ,spiritualist has seen more remarkable1 more varied1 and even more inexplicable phenomena than those recorded by ,dr4 ,robertson1 and is therefore still further out of reach of the arguments referred to1 which are indeed only calculated to convince those who know little or nothing of the matter4 ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,facts4 ,the subject of the evidences of the objective phenomena of ,spiritualism is such a large one that it will be only possible here to give a few typical examples1 calculated to show how wide is their range1 and how conclusively they reach every objection that the most skeptical have brought against them4 ,this may perhaps be best done by giving1 in the first place1 an outline of the career of two or three well-known mediums2 and1 in the second1 a sketch of the experiences and investigations of a few of the more remarkable converts to ,spiritualism4 ,career of ,remarkable ,mediums4--,miss ,kate ,fox1 the little girl of nine years old1 who1 as already stated1 was the first 8medium0 in the modern sense of the term1 has continued to possess the same power for twenty-six years4 ,at the very earliest stages of the movement1 skeptic after skeptic1 committee after committee endeavored to discover 8the trick20 but if it was a trick this little girl baffled them all1 and the proverbial acuteness of the ,yankee was of no avail4 ,in #ahfj1 when ,dr4 ,robert ,chambers visited ,america1 he suggested to his friend1 ,robert ,dale ,owen1 the use of a balance to test the lifting power4 ,they accordingly1 without prerrangement with the medium1 took with them a powerful steelyard1 and suspended from it a dining-table weighing one hundred and twenty-one pounds4 ,then1 under a bright gas-light1 the feet of the two mediums 7,miss ,fox and her sister7 being both touched by the feet of the gentlemen1 and the hands of all present being held over but not touching the table1 it was made lighter or heavier at request1 so as to weigh at one time only sixty1 at another one hundred and thirty-four pounds4 ,this experiment1 be it remembered1 was identical with one proposed by ,faraday himself as being conclusive4 ,mr4 ,owen had many sittings with ,miss ,fox1 for the purpose of test1 and the precautions he took were extraordinary4 ,he sat with her alone2 he frequently changed the room without notice2 he examined every article of furniture2 he locked the doors and fastened them with strips of paper privately sealed2 he held both the hands of the medium4 ,under these conditions various phenomena occurred1 the most remarkable being the illumination of a piece of paper 7which he had brought himself1 cut of a peculiar size1 and privately marked17 showing a dark hand writing on the floor4 ,the paper afterwards rose up on to the table with legible writing upon it1 containing a promise which was subsequently verified4 78,debatable ,land10 p4 #bic47 ,but ,miss ,fox's powers were most remarkably shown in the sances with ,mr4 ,livermore1 a well-known ,new ,york banker1 and an entire skeptic before commencing these experiments4 ,these sittings were more than three hundred in number1 extending over five years4 ,they took place in four different houses 7,mr4 ,livermore's and the medium's being both changed during this period71 under tests of the most rigid description4 ,the chief phenomenon was the appearance of a tangible1 visible and audible figure of ,mr4 ,livermore's deceased wife1 sometimes accompanied by a male figure1 purporting to be ,dr4 ,franklin4 ,the former figure was often most distinct and absolutely life-like4 ,it moved various objects in the room4 ,it wrote messages on cards4 ,it was sometimes formed out of a luminous cloud1 and again vanished before the eyes of the witnesses4 ,it allowed a portion of its dress to be cut off1 which1 though at first of strong and apparently gauzy material texture1 yet in a short time melted away and became invisible4 ,flowers which melted away were also given4 ,these phenomena occurred best when ,mr4 ,l4 and the medium were alone2 but two witnesses were occasionally admitted1 who tested everything and confirmed ,mr4 ,l4's testimony4 ,one of these was ,mr4 ,livermore's physician1 the other his brother-in-law2 the latter previously a skeptic4 ,the details of these wonderful sances were published in the ,spiritual ,magazine in #ahfb and #ahfc2 and the more remarkable are given in ,owen's 8,debatable ,land10 from which work a good idea may be formed of the great variety of the phenomena that occurred and the stringent character of the tests employed4 ,miss ,fox recently came to ,england1 and here also her powers have been tested by a competent man of science1 and found to be all that has been stated4 ,she is now married to an ,english barrister1 and some of the strange phenomena which have so long accompanied her attach themselves to her infant child1 even when its mother is away1 to the great alarm of the nurse4 ,we have here1 therefore1 a career of twenty-six years of mediumship of the most varied and remarkable character2 mediumship which has been scrutinized and tested from the first hour of its manifestation down to this day1 and with one invariable result--that no imposture or attempt at imposture has ever been discovered1 and no cause ever been suggested that will account for the phenomena except that advanced by ,spiritualists4 ,mr4 ,daniel ,d4 ,home is perhaps the best known medium in the world2 and his powers have been open to examination for at least twenty years4 ,nineteen years ago ,sir ,david ,brewster and ,lord ,brougham had a sitting with him--sufficiently acute and eminent observers1 and both1 of course thorough skeptics4 ,in the 8,home ,life of ,sir ,david ,brewster10 we have1 fortunately1 his own record of this sitting made at the time1 although six months later1 in a letter to the ,morning ,advertiser1 he made the contradictory statement3 8,i saw enough to satisfy myself they could all be produced by human hands and feet40 ,he says3 8,the table actually rose from the ground when no hand was upon it20 and 8a small hand-bell was laid down with its mouth on the carpet1 and it actually rang when nothing could have touched it4 ,the bell was then placed on the other side1 still upon the carpet1 and it came over to me and placed itself in my hand4 ,it did the same to ,lord ,brougham40 ,and he adds1 speaking for both1 8,we could give no explanation of them1 and could not conjecture how they could be produced by any kind of mechanism40 ,coming from the author of 8,letters on ,natural ,magic10 this is pretty good testimony4 ,these and far more marvelous phenomena have been repeated from that day to this many thousands of times1 and almost always in private houses at which ,mr4 ,home visits4 ,everybody testifies to the fact that he offers the most ample facilities for investigation2 and to this ,i can myself bear witness1 having been invited by him to examine as closely as ,i pleased an accordion1 held by his one hand1 keys downward1 and in that position playing very sweetly4 ,but perhaps the best-attested and most extraordinary phenomenon connected with ,mr4 ,home's mediumship is what is called the fire-test4 ,in a state of trance he takes a glowing coal from the hottest part of a bright fire and carries it round the room1 so that every one may see and feel that it is a real one4 ,this is testified by ,mr4 ,h4 ,d4 ,jencken1 ,lord ,lindsay1 ,lord ,adare1 ,miss ,douglas1 ,mr4 ,s4 ,c4 ,hall1 and many others4 ,but1 more strange still1 when in this state he can detect the same power in other persons1 or convey it to them4 ,a lump of red-hot coal was once placed on ,mr4 ,s4 ,c4 ,hall's head in the presence of ,lord ,lindsay and four other persons4 ,mrs4 ,hall1 in a communication to the ,earl of ,dunraven 7given in the ,spiritual ,magazine1 #ahgj1 p4 #agh71 says3 8,mr4 ,hall was seated nearly opposite to where ,i sat2 and ,i saw ,mr4 ,home1 after standing about half a minute at the back of ,mr4 ,hall's chair1 deliberately place the lump of burning coal on his head6 ,i have often wondered that ,i was not frightened1 but ,i was not2 ,i had perfect faith that he would not be injured4 ,some one said1 #8,is it not hot8' ,mr4 ,hall answered1 #8,warm1 but not hot6' ,mr4 ,home had moved a little way1 but returned1 still in a trance2 he smiled1 and seemed quite pleased1 and then proceeded to draw up ,mr4 ,hall's white hair over the red coal4 ,the white hair had the appearance of silver thread over the red coal4 ,mr4 ,home drew the hair into a sort of pyramid1 the coal1 still red1 showing beneath the hair40 ,when taken off the head--which it had not in the slightest degree injured or singed the hair--others attempted to touch it1 and were burnt4 ,lord ,lindsay and ,miss ,douglas have also had hot coals placed in their hands1 and they describe them as feeling rather cold than hot2 though at the same time they burn any one else1 and even scorch the face of the holder if approached too closely4 ,the same witnesses also testify that ,mr4 ,home has placed red-hot coals inside his waistcoat without scorching his clothes1 and has put his face into the middle of the fire1 his hair falling into the flames1 yet not being the least singed4 ,the same power of resisting fire can be temporarily given to inanimate objects4 ,mr4 ,h4 ,nisbet1 of ,glasgow1 states 78,human ,nature10 ,feb41 #ahgj7 that1 in his own house1 in ,january1 #ahgj1 ,mr4 ,home placed a red-hot coal in the hands of a lady and gentleman1 which they only felt warm2 and then placed the same piece on a folded newspaper1 burning a hole through eight layers of paper4 ,he then took a fresh and blazing coal and laid it on the same newspaper1 carrying it about the room for three minutes1 when the paper was found1 this time1 not to have been the least burnt4 ,lord ,lindsay further declares--and as one of the few noblemen who do real scientific work his evidence must be of some value--that on eight occasions he has had red-hot coals placed on his own hand by ,home without injury4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,harrison 78,spiritualist10 ,march #aeth1 #ahgj7 saw him take a large coal1 which covered the palm of his hand1 and stood six or seven inches high4 ,as he walked about the room it threw a ruddy glow on the walls1 and when he came to the table with it1 the heat was felt in the faces of all present4 ,the coal was thus held for five minutes4 ,these phenomena have now happened scores of times in the presence of scores of witnesses4 ,they are facts1 of the reality of which there can be no doubt2 and they are altogether inexplicable by the known laws of physiology and heat4 ,the powers of ,mr4 ,home have lately been independently tested by ,serjeant ,cox and ,mr4 ,crookes1 and both these gentlemen emphatically proclaim that he invites tests and courts examination4 ,serjeant ,cox1 in his own house1 has had a new accordion 7purchased by himself that very day7 play by itself1 in his own hand1 while ,mr4 ,home was playing the piano4 ,mr4 ,home then took the accordion in his left hand1 holding it with the keys downwards while playing the piano with his right hand1 8and it played beautifully in accompaniment to the piano1 for at least a quarter of an hour40 78,what ,am ,i80 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #chh47 ,as to the possibility of these things being produced by trick1 if further evidence than their mere statement be required1 we have the following by ,mr4 ,t4 ,adolphus ,trollope1 who says1 8,i may also mention that ,bosco1 one of the greatest professors of legerdemain ever known1 in a conversation with me upon the subject1 utterly scouted the idea of the possibility of such phenomena as ,i saw produced by ,mr4 ,home being performed by any of the resources of his art40 ,mr4 ,home's life has been to a great extent a public one4 ,he has spent much of his time as a guest in the houses of people of rank and talent4 ,he numbers among his friends many who are eminent in science1 art1 and literature--men certainly not inferior in perceptive or reasoning power to those who1 not having witnessed the phenomena1 disbelieve in their occurrence4 ,for twenty years he has been exposed to the keen scrutiny and never-ceasing suspicion of innumerable inquirers2 yet no proof has ever been given of trickery1 no particle of machinery or apparatus ever been detected4 ,but the phenomena are so stupendous that1 if impostures1 they could only be performed by machinery of the most elaborate1 varied and cumbrous nature1 requiring the aid of several assistants and confederates4 ,the theory that they are delusions is equally untenable1 unless it is admitted that there is no possible means of distinguishing delusion from reality4 ,the last medium to whose career ,i shall call attention is ,mrs4 ,guppy 7formerly ,miss ,nichol71 and in this case ,i can give some personal testimony4 ,i knew ,miss ,nichol before she had ever heard of ,spiritualism1 table-rapping1 or anything of the kind1 and we first discovered her powers on asking her to sit for experiment in my house4 ,this was in ,november1 #ahff1 and for some months we had constant sittings1 and ,i was able to watch and test the progress of her development4 ,i first satisfied myself of the rising of a small table completely off the floor1 when three or four persons 7including ,miss ,n47 placed their hands on it4 ,i tested this by secretly attaching threads or thin strips of paper underneath the claws1 so that they must be broken if any one attempted to raise the table with their feet1 the only available means of doing so4 ,the table still rose a full foot off the floor in broad daylight4 ,in order to show this to friends with less trouble1 ,i made a cylinder of hoops and brown paper1 in which ,i placed the table so as to keep feet and dresses away from it while it rose1 which it did as freely as before4 ,perhaps more marvelous was the placing of ,miss ,n4 herself on the table2 for although this always happened in the dark1 yet1 under the conditions to be named1 deception was impossible4 ,i will relate one sitting of which ,i have notes4 ,we sat in a friend's house1 round a centre table1 under a glass chandelier4 ,a friend of mine1 but a perfect stranger to all the rest1 sat next ,miss ,nichol and held both her hands4 ,another person had matches ready to strike a light when required4 ,what occurred was as follows3 ,first1 ,miss ,nichol's chair was drawn away from under her1 and she was obliged to stand up1 my friend still holding both her hands4 ,in a minute or two more ,i heard a slight sound1 such as might be produced by a person placing a wine-glass on the table1 and at the same time a very slight rustling of clothes and tinkling of the glass pendants of the chandelier4 ,immediately my friend said1 8,she is gone from me40 ,a light was at once struck1 and we found ,miss ,n4 quietly seated in her chair on the centre of the table1 her head just touching the chandelier4 ,my friend declared that ,miss ,n4 seemed to glide noiselessly out of his hands4 ,she was very stout and heavy1 and to get her chair on the table1 to get upon it herself1 in the dark1 noiselessly1 and almost instantaneously1 with five or six persons close around her1 appeared1 and still appears to me1 knowing her intimately1 to be physically impossible4 ,another very curious and beautiful phenomenon was the production of delicate musical sounds1 without any object calculated to produce them being in the room4 ,on one occasion a ,german lady1 who was a perfect stranger to ,miss ,nichol1 and had never been at a sance before1 was present4 ,she sang several ,german songs1 and most delicate music1 like a fairy musical-box1 accompanied her throughout4 ,she sang four or five different songs of her own choice1 and all were so accompanied4 ,this was in the dark1 but hands were joined all the time4 ,the most remarkable feature of this lady's mediumship is the production of flowers and fruits in closed rooms4 ,the first time this occurred was at my own house at a very early stage of her development4 ,all present were my own friends4 ,miss ,nichol had come early to tea1 it being mid-winter1 and she had been with us in a very warm gas-lighted room four hours before the flowers appeared4 ,the essential fact is1 that upon a bare table in a small room closed and dark 7the adjoining room and passage being well lighted71 a quantity of flowers appeared1 which were not there when we put out the gas a few minutes before4 ,they consisted of anemones1 tulips1 chrysanthemums1 ,chinese primroses1 and several ferns4 ,all were absolutely fresh1 as if just gathered from a conservatory4 ,they were covered with a fine1 cold dew4 ,not a petal was crumpled or broken1 not the most delicate point or pinnule of the ferns was out of place4 ,i dried and preserved the whole1 and have1 attached to them1 the attestation of all present that they had no share1 as far as they knew1 in bringing the flowers into the room4 ,i believed at the time1 and still believe1 that it was absolutely impossible for ,miss ,n4 to have concealed them so long1 to have kept them so perfect1 and1 above all1 to produce them covered throughout with a most beautiful coating of dew1 just like that which collects on the outside of a tumbler when filled with very cold water on a hot day4 ,similar phenomena have occurred hundreds of times since1 in many houses and under various conditions4 ,sometimes the flowers have been in vast quantities1 heaped upon the table4 ,often flowers or fruits asked for are brought4 ,a friend of mine asked for a sunflower1 and one six feet high fell upon the table1 having a large mass of earth about its roots4 ,one of the most striking tests was at ,florence1 with ,mr4 ,t4 ,adolphus ,trollope1 ,mrs4 ,trollope1 ,miss ,blagden1 and ,colonel ,harvey4 ,the room was searched by the gentlemen2 ,mrs4 ,guppy was undressed and redressed by ,mrs4 ,trollope1 every article of her clothing being examined4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,guppy were both firmly held while at the table4 ,in about ten minutes all the party exclaimed that they smelt flowers1 and1 on lighting a candle1 both ,mrs4 ,guppy's and ,mr4 ,trollope's arms were found covered with jonquils1 which filled the room with their odor4 ,mr4 ,guppy and ,mr4 ,trollope both relate this in substantially the same terms4 78,dialectical ,society's ,report on ,spiritualism10 pp4 #bgg and #cgb47 ,surely these are phenomena about which there can be no mistake4 ,what theories have ever been proposed by our scientific teachers which even attempt to account for them8 ,delusion it cannot be1 for the flowers are real and can be preserved1 and imposture under the conditions described is even less credible4 ,if the gentlemen who came forward to enlighten the public on the subject of 8so-called spiritual manifestations0 do not know of the various classes of phenomena that have now been indicated1 and the weight of the testimony in support of them1 they are palpably unqualified for the task they have undertaken4 ,that they do know of them1 but keep back their knowledge1 while putting forward trivialities easy to laugh at or expose1 is a supposition ,i cannot for a moment entertain4 ,before leaving this part of the subject1 it is well to note the fact of the marked individuality of each medium4 ,they are not copies of each other1 but each one develops a characteristic set of phenomena--a fact highly suggestive of some unconscious occult power in the individual1 and wholly opposed to the idea of either imposture or delusion1 both of which almost invariably copy prexisting models4 ,investigations by some ,notable ,skeptics4--,in giving some account of how a few of the more important converts to ,spiritualism became convinced1 we are of course limited to those who have given their experiences to the public4 ,i will first take the case of the eminent ,american lawyer1 the ,hon4 ,j4 ,w4 ,edmonds1 commonly called ,judge ,edmonds2 and it may be as well to let ,english skeptics know what he is thought of by his countrymen4 ,when he first became a ,spiritualist he was greatly abused2 and it was even declared that he consulted the spirits on his judicial decisions4 ,to defend himself1 he published an 8,appeal to the ,public10 giving a full account of the inquiries which resulted in his conversion4 ,in noticing this1 the ,new ,york ,evening ,mirror said3 8,john ,w4 ,edmonds1 the ,chief ,justice of the ,supreme ,court of this ,district1 is an able lawyer1 an industrious judge and a good citizen4 ,for the last eight years occupying without interruption the highest judicial stations1 whatever may be his faults no one can justly accuse him of a lack of ability1 industry1 honesty or fearlessness4 ,no one can doubt his general saneness1 or can believe for a moment that the ordinary operations of his mind are not as rapid1 accurate and reliable as ever4 ,both by the practitioners and suitors at his bar he is recognized as the head1 in fact and in merit1 of the ,supreme ,court for this ,district40 ,a few years later he published a series of letters on ,spiritualism in the ,new ,york ,tribune2 and in the first of these he gives a compact summary of his mode of investigation1 from which the following passages are extracted4 ,it must be remembered that at the time he commenced the inquiry he was in the prime and vigor of intellectual life1 being fifty-two years of age3 8,it was in ,january1 #ahea1 that ,i first began my investigations1 and it was not until ,april1 #ahec1 that ,i became a firm believer in the reality of spiritual intercourse4 ,during twenty-three months of those twenty-seven1 ,i witnessed several hundred manifestations in various forms4 ,i kept very minute and careful records of many of them4 ,my practice was1 whenever ,i attended a circle1 to keep in pencil a memorandum of all that took place1 so far as ,i could1 and1 as soon as ,i returned home1 to write out a full account of what ,i had witnessed4 ,i did all this with as much minuteness and particularity as ,i had ever kept any record of a trial before me in court4 ,in this way1 during that period1 ,i preserved the record of nearly two hundred interviews1 running through some one thousand six hundred pages of manuscript4 ,i had these interviews with many different mediums1 and under an infinite variety of circumstances4 ,no two interviews were alike4 ,there was always something new1 or something different from what had previously occurred2 and it very seldom happened that only the same persons were present4 ,the manifestations were of almost every known form1 physical or mental2 sometimes only one1 and sometimes both combined4 8,i resorted to every expedient ,i could devise to detect imposture and to guard against delusion4 ,i felt in myself1 and saw in others1 how exciting was the idea that we were actually communing with the dead2 and ,i labored to prevent any undue bias of my judgment4 ,i was at times critical and captious to an unreasonable extreme2 and when my belief was challenged1 as it was over and over again1 ,i refused to yield1 except to evidence that would leave no possible room for cavil4 8,i was severely exacting in my demands1 and this would frequently happen4 ,i would go to a circle with some doubt on my mind as to the manifestations at the previous circle1 and something would happen aimed directly at that doubt1 and completely overthrowing it as it then seemed1 so that ,i had no longer any reason to doubt4 ,but ,i would go home and write out carefully my minutes of the evening1 cogitate over them for several days1 compare them with previous records1 and finally find some loophole--some possibility that it might have been something else than spiritual influence1 and ,i would go to the next circle with a new doubt1 and a new set of queries4 8,i look back sometimes now1 with a smile1 at the ingenuity ,i wasted in devising ways and means to avoid the possibility of deception4 8,it was a remarkable feature of my investigations that every conceivable objection ,i could raise was1 first or last1 met and answered40 ,the following extracts are from the 8,appeal03 8,i have seen a mahogany table1 having a centre leg1 and with a lamp burning upon it1 lifted from the floor at least a foot1 in spite of the efforts of those present1 and shaken backward and forward as one would shake a goblet in his hand1 and the lamp retain its place1 though its glass pendants rang again4 8,i have known a mahogany chair thrown on its side and moved swiftly back and forth on the floor1 no one touching it1 through a room where there were at least a dozen people sitting1 yet no one was touched2 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 legs40 ,having satisfied himself of the reality of the physical phenomena1 he came to the question of whence comes the intelligence that was so remarkably connected with them4 ,he says3 8,preparatory to meeting a circle1 ,i have sat down alone in my room1 and carefully prepared a series of questions to be propounded1 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 not a person present knew that ,i had prepared questions1 much less what they were4 ,my most secret thoughts1 those which ,i have never uttered to mortal man or woman1 have been freely spoken to as if ,i had uttered them2 and ,i have been admonished that my every thought was known to1 and could be disclosed by1 the intelligence which was thus manifesting itself4 8,still the question occurred1 #8,may not all this have been1 by some mysterious operation1 the mere reflex of the mind of some one present8' ,the answer was1 that facts were communicated which were unknown then1 but afterwards found to be true2 like this1 for instance3 when ,i was absent last winter in ,central ,america1 my friends in town heard of my whereabouts and of the state of my health several times2 and on my return1 by comparing their information with the entries in my journal1 it was found to be invariably correct4 ,so thoughts have been uttered on subjects not then in my mind and utterly at variance with my own notions4 ,this has often happened to me and to others1 so as fully to establish the fact that it was not our minds that gave forth or affected the communication40 ,these few extracts sufficiently show that the writer was aware of the possible sources of error in such an inquiry2 and the details given in the letters prove that he was constantly on his guard against them4 ,he himself and his daughter became mediums2 so that he afterwards obtained personal confirmation of many of the phenomena by himself alone4 ,but all the phenomena referred to in the letters and 8,appeal0 occurred to him in the presence of others1 who testified to them as well1 and thus removed the possibility that the phenomena were subjective4 ,we have yet to add a notice of what will be perhaps1 to many persons1 the most startling and convincing of all the ,judge's experiences4 ,his own daughter became a medium for speaking foreign languages of which she was totally ignorant4 ,he says3 8,she knows no language but her own1 and a little smattering of boarding-school ,french2 yet she has spoken in nine or ten different tongues1 often for an hour at a time1 with the ease and fluency of a native4 ,it is not unfrequent that foreigners converse with their spirit-friends through her in their own language40 ,one of these cases must be given3 8,one evening1 when some twelve or fifteen persons were in my parlor1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,d4 ,green1 an artist of this city1 was shown in1 accompanied by a gentleman whom he introduced as ,mr4 ,evangelides1 of ,greece4 ,ere long a spirit spoke to him through ,laura1 in ,english1 and said so many things to him that he identified him as a friend who had died at his house a few years before1 but of whom none of us had ever heard4 ,occasionally1 through ,laura1 the spirit would speak a word or a sentence in ,greek1 until ,mr4 ,e4 inquired if he could be understood if he spoke ,greek8 ,the residue of the conversation for more than an hour was1 on his part1 entirely in ,greek1 and on hers sometimes in ,greek and sometimes in ,english4 ,at times ,laura would not understand what was the idea conveyed either by her or him4 ,at other times she would understand him1 though he spoke in ,greek1 and herself while uttering ,greek words40 ,several other cases are mentioned1 and it is stated that this lady has spoken ,spanish1 ,french1 ,greek1 ,italian1 ,portuguese1 ,latin1 ,hungarian and ,indian2 and other languages which were unknown to any person present4 ,this is by no means an isolated case1 but it is given as being on most unexceptionable authority4 ,a man must know whether his own daughter has learnt1 so as to speak fluently1 eight languages besides her own1 or not4 ,those who carry on the conversation must know whether the language is spoken or not2 and in several cases--as the ,latin1 ,spanish1 and ,indian--the ,judge himself understood the language4 ,and the phenomenon is connected with ,spiritualism by the speaking being in the name of1 and purporting to come from1 some deceased person1 and the subject matter being characteristic of that person4 ,such a case as this1 which has been published sixteen years1 ought to have been noticed and explained by those who profess to enlighten the public on the subject of ,spiritualism4 ,our next example is one of the most recent1 but at the same time one of the most useful1 converts to the truths of ,spiritualism4 ,dr4 ,george ,sexton1 ,m4 ,d41 ,m4 ,a41 ,l4 ,l4 ,d41 was for many years the coadjutor of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 and one of the most earnest and energetic of the secularist teachers4 ,the celebrated ,robert ,owen first called his attention to the subject of ,spiritualism about twenty years ago4 ,he read books1 he saw a good deal of the ordinary physical manifestations1 but he always 8suspected that the mediums played tricks1 and that the whole affair was nothing but clever conjuring by means of concealed machinery40 ,he gave several lectures against ,spiritualism in the usual style of non-believers1 dwelling much on the absurdity and triviality of the phenomena1 and ridiculing the idea that they were the work of spirits4 ,then came another old friend and fellow-secularist1 ,mr4 ,turley1 who1 after investigating the subject for the purpose of exposing it1 became a firm believer4 ,dr4 ,sexton laughed at this conversion1 yet it made a deep impression on his mind4 ,ten years passed away1 and his next important investigation was with the ,davenport brothers2 and it will be well for those who sneer at these much-abused young men to take note of the following account of ,dr4 ,sexton's proceedings with them1 and especially of the fact that they cheerfully submitted to every test the doctor suggested4 ,he tells us 7in his lecture1 8,how ,i became a ,spiritualist107 that he visited them again and again1 trying in vain to find out the trick4 ,then1 he says-- 8,my partner--,dr4 ,barker--and ,i invited the ,brothers to our houses1 and1 in order to guard against anything like trickery1 we requested them not to bring any ropes1 instruments1 or other apparatus2 all these we ourselves had determined to supply4 ,moreover1 as there were four of them1 viz41 the two ,brothers ,davenport1 ,mr4 ,fay1 and ,dr4 ,ferguson1 we suspected that the two who were not tied might really do all that was done4 ,we therefore requested only two to come4 ,they unhesitatingly complied with all these requests4 8,we formed a circle1 consisting entirely of members of our own families and a few private friends1 with the one bare exception of ,mrs4 ,fay4 ,in the circle we all joined hands1 and as ,mrs4 ,fay sat at one end she had one of her hands free1 while ,i had hold of the other4 ,thinking that she might be able to assist with the hand that was thus free1 ,i asked1 as a favor1 that ,i might be allowed to hold both her hands--a proposition which she at once agreed to4 ,now1 without entering here at all into what took place1 suffice it to say that we bound the mediums with our own ropes1 placed their feet upon sheets of writing paper1 and drew lines around their boots1 so that if they moved their feet it should be impossible for them to place them again in the same position2 we laid pence on their toes1 sealed the ropes1 and in every way took precautions against their moving4 ,on the occasion to which ,i now refer1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and ,mr4 ,charles ,watts were present2 and when ,mr4 ,fay's coat had been taken off1 the ropes still remaining on his hands1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh requested that his coat might be placed on ,mr4 ,fay1 which was immediately done1 the ropes still remaining fastened4 ,we got1 on this occasion1 all the phenomena that usually occurred in the presence of these extraordinary men1 particulars of which ,i shall probably give on another occasion4 ,dr4 ,barker became a believer in ,spiritualism from the time that the ,brothers visited at his house4 ,i did not see that any proof had been given that disembodied spirits had any hand in producing the phenomena2 but ,i was convinced that no tricks had been played1 and that1 therefore1 these extraordinary physical manifestations were the result of some occult force in ,nature which ,i had no means of explaining in the present state of my knowledge4 ,all the physical phenomena that ,i had seen now became clear to me2 they were not accomplished by trickery1 as ,i had formerly supposed1 but were the result of some undiscovered law of ,nature1 which it was the business of the man of science to use his utmost endeavors to discover40 ,while he was maintaining this ground1 ,spiritualists often asked him how he explained the intelligence that was manifested2 and he invariably replied that he had not yet seen proofs of any intelligence other than what might be that of the medium or of some other persons present in the circle1 adding1 that as soon as he did see proofs of such intelligence he should become a ,spiritualist4 ,in this position he stood for many years1 till he naturally believed he should never see cause to change his opinion4 ,he continued the inquiry1 however1 and in #ahfe began to hold sances at home2 but it was years before any mental phenomena occurred which were absolutely conclusive1 although they were often of so startling a nature as would have satisfied any one less skeptical4 ,at length1 after fifteen years of enlightened skepticism--a skepticism not founded upon ignorance1 but which refused to go one step beyond what the facts so diligently pursued absolutely demonstrated--the needful evidence came3 8,the proofs that ,i did ultimately receive are1 many of them1 of a character that ,i cannot describe minutely to a public audience1 nor indeed have ,i time to do so4 ,suffice it to say1 that ,i got in my own house1 in the absence of all mediums other than those members of my own family and intimate private friends in whom mediumistic powers became developed1 evidence of an irresistible character that the communications came from deceased friends and relatives4 ,intelligence was again and again displayed which could not possibly have had any other origin than that which it professed to have4 ,facts were named known to no one in the circle1 and left to be verified afterwards4 ,the identity of the spirits communicating was proved in a hundred different ways4 ,our dear departed ones made themselves palpable both to feeling and to sight2 and the doctrine of spirit-communion was proved beyond the shadow of a doubt4 ,i soon found myself in the position of ,dr4 ,fenwick in ,lord ,lytton's #8,strange ,story4' #8,do you believe1' asked the female attendant of ,margrave1 #8in that which you seek8' #8,i have no belief1' was the answer4 #8,true science has none2 true science questions all things1 and takes nothing on credit4 ,it knows but three states of mind--denial1 conviction1 and the vast interval between the two1 which is not belief1 but the suspension of judgment4' ,this describes exactly the phases through which my mind has passed40 ,since ,dr4 ,sexton has become a ,spiritualist he has been as energetic an advocate for its truths as he had been before for the negations of secularism4 ,his experience and ability as a lecturer1 with his long schooling in every form of manifestation1 render him one of the most valuable promulgators of its teachings4 ,he has also done excellent service in exposing the pretensions of those conjurers who profess to expose ,spiritualism4 ,this he does in the most practical way1 not only by explaining how the professed imitations of spiritual manifestations are performed1 but by actually performing them before his audience2 and at the same time pointing out the important differences between what these people do and what occurs at good sances4 ,any one who wishes to comprehend how ,dr4 ,lynn1 ,messrs4 ,maskelyne and ,cook1 and ,herr ,dobler perform some of their most curious feats have only to read his lecture1 entitled1 8,spirit ,mediums and ,conjurers10 before going to witness their entertainments4 ,we can hardly believe that the man who does this1 and who during fifteen years of observation and experiment held out against the spiritual theory1 is one of those who1 as ,lord ,amberley tells us1 8fall a victim to the most patent frauds1 and are imposed upon by jugglery of the most vulgar order02 or who1 as viewed from ,prof4 ,tyndall's high scientific standpoint1 are in a frame of mind before which science is utterly powerless--8dupes beyond the reach of proof1 who like to believe and do not like to be undeceived40 ,these be brave words2 but we leave our readers to judge whether they come with a very good grace from men who have the most slender and inadequate knowledge of the subject they are criticising1 and no knowledge at all of the long-continued and conscientious investigations of many who are included in their wholesale animadversions4 ,yet one more witness to these marvelous phenomena we must bring before our readers--a trained and experienced physicist1 who has experimented in his own laboratory1 and has applied tests and measurements of the most rigid and conclusive character4 ,when ,mr4 ,crookes--the discoverer of the metal thallium1 and a ,fellow of the ,royal ,society--first announced that he was going to investigate so-called spiritual phenomena1 many public writers were all approval2 for the complaint had long been that men of science were not permitted by mediums to inquire too scrupulously into the facts4 ,one expressed 8profound satisfaction that the subject was about to be investigated by a man so well qualified02 another was 8gratified to learn that the matter is now receiving the attention of cool and clear headed men of recognized position in science02 while a third declared that 8no one could doubt ,mr4 ,crookes's ability to conduct the investigation with rigid philosophical impartiality40 ,but these expressions were evidently insincere1 and were only meant to apply in case the result was in accordance with the writers' notions of what it ought to be4 ,of course1 a 8scientific investigation0 would explode the whole thing4 ,had not ,faraday exploded table-turning8 ,they hailed ,mr4 ,crookes as the ,daniel come to judgment--as the prophet who would curse their enemy1 ,spiritualism1 by detecting imposture and illusion4 ,but when the judge1 after a patient trial lasting several years1 decided against them1 and their accepted prophet blessed the hated thing as an undoubted truth1 their tone changed2 and they began to suspect the judge's ability1 and to pick holes in the evidence on which he founded his judgment4 ,in ,mr4 ,crookes's latest paper1 published in the ,quarterly ,journal of ,science for ,january last1 we are informed that he has pursued the inquiry for four years2 and besides attending sances elsewhere1 has had the opportunity of making numerous experiments in his own house with the two remarkable mediums already referred to1 ,mr4 ,d4 ,d4 ,home and ,miss ,kate ,fox4 ,these experiments were almost exclusively made in the light1 under conditions of his own arranging1 and with his own friends as witnesses4 ,such phenomena as percussive sounds2 alteration of the weight of bodies2 the rising of heavy bodies in the air without contact by any one2 the levitation of human beings2 luminous appearances of various kinds2 the appearance of hands which lift small objects1 yet are not the hands of any one present2 direct writing1 by a luminous detached hand or by the pencil alone2 phantom forms and faces2 and various mental phenomena--have all been tested so variously and so repeatedly that ,mr4 ,crookes is thoroughly satisfied of their objective reality4 ,these phenomena are given in outline in the paper above referred to1 and they will be detailed in full in a volume now preparing4 ,i will not1 therefore1 weary my readers by repeating them here1 but will remark1 that these experiments have a weight as evidence vastly greater than would be due to them as resting on the testimony of any man of science1 however distinguished1 because they are1 in almost every case1 confirmations of what previous witnesses in immense numbers have testified to1 in various places1 and under various conditions1 during the last twenty years4 ,in every other experimental inquiry1 without exception1 confirmation of the facts of an earlier observer is held to add so greatly to their value1 that no one treats them with the same incredulity with which he might have received them the first time they were announced4 ,and when the confirmation has been repeated by three or four independent observers under favorable conditions1 and there is nothing but theory or negative evidence against them1 the facts are admitted--at least provisionally1 and until disproved by a greater weight of evidence or by discovering the exact source of the fallacy of preceding observers4 ,but here1 a totally different--a most unreasonable and a most unphilosophical--course is pursued4 ,each fresh observation1 confirming previous evidence1 is treated as though it were now put forth for the first time2 and fresh confirmation is asked of it4 ,and when this fresh and independent confirmation comes1 yet more confirmation is asked for1 and so on without end4 ,this is a very clever way to ignore and stifle a new truth2 but the facts of ,spiritualism are ubiquitous in their occurrence and of so indisputable a nature1 as to compel conviction in every earnest inquirer4 ,it thus happens that although every fresh convert requires a large proportion of the series of demonstrative facts to be reproduced before he will give his assent to them1 the number of such converts has gone on steadily increasing for a quarter of a century4 ,clergymen of all sects1 literary men and lawyers1 physicians in large numbers1 men of science not a few1 secularists1 philosophical skeptics1 pure materialists1 all have become converts through the overwhelming logic of the phenomena which ,spiritualism has brought before them4 ,and what have we per contra8 ,neither science nor philosophy1 neither skepticism nor religion1 has ever yet in this quarter of a century made one single convert from the ranks of ,spiritualism6 ,this being the case1 and fully appreciating the amount of candor and fairness1 and knowledge of the subject1 that has been exhibited by their opponents1 is it to be wondered at that a large proportion of ,spiritualists are now profoundly indifferent to the opinion of men of science1 and would not go one step out of their way to convince them8 ,they say1 that the movement is going on quite fast enough2 that it is spreading by its own inherent force of truth1 and slowly permeating all classes of society4 ,it has thriven in spite of abuse and persecution1 ridicule and argument1 and will continue to thrive whether endorsed by great names or not4 ,men of science1 like all others1 are welcome to enter its ranks2 but they must satisfy themselves by their own persevering researches1 not expect to have its proofs laid before them4 ,their rejection of its truths is their own loss1 but cannot in the slightest degree affect the progress of ,spiritualism4 ,the attacks and criticisms of the press are borne good-humoredly1 and seldom excite other feelings than pity for the willful ignorance and contempt for the overwhelming presumption of their writers4 ,such are the sentiments that are continually expressed by ,spiritualists2 and it is as well1 perhaps1 that the outer world1 to whom the literature of the movement is as much unknown as the ,vedas1 should be made acquainted with them4 ,investigation by the ,dialectical ,committee4--,there are many other investigators who ought to be noticed in any complete sketch of the subject1 but we have now only space to allude briefly to the 8,report of the ,committee of the ,dialectical ,society40 ,of this committee1 consisting of thirty-three acting members1 only eight were1 at the commencement1 believers in the reality of the phenomena1 while not more than four accepted the spiritual theory4 ,during the course of the inquiry at least twelve of the complete skeptics became convinced of the reality of many of the physical phenomena through attending the experimental sub-committees1 and almost wholly by means of the mediumship of members of the committee4 ,at least three members who were previously skeptics pursued their investigations outside the committee meetings1 and in consequence have become thorough ,spiritualists4 ,my own observation as a member of the committee and of the largest and most active sub-committee1 enables me to state that the degree of conviction produced in the minds of the various members was1 allowing for marked differences of character1 approximately proportionate to the amount of time and care bestowed on the investigation4 ,this fact1 which is what occurs in all investigations into these phenomena1 is a characteristic result of the examination into any natural phenomena4 ,the examination into an imposture or delusion has1 invariably1 exactly opposite results3 those who have slender experience being deceived1 while those who perseveringly continue the inquiry inevitably find out the source of the deception or the delusion4 ,if this were not so1 the discovery of truth and the detection of error would be alike impossible4 ,the result of this inquiry on the members of the committee themselves is1 therefore1 of more importance than the actual phenomena they witnessed1 since these were far less striking than many of the facts already mentioned4 ,but they are also of importance as confirming1 by a body of intelligent and unprejudiced men1 the results obtained by previous individual inquirers4 ,before leaving this report1 ,i must call attention to the evidence it furnishes of the state of opinion among men of education in ,france4 ,m4 ,camille ,flammarion1 the well-known astronomer1 sent a communication to the committee which deserves special consideration4 ,besides declaring his own acceptance of the objective reality of the phenomena after ten years of investigation1 he makes the following statement3 8,my learned teacher and friend1 ,m4 ,babinet1 of the ,institute1 who has endeavored1 with ,m4 ,e4 ,liais 7now ,director of the ,observatory of ,brazil71 and several others of my colleagues of the ,observatory of ,paris1 to ascertain their nature and cause1 is not fully convinced of the intervention of spirits in their production2 though this hypothesis1 by which alone certain categories of these phenomena would seem to be explicable1 has been adopted by many of our most esteemed savants1 among others by ,dr4 ,hffle1 the learned author of the #8,history of ,chemistry1' and the #8,general ,encyclopdia'2 and by the diligent laborer in the field of astronomic discovery whose death we have recently had to deplore1 ,m4 ,hermann ,goldschmidt1 the discoverer of fourteen planets40 ,it thus appears that in ,france1 as well as in ,america and in this country1 men of science of no mean rank have investigated these phenomena and have found them to be realities2 while some of the most eminent hold the spiritual theory to be the only one that will explain them4 ,this seems the proper place to notice the astounding assertion of certain writers1 that there is not 8a particle of evidence0 to support the spiritual theory2 that those who accept it betray 8hopeless inability to discriminate between adequate and inadequate proof of facts02 that the theory is 8formed apart from facts02 and that those who accept it are so unable to reason as to 8jump to the conclusion0 that it must be spirits that move tables1 merely because they do not know how else they can be moved4 ,the preceding account of how converts to ,spiritualism have been made is a sufficient answer to all this ignorant assertion4 ,the spiritual theory1 as a rule1 has only been adopted as a last resource1 when all other theories have hopelessly broken down2 and when fact after fact1 phenomenon after phenomenon1 has presented itself1 giving direct proof that the so-called dead are still alive4 ,the spiritual theory is the logical outcome of the whole of the facts4 ,those who deny it1 in every instance with which ,i am acquainted1 either from ignorance or disbelief1 leave half the facts out of view4 ,take the one case 7out of many almost equally conclusive7 of ,mr4 ,livermore1 who1 during five years1 on hundreds of occasions1 saw1 felt and heard the movements of the figure of his dead wife in absolute1 unmistakable1 living form--a form which could move objects1 and which repeatedly wrote to him in her own handwriting and her own language1 on cards which remained after the figure had disappeared2 a form which was equally visible and tangible to two friends2 which appeared in his own house1 in a room absolutely secured1 with the presence of only a young girl1 the medium4 ,had these three men 8not a particle of evidence0 for the spiritual theory8 ,is it1 in fact1 possible to conceive or suggest any more complete proof8 ,the facts must be got rid of before you can abolish the theory2 and simple denial or disbelief does not get rid of facts testified during a space of five years by three witnesses1 all men in responsible positions1 and carrying on their affairs during the whole period in a manner to win the respect and confidence of their fellow-citizens4#c ,footnote #c3 ,the objection will here inevitably be made3 8,these wonderful things always happen in ,america4 ,when they occur in ,england it will be time enough to inquire into them40 ,singularly enough1 after this article was in the press the final test was obtained1 which demonstrated the occurrence of similar phenomena in ,london4 ,a short statement may1 therefore1 be interesting for those who cannot digest ,american evidence4 ,for some years a young lady1 ,miss ,florence ,cook1 has exhibited remarkable mediumship1 which latterly culminated in the production of an entire female form purporting to be spiritual1 and which appeared barefooted and in white flowing robes while she lay entranced1 in dark clothing and securely bound1 in a cabinet or adjacent room4 ,notwithstanding that tests of an apparently conclusive character were employed1 many visitors1 ,spiritualists as well as skeptics1 got the impression that all was not as it should be2 owing1 in part1 to the resemblance of the supposed spirit to ,miss ,cook1 and also to the fact that the two could not be seen at the same time4 ,some supposed that ,miss ,c4 was an impostor1 who managed to conceal a white robe about her 7although she was often searched71 and who1 although she was securely tied with tapes and sealed1 was able to get out of her bonds1 dress and undress herself1 and get into them again1 all in the dark1 and in so complete and skillful a manner as to defy detection4 ,others thought that the spirit released her1 provided her with a white dress1 and sent her forth to personate a ghost4 ,the belief that there was something wrong led one gentleman--an ardent ,spiritualist--to seize the supposed spirit and endeavor to hold it1 in the hope that some other person would open the cabinet-door and see if ,miss ,cook was really there4 ,this was1 unfortunately1 not done2 but the great resemblance of the being he seized to ,miss ,cook1 its perfect solidity1 and the vigorous struggles it made to escape from him1 convinced this gentleman that it was ,miss ,cook herself1 although the rest of the company1 a few minutes afterwards1 found her bound and sealed just as she had been left an hour before4 ,to determine the question conclusively1 experiments have been made within the last few weeks by two scientific men4 ,mr4 ,c4 ,f4 ,varley1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 the eminent electrician1 made use of a galvanic battery and cable-testing apparatus1 and passed a current through ,miss ,cook's body 7by fastening sovereigns soldered to wires to her arms74 ,the apparatus was so delicate that any movement whatever was instantly indicated1 while it was impossible for the young lady to dress and act as a ghost without breaking the circuit4 ,yet under these conditions the spirit-form did appear1 exhibited its arms1 spoke1 wrote1 and touched several persons2 and this happened1 be it remembered1 not in the medium's own house1 but in that of a private gentleman in the ,west ,end of ,london4 ,for nearly an hour the circuit was never broken1 and at the conclusion ,miss ,cook was found in a deep trance4 ,since this remarkable experiment ,mr4 ,william ,crookes1 ,f4,r4,s41 has obtained1 if possible1 still more satisfactory evidence4 ,he contrived a phosphorus lamp1 and1 armed with this1 was allowed to go into the dark room accompanied by the spirit1 and there saw and felt ,miss ,cook1 dressed in black velvet1 lying in a trance on the floor1 while the spirit-form1 in white robes1 stood close beside her4 ,during the evening this spirit-form had been for nearly an hour walking and talking with the company2 and ,mr4 ,crookes1 by permission1 clasped the figure in his arms1 and found it to be1 apparently1 a real living woman1 just as the skeptical gentleman had done4 ,yet this figure is not that of ,miss ,cook1 nor of any other human being1 since it appeared and disappeared in ,mr4 ,crookes's own house as completely as in that of the medium herself4 ,the full statements of ,messrs4 ,varley and ,crookes1 with a mass of interesting detail on the subject1 appeared in the 8,spiritualist0 newspaper in ,march and ,april last2 and they serve to show that whatever marvels occur in ,america can be reproduced here1 and that men of science are not precluded from investigating these phenomena with scientific instruments and by scientific methods4 ,in the concluding part of this paper we shall be able to show that another class of manifestation which originated in ,america--that of the so-called spirit photographs--has been first critically examined and completely demonstrated in our own country4 ,,spirit ,,photographs4 ,we now approach a subject which cannot be omitted in any impartial sketch of the evidences of ,spiritualism1 since it is that which furnishes perhaps the most unassailable demonstration it is possible to obtain1 of the objective reality of spiritual forms1 and also of the truthful nature of the evidence furnished by seers when they describe figures visible to themselves alone4 ,it has been already indicated--and it is a fact1 of which the records of ,spiritualism furnish ample proof--that different individuals possess the power of seeing such forms and figures in very variable degrees4 ,thus1 it often happens at a sance1 that some will see distinct lights of which they will describe the form1 appearance and position1 while others see nothing at all4 ,if only one or two persons see the lights1 the rest will naturally impute it to their imagination2 but there are cases in which only one or two of those present are unable to see them4 ,there are also cases in which all see them1 but in very different degrees of distinctness2 yet that they see the same objects is proved by their all agreeing as to the position and the movement of the lights4 ,again1 what some see as merely luminous clouds1 others will see as distinct human forms1 either partial or entire4 ,in other cases all present see the form--whether hand1 face1 or entire figure--with equal distinctness4 ,again1 the objective reality of these appearances is sometimes proved by their being touched1 or by their being seen to move objects--in some cases heard to speak1 in others seen to write1 by several persons at one and the same time2 the figure seen or the writing produced being sometimes unmistakably recognizable as that of some deceased friend4 ,a volume could easily be filled with records of this class of appearances1 authenticated by place1 date1 and names of witnesses2 and a considerable selection is to be found in the works of ,mr4 ,robert ,dale ,owen4 ,now1 at this point1 an inquirer1 who had not pre-judged the question1 and who did not believe his own knowledge of the universe to be so complete as to justify him in rejecting all evidence for facts which he had hitherto considered to be in the highest degree improbable1 might fairly say1 8,your evidence for the appearance of visible1 tangible1 spiritual forms1 is very strong2 but ,i should like to have them submitted to a crucial test1 which would quite settle the question of the possibility of their being due to a coincident delusion of several senses of several persons at the same time2 and1 if satisfactory1 would demonstrate their objective reality in a way nothing else can do4 ,if they really reflect or emit light which makes them visible to human eyes1 they can be photographed4 ,photograph them1 and you will have an unanswerable proof that your human witnesses are trustworthy40 ,two years ago we could only have replied to this very proper suggestion1 that we believed it had been done and could be again done1 but that we had no satisfactory evidence to offer4 ,now1 however1 we are in a position to state1 not only that it has been frequently done1 but that the evidence is of such a nature as to satisfy any one who will take the trouble carefully to examine it4 ,this evidence we will now lay before our readers1 and we venture to think they will acknowledge it to be most remarkable4 ,before doing so it may be as well to clear away a popular misconception4 ,mr4 ,lewes advised the ,dialectical ,committee to distinguish carefully between 8facts and inferences from facts40 ,this is especially necessary in the case of what are called spirit photographs4 ,the figures which occur in these1 when not produced by any human agency1 may be of 8spiritual0 origin1 without being figures 8of spirits40 ,there is much evidence to show that they are1 in some cases1 forms produced by invisible intelligences1 but distinct from them4 ,in other cases the intelligence appears to clothe itself with matter capable of being perceived by us2 but even then it does not follow that the form produced is the actual image of the spiritual form4 ,it may be but a reproduction of the former mortal form with its terrestrial accompaniments1 for purposes of recognition4 ,most persons have heard of these 8ghost-pictures10 and how easily they can be made to order by any photographer1 and are therefore disposed to think they can be of no use as evidence4 ,but a little consideration will show them that the means by which sham ghosts can be manufactured being so well known to all photographers1 it becomes easy to apply tests or arrange conditions so as to prevent imposition4 ,the following are some of the more obvious3 #a4 ,if a person with a knowledge of photography takes his own glass plates1 examines the camera used and all the accessories1 and watches the whole process of taking a picture1 then1 if any definite form appears on the negative besides the sitter1 it is a proof that some object was present capable of reflecting or emitting the actinic rays1 although invisible to those present4 #b4 ,if an unmistakable likeness appears of a deceased person totally unknown to the photographer4 #c4 ,if figures appear on the negative having a definite relation to the figure of the sitter1 who chooses his own position1 attitude and accompaniments1 it is a proof that invisible figures were really there4 #d4 ,if a figure appears draped in white1 and partly behind the dark body of the sitter without in the least showing through1 it is a proof that the white figure was there at the same time1 because the dark parts of the negative are transparent1 and any white picture in any way superposed would show through4 #e4 ,even should none of these tests be applied1 yet if a medium1 quite independent of the photographer1 sees and describes a figure during the sitting and an exactly corresponding figure appears on the plate1 it is a proof that such a figure was there4 ,every one of these tests have now been successfully applied in our own country1 as the following outline of the facts will show3 ,the accounts of spirit-photography in several parts of the ,united ,states caused many ,spiritualists in this country to make experiments2 but for a long time without success4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,guppy1 who are both amateur photographers1 tried at their own house1 and failed4 ,in ,march1 #ahgb1 they went one day to ,mr4 ,hudson's1 a photographer living near them 7not a ,spiritualist71 to get some cartes de visite of ,mrs4 ,guppy4 ,after the sitting the idea suddenly struck ,mr4 ,guppy that he would try for a spirit-photograph4 ,he sat down1 told ,mrs4 ,g4 to go behind the background1 and had a picture taken4 ,there came out behind him a large1 indefinite1 oval white patch1 somewhat resembling the outline of a draped figure4 ,mrs4 ,guppy1 behind the background1 was dressed in black4 ,this is the first spirit-photograph taken in ,england1 and it's perhaps more satisfactory on account of the suddenness of the impulse under which it was taken1 and the great white patch which no impostor would have attempted to produce1 and which1 taken by itself1 utterly spoils the picture4 ,a few days afterwards1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,guppy and their little boy went without any notice4 ,mrs4 ,guppy sat on the ground holding the boy on a stool4 ,her husband stood behind looking on4 ,the picture thus produced is most remarkable4 ,a tall female figure1 finely draped in white1 gauzy robes1 stands directly behind and above the sitters1 looking down on them and holding its open hands over their heads1 as if giving a benediction4 ,the face is somewhat ,eastern1 and1 with the hands1 is beautifully defined4 ,the white robes pass behind the sitters' dark figures without in the least showing through4 ,a second picture was then taken as soon as a plate could be prepared2 and it was fortunate it was so1 for it resulted in a most remarkable test4 ,mrs4 ,guppy again knelt with the boy2 but this time she did not stoop so much1 and her head was higher4 ,the same white figure comes out equally well defined1 but it has changed its position in a manner exactly corresponding to the slight change of ,mrs4 ,guppy's position4 ,the hands were before on a level2 now one is raised considerably higher than the other1 so as to keep it about the same distance from ,mrs4 ,guppy's head as it was before4 ,the folds of the drapery all correspondingly differ1 and the head is slightly turned4 ,here1 then1 one of two things is absolutely certain4 ,either there was a living1 intelligent1 but invisible being present1 or ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,guppy1 the photographer1 and some fourth person1 planned a wicked imposture1 and have maintained it ever since4 ,knowing ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,guppy so well as ,i do1 ,i feel an absolute conviction that they are as incapable of an imposture of this kind as any earnest inquirer after truth in the department of natural science4 ,the report of these pictures soon spread4 ,spiritualists in great numbers came to try for similar results1 with varying degrees of success2 till after a time rumor of imposture arose1 and it is now firmly believed by many1 from suspicious appearances on the pictures and from other circumstances1 that a large number of shams have been produced4 ,it is certainly not to be wondered at if it be so4 ,the photographer1 remember1 was not a ,spiritualist1 and was utterly puzzled at the pictures above described4 ,scores of persons came to him1 and he saw that they were satisfied if they got a second figure with themselves1 and dissatisfied if they did not4 ,he may have made arrangements by which to satisfy everybody4 ,one thing is clear3 that if there has been imposture1 it was at once detected by ,spiritualists themselves2 if not1 then ,spiritualists have been quick in noticing what appeared to indicate it4 ,those1 however1 who most strongly assert imposture1 allow that a large number of genuine pictures have been taken4 ,but1 true or not1 the cry of imposture did good1 since it showed the necessity for tests and for independent confirmation of the facts4 ,the test of clearly recognizable likenesses of deceased friends has often been obtained4 ,mr4 ,william ,howitt1 who went without previous notice1 obtained likenesses of two sons1 many years dead1 and of the very existence of one of which even the friend who accompanied ,mr4 ,howitt was ignorant4 ,the likenesses were instantly recognized by ,mrs4 ,howitt2 and ,mr4 ,howitt declares them to be 8perfect and unmistakable40 7,spiritual ,magazine1 ,oct41 #ahgb47 ,dr4 ,thomson1 of ,clifton1 obtained a photograph of himself1 accompanied by that of a lady he did not know4 ,he sent it to his uncle in ,scotland1 simply asking if he recognized a resemblance to any of the family deceased4 ,the reply was that it was the likeness of ,dr4 ,thomson's own mother1 who died at his birth2 and there being no picture of her in existence1 he had no idea what she was like4 ,the uncle very naturally remarked1 that he 8could not understand how it was done40 7,spiritual ,magazine1 ,oct41 #ahgc47 ,many other instances of recognition have occurred1 but ,i will only add my personal testimony4 ,a few weeks back ,i myself went to the same photographer's for the first time1 and obtained a most unmistakable likeness of a deceased relative4 ,we will now pass to a better class of evidence1 the private experiments of amateurs4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,slater1 an old-established optician in the ,euston ,road1 and an amateur photographer1 took with him to ,mr4 ,hudson's a new camera of his own manufacture and his own glasses1 saw everything done1 and obtained a portrait with a second figure on it4 ,he then began experimenting in his own private house1 and during last summer obtained some remarkable results4 ,the first of his successes contains two heads by the side of a portrait of his sister4 ,one of these heads is unmistakably the late ,lord ,brougham's2 the other1 much less distinct1 is recognized by ,mr4 ,slater as that of ,robert ,owen1 whom he knew intimately up to the time of his death4 ,he has since obtained several excellent pictures of the same class4 ,one in particular shows a female in black and white flowing robes1 standing by the side of ,mr4 ,slater4 ,in another the head and bust appears1 leaning over his shoulder4 ,the faces of these two are much alike1 and other members of the family recognize them as likenesses of ,mr4 ,slater's mother1 who died when he was an infant4 ,in another a pretty child-figure1 also draped1 stands beside ,mr4 ,slater's little boy4 ,now1 whether these figures are correctly identified or not1 is not the essential point4 ,the fact that any figures1 so clear and unmistakably human in appearance as these1 should appear on plates taken in his own private studio by an experienced optician and amateur photographer1 who makes all his apparatus himself1 and with no one present but the members of his own family1 is the real marvel4 ,in one case a second figure appeared on a plate with himself1 taken by ,mr4 ,slater when he was absolutely alone--by the simple process of occupying the sitter's chair after uncapping the camera4 ,he and his family being themselves mediums1 they require no extraneous assistance2 and this may perhaps be the reason why he has succeeded so well4 ,one of the most extraordinary pictures obtained by ,mr4 ,slater is a full-length portrait of his sister1 in which there is no second figure1 but the sitter appears covered all over with a kind of transparent lace drapery1 which on examination is seen to be wholly made up of shaded circles of different sizes1 quite unlike any material fabric ,i have seen or heard of4 ,mr4 ,slater has himself shown me all these pictures and explained the conditions under which they were produced4 ,that they are not impostures is certain2 and as the first independent confirmations of what had been previously obtained only through professional photographers1 their value is inestimable4 ,a less successful but not perhaps on that account less satisfactory confirmation has been obtained by another amateur1 who1 after eighteen months of experiment1 obtained a partial success4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,williams1 ,m4 ,a41 ,ph4 ,d41 of ,hayward's ,heath1 succeeded last summer in obtaining three photographs1 each with part of a human form besides the sitter1 one having the features distinctly marked4 ,subsequently another was obtained1 with a well-formed figure of a man standing at the side of the sitter1 but while being developed1 this figure faded away entirely4 ,mr4 ,williams assures me 7in a letter7 that in these experiments there was 8no room for trick or for the production of these figures by any known means40 ,the editor of the ,british ,journal of ,photography has made experiments at ,mr4 ,hudson's studio1 taking his own collodion and new plates1 and doing everything himself1 yet there were 8abnormal appearances0 on the pictures1 although no distinct figures4 ,we now come to the valuable and conclusive experiments of ,mr4 ,john ,beattie1 of ,clifton1 a retired photographer of twenty years' experience1 and of whom the above-mentioned editor says3 8,every one who knows ,mr4 ,beattie will give him credit for being a thoughtful1 skillful1 and intelligent photographer1 one of the last men in the world to be easily deceived1 at least in matters relating to photography1 and one quite incapable of deceiving others40 ,mr4 ,beattie has been assisted in his researches by ,dr4 ,thomson1 an ,edinburgh ,m4 ,d41 who has practiced photography1 as an amateur1 for twenty-five years4 ,they experimented at the studio of a friend1 who was not a ,spiritualist 7but who became a medium during the experiments71 and had the services of a tradesman--with whom they were well acquainted--as a medium4 ,the whole of the photographic work was done by ,messrs4 ,beattie and ,thomson1 the other two sitting at a small table4 ,the pictures were taken in series of three1 within a few seconds of each other1 and several of these series were taken at each sitting4 ,the figures produced are1 for the most part1 not human1 but variously-formed and shaded white patches1 which in successive pictures change their form1 and develop1 as it were1 into a more perfect or complete type4 ,thus1 one set of five begins with two white somewhat angular patches over the middle sitter1 and ends with a rude but unmistakable white female figure1 covering the larger part of the plate4 ,the other three show intermediate states1 indicating a continuous change of form from the first figure to the last4 ,another set 7of four pictures7 begins with a white vertical cylinder over the body of the medium1 and a shorter one on his head4 ,these change their form in the second and third1 and in the last become laterally spread out into luminous masses resembling nebul4 ,another set of three is very curious4 ,the first has an oblique flowing luminous patch from the table to the ground2 in the second1 this has changed to a white serpentine column1 ending in a point above the medium's head2 in the third1 the column has become broader and somewhat double1 with the curve in an opposite direction1 and with a head-like termination4 ,the change of the curvature may have some connection with a change in the position of the sitters1 which is seen to have taken place between the second and the third of this set4 ,there are two others1 taken1 like all the preceding1 in #ahgb1 but which the medium described during the exposure4 ,the first1 he said1 was a thick white fog2 and the picture came out all shaded white1 with not a trace of any of the sitters4 ,the other was described as a fog with a figure standing in it2 and here a white human figure is alone seen in the almost uniform foggy surface4 ,during the experiments made in #ahgc1 the medium1 in every case1 minutely and correctly described the appearances which afterwards came out on the plate4 ,in one there is a luminous-rayed star of large size1 with a human face faintly visible in the centre4 ,this is the last of three in which the star developed1 and the whole were accurately described by the medium4 ,in another set of three1 the medium first described 8a light behind him1 coming from the floor40 ,the next1 8a light rising over another person's arms1 coming from his own boot40 ,the third1 8there is the same light1 but now a column comes up through the table1 and it is hot to my hands40 ,then he suddenly exclaimed1 8,what a bright light up there6 ,can you not see it80 pointing to it with his hand4 ,all this most accurately describes the three pictures1 and in the last1 the medium's hand is seen pointing to a white patch which appears overhead4 ,there are other curious developments1 the nature of which is already sufficiently indicated2 but one very startling single picture must be mentioned4 ,during the exposure one medium said he saw on the background a black figure1 the other medium saw a light figure by the side of the black one4 ,in the picture both these figures appear1 the light one very faintly1 the black one much more distinctly1 of a gigantic size1 with a massive coarse-featured face and long hair4--7,spiritual ,magazine1 ,january and ,august1 #ahgc2 ,photographic ,news1 ,june #bhth1 #ahgb47 ,mr4 ,beattie has been so good as to send me for examination a complete set of these most extraordinary photographs1 thirty-two in number1 and has furnished me with any particulars ,i desired4 ,i have described them as correctly as ,i am able2 and ,dr4 ,thomson has authorized me to use his name as confirming ,mr4 ,beattie's account of the conditions under which they appeared4 ,these experiments were not made without labor and perseverance4 ,sometimes twenty consecutive pictures produced absolutely nothing unusual4 ,hundreds have been taken1 and more than half have been complete failures4 ,but the successes have been well worth the labor4 ,they demonstrate the fact that what a medium or sensitive sees 7even where no one else sees anything7 may often have an objective existence4 ,they teach us that perhaps the bookseller1 ,nicolai1 of ,berlin--whose case has been quoted ad nauseam as the type of a 8spectral illusion0--saw real beings after all2 and that1 had photography been then discovered and properly applied1 we might now have the portraits of the invisible men and women who crowded his room4 ,they give us hints of a process by which the figures seen at sances may have to be gradually formed or developed1 and enable us better to understand the statements repeatedly made by the communicating intelligences1 that it is very difficult to produce definite1 visible and tangible forms1 and that it can only be done under a rare combination of favorable conditions4 ,we find1 then1 that three amateur photographers1 working independently in different parts of ,england1 separately confirm the fact of spirit-photography--already demonstrated to the satisfaction of many who had tested it through professional photographers4 ,the experiments of ,mr4 ,beattie and ,dr4 ,thomson are alone absolutely conclusive2 and1 taken in connection with those of ,mr4 ,slater and ,dr4 ,williams1 and the test photographs1 like those of ,mrs4 ,guppy1 establish as a scientific fact the objective existence of invisible human forms and definite invisible actinic images4 ,before leaving the photographic phenomena we have to notice two curious points in connection with them4 ,the actinic action of the spirit-forms is peculiar1 and much more rapid than that of the light reflected from ordinary material forms2 for the figures start out the moment the developing fluid touches them1 while the figure of the sitter appears much later4 ,mr4 ,beattie noticed this throughout his experiments1 and ,i was myself much struck with it when watching the development of three pictures recently taken at ,mr4 ,hudson's4 ,the second figure1 though by no means bright1 always came out long before any other part of the picture4 ,the other singular thing is1 the copious drapery in which these forms are almost always enveloped1 so as to show only just what is necessary for recognition of the face and figure4 ,the explanation given of this is1 that the human form is more difficult to materialize than drapery4 ,the conventional 8white-sheeted ghost0 was not then all fancy1 but had a foundation in fact--a fact1 too1 of deep significance1 dependent on the laws of a yet unknown chemistry4 ,,summary ,,of ,,the ,,more ,,important ,,manifestations1 ,,physical ,,and ,,mental4 ,as we have not been able to give an account of many curious facts which occur with the various classes of mediums1 the following catalogue of the more important and well-characterized phenomena may be useful4 ,they may be grouped provisionally1 as1 ,physical1 or those in which material objects are acted on1 or apparently material bodies produced2 and ,mental1 or those which consist in the exhibition1 by the medium1 of powers or faculties not possessed in the normal state4 ,the principal physical phenomena are the following3 #a4 ,simple ,physical ,phenomena4--,producing sounds of all kinds1 from a delicate tick to blows like those of a heavy sledge-hammer4 ,altering the weight of bodies4 ,moving bodies without human agency4 ,raising bodies into the air4 ,conveying bodies to a distance out of and into closed rooms4 ,releasing mediums from every description of bonds1 even from welded iron rings1 as has happened in ,america4 #b4 ,chemical4--,preserving from the effects of fire1 as already detailed4 #c4 ,direct ,writing and ,drawing4--,producing writing or drawing on marked papers1 placed in such positions that no human hand 7or foot7 can touch them4 ,sometimes1 visibly to the spectators1 a pencil rising up and writing or drawing apparently by itself4 ,some of the drawings in many colors have been produced on marked paper in from ten to twenty seconds1 and the colors found wet4 7,see ,mr4 ,coleman's evidence in 8,dialectical ,report10 p4 #adc1 confirmed by ,lord ,borthwick1 p4 #aej47 ,mr4 ,thomas ,slater1 of #acf ,euston ,road1 is now obtaining communication in the following manner3 ,a bit of slate pencil an eighth of an inch long is laid on a table2 a clean slate is laid over this1 in a well-lighted room2 the sound of writing is then heard1 and in a few minutes a communication of considerable length is found distinctly written4 ,at other times the slate is held between himself and another person1 their other hands being joined4 ,some of these communications are philosophical discussions on the nature of spirit and matter1 supporting the usual ,spiritual theory on this subject4 #d4 ,musical ,phenomena4--,musical instruments1 of various kinds1 played without human agency1 from a hand-bell to a closed piano4 ,with some mediums1 and where the conditions are favorable1 original musical compositions of a very high character are produced4 ,this occurs with ,mr4 ,home4 #e4 ,spiritual ,forms4--,these are either luminous appearances1 sparks1 stars1 globes of light1 luminous clouds1 c42 or1 hands1 faces1 or entire human figures1 usually covered with flowing drapery1 except a portion of the face and hands4 ,the human forms are often capable of moving solid objects1 and are both visible and tangible to all present4 ,in other cases they are only visible to seers1 but when this is the case it sometimes happens that the seer describes the figure as lifting a flower or a pen1 and others present see the flower or the pen apparently move by itself4 ,in some cases they speak distinctly2 in others the voice is heard by all1 the form only seen by the medium4 ,the flowing robes of these forms have in some cases been examined1 and pieces cut off1 which have in a short time melted away4 ,flowers are also brought1 some of which fade away and vanish2 others are real1 and can be kept indefinitely4 ,it must not be concluded that any of these forms are actual spirits2 they are probably only temporary forms produced by spirits for purposes of test1 or of recognition by their friends4 ,this is the account invariably given of them by communications obtained in various ways2 so that the objection once thought to be so crushing--that there can be no 8ghosts0 of clothes1 armor1 or walking-sticks--ceases to have any weight4 #f4 ,spiritual ,photographs4--,these1 as just detailed1 demonstrate by a purely physical experiment the trustworthiness of the preceding class of observations4 ,we now come to the mental phenomena1 of which the following are the chief3 #a4 ,automatic ,writing4--,the medium writes involuntarily2 often matter which he is not thinking about1 does not expect1 and does not like4 ,occasionally definite and correct information is given of facts of which the medium has not1 nor ever had1 any knowledge4 ,sometimes future events are accurately predicted4 ,the writing takes place either by the hand or through a planchette4 ,often the handwriting changes4 ,sometimes it is written backwards2 sometimes in languages the medium does not understand4 #b4 ,seeing1 or ,clairvoyance and ,clairaudience4--,this is of various kinds4 ,some mediums see the forms of deceased persons unknown to them1 and describe their peculiarities so minutely that their friends at once recognize them4 ,they often hear voices1 through which they obtain names1 date1 and place1 connected with the individuals so described4 ,others read sealed letters in any language1 and write appropriate answers4 #c4 ,trance-,speaking4--,the medium goes into a more or less unconscious state1 and then speaks1 often on matters and in a style far beyond his own capacities4 ,thus1 ,serjeant ,cox--no mean judge on a matter of literary style--says1 8,i have heard an uneducated bar-man1 when in a state of trance1 maintain a dialogue with a party of philosophers on #8,reason and ,foreknowledge1 ,will and ,fate1' and hold his own against them4 ,i have put to him the most difficult questions in psychology1 and received answers1 always thoughtful1 often full of wisdom1 and invariably conveyed in choice and elegant language4 ,nevertheless a quarter of an hour afterwards1 when released from the trance1 he was unable to answer the simplest query on a philosophical subject1 and was even at a loss for sufficient language to express a commonplace idea10 78,what am ,i80 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #bdb47 ,that this is not overstated ,i can myself testify1 from repeated observation of the same medium4 ,and from other trance-speakers--such as ,mrs4 ,hardinge1 ,mrs4 ,tappan1 and ,mr4 ,peebles--,i have heard discourses which1 for high and sustained eloquence1 noble thoughts1 and high moral purpose1 surpassed the best efforts of any preacher or lecturer within my experience4 #d4 ,impersonation4--,this occurs during trance4 ,the medium seems taken possession of by another being2 speaks1 looks and acts the character in a most marvelous manner2 in some cases speaks foreign languages never even heard in the normal state2 as in the case of ,miss ,edmonds1 already given4 ,when the influence is violent or painful1 the effects are such as have been in all ages imputed to possession by evil spirits4 #e4 ,healing4--,there are various forms of this4 ,sometimes by mere laying on of hands1 an exalted form of simple mesmeric healing4 ,sometimes1 in the trance state1 the medium at once discovers the hidden malady1 and prescribes for it1 often describing very exactly the morbid appearance of internal organs4 ,the purely mental phenomena are generally of no use as evidence to non-,spiritualists1 except in those few cases where rigid tests can be applied2 but they are so intimately connected with the physical series1 and often so interwoven with them1 that no one who has sufficient experience to satisfy him of the reality of the former1 fails to see that the latter form part of the general system1 and are dependent on the same agencies4 ,with the physical series the case is very different4 ,they form a connected body of evidence1 from the simplest to the most complex and astounding1 every single component fact of which can be and has been repeatedly demonstrated by itself2 while each gives weight and confirmation to all the rest4 ,they have all1 or nearly all1 been before the world for twenty years2 the theories and explanations of reviewers and critics do not touch them1 or in any way satisfy any sane man who has repeatedly witnessed them2 they have been tested and examined by skeptics of every grade of incredulity1 men in every way qualified to detect imposture or to discover natural causes--trained physicists1 medical men1 lawyers and men of business--but in every case the investigators have either retired baffled1 or become converts4 ,there have1 it is true1 been some impostors who have attempted to imitate the phenomena2 but such cases are few in number1 and have been discovered by tests far less severe than those to which the genuine phenomena have been submitted over and over again2 and a large proportion of these phenomena have never been imitated1 because they are beyond successful imitation4 ,now what do our leaders of public opinion say1 when a scientific man of proved ability again observes a large portion of the more extraordinary phenomena1 in his own house1 under test conditions1 and affirms their objective reality2 and this not after a hasty examination1 but after four years of research8 ,men 8with heavy scientific appendages to their names0 refuse to examine them when invited2 the eminent society of which he is a fellow refuses to record them2 and the press cries out that it wants better witnesses than ,mr4 ,crookes1 and that such facts want 8confirmation0 before they can be believed4 ,but why more confirmation8 ,and when again 8confirmed10 who is to confirm the confirmer8 ,after the whole range of the phenomena had been before the world ten years1 and had convinced skeptics by tens of thousands--skeptics1 be it remembered1 of common sense and more than common acuteness1 ,americans of all classes--they were confirmed by the first chemist in ,america1 ,professor ,robert ,hare4 ,two years later they were again confirmed by the elaborate and persevering inquiries of one of the first ,american lawyers1 ,judge ,edmonds4 ,then by another good chemist1 ,professor ,mapes4 ,in ,france the truth of the simpler physical phenomena was confirmed by ,count ,a4 de ,gasparin1 in #ahed2 and since then ,french astronomers1 mathematicians and chemists of high rank have confirmed them4 ,professor ,thury of ,geneva again confirmed them1 in #ahee4 ,in our own country such men as ,professor de ,morgan1 ,dr4 ,lockhart ,robertson1 ,t4 ,adolphus ,trollope1 ,dr4 ,robert ,chambers1 ,serjeant ,cox1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,f4 ,yarley1 as well as the skeptical ,dialectical ,committee1 have independently confirmed large portions of them2 and lastly comes ,mr4 ,william ,crookes1 ,f4,r4,s41 with four years of research and unrestricted experiment with the two oldest and most remarkable mediums in the world1 and again confirms almost the whole series6 ,but even this is not all4 ,through an independent set of most competent observers we have the crucial test of photography2 a witness which cannot be deceived1 which has no preconceived opinions1 which cannot register 8subjective0 impressions2 a thoroughly scientific witness1 who is admitted into our law courts1 and whose testimony is good as against any number of recollections of what did happen or opinions as to what ought to and must have happened4 ,and what have the other side brought against this overwhelming array of consistent and unimpeachable evidence8 ,they have merely made absurd and inadequate suppositions1 but have not disproved or explained away one weighty fact6 ,my position1 therefore1 is1 that the phenomena of ,spiritualism in their entirety do not require further confirmation4 ,they are proved quite as well as any facts are proved in other sciences2 and it is not denial or quibbling that can disprove any of them1 but only fresh facts and accurate deductions from those facts4 ,when the opponents of ,spiritualism can give a record of their researches approaching in duration and completeness to those of its advocates2 and when they can discover and show in detail1 either how the phenomena are produced or how the many sane and able men here referred to have been deluded into a coincident belief that they have witnessed them3 and when they can prove the correctness of their theory by producing a like belief in a body of equally sane and able unbelievers--then1 and not till then1 will it be necessary for ,spiritualists to produce fresh confirmation of facts which are1 and always have been1 sufficiently real and indisputable to satisfy any honest and persevering inquirer4 ,this being the state of the case as regards evidence and proof1 we are fully justified in taking the facts of ,modern ,spiritualism 7and with them the spiritual theory as the only tenable one7 as being fully established4 ,it only remains to give a brief account of the more important uses and teachings of ,spiritualism4 ,,historical ,,teachings ,,of ,,spiritualism4 ,the lessons which ,modern ,spiritualism teaches may be classed under two heads4 ,in the first place1 we find that it gives a rational account of various phenomena in human history which physical science has been unable to explain1 and has therefore rejected or ignored2 and1 in the second1 we derive from it some definite information as to man's nature and destiny1 and1 founded on this1 an ethical system of great practical efficacy4 ,the following are some of the more important phenomena of history and of human nature which science cannot deal with1 but which ,spiritualism explains3 #a4 ,it is no small thing that the ,spiritualist finds himself able to rehabilitate ,socrates as a sane man1 and his 8demon0 as an intelligent spiritual being who accompanied him through life--in other words1 a guardian spirit4 ,the non-,spiritualist is obliged to look upon one of the greatest men in human history1 not only as subject all his life to a mental illusion1 but as being so weak1 foolish1 or superstitious as never to discover that it was an illusion4 ,he is obliged to disbelieve the fact asserted by contemporaries and by ,socrates himself1 that it forewarned him truly of dangers2 and to hold that this noble man1 this subtle reasoner1 this religious skeptic1 who was looked up to with veneration and love by the great men who were his pupils1 was imposed upon by his own fancies1 and never during a long life found out that they were fancies1 and that their supposed monitions were as often wrong as right4 ,it is a positive mental relief not to have to think thus of ,socrates4 #b4 ,spiritualism allows us to believe that the oracles of antiquity were not all impostures2 that a whole people1 perhaps the most intellectually acute who ever existed1 were not all dupes4 ,in discussing the question1 8,why the ,prophetess ,pythia giveth no ,answers now from the ,oracle in ,verse10 ,plutarch tells us that when kings and states consulted the oracle on weighty matters that might do harm if made public1 the replies were couched in enigmatical language2 but when private persons asked about their own affairs they got direct answers in the plainest terms1 so that some people even complained of their simplicity and directness1 as being unworthy of a divine origin4 ,and he adds this positive testimony3 8,her answers1 though submitted to the severest scrutiny1 have never proved false or incorrect4 ,on the contrary1 the verification of them has filled the temple with gifts from all parts of ,greece and foreign countries40 ,and again1 8,the answer of ,pythoness proceeds to the very truth1 without any diversion1 circuit1 fraud1 or ambiguity4 ,it has never yet1 in a single instance1 been convicted of falsehood40 ,would such statements be made by such a writer1 if these oracles were all the mere guesses of impostors8 ,the fact that they declined and ultimately failed1 is wholly in their favor3 for why should imposture cease as the world became less enlightened and more superstitious8 ,neither does the fact that the priests could sometimes be bribed to give out false oracles prove anything1 against such statements as that of ,plutarch and the belief during many generations1 supported by ever-recurring experiences1 of the greatest men of antiquity4 ,that belief could only have been formed by demonstrative facts2 and ,modern ,spiritualism enables us to understand the nature of those facts4 #c4 ,both the ,old and ,new ,testaments are full of ,spiritualism1 and ,spiritualists alone can read the record with an enlightened belief4 ,the hand that wrote upon the wall at ,belshazzar's feast1 and the three men unhurt in ,nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace1 are for them actual facts which they need not explain away4 ,st4 ,paul's language about 8spiritual gifts10 and 8trying the spirits10 is to them intelligible language1 and the 8gift of tongues0 a simple fact4 ,when ,christ cast out 8devils0 or evil spirits1 he really did so--not merely startle a madman into momentary quiescence2 and the water changed into wine1 as well as the bread and fishes continually renewed till five thousand men were fed1 are credible as extreme manifestations of a power which is still daily at work among us4 #d4 ,the miracles of the saints1 when well attested1 come into the same category4 ,those of ,st4 ,bernard1 for instance1 were often performed in broad day before thousands of spectators1 and were recorded by eye-witnesses4 ,he was himself greatly troubled by them1 wondering why this power was bestowed upon him1 and fearing lest it should make him less humble4 ,this was not the frame of mind1 nor was ,st4 ,bernard's the character1 of a deluded enthusiast4 ,the ,spiritualist need not believe that all this never happened2 or that ,st4 ,francis d',assisi and ,st4 ,theresa were not raised into the air1 as eye-witnesses declared they were4 #e4 ,witchcraft and witchcraft trials have a new interest for the ,spiritualist4 ,he is able to detect hundreds of curious and minute coincidences with phenomena he has himself witnessed2 he is able to separate the facts from the absurd inferences which people imbued with the frightful superstition of diabolism drew from them1 and from which false inferences all the horrors of the witchcraft mania arose4 ,spiritualism1 and ,spiritualism alone1 gives a rational explanation of witchcraft1 and determines how much of it was objective fact1 how much subjective illusion4 #f4 ,modern ,roman ,catholic miracles become intelligible facts4 ,spirits whose affections and passions are strongly excited in favor of ,catholicism1 produce those appearances of the ,virgin and of saints which they know will tend to increased religious fervor4 ,the appearance itself may be an objective reality2 while it is only an inference that it is the ,virgin ,mary--an inference which every intelligent ,spiritualist would repudiate as in the highest degree improbable4 #g4 ,second-sight1 and many of the so-called superstitions of savages1 may be realities4 ,it is well known that mediumistic power is more frequent and more energetic in mountainous countries2 and as these are generally inhabited by the less civilized races1 the beliefs that are more prevalent there may be due to facts which are more prevalent1 and be wrongly imputed to the coincident ignorance4 ,it is known to ,spiritualists that the pure dry air of ,california led to more powerful and more startling manifestations than in any other part of the ,united ,states4 #h4 ,the recently-discussed question of the efficacy of prayer receives a perfect solution by ,spiritualism4 ,prayer may be often answered1 though not directly1 by the ,deity4 ,nor does the answer depend wholly on the morality or the religion of the petitioner2 but as men who are both moral and religious1 and are firm believers in a divine response to prayer1 will pray more frequently1 more earnestly and more disinterestedly1 they will attract toward them a number of spiritual beings who sympathize with them1 and who1 when the necessary mediumistic power is present1 will be able1 as they are often willing1 to answer the prayer4 ,a striking case is that of ,george ,mller1 of ,bristol1 who has now for forty-four years depended wholly for his own support1 and that of his wonderful charities1 on answer to prayer4 ,his 8,narrative of ,some of the ,lord's ,dealings with ,george ,mller0 7#fth ,ed41 #ahfj71 should have been referred to in the late discussion1 since it furnishes a better demonstration that prayer is sometimes really answered1 than the hospital experiment proposed by ,sir ,henry ,thomson could possibly have done4 ,in this work we have a precise yearly statement of his receipts and expenditures for many years4 ,he never asked any one or allowed any one to be asked1 directly or indirectly1 for a penny4 ,no subscriptions or collections were ever made2 yet from #ahcj 7when he married without any income whatever7 he has lived1 brought up a family1 and established institutions which have steadily increased1 till now four thousand orphan children are educated and in part supported4 ,it has happened hundreds of times that there has been no food in his house and no money to buy any1 or no food or milk or sugar for the children2 yet he never took a loaf or any other article on credit even for a day2 and during the thirty years over which his narrative extends1 neither he nor the hundreds of children dependent upon him for their daily food have ever been without a regular meal6 ,they have lived1 literally1 from hand to mouth2 and his one and only resource has been secret prayer4 ,here is a case which has been going on in the midst of us for forty years1 and is still going on2 it has been published to the world for many years1 yet a warm discussion is carried on by eminent men as to the fact of whether prayer is or is not answered1 and not one of them exhibits the least knowledge of this most pertinent and illustrative phenomenon6 ,the ,spiritualist explains all this as a personal influence4 ,the perfect simplicity1 faith1 boundless charity and goodness of ,george ,mller1 have enlisted in his cause beings of a like nature2 and his mediumistic powers have enabled them to work for him by influencing others to send him money1 food1 clothes1 c41 all arriving1 as we should say1 just in the nick of time4 ,the numerous letters he received with these gifts1 describing the sudden and uncontrollable impulse the donors felt to send him a certain definite sum at a certain fixed time--such being the exact sum he was in want of and had prayed for--strikingly illustrates the nature of the power at work4 ,all this might be explained away1 if it were partial and discontinuous2 but when it continued to supply the daily wants of a life of unexampled charity1 for which no provision in advance was ever made 7for that ,mller considered would show want of trust in ,god71 no such explanation can cover the facts4 #i4 ,spiritualism enables us to comprehend and find a place for that long series of disturbances and occult phenomena of various kinds1 which occurred previous to what are termed the ,modern ,spiritual ,manifestations4 ,robert ,dale ,owen's works give a rather full account of this class of phenomena1 which are most accurately recorded and philosophically treated by him4 ,this is not the place to refer to them in detail2 but one of them may be mentioned as showing how large an amount of unexplained mystery there was1 even in our own country1 before the world heard anything of ,modern ,spiritualism4 ,in #ahda1 ,major ,edward ,moor1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 published a little book called 8,bealings ,bells10 giving an account of mysterious bell-ringing in his house at ,great ,bealings1 ,suffolk1 and which continued for fifty-three days4 ,every attempt to discover the cause1 by himself1 friends1 and bell-hangers1 were fruitless2 and by no efforts1 however violent1 could the same clamorous and rapid ringing be produced4 ,he wrote an account to the newspapers1 requesting information bearing on the subject1 when1 in addition to certain wise suggestions--of rats or a monkey as efficient causes--he received fourteen communications1 all relating cases of mysterious bell ringing in different parts of ,england1 many of them lasting much longer than ,major ,moor's1 and all remaining equally unexplained4 ,one lasted eighteen months2 another was in ,greenwich ,hospital1 where neither clerk-of-the-works1 bell-hanger1 nor men of science could discover the cause4 ,one clergyman wrote of disturbances of a most serious kind continued in his parsonage for nine years1 and he was able to trace back their existence in the same house for sixty years4 ,another case had lasted twenty years1 and could be traced back for a century4 ,some of the details of these cases are most instructive4 ,trick is absolutely the most incredible of all explanations4 ,spiritualism furnishes the explanation by means of analogous facts occurring every day1 and forming part of the great system of phenomena which demonstrates the spiritual theory4 ,major ,moor's book is very rare2 but a good abstract of it is given in ,owen's 8,debatable ,land10 pp4 #bci-beh4 ,,moral ,,teachings ,,of ,,spiritualism4 ,we have now to explain the ,theory of ,human ,nature1 which is the outcome of the phenomena taken in their entirety1 and is also more or less explicitly taught by the communications which purport to come from spirits4 ,it may be briefly outlined as follows3 #a4 ,man is a duality1 consisting of an organized spiritual form1 evolved coincidently with and permeating the physical body1 and having corresponding organs and developments4 #b4 ,death is the separation of this duality1 and effects no change in the spirit1 morally or intellectually4 #c4 ,progressive evolution of the intellectual and moral nature is the destiny of individuals2 the knowledge1 attainments and experience of earth-life forming the basis of spirit-life4 #d4 ,spirits can communicate through properly-endowed mediums4 ,they are attracted to those they love or sympathize with1 and strive to warn1 protect1 and influence them for good1 by mental impression when they cannot effect any more direct communication2 but1 as follows from clause 7#b71 their communications will be fallible1 and must be judged and tested just as we do those of our fellow-men4 ,the foregoing outline propositions will suggest a number of questions and difficulties1 for the answers to which readers are referred to the works of ,r4 ,d4 ,owen1 ,hudson ,tuttle1 ,professor ,hare1 and the records of ,spiritualism passim4 ,here ,i must pass on to explain with some amount of detail1 how the theory leads to a pure system of morality with sanctions far more powerful and effective than any which either religious systems or philosophy have put forth4 ,this part of the subject cannot perhaps be better introduced than by referring to some remarks by ,professor ,huxley in a letter to the ,committee of the ,dialectical ,society4 ,he says1 8,but supposing the phenomena to be genuine--they do not interest me4 ,if anybody would endow me with the faculty of listening to the chatter of old women and curates at the nearest cathedral town1 ,i should decline the privilege1 having better things to do4 ,and if the folk in the spiritual world do not talk more wisely and sensibly than their friends report them to do1 ,i put them in the same category40 ,this passage1 written with the caustic satire in which the kind hearted ,professor occasionally indulges1 can hardly mean that if it were proved that men really continued to live after the death of the body1 that fact would not interest him1 merely because some of them talked twaddle8 ,many scientific men deny the spiritual source of the manifestations1 on the ground that real1 genuine spirits might reasonably be expected not to indulge in the commonplace trivialities which do undoubtedly form the staple of ordinary spiritual communications4 ,but surely ,professor ,huxley1 as a naturalist and philosopher1 would not admit this to be a reasonable expectation4 ,does he not hold the doctrine that there can be no effect1 mental or physical1 without an adequate cause8 and that mental states1 faculties1 and idiosyncrasies1 that are the result of gradual development and life-long--or even ancestral--habit1 cannot be suddenly changed by any known or imaginable cause8 ,and if 7as the ,professor would probably admit7 a very large majority of those who daily depart this life are persons addicted to twaddle1 persons who spend much of their time in low or trivial pursuits1 persons whose pleasures are sensual rather than intellectual--whence is to come the transforming power which is suddenly1 at the mere throwing off the physical body1 to change these into beings able to appreciate and delight in high and intellectual pursuits8 ,the thing would be a miracle1 the greatest of miracles1 and surely ,professor ,huxley is the last man to contemplate innumerable miracles as part of the order of nature2 and all for what8 ,merely to save these people from the necessary consequences of their misspent lives4 ,for the essential teaching of ,spiritualism is1 that we are1 all of us1 in every act and thought1 helping to build up a 8mental fabric10 which will be and constitute ourselves1 more completely after the death of the body than it does now4 ,just as this fabric is well or ill built1 so will our progress and happiness be aided or retarded4 ,just in proportion as we have developed our higher intellectual and moral nature1 or starved it by disuse and by giving undue prominence to those faculties which secure us mere physical or selfish enjoyment1 shall we be well or ill fitted for the new life we enter on4 ,the noble teaching of ,herbert ,spencer1 that men are best educated by being left to suffer the natural consequences of their actions1 is the teaching of ,spiritualism as regards the transition to another phase of life4 ,there will be no imposed rewards or punishments2 but every one will suffer the natural and inevitable consequences of a well or ill-spent life4 ,the well-spent life is that in which those faculties which regard our personal physical well-being are subordinated to those which regard our social and intellectual well-being1 and the well-being of others2 and that inherent feeling--which is so universal and so difficult to account for--that these latter constitute our higher nature1 seems also to point to the conclusion that we are intended for a condition in which the former will be almost wholly unnecessary1 and will gradually become rudimentary through disuse1 while the latter will receive a corresponding development4 ,although1 therefore1 the twaddle and triviality of so many of the communications is not one whit more interesting to sensible ,spiritualists than it is to ,prof4 ,huxley1 and is never voluntarily listened to1 yet the fact that such poor stuff is talked 7supposing it to come from spirits7 is both a fact that might have been anticipated and a lesson of deep import4 ,we must remember1 too1 the character of the sances at which these commonplace communications are received4 ,a miscellaneous assemblance of believers of various grades and tastes1 but mostly in search of an evening's amusement1 and of skeptics who look upon all the others as either fools or knaves1 is not likely to attract to itself the more elevated and refined denizens of the higher spheres1 who may well be supposed to feel too much interest in their own new and grand intellectual existence to waste their energies on either class4 ,if the fact is proved1 that people continue to talk after they are dead with just as little sense as when alive1 but that1 being in a state in which sense1 both common and uncommon1 is of far greater importance to happiness than it is here 7where fools pass very comfortable lives71 they suffer the penalty of having neglected to cultivate their minds2 and being so much out of their element in a world where all pleasures are mental1 they endeavor to recall old times by gossiping with their former associates whenever they can find the means--,prof4 ,huxley will not fail to see its vast importance as an incentive to that higher education which he is never weary of advocating4 ,he would assuredly be interested in anything having a really practical bearing on the present as well as on the future condition of men2 and it is evident that even these low and despised phenomena of ,spiritualism1 8if true10 have this bearing1 and1 combined with its higher teachings1 constitute a great moral agency which may yet regenerate the world4 ,for the ,spiritualist who1 by daily experience1 gets absolute knowledge of these facts regarding the future state--who knows that1 just in proportion as he indulges in passion1 or selfishness1 or the exclusive pursuit of wealth1 and neglects to cultivate the affections and the varied powers of his mind1 so does he inevitably prepare for himself misery in a world in which there are no physical wants to be provided for1 no sensual enjoyments except those directly associated with the affections and sympathies1 no occupations but those having for their object social and intellectual progress--is impelled toward a pure1 a sympathetic1 and an intellectual life by motives far stronger than any which either religion or philosophy can supply4 ,he dreads to give way to passion or to falsehood1 to selfishness or to a life of luxurious physical enjoyment1 because he knows that the natural and inevitable consequences of such habits are future misery1 necessitating a long and arduous struggle in order to develop anew the faculties1 whose exercise long disuse has rendered painful to him4 ,he will be deterred from crime by the knowledge that its unforeseen consequences may cause him ages of remorse2 while the bad passions which it encourages will be a perpetual torment to himself in a state of being in which mental emotions cannot be laid aside or forgotten amid the fierce struggles and sensual pleasures of a physical existence4 ,it must be remembered that these beliefs 7unlike those of theology7 will have a living efficacy1 because they depend on facts occurring again and again in the family circle1 constantly reiterating the same truths as the result of personal knowledge1 and thus bringing home to the mind1 even of the most obtuse1 the absolute reality of that future existence in which our degree of happiness or misery will be directly dependent on the 8mental fabric0 we construct by our daily thoughts and words and actions here4 ,contrast this system of natural and inevitable reward and retribution1 dependent wholly on the proportionate development of our higher mental and moral nature1 with the arbitrary system of rewards and punishments dependent on stated acts and beliefs only1 as set forth by all dogmatic religions1 and who can fail to see that the former is in harmony with the whole order of ,nature--the latter opposed to it4 ,yet it is actually said that ,spiritualism is altogether either imposture or delusion1 and all its teachings but the product of 8expectant attention0 and 8unconscious cerebration06 ,if none of the long series of demonstrative facts which have been here sketched out1 existed1 and its only product were this theory of a future state1 that alone would negative such a supposition4 ,and when it is considered that mediums of all grades1 whether intelligent or ignorant1 and having communications given through them in various direct and indirect ways1 are absolutely in accord as to the main features of this theory1 what becomes of the gross misstatement that nothing is given through mediums but what they know and believe themselves8 ,the mediums have1 almost all1 been brought up in some of the usual ,orthodox beliefs4 ,how is it1 then1 that the usual ,orthodox notions of heaven are never confirmed through them8 ,in the scores of volumes and pamphlets of spiritual literature ,i have read1 ,i have found no statement of a spirit describing 8winged angels10 or 8golden harps10 or the 8throne of ,god0--to which the humblest orthodox ,christian thinks he will be introduced if he goes to heaven at all4 ,there is no more startling and radical opposition to be found between the most diverse religious creeds1 than that between the beliefs in which the majority of mediums have been brought up and the doctrines as to a future life that are delivered through them2 there is nothing more marvelous in the history of the human mind than the fact that1 whether in the back-woods of ,america or in country towns in ,england1 ignorant men and women having almost all been brought up in the usual sectarian notions of heaven and hell1 should1 the moment they become seized by the strange power of mediumship1 give forth teachings on this subject which are philosophical rather than religious1 and which differ wholly from what had been so deeply ingrained into their minds4 ,and this statement is not affected by the fact that communications purport to come from ,catholic or ,protestant1 ,mahometan or ,hindoo spirits4 ,because1 while such communications maintain special dogmas and doctrines1 yet they confirm the very facts which really constitute the spiritual theory1 and which in themselves contradict the theory of the sectarian spirits4 ,the ,roman ,catholic spirit1 for instance1 does not describe himself as being in either the orthodox purgatory1 heaven1 or hell2 the ,evangelical ,dissenter who died in the firm conviction that he should certainly 8go to ,jesus10 never describes himself as being with ,christ1 or as ever having seen him1 and so on throughout4 ,nothing is more common than for religious people at sances to ask questions about ,god and ,christ4 ,in reply they never get more than opinions1 or more frequently the statement that they1 the spirits1 have no more actual knowledge of those subjects than they had while on earth4 ,so that the facts are all harmonious2 and the very circumstance of there being sectarian spirits bears witness in two ways to the truth of the spiritual theory--it shows that the mind1 with its ingrained beliefs1 is not suddenly changed at death2 and it shows that the communications are not the reflection of the mind of the medium1 who is often of the same religion as the communicating spirit1 and1 because he does not get his own ideas confirmed1 is obliged to call in the aid of 8,satanic influence0 to account for the anomaly4 ,the doctrine of a future state and of the proper preparation for it as here developed1 is to be found in the works of all ,spiritualists1 in the utterances of all trance-speakers1 in the communications through all mediums2 and this could be proved1 did space permit1 by copious quotations4 ,but it varies in form and detail in each2 and just as the historian arrives at the opinions or beliefs of any age or nation1 by collating the individual opinions of its best and most popular writers1 so do ,spiritualists collate the various statements on the subject4 ,they know well that absolute dependence is to be placed on no individual communications4 ,they know that these are received by a complex physical and mental process1 both communicator and recipient influencing the result2 and they accept the teachings as to the future state of man only so far as they are repeatedly confirmed in substance 7though they may differ in detail7 by communications obtained under the most varied circumstances1 through mediums of the most different characters and acquirements1 at different times and in distant places4 ,fresh converts are apt to think that1 once satisfied the communications come from their deceased friends1 they may implicitly trust to them1 and apply them universally2 as if the vast spiritual world was all molded to one pattern1 instead of being1 as it almost certainly is1 a thousand times more varied than human society on the earth is1 or ever has been4 ,the fact that the communications do not agree as to the condition1 occupations1 pleasures1 and capacities of individual spirits1 so far from being a difficulty1 as has been absurdly supposed1 is what ought to have been expected2 while the agreement on the essential features of what we have stated to be the spiritual theory of a future state of existence1 is all the more striking1 and tends to establish that theory as a fundamental truth4 ,the assertion so often made1 that ,spiritualism is the survival or revival of old superstitions1 is so utterly unfounded as to be hardly worth notice4 ,a science of human nature which is founded on observed facts2 which appeals only to facts and experiment2 which takes no beliefs on trust2 which inculcates investigation and self-reliance as the first duties of intelligent beings2 which teaches that happiness in a future life can be secured by cultivating and developing to the utmost the higher faculties of our intellectual and moral nature1 and by no other method--is and must be the natural enemy of all superstition4 ,spiritualism is an experimental science1 and affords the only sure foundation for a true philosophy and a pure religion4 ,it abolishes the terms 8supernatural0 and 8miracle0 by an extension of the sphere of law and the realm of nature2 and in doing so it takes up and explains whatever is true in the superstitions and so-called miracles of all ages4 ,it1 and it alone1 is able to harmonize conflicting creeds2 and it must ultimately lead to concord among mankind in the matter of religion1 which has for so many ages been the source of unceasing discord and incalculable evil2 and it will be able to do this because it appeals to evidence instead of faith1 and substitutes facts for opinions2 and is thus able to demonstrate the source of much of the teaching that men have so often held to be divine4 ,it will thus be seen that those who can form no higher conception of the uses of ,spiritualism1 8even if true10 than to detect crime or to name in advance the winner of the ,derby1 not only prove their own ignorance of the whole subject1 but exhibit in a marked degree that partial mental paralysis1 the result of a century of materialistic thought1 which renders so many men unable seriously to conceive the possibility of a natural continuation of human life after the death of the body4 ,it will be seen also that ,spiritualism is no mere 8physiological0 curiosity1 no mere indication of some hitherto unknown 8law of nature02 but that it is a science of vast extent1 having the widest1 the most important1 and the most practical issues1 and as such should enlist the sympathies alike of moralists1 philosophers and politicians1 and of all who have at heart the improvement of society and the permanent elevation of human nature4 ,in concluding this necessarily imperfect though somewhat lengthy account of a subject about which so little is probably known to most of the readers of the ,fortnightly ,review1 ,i would earnestly beg them not to satisfy themselves with a minute criticism of single facts1 the evidence for which1 in my brief survey1 may be imperfect2 but to weigh carefully the mass of evidence ,i have adduced1 considering its wide range and various bearings4 ,i would ask them to look rather at the results produced by the evidence than at the evidence itself as imperfectly stated by me2 to consider the long roll of men of ability who1 commencing the inquiry as skeptics1 left it as believers1 and to give these men credit for not having overlooked1 during years of patient inquiry1 difficulties which at once occur to themselves4 ,i would ask them to ponder well on the fact1 that no earnest inquirer has ever come to a conclusion adverse to the reality of the phenomena2 and that no ,spiritualist has ever yet given them up as false4 ,i would ask them1 finally1 to dwell upon the long series of facts in human history that ,spiritualism explains1 and on the noble and satisfying theory of a future life that it unfolds4 ,if they will do this1 ,i feel confident that the result ,i have alone aimed at will be attained2 which is1 to remove the prejudices and misconceptions with which the whole subject has been surrounded1 and to incite to unbiased and persevering examination of the facts4 ,for the cardinal maxim of ,spiritualism is1 that every one must find out the truth for himself4 ,it makes no claim to be received on hearsay evidence2 but1 on the other hand1 it demands that it be not rejected without patient1 honest and fearless inquiry4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,modern ,spiritualism4 ,by ,,epes ,,sargent4 ,,planchette3 ,,the ,,despair ,,of ,,science4 ,being a ,full ,account of ,modern ,spiritualism4 ,,price1 ,,in ,,illuminated ,,paper ,,covers1 #a2 ,,in ,,green ,,cloth1 #a4be4 ,,postage1 #af;,c4 ,a ,new ,edition1 just issued by ,,roberts ,,brothers1 ,boston4 ,this volume should be properly called 8,a ,history of ,modern ,spiritualism10 for it is a thorough and careful survey of the whole subject of well-attested phenomena believed to be spiritual4 ,prof4 ,,wm4 ,,crookes1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 of ,london1 the celebrated chemist1 whose scientific verifications of the spiritual phenomena are now creating such a sensation1 writes1 under date of ,april #ag1 #ahgd1-- 8,planchette was the first book ,i read on ,spiritualism1 and it still remains1 in my opinion1 the best work to place in the hands of the uninitiated40 ,,geo4 ,,wm4 ,,curtis1 in ,,harper',s ,,weekly1 says of it1-- 8,it is a copious and popular but faithful summary of the phenomena and theories4 ,the ample knowledge and literary skill with which the subject is treated make this volume an indispensable manual to all who are attracted to this speculation1 and it will be read with great interest by the skeptic as well as by the believer40 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,,bellows1 in the ,,liberal ,,christian1 says of it1-- 8,it sets forth many important considerations with regard to the philosophy of the mind1 while its historical notices of the development of ,spiritualism during the last twenty years give a more complete and impartial view of the phenomena in question than has thus far been presented to the public40 ,the ,new ,york ,express says1-- 8,this is certainly one of the most startling works of our sensational age4 ,it purports to give a duly authenticated narration of spiritual manifestations1 which are beyond the bounds of credulity by any calm thinking reader2 and yet the asserted facts are given with such an apparent truthfulness and distinctness of detail1 and the learned and distinguished names connected with the scenes described are of such weight1 that it is impossible to deny the conviction impressed upon the mind that either ,spiritualism is one of the greatest delusions of the age1 or that it is indeed a new manifestation of supernatural power1 deserving the investigations of our theologians and teachers4 ,the work1 from its extreme interest1 will amply repay a careful perusal40 ,the ,boston ,journal says1-- 8,mr4 ,sargent has here collected a vast amount of information1 and whoever wishes to have an intelligent epitome of the whole history of modern ,spiritualism will find it in this volume40 ,for ,sale by ,,colby ,,and ,,rich1 ,no4 #i ,montgomery ,place1 ,boston1 ,mass4 ,,now ,,ready4 ,a ,,biography ,,of ,,mrs4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,conant1 ,the ,world's ,medium of the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,a ,,history ,,of ,,her ,,mediumship ,from ,childhood to the ,present ,time2 ,,being ,a ,,narrative ,,of ,,the ,personal ,experiences1 ,sharp ,trials1 and ,liberalizing ,victories achieved in the cause of ,human ,reason and ,spiritual ,knowledge4 ,let the heart-stricken read it1 and be comforted2 ,let the earth-weary peruse it1 and be glad2 ,let the world's workers explore it1 and be encouraged2 ,let the doubter scan its incontrovertible testimony1 and be confounded2 ,let the true man and woman1 wherever abiding1 recognize in it the life-line of a kindred soul4 ,,colby ,,and ,,rich1 ,,publishers1 ,,no4 #i ,,montgomery ,,place1 ,,boston1 ,,mass4 ,,flashes ,,of ,,light ,,from ,,the ,,spirit-,,land1 ,,through ,,the ,,mediumship ,,of ,,mrs4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,conant4 ,,compiled ,,and ,,arranged ,,by ,,allen ,,putnam1 ,author of 8,spirit-,works20 8,natty1 a ,spirit20 8,mesmerism1 ,spiritualism1 ,witchcraft1 and ,miracle20 ,etc41 ,etc4 ,this comprehensive volume of more than four hundred pages will present to the reader a wide range of useful information upon subjects of the utmost importance4 ,,the ,,disembodied ,,minds of many distinguished lights of the past ,,here ,,speak to the embodied intelligences of to-day1 proclaiming their views as derived from or modified by the ,,freedom ,,from ,,artificial ,,constraint1 and the ,,added ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,spirit-,,world1 concerning ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,man1 the duty devolving upon each individual1 and the ,,destiny ,,of ,,the ,,race4 ,as an ,encyclopdia of ,spiritual ,information1 this work is without a superior4 ,price #a4ej4 ,postage #bb cents4 ,,colby ,,and ,,rich1 ,,publishers1 #i ,montgomery ,place1 ,boston4 ,j4 ,o4 ,barrett's ,works4 ,,spiritual ,,pilgrim3 ,a ,,biography ,,of ,,james ,m4 ,,peebles4 ,with beauty of style1 the author has given full accounts of this celebrated writer and speaker1 in all his travels2 comprising facts of varied laws of mediumship1 with a ,,fine ,,likeness of ,mr4 ,peebles4 ,single copy1 #a4ej2 ,postage1 #bj cts4 ,,looking ,,beyond3 ,a souvenir of love to the bereft of every home--welcomed with joy for its sunny ,philosophy4 ,single copy1 #ge cts2 ,postage1 #ab cts4 ,,social ,,freedom3 ,,marriage ,,as ,,it ,,is ,,and ,,as ,,it ,,should ,,be4 ,an analytical and beautiful treatise on the ,,social ,,question1 comprehending all the main issues1 and proving that the highest freedom is compatible with the strictest virtue4 ,single copy1 #be cts2 six copies1 #a4bj2 twelve copies1 #b4jj4 ,,spiritual ,,harp3 ,,by ,j4 ,o4 ,,barrett1 ,j4 ,m4 ,,peebles1 and ,e4 ,h4 ,,bailey4 ,popular all over the world1 it is so full of beautiful words and inspiring melodies4 ,single copy1 #b4jj1 ,postage1 #bf cts2 six copies1 #aj4jj2 twelve copies1 #ai4jj2 ,gilt1 #ab4ej2 ,abridged1 #aa4jj2 ,postage1 #ad cts4 ,,colby ,,rich1 ,no4 #i ,,montgomery ,,place1 ,,boston1 ,,mass4 ,,the ,,clergy ,a ,,source ,,of ,,danger ,,to ,,the ,,american ,,republic4 ,,by ,w4 ,f4 ,,jamieson4 8,by being a good ,churchman1 a person might become a bad citizen40--,fox's ,speech in the ,house of ,commons1 ,parl4 ,hist41 ,vol4 xxix1 p4 #acgg4 8,the king1 ,george ,,iii1 on every occasion1 paid a court to the clergy40 8,he was1 therefore1 sure of their support1 and they zealously aided him in every attempt to oppress the ,colonies40--,buckle's ,history of ,civilization in ,england1 ,vol4 i1 p4 #cdc4 8,during almost a hundred and fifty years1 ,europe was afflicted by religious wars1 religious massacres1 and religious persecutions2 not one of which would have arisen1 if the great truth had been recognized1 that the state has no concern with the opinions of men1 and no right to interfere1 even in the slightest degree1 with the form of worship which they may choose to adopt40--,buckle's ,history1 p4 #aij4 ,,cloth #a1ej ,,gilt #b1jj ,,postage #bj ,,cents4 ,,origin ,,and ,,progress ,,of ,,the ,,movement ,,for ,,the ,,recognition ,,oe ,,the ,,christian ,,god1 ,,jesus ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,bible1 ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,constitution1 ,,by ,w4 ,f4 ,,jamieson4 ,,price #ae ,,cents1 ,,postage #b ,,cents4 ,,colby ,,rich1 ,no4 #i ,,montgomery ,,place1 ,,boston1 ,publishers and ,booksellers ,,keep ,a ,,complete ,,assortment ,,of ,,spiritual1 ,,progressive1 ,,reform1 ,,and ,,miscellaneous ,,books1 ,,at ,,wholesale ,,and ,,retail4 ,,among ,,the ,,authors ,,are1-- ,,andrew ,,jackson ,,davis1 ,hon4 ,,robert ,,dale ,,owen1 ,,william ,,denton1 ,,jas4 ,m4 ,,peebles1 ,,henry ,c4 ,,wright1 ,,ernest ,,renan1 ,,giles ,b4 ,,stebbins1 ,,warren ,,chase1 ,d4 ,d4 ,,home1 ,t4 ,r4 ,,hazard1 ,a4 ,e4 ,,newton1 ,rev4 ,m4 ,b4 ,,craven1 ,judge ,j4 ,w4 ,,edmonds1 ,prof4 ,s4 ,b4 ,,brittan1 ,,allen ,,putnam1 ,,epes ,,sargent1 ,w4 ,f4 ,,evans1 ,,hudson ,,tuttle1 ,a4 ,b4 ,,child1 ,p4 ,b4 ,,randolph1 ,,warren ,s4 ,,barlow1 ,rev4 ,t4 ,b4 ,,taylor1 ,j4 ,o4 ,,barrett1 ,rev4 ,,wm4 ,,mountford4 ,mrs4 ,,emma ,,hardinge1 ,mrs4 ,j4 ,s4 ,,adams1 ,,achsa ,w4 ,,sprague1 ,,belle ,,bush1 ,miss ,,lizzie ,,doten1 ,mrs4 ,,maria ,m4 ,,king1 ,mrs4 ,l4 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