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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
Creator
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Publisher
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
An evening with Mr. Home fifteen years ago, and reflections thereon: a lecture at the Cavendish Rooms, London, on Sunday evening 17th July 1870
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
White, William
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: London
Collation: 14, [2], p. ; 22 cm.
Notes: Printed by Thomas Scott, Holborn, London. Extracts from reviews of the author's work 'Emanuel Swedenborg; his Life and Writings' on unnumbered pages at the end. From the library of Dr Moncure Conway.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
James Burns
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1870
Identifier
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G5177
Subject
The topic of the resource
Spiritualism
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (An evening with Mr. Home fifteen years ago, and reflections thereon: a lecture at the Cavendish Rooms, London, on Sunday evening 17th July 1870), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Format
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application/pdf
Type
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Text
Language
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English
Conway Tracts
Spiritualism
-
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Text
QS^K>3-
IHojal 1‘iiBtHutton of ffir® Britain,
ALBEMARLE STREET, PICCADILLY, W.
.
November, 1871.
i: : Hi ;
SY L L AB U S
>A')
*« ®
<
OF
A COURSE OF FOUR LECTURES
\-.-X.
LtV
V
p•
'Co
-j ; A
DE MON OLO G Y,
•(;:j '&>&.
;O
t: .' .‘3 7 Lrf.r
hIJ ;i, - ?O ■
a.
••
'
W
A ■:
BY
MONCURE D. CONWAY, Esq.
>t< ' io
' '
h
_• ; •
: no .
.
■ i(,‘.
To be delivered on the following days, at Three o’clock:—
‘ "X. '
Lecture I.—Saturday, March 2, 1872.
Relation of Celestial and Elemental Phenomena to the primitive Philo
sophy of Evil.—The Evolution of Deities and Devils.—The transformation
of Agathodemons into Kakodemons.—The evidence that every Demon
was originally the Deity of some race.—Devil-worship.—Why and when
Demons became ugly.
Lecture II.—Saturday, March 9.
Earthly Demons, their origin and variations.—Animal Demons, as the
Serpent, Dragon, Werewolf, Dog, Cat, Raven, Vampyre.—Tree Demons, as
those of the Ash, Hazel, Indian Peepul, Mandrake.—Ethnical distribution
of Demons.—Survivals of mythical Demons in modern superstitions.—Places
named after the Devil.
Lecture III.—Saturday, March 16.
Anthropomorphic Demons.—The Talmudic legend of Lilith, and her
progeny of Demons.—Demoniac possessions.—The natural history of Ahri
man, Siva, Satan, Pluto, Tchornibog, Tenjo, Loki, the Wild Huntsman, and
the horned and cloven-hoofed Devil.—The Eumenides, Satyrs, Elves, and
local Demons comparatively considered.
s
[turn over.
�Lecture IV.—Saturday, March 23.
The Demons of Literature and Art.—Patristic Legends.—The Miracle
Plays.—Mephistopheles.—Milton’s Lucifer.—The Demonology of Dante and
Swedenborg.—The Demons of early religious art and architecture.—The
so-called Devil’s Bible at Stockholm.—The decline of Demons.—Witchcraft.
—Caricatures.—Psychological Science and the problem of Evil.
SUBSCRIBERS TO LECTURES {Not being Members')
For this Course pay Half-a-Guinea:
For all the Courses of Lectures (extending from Christmas to Mid
summer) pay Two Guineas:
For a single Course of Lectures pay One Guinea or Half-a-Guinea,
according to the length of the Course :
For the Christmas Course Children under Sixteen Years of Age pay
Half-a-Guinea.
The Wives of Members, and Sons and Daughters (under the age
of Twenty-one) of Members are admitted, for the Season, to all Courses of
Lectures and to the Museum, on the payment each of One Guinea, and
to any separate Course of Lectures on the payment each of Half-a-Guinea.
It is Requested, That Coachmen may be ordered to set d&wnwith their
Horses' heads towards Piccadilly, and to take up towards Grafton-street.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Conway Hall Ethical Society
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Syllabus of a course of four lectures on demonology by Moncure D. Conway
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Royal Institution of Great Britain
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: London
Collation: 2 p. ; 19 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1871
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
G5707
Subject
The topic of the resource
Spiritualism
Lectures
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /><br /><span>This work (Syllabus of a course of four lectures on demonology by Moncure D. Conway), identified by </span><span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a></span><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Format
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application/pdf
Type
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Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Conway Tracts
Demonology
Moncure Conway
-
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3d5fad3dc37d2c701f1c732bb4934d08
PDF Text
Text
«rO
\ J
PSYCHE
TO
Mother Earth.
BY
FRANCES ROSE MACKINLEY.
ARTH, my BELOVED MOTHER !
Prone upon you I prostrate myself;
I imprint you with earnest kisses ;
With awful wonder, I love, revere,
adore you.
How beholden am I to your spirit,
That you enable me to apprehend your entity ;
You, so near, so familiar to me ;
That with my psychic vision clarified,
Looking lucidly through my physical eyes,
You empower me to recognize you ;
Presential, breathing, palpitating, living !
You, the concrete, primogenial source of life.
�PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
What delight to hear your mystic voice,
To catch with clairaudient sense the latency
Of your multisonous mobility,
Your myriad and varied tones
Reverberating musically in my ears !
What boundless satisfaction
To cognize the subjective analogies
Of your elemental language !
(I am one of your living ideographic words.)
What spontaneous delight
To be able to respond to you,
In all your diversified forms of expression,
To your repercussive intonations,
Or your mellifluous whisperings—
Mother, I understand !
flow beautiful you are, O mother !
Every day I gaze fascinated and enraptured
On your athletic, brunonian body,
Outstretched, nude and lethargic ;
Your legs, massive, plump, symmetrical ;
Your bosoms luxurious, redundant;
Your wistful, luscious face,
With pensive, languishing, hazel eyne.
Ever serenely, quiescently you repose,
Basking bewitchingly your bared charms
In the searching and amative regards
�3
PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
Of your transcendent lover, the Sun.
How resplendently your flesh glistens,
Bathed in the dazzling scintillations
Of his sensuous, magnetic presence !
The beauty of your sons and daughters
Is but a faint similitude
Of your immaculate loveliness.
How loving you are, O mother !
My present existence and daily continuance
Manifest your provident love ;
That you will take this wondrous body
You
have
lent
my
spirit,
to
your
warm
embrace,
To more intimately assimilate its particles,
What evincement of love !
That you have oft incarnated my spirit,
And with, love sent me forth from you,
And, with as great love, recalled
My material personality to your bosom,
To be fondled and afterward resent,
What supereminent proofs of love !
I have noted you, endeared mother !
In daily coition with your lover, the Sun.
I have watched his gorgeous masculinity,
K
In lustful intermutation with you ;
!........... ——---------------------
�//.
PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
Embalming you in the luminous beams
Of his effulgent thermodic halo.
How much you seemed to glory,
To exult and revel in his caress !
I glory with you in your delectation,
And in the good he imparts to you.
Without his embrace, you would perish,
Even as I, your daughter, would expire
Without the contactual suscitation of my lovers.
I have seen you also, O wanton mother!
Surfeited of your lover’s dalliance,
Antagonistic, repellant of his desire.
O I too have been satiated
With the aphrodisaic carnality
Of my Priapian paramours !
From gentle encounters with you,
And tempered orgasms in your embrace,
I have seen his passion rousing
Into glowing and rampant salacity ;
Till he impended over you exacerbated
To the very ultimity of heat.
I have seen you shrinkingly recoil,
When his vehement afilation,
Simoon-like, effumed upon you,
And his rapacious arms,
Ignifluous annulars,
Compressed you impactly
�PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
5
To his lascivient and candescent body;
Whilst into your womb he extruded
.His ebullient, geyser-jet semen.
You were feverous, chafed, wincing, aglow ;
Torrified by his scortatory passion.
I deemed that you must expire ; '
And should your vitality cease, O mother !
How could your children survive !
One day, in the sultry month of July,
As I reclined on your hot breast,
Murmuring words of condolence
To you, poor suffering mother !
We were startled
by thundering
rumblings
in the West.
Looking thitherward, I descried
Huge cumuli overtopping the horizon.
Instantaneously you exclaimed :
“ O rejoice with me, my children !
“ He comes, He, my redemptive lover,
“ He, for whom I have been sighing,
“ He, whom I now need for rescue,
“ He, who only can relieve me ! ”
Then, revealed to my wonderment,
I beheld your lover, awe-compelling,
Black, colossal, cyclopean, vast,
�6
PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
Stalking majestically in the heavens,
His terrific shadow overdarkening the skies,
And tenebrously enveloping you;
His frowning browns portentously lowering ;
His
gigantic
bulk equipendent
in
the
mid
welkin.
Inflated with generant vigor,
Dissilient with desire for you,
He fulmines thunderous lustful threats.
With foretaste of delight, O mother !
You trembled at his lecherous menaces,
And with upthrown arms,
Enrounding your retroverted head,
Anxious, impatient, eager,
You slightly disparted your thighs,
And gently upraised your abdomen,
In longing preparedness to receive him.
With thought exceeding instantaneity
His phallic lightning strokes
Reiteratedly penetrate your genetalia.
Negative, receptive mother !
As his invigorating love lymph
Emulged upon you in lavish profluence ;
Your eyes closed as in serene ectasy.
Your
countenance
exuberated
with
renewed
life,
Your quickened orbs ■ looked up lovingly,
�PSYCIIE TO MOTHER EARTH.
Every freshened pore responsively dilated,
Your lips tremulously articulated, thanks.
Love-sick, languishing, despairing,
I, your daughter, with trepid sighs,
Long for a reciprocal love mate,
Whose electric influence and embrace
.*
Will be to me, as was your savior to you,
Solace, reviviscence, ecstasy !
With wearied body, o’erspent and drooping,
Sore, wounded feet, swollen with travel,
From bootless chase of unattainableness,
I seek refuge in your maternity.
I clasp my arms around your neck.
Let me nestle my weighted head
Cosily ’twixt your lenitive mammoe !
In this delicious harborage,
Let me uninterruptedly repose ! J
Let me find there, long enduring rest ;
Till, through your kindly assuagement,
The perturbation within me is allayed !
Let me subside into sedative slumbers,
Calming to my insatiate heart;
To waken, comforted, composed, ductile,
7
�g
PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
Prompt to obey your dehortations,
Assured that to question your teachings,
Or ignore your prescient admonitions,
Must be to constantly return to you afflicted,
To abide in embroilment and inquietude !
Make me
Placid, compliant, resigned, passive,
As you are, O Infinite Parent !
Animate me with your own essentiality !
Are you thus,
Placid, compliant, resigned, passive,
Thus beatifically accordant with events ;
Since to you belongs the cognition
Of the mysterious purpose of all that is ?
O let me, thro’ your inspiration,
Attain some definite discernment
Of the subtle intent of existence ;
Some positive hint of certitude,
More than the discontinuous clairvoyance,
Whereby I glimpse scintillas of truth,
With ever intervenient periods
Of dubiety, and its consequent despondence !
Your sensuous, voluptuous breath
Respiring balmily over me,
Convulses
me with titillative tremors.
The semblance of lascivious abandon,
�PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
9
Ascendant in your mien and bearing,
Spells and ecstasizes my spirit.
The aroma of your wantonness
Materializes into living forms of beauty :
Vital, substantive, efflorescent virtues ;
Whence in turn exhales a quality
Gossamery, subtile, insinuative ;
An impalpable emication,
Invisible, but sensate to your children,
In irresistibly seductive allurements
To languor, desire, love, worship, coition.
O in this luscious magnetism—
The life incitement of your children—
Is there not revealed the aim of Being ?
O from this mystic adumbration,
Have I not apprehended the purport of ex
istence ?
Expand my soul, O mother !
To a lasciviousness akin to yours ;
That I also may give exoteric form
To the fullness of like voluptuousness,
And by a consummate shapeliness
Incite, as you do, love, worship, adoration !
Make me, as you are, bold, free, cosmopolite,
Accessible, nonchalant, unbosoming !
You, ever love environing your children,
�10
PSYCHE TO MOTHER EARTH.
Coulcl they but clairvoyantlv see you 1
Make me, as you are, communicant,
\
Outspoken, fluent, colloquial, eloquent !
Your voice, ever speaking to your children,
Could they but clairaudiently hear you !
Make me just, intrusive, assertive as you !
We,
children,
your
feel
this
fictile, plastic
force ;
This charactery, whereby you express yourself,
Acting within ourselves and about us,
To fashion the physical and metaphysical ;
But
how
few divine
in it, your immanent
presence !
Make me negative, receptive as you !
Because of these feminine attributes,
You are transcendently a divine mother.
Promiscuous, all-embracing, all-loving,
All-inclusive, universal mother !
Impress me with your catholicness,
That I may reimpress all humanity,
With such assimilative consciousness
Of the opulence and divinity of those attributes,
That your sons and daughters will all emulate
The similitude of you in me,
And with one ecumenic purpose, exclaim :
Let us strive to resemble our mother ! ”
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Conway Hall Ethical Society
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Psyche to mother earth
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Mackinley, Frances Rose
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: [s.l.]
Collation: 10 p. ; 19 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. A poem. Text bordered in red.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
[s.n.]
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
{187-?]
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
G5310
Subject
The topic of the resource
Poetry
Spiritualism
Women's rights
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (Psyche to mother earth), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
American
Conway Tracts
Mother Goddess
Poetry
Poetry in English
Spiritualism
Women's Rights
Women's Rights-United States
-
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d48127d317bd0a797673e43a2bcfe72e
PDF Text
Text
NEW TESTAMENT “MIRACLES,”
AND
MODERN “MIRACLES.”
THE COMPARATIVE AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE FOR EACH.
THE NATURE OF BOTH.
TESTIMONY OF A HUNDRED WITNESSES.
AN ESSAY,
READ BEFORE THE MIDDLE AND SENIOR CLASSES IN CAMBRIDGE
DIVINITY SCHOOL,
BY
J.
“ Ye
H. FOWLER.
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY BELA MARSH, 15 FRANKLIN STREET.
NEW YORK : PARTRIDGE & BRITTAN, 300 BROADWAY.
PHILADELPHIA : B. PEBCIVAL, 89 SOUTH SIXTH ST.
18 54.
�Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by
J. n. FOWLER,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
STEREOTYPED BY
HOBART & ROBBINS,
NEW ENGLAND Ti'rE AND STEREOTYPE FOUNDERY,
BOSTON.
I
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�WITNESSES TO MODERN MIRACLES.
[See Testimony.]
CASE I.
No. 1.
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No. 2.
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No. 3.
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No. 4.
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No. 5.
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Z. P. Kibbee, M. D.
Rufus Elmer.
Nelson Elmer.
Theodore M. Smith.
George E. Haskell.
Z. Rogers.
Moses Babcock.
W. S. Courtney.
Milo A. Townsend.
William McDonald.
Mrs. John Lord.
Mrs. R. Elmer.
Mrs. S. A. Richie.
Miss Mary M. Harris.
F. C. Andreu.
Marshall Elmer.
William Bryant.
B. K. Bliss.
William Edwards.
David A. Wells.
S. F. Cheney.
Rev. Herman Snow.
case n.
No. 1. B. S. Benson.
“ W. W. Laning.
No. 2. Joseph Brydle.
CASE III.
No. 2.
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Harvey Chase.
Marcus C. Wilcox.
Mrs. M. C. Wilcox.
Emery S. Scott.
Ellis Cook.
Benj. Ray.
Meltiah Knowlton
Daniel Knowlton.
CASE IV.
No. 1. J. F. Lanning.
No. 2. Goorge R. Raymond.
case v.
No. 1. Joseph R. Buchanan.
No. 2. J. B. Wolf.
CASE VI.
No. 1. Dr. Smith.
No. 2. Mr. Waters.
CASE VII.
No. 1.
No. 2.
No. 3.
No. 4.
No. 5.
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No. 6.
D. W. Scott.
H. H. Hunt.
Cyrus Tyrrell.
Sarah Herron.
S. C. Hewitt.
John M. Spear.
Philander Shaw.
Seth Hunt.
Benj. A. Rhodes.
No. 7.
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No. 8.
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Silas Mosman.
M. S. Pease.
George Staples.
Eliza C. Leeds.
Joseph Haight.
William Dibble.
Charles C. York.
Pamelia A. Nichols.
William Nichols.
Mrs. Harriet Nelson.
CASE VIII.
No. 1. William Lloyd Garrison.
No. 2. Adin Ballou.
No. 3. William Bugbee.
CASE IX.
No. 1. Mrs. D. C. Kendall.
“ Mary E. Kendall.
No. 2. B. McFarland.
No. 3. Rev. D. F. Goddard.
No. 4. D. Hasteller.
“ A. P. Pierce.
“ II. F. Partridge.
“ Lewis Dugdale.
“ Charles C. Stillman.
No. 5. Mary H. Ide.
“ Amos Cummings.
“ George Clapp.
“ Miss Susan Bagley.
No. 6. E. P. Fowler.
“ John Gray.
“ John F. Gray, M. D.
“ S. T. Fowler.
“ F. F. Cory.
“ Mrs. Charlotte F. Wells.
“ Robert T. Shannon.
“ Daniel Minthorn.
“ Charles Partridge.
“ William J. Baner.
“ Mrs. Almira L. Fowler.
“ Mrs. S. A. Partridge.
“ Almon Roff.
“ Ward Cheney.
“ R. T. Hallock, M. D.
“ Mrs. Martha H. F. Baner.
“ J. T. Warner, M. D.
« A. G. Hull, M. D.
“ Samuel T. Fowler.
“ Prof. Bush.
case x.
No. 1. George T. Dexter, M. D.
No. 2. Judge Edmonds.
No. 3. Governor Tallmadge.
CASE XI.
A. E. Newton.
S. J. Newton.
J. H. Fowler.
�WITNESSES FOR NEW TESTAMENT MIRACLES.
Saul of Tarsus (otherwise called Paul).
’ Peter, a fisherman of G alilee.
Luke, Paul’s secretary.
Supposed to be <{ Mark, Peter’s secretary.
Matthew, a tax-gatherer of Jerusalem.
John, a fisherman of Galilee.
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�PREFACE.
It has been customary among all people to divide the facts of
history into two distinct classes; namely, Natural or Profane, and
Miraculous or Sacred. In the former class they have included all
those events which they are able to explain by known principles,
or which have become so common as to excite no surprise. In
the latter they have included all those facts which are remark
ably wonderful, from the fact of their unfrequent occurrence, or of
their not being accounted for by principles already known.
Now, to show that this distinction is purely subjective, and has
no ground in the facts themselves, it is only necessary to state
that no two persons draw the line through the same points ; and
each individual is constantly changing the line of division, as his
own experience and knowledge of the powers of nature increase.
The line has been drawn through every possible point, and is
found to apply nowhere. Hence, at the present day, many have
rejected it altogether.
Scientific men reject it, not because they are able to explain all
¿he facts of history on scientific principles which they already
know; but, because they have implicit confidence in what they call
the “ immutable laws of naturef they reject all the evidence
for that class of facts which seemingly contradict, or cannot be ex
plained by, laws already known; presuming that there are no
higher laws in God’s universe. And when they have rejected one
whole class of facts, they have no need of the line of distinction.
To show the stupidity of this course, we need only refer to their
means of judging the powers of nature. They judge these powers,
or laws, by the phenomena produced. They accept the phenomena
�4
on the direct evidence of their own senses, and on the testimony
of others as to the evidence of their senses. If sufficient evidence
to establish any class of phenomena is thus presented, they at once
conclude that there are powers in nature capable of producing
such phenomena; they then name those powers, and designate the
class of phenomena by appropriate terms.
Now, sjiould they pursue this course, of testing the powers of
nature by the facts produced, to a certain extent, and then ex
clude or reject, at once, all her facts, simply on the ground of
nature’s inability to produce them, would they not act foolishly,
and most unscientifically ?
How do they know that nature is able to produce any class of
facts ? By the facts themselves. Hence, should they reject the
facts beforehand, on the ground of nature’s inability to produce
them, they would certainly be stupid. But they do this very
thing. They reject a whole class of facts which appear in all
history as well substantiated — and often better — as many other
facts which they receive with implicit confidence; facts which are
testified to, not orfly by all history, but by the most reliable wit
nesses of our own time. They reject these facts, not for the want
of testimony in their favor, but because they presume, beforehand,
that nature has no power to produce them. Thus they reverse
the true order of scientific inquiry, which is, first to substantiate
the facts; which being done, it must be taken for granted that
there is somewhere in nature a power adequate to their pro
duction.
The course pursued by religionists is generally more inconsistent
than the above. They select, out of the “ miracles ” of a past age,
such as favor their own peculiar systems of religion, and reject
all others, though those rejected rest on testimony equally
reliable with that which substantiates those received. After they
have once accepted ‘ ‘ miracles ’ ’ enough to prove to their own
minds the divine origin of their peculiar system of religion, they
then take the course of the scientifics, and deny the possibility of
similar facts occurring in their own age, however much testimony
may be produced in their favor. With them,
“ ’T is distance lends enchantment to the view.”
�Another class, among whom are nearly all the “ spiritualists ”
of the present day, take what appears to me the only truly scien
tific and religious ground ; namely, we can judge of the powers of
nature — or, rather, of the ability of Deity to operate in nature —
only by what nature does, just as we judge the powers of man
by what man does ; hence, whenever any fact or phenomenon of
nature is clearly established by reliable testimony, we arg bound
to believe that nature has performed it, and therefore has the
ability to do it, and may do it, again, under similar circumstances.
This, we say, is more scientific than either to reject the fact, or
refer it to supernatural and miraculous agency.
Hence, while we receive all the well-attested facts of the
present age, and of all past ages, we do not accept the eccle
siastical theory of 11 miracles " to account for any of them.
We say, if spirits who have left the earthly body produce
sounds, or move physical objects, or manifest themselves in any
way, they do it just as much in harmony with the principles of
nature, as they did the ordinary acts while in the earthly body.
They are no more supernatural now than while living on earth ;
and their action is no more “miraculous.” They are the same
identical beings ; though some of them probably have arisen to
higher degrees of goodness and truth, many remain on nearly the
same plane, and some may, for a time, even sink to a lower plane.
Still, we believe all will progress to higher degrees of life. We
judge of their character as we judge of persons on earth, by the
things which they do. And we deny that any man, whether in the
church or out, can judge them by any other standard. We do not
admit the high or low character of the manifestations as evidence
either for or against the spiritual theory, because we say no man
can know thé character of spirits unless he admit the possibility of
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theii communicating. If he deny that spirits communicate, he
has no right to object on the ground of the '■'•low character'"
of the communications ; for he has no possible means of judging
what the character of spirits is. It is all assumption with him, and
assumption is worth nothing against fact. If he admit that spirits
ever have communicated, and afforded us an opportunity of judg
ing their character, then we are perfectly agreed. For we do
not. more than he, presume that everything purporting to
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be done by spirits is really done by them. Nor do I know of any
“spiritualist” who takes it for granted that all the communica
tions signed by “ great names ” are given by the persons whose
names they bear. Though I believe very many are still disposed
to put too much confidence in these names, especially when they
are given through their own hand, I think they are as much influ
enced to do this by their own vanity, as the spirits are induced to
assume them by the same cause.
Some mediums seem to think it a greater honor to be the
amanuenses of Matthew, or Luther, or Baeon, oi’ Franklin, or
Webster, than of one of their own humble friends: and some per
sons who ask for communications seem to think they can derive
power by being noticed by these same persons, and call for them
in preference to their dearest friends. They seldom fail to get
what they most desire ; for it appears there are spirits as ready to
deceive and play the fool, as mortals are ready to be deceived and
befool themselves.
However, we do not expect all men to be entirely free from
folly in this world, nor immediately after going to the next. We
did not at first presume that spirits, or anything else, caused the
phenomena. We, at first, denied the facts themselves, and
demanded proof • this we have received, sufficient to compel our
assent to them. Next we sought, from the character of the facts
themselves, to ascertain their cause. The same cause that produced
them always affirmed itself to be spirits. But we did not believe
this; we proved them, and, by an overwhelming amount of evidence,
became convinced that they are what they have from the first pur
ported to be.
It is a principle of philosophy, which cannot be neglected in any
truly scientific inquiry, that the cause assigned to any class
of phenomena must be adequate to the production of every
individual phenomenon in that class.
Now, it is certain that every other theory which has been
manufactured to account for these modern “spirit manifestations ”
is insufficient to account for very many of the phenomena; and
the authors of those theories are obliged to deny many facts for
which the testimony is equally good with that for the facts they
receive. The Grimes school of Mesmerists, Biologists, Psychol
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ogists, Humbugs and Eclipse-makers, not only deny many of the
best-attested facts, but they declare, boldly, that thousands of un
suspected men, women, children, and even infants (for there are
many such mediums), are capable of practising deceptions which
they, after an experience of twenty years in the art, cannot accom
plish. The Rogers school of Od-forces also deny the fact of an
independent directing intelligence, and many other established
facts. But they do this in such an od way, that no one can tell
what they are driving at.
The Beecher school of Devilites arc also compelled to ignore
all the good connected with the phenomena.
Lastly, Dods — [I know not whether fe has yet made a single
disciple, though he has “ known all about this matter for twenty
years ” !] •— Dods, who, as we all know, is more thorough in his in
vestigations, knows more about the subject, and states himself
more candidly and modestly, than anybody else,—even Dods
denies all these well-known facts, which his Back-Brain-Instinct
theory cannot account for.
But the Spiritual theory, which can stand all tests, is not only
adequate to account for all the phenomena, but it gathers
strength from every principle assumed in all the other theories;
from Mesmerism, Od, Back-Brain, and the Devil.
��INTRODUCTION.
From the jeering manner in which every allusion to
the subject has been repulsed, even while we have been
gravely considering the time-honored records of similar
phenomena, I am induced to apologize for making it the
subject of my present essay, and inviting your serious
attention to it for the space of a whole hour.
I assure you I would not make this attempt, had I not,
after devoting to it a considerable portion of my time for
the last four years, and having personally witnessed many
of the phenomena, become fully satisfied as to their truth
and importance.
Even this conviction would not be sufficient induce
ment for me to bring the subject before you in this
manner, were I not fully persuaded that my sense of
duty to the cause were greater than your combined re
pulsion.
Whether it be, or be not, a fit subject for the serious
consideration of a “ divinity class,” it will soon make an
irresistible demand upon every theologian and religious
teacher.
It is already claiming the attention of all classes of
people, in every part of the civilized world, as no other
subject ever did. It is making the most alarming inroads
upon all the creeds and churches of Christendom. It is
commencing a revolution in the intellectual, moral, re2
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ligious and social world, to which history furnishes no
parallel.
It does not depend merely upon human agency for its
success; but, spite of all opposition, it goeth where it
listeth, and people of every class, and in every place, are
compelled to hear the sound thereof, though they may
not be able to tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth.
No family circle is too private for it. The sceptical
father and prudent mother may forbid their sons and
daughters witnessing the manifestations at their neighbors’
houses, but soon the most wonderful and convincing phe
nomena appear in their own, and both father and mother
arc eager to hear “what the spirits wish to communicate
to them.” No church is too sacred for their presence.
Ministers pronounce it “the work of the devil,” and,
from the pulpit, warn their congregation against it; but,
before the sermon is ended, the well-known but unsolic
ited sound is heard in various parts of the house ; the
most faithful church-members become mediums, the
deacons are entranced, and soon minister and all become
a congregation of “spiritualists.”
Though these modern “spirit-manifestations” com
menced but five years since, and, at first, only attracted
the attention of two little girls by some slight tappings
in their presence, there are now from twenty to thirty
modes of manifestation, some of them of the most astound
ing character.
It has been stated that there are a hundred thousand
mediums, and two and a half millions of believers, in this
country alone, to say nothing of the many thousands in
Europe.
The attention of the British Parliament has been called
to it; the French Academy of Science has long been
�considering it; and a memorial, signed by thirteen thou
sand persons, has been presented to the Congress of the
United States, asking for a special committee to consider
the subject.
There are in the United States some twenty newspa
pers and periodicals principally devoted to it, and upwards
of one hundred different publications on the subject.
“It numbers among its advocates many men of the
highest standing and talent, in every profession and sphere.
Doctors, lawyers, clergymen, a Protestant bishop, pro
fessors, and a reverend president of a college, foreign
ambassadors and ex-members of the national senate.”
The rapid progress of belief in the reality of the phe
nomena does not depend so much upon the testimony of
others, however reliable, as upon the personal observation
and experience which probably every believer has had.
Thousands of living witnesses testify, on the very day of
their occurrence, that they have seen, felt and heard the
phenomena, and are compelled to believe in their reality,
spite of their obstinate prejudices against them.
There is no question about the authenticity of the tes
timony, the character and competency of those who testify,
or the time and place. The names of all the parties, and
all the circumstances of the events, are given, and the
witnesses are now before you, ready to be questioned ;
none of which things can be said of the New Testament
“ miracles.”
Besides my own living testimony, being an eye-wit
ness, I hold in my hands the direct, unequivocal and
most reliable testimony of men in your very midst, to the
number of ten to one, that events precisely similar to
those recorded in the New Testament have, within the
last five years, occurred in their presence. And I am
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able now, in three days, not only to bring personally before
you this superior number of witnesses, but, with your
consent, to make every one of you a witness that such
facts do really occur.
THE COMPARATIVE AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE.
The testimony which I have collected, though not a
tithe of what has come under my observation, and, in
many respects, — owing principally to the necessity for
brevity, — not so complete and convincing as much which
I have rejected, is still sufficient to establish the facts, as
far as human testimony can do it. The facts must either
be admitted, or the testimony of the human senses, how
ever multiplied, pronounced unreliable. If the latter
alternative be accepted, then, of course, it applies as well
to past ages as to the present, and the New Testament
testimony is worth nothing. So all a priori objections
to the occurrence of any fact, or class of facts, at the
present day, would apply with equal force to those of
any past age. And all arguments from the wants of
mankind, previous prophecies, and arguments of what
ever kind which have been made to render the New
Testament accounts probable, will apply with equal force
to those of the present day; so that, aside from the
amount of testimony, the ancient “miracles” have no
advantage.
Let us, then, compare the testimony in favor of each.
To facilitate this, we will classify the so-called miracles
of the New Testament in the following manner :
1st. The counteraction of the law of gravitation in the
movement of physical objects ; the rolling away the stone
at the door of the sepulchre of Christ, the opening of
the prison-doors to Peter, Christ walking on the water, etc.
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2d. Luminous appearances accompanying the manifest
ations of physical power, and the seeing of spirits; as in
the case of Peter’s release from prison, the transfigura
tion of Christ on the mount, the conversion of Paul on
the day of Pentecost.
3d. Spirits are seen, recognized and conversed with ;
as, Moses and Elias, Christ after his death, and others.
4th. Voices are heard as at Paul’s conversion, at the
baptism of Christ, etc.
5th. Speaking in unknown tongues.
6th. Jesus is taught to read.
7th. A remarkable healing power is exhibited.
8th. Cursing the fig-tree.
9th. Turning water into wine.
10th. Feeding a multitude on less than nothing.
11th. Raising a person from the dead.
12th. Child born with no natural father.
These twelve classes, I believe, comprise all the pre
tended miracles of the New Testament.
We will first present our testimony to facts precisely
similar to, or involving the same principles as, those of
the first seven classes, and then consider the other five
particular ones. The reader should now turn to the testi
mony, and read the cases as they are referred to.
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CLASS I.
We have produced, as will be seen by turning to the
testimony, in case I., twenty-three witnesses; in case II.,
two ; in case III., one ; case V., one ; case VIII., two ;
case X., eleven; making in all forty witnesses, who, in the
most unequivocal manner, testify to cases precisely simi
lar to those “miracles” of the New Testament comingunder the first class. These witnesses are many of them
well known as men of the first character and standing in
community; men who would be the least liable to be
deceived in matters of this kind. They state what they
have seen. They state the time, place and circumstances,
and then appeal to others ; and are now ready to be con
fronted upon the subject.
What, now, is the New Testament testimony ? The
writer of Matthew’s gospel says, “The angel of the Lord
(if he did not mean a spirit, what did he mean ?) descended
from heaven and rolled back the stone,” Matt. 18 : 2.
The writer of Mark (16 : 4) says, “And when they looked
they saw that the stone was rolled away.” The writer
of Luke (24: 2) says, “They found the stone rolled
away.” So, according to the two last, they did not see
the thing done. The first seems to have taken it for
granted, or, perchance, “ he got a communication,” that
a spirit did it. Now, we will suppose (even the doctors
admit its uncertainty) that Matthew — Matthew some
body— gave this testimony. Then, as the best critics
say, Paul told his secretary Luke the story, and he wrote
the second statement. And Peter (who, on one occasion,
certainly lied) told Mark somebody, and he gave the
third statement. So much for the New Testament testi
mony to this fact.
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The other instance, coming under class first, recorded
in the gospels, is Jesus walking on the sea, Matt. 14 :
25, 26 ; Mark 6 : 48—50 ; John 6 : 19—21. Accord
ing to the two, first, when the disciples saw Jesus walking
on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a SPIRIT.”
How could they have said this, had they not believed
spirits could manifest themselves to mortals ? The next
case is recorded by the writer of Acts (supposed to be
that same Luke above referred to), though it is not likely
he saw it, Acts 5 : 19, 20. But the angel of the Lord
(another spirit,—who else could it be ?) by night opened
the prison doors and brought them forth, and said, “ Go,
stand up in the temple, and speak all the words of this life,”
—very like what the spirits of the present day often say.
Another case is recorded in chapter 12 : 1—11. I would
ask the hearer to turn to this and read it, and, if possible,
make anything out of it but a spirit-manifestation. Trans
late it into modern language, and see if it is not just
like some things which now take place, — the luminous
appearance, the keepers entranced and Peter likewise
(see 11th verse), the gates and doors opened, etc.
It could be none other than a spirit (here called angel
of the Lord}. And this fact will explain what is meant
by angel of the Lord in the other cases. The last case,
Acts 17 : 26, — “And suddenly there was a great earth
quake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken;
and immediately all the doors were opened, and every
one’s bands were loosed.” This “ manifestation ” should
be compared with case II., number one. I think these
comprise all the phenomena, related in the New Testa
ment, which come under the first class.
We have, then, for these, the testimony of only four
persons, — and who doubts them ? But we have given the
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testimony of ten times this number of personal witnesses,
— who can doubt them ? I insist upon this case, and chal
lenge any person to show wherein any one of our forty
witnesses’ testimony is not as good, to say the least, as
that of any one of the four New Testament witnesses.
Till this is done, and our witnesses are reduced to less
than four, let no man, who pretends to believe the New
Testament accounts, be so inconsistent as to deny that
similar facts now occur.
z
Having made so strong a case respecting this first class,
and, as we very justly conclude, convinced every believer
in the New Testament “miracles” that the modern
“miracles” are also true, we shall not be expected to
produce so much testimony in favor of the facts of the
following classes, neither shall we be so particular in re
gard to the New Testament statements.
CLASS II.
We have, in cases I., II. and X., the testimony of ten to
facts coming under this class. Suppose, then, we have in
the New Testament five witnesses equally good, who testify
to precisely similar luminous appearances in cases of
spirit-manifestation which then occurred, — and certainly
that was a spirit-manifestation when Moses and Elias,
who had been so long in the spirit-world, appeared and
talked with Christ, — we have then produced two wit
nesses for the modern, to one for the New Testament
manifestations of this class.
CLASS ni.---- SPIRITS SEEN, ETC.
We have in cases II., III., IV. and X., the testimony
of five. I think the New Testament does not produce more
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than this number of witnesses to this class of facts. Truly,
it says the spirit of Christ (and if Christ was not then a
spirit, how could he get into the room when “the doors
were shut ” ?) appeared to twelve, and then to five thou
sand ; but who those were it does not say, nor does any
one of them give his testimony. Such witnesses we could
find in abundance; but we do not count any one who has
not given his own personal signature, or authorized us to
give it. This case, then, stands as good in favor of mod
ern, as New Testament “miracles.”
CLASS IV.---- VOICES HEARD.
In cases IV. and X., we have the testimony of three,
though we might have given many more; but the New
Testament testimony is so vague and equivocal upon this
point that we deem these cases sufficient to balance them.
Four cases occur in the New Testament records,—
Matt. 3:17; 17: 5; John 12: 28; Acts 9: 7. In regard
to the first, Mark (1: 10, 11) agrees with Matthew, and
says he (John or Jesus) saw the spirit descending, etc.
Luke does not contradict this. John says nothing about
the voice, but implies that only John saw the spirit
descend : “ and he (John) bare record that this is the Son
of God.” — See John 1 : 33—35. It would appear, by
comparing John 1: 34 with the others above referred to,
that, if anything of this kind did occur, — and we are not
disposed to doubt it, — when John saw the spirit descend
upon Christ, he said, “ This is the beloved Son of God”
or something like this. For he says (John 1: 34), “And
I saw (the spirit) and bore record that this is the Son of
God.” If the multitudes saw and heard all this, and the
voice from heaven, as is commonly supposed, what need
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would there be of John “ bearing record,” and why were
they not all at once converted to a belief in Christ ?
The second case of the voice from the cloud, on the
mount, is pretty well substantiated by the three first
gospels, and in 2 Peter 3 : 17 ; but, it appears by Luke
9 : 32, and Matt. 17 : 7, that the disciples were in a
trance, or what we should call 11 under spiritual influence.”
Now, to such cases we could bring the testimony of
hundreds.
The next case (John 12 : 28) seems to have been an
audible voice heard by the people who stood by. The
other case, in Acts 9 : 7, is contradicted in chapter 22,
verse 9.
CLASS V. — SPEAKING IN UNKNOWN TONGUES.
We have, in cases V., VIII. and X., the testimony of
nineteen, that persons under the modern spiritual influence
do speak in tongues wholly unknown to them. This tes
timony is as direct and explicit as testimony can be.
There is no statement, I think, in either of the four
gospels, that any one did speak with tongues, though
Christ is made to promise it to those who believe; hence
we may infer that some did so speak. In Acts 2, an
account is given, at considerable length, of speaking with
unknown tongues. I will translate this account into the
language of modern spiritualists, to show its close resem
blance to what now happens; and I would ask any person
to show wherein I change a single idea or fact. When
the day for the great festival of the Jews, called the
Pentecost, arrived, all disciples of Jesus (spiritualists)
met in one place, and, being in perfect harmony, or,
“forming an harmonious circle,” all at once they heard
a sound over their heads, apparently from the clouds, re-
�19
sembling a very violent blast of wind, which filled the
whole house in which they had their “ sitting.” And there
appeared to them a divided flame, resembling fire, resting
upon each one in the circle; and they were all under the
spiritual influence, and began to speak in other languages
as the “spirit” influenced them, or enabled them to
speak. At that time there were residing in Jerusalem
Jews and religious men from all nations, who had come
to this festival; so, when this manifestation was known
among them, a large number came in to witness it, and
were completely confounded, for every man heard these
ignorant spiritualists speak in his own language. And
they all were greatly astonished, for they (the learned
priests of all religions) could not account for it that these
Galileans should speak in so many foreign languages.
And they asked one another what it meant; and some
said, “ These men are drunk,”—a reply nearly as stupid
as some religious men now make, when asked what these
same manifestations mean. But one of the twelve (see
verse 14) who composed the circle replied to them very
eloquently (probably under the influence). He took them
on their own ground, quoted from their own scripture,
showing that the thing had been spoken of a long time
before, and that it should continue through all time (see
verses 16 to 18). “ Your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and
your old men shall dream dreams. And I will show
wonders in the heavens above, and signs in the earth
beneath ; blood and fire and vapor of smoke.” (These
very things are now seen.) “Repent and receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit (the spiritual influence); for the
PROMISE IS UNTO YOU, AND TO YOUR CHILDREN, AND TO ALL
�20
THAT ARE AFAR OFF, EVEN AS MANY AS THE LORD YOUR GOD
SHALL CALL.”
The promise of Christ, in Mark 16 : 16,17, is so like
this, that we will here quote it. “ He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that
believe ; in my name shall they cast out devils (evil spirits);
they shall speak with new tongues ; they shall take up
serpents, and, if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover.”
So, then, all “ believers ” are spiritual
ists ; nay, more, they are mediums.
Speaking in unknown languages is several times referred
to in the writings of Paul. Hence we have the direct
testimony of two in the New Testament to this class of
phenomena, for which we have adduced the testimony of
nineteen.
CLASS VI.---- TEACHING TO READ.
For facts under this head, we furnish the testimony of
four witnesses,— cases V., VI. and X. John 7 : 15,1
believe, is the only statement in the New Testament of
any fact of this kind, — and yet who doubts that Jesus
was learned spiritually ?
CLASS VII.---- HEALING.
To facts of this kind we have given, in case VII., the
testimony of seventeen witnesses, who state all the par
ticulars, and give the names of the persons healed. We
have also selected some of the most malignant cases of
almost every kind of disease ; and now we challenge any
believer in the New Testament miracles of this and the
�21
six previous classes to show wherein we have not pro
duced a far superior amount of evidence that the same
“ miracles ” are wrought now.
Whereas, no one of the six New Testament witnesses
would be allowed in our courts, — for there is no certainty
about the authenticity of either of them, or the time of
their testifying, — at least thirty of our witnesses would
be allowed, and their testimony accepted, in any court in
the United States; for we not only know as to their per
sonal identity, the time, and all the circumstances of the
events to which they testify, but we could bring into
court the identical living witnesses, and with them a
thousand more from every large city in the United States.
And not only this, but we can produce witnesses on the
spot, and make the judges themselves testify to the facts,
which they shall be made to witness with their own eyes,
ears and hands.
3
V
�22
As to the five remaining cases, it no more follows that we should
believe them because we accept other accounts in the same book,
than that we should believe all the reports of modern spiritualists
because we know many of them to be true; or that we should
accept all which any historian may record, because we receive his
testimony as to some things. A narrator may be truthful and
wise in many things; and, in those, impartially relate the facts.
But his opinions, his zeal, or want of knowledge in respect to
other things, may wholly disqualify him to judge truly concern
ing them.
Many spiritualists, at the present day, being very zealous to
advance the cause, sometimes think they see what they do not;
nnd, from a small beginning, often get up a marvellous story, and
this, too, in perfect sincerity.
So the early Christians did; hence it is reasonable to suppose
the writers of the gospel histories, whoever they were, might be
influenced in the same manner. But it is said these writings are
an exception; their authors are inspired, and could not err. How
do we know this? The writers themselves nowhere claim it;
they do not even tell us who they are. Tradition is the only
authority we have for their inspiration; and that tradition came
through the Catholic church, else it originated since the Reforma
tion, and is worth nothing.
But the facts themselves contradict the idea of infallible inspir
ation ; for we find that in many places they make wrong assertions,
reason falsely, and positively contradict each other.
In giving the genealogies of Christ from Joseph to David,
Matthew gives twenty-eight, Luke forty-three generations. Mat
thew says the father of Jesus was the son of Jacob, Luke says he
was the son of Heli; —thus they differ, nor do they again agree
till they come to David.
The object in giving this genealogy evidently was to prove that
Jesus was the son of David. But what a foolish course, by trac
ing his descent through Joseph, who, according to both these
writers, was no more the father of Jesus than of John the Bap
tist ! It is said this discrepancy and blunder is of no consequence.
�23
This reply implies one of two things. These authors were in
spired to write on a subject 11 of no consequence,” and to make a
very stupid blunder, or they were not inspired at all. Accept
either alternative, and their writings are worth no more than those
of others. This one error is sufficient to overthrow every theory
of infallible inspiration.
But we will refer to a few of the many others. Matt. 1: 22,
23 is a very false application of Isaiah 17: 14, as will be readily
seen by reading the context. Such errors are very frequent with
these writers, as one cannot fail to see, by reading the chapters
of the Old Testament whence they are taken.
Again, Matt. 2 : 16, the story of Herod slaying all the male
children, through fear of an infant, is not only not mentioned in
any other history, and plainly contradicted by these writers them
selves, in the fact that John, then about six months old, was not
slain, but it is absurd in itself.
Now, pass to the death of Jesus. John says the trial and con
demnation took place before the Passover (17 : 28, 39: 19 : 14,
31). The other three make it come after the Passover (Matt.
26 : 17 ; Mark 14 : 12; Luke 22 : 7—15). Mark says he was
crucified at the third hour (15: 25) ; John, at the sixth hour (19:
14). They differ, too, in giving the superscription on the cross;
also, concerning the resurrection, who came to the sepulchre, the
time of their coming, whom they saw there, the number of an
gels (spirits), and the position in which they first saw them.
It is common among many to pass over these as trifling errors:
but, if these incidents are worth relating at all, they are worth
relating truly, and the errors should guard us against greater ones
contained in these writings.
But, suppose these five cases did occur as they are related,— so
far from disproving the modern “ spirit manifestations,” they cor
roborate them. They prove, at least, the possibility of spirit
intercourse.
In case XII. (the birth of Jesus) are given several accounts of
spirit manifestations,— spirits are seen, conversed with, and the
communications are reported (Matt. 1; 20, 21; 2 : 19, 20; Luke
1: 11—20, 26—32; 2: 9—14). The modern phenomena, being
�24
proved, prepare the way for belief in these eases; but they do
not furnish any evidence that either of these particular cases did
then occur. To prove this, would require testimony of the same
character and amount as to prove a similar fact at the present day.
CLASS VIII.—CURSING A FIG-TREE.
One can scarcely tell which is the more ridiculous, the act
itself, or the telling of the story as a fact in the history of that
meek and lowly person, Jesus. And yet it is reported, with all
the gravity of “ inspired penmen” in the two first gospels !! !
Matt. 21: 19,—££ And when he saw a fig-tree in the way, he
came to it, and, finding nothing thereon, but leaves only, he said
to it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth forever. And pres
ently the fig-tree withered away ! ! And when the disciples saw
it they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig-tree withered
away.’' Mark 11: 20, 21,— ££And the next morning, when
they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots !!
And Peter calling to remembrance, saith unto him, 11 Master,
behold, the fig-tree which thou cursedst is withered
away”! !! Jesus, who said, bless, and curse not, is here
made so foolish at to curse a poor fig-tree, because he was
disappointed in not finding figs thereon ! ! ! 0 shame ! ye who can
not better understand your Master than to think to do him service
by telling such foolish stories about him ! And ye who think it
wrong to doubt these stories, which would disgrace a loafer at the
present day ; think ye that one cannot truly appreciate the char
acter of Jesus unless he makes himself think he believes this
silly thing which somebody told about him ? It reminds us of
the ten thousand other stories which were told of him and im
plicitly believed by his early disciples. (See the £ 1 Apocryphal
New Testament.”) We will give a specimen of these. (First gos
pel of Thomas, concerning the infancy of Jesus * 19 : 16—21.)
££ Again, on another day, the Lord Jesus was with some boys
by a river, and they drew water out of the river by little chan
nels, and made little fish-pools. But the Lord Jesus made
* This Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ was believed by the Gnostics, a
sect of Christians, in the second century ; and several of the fathers, Eusebius,
Athanasius, Epiplianius, Chrysostom, and others, quoted from it.
�25
twelve sparrows, and placed them about his pool, on each side
three. Now, it was the Sabbath-day ; and the son of Hanani, a
Jew, came by, and, seeing them making these things, said, Do
ye thus make figures of clay on the Sabbath ? And, running to
them, he broke down their fish-pools. But when the Lord Jesus
had clapped his hands over the sparrows which he had made, they
fled away chirping ! At length the son of Hanani coming to the
fish-pool of Jesus to destroy it, the water vanished away, and the
Lord Jesus said to him, In like manner as this water has
vanished, so shall thy life vanish; and presently the boy died.”
Second gospel according to Thomas, 2: 1, 3,—“ Moreover,
the son of Anna he scribe was standing there with Joseph, and,
taking a bough ol a willow, scattered the waters which Jesus had
gathered into lakes. But the boy Jesus, seeing what he had
done, became angry, and said unto him, Thou fool, what harm
x did the lakes unto thee, that thou shouldst scatter the water ?
Behold now, thou slialt wither as a tree, and shalt bring forth
neither leaves, nor branches, nor fruit. And immediately he
became withered all over ! ”
But some will say this miracle of cursing the fig-tree was per
formed that the disciples might believe ; that the following verses
prove this, Matthew 21: 21,—“Jesus answered and said unto
them, Verily, I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye
shall not only do what is done unto the fig-tree, but also, if ye shall
say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and cast into the sea ;
it shall be done.” —Wonder if any of the disciples ever believed
this ! How would one of the modern disciples, who has not faith
enough to move a table, and does not believe any one can. however
great his faith,— how would such a disciple make up liis mouth to
say to a mountain, “Be thou removed and cast into the sea."
It appears, then, that Jesus did not succeed in this effort to in
crease the disciples’ faith, if this were his object, by cursing the
fig-tree.
People can talk about faith; but, test their faith by requesting
them to put it in practice, or to believe what another has really
done in their own age, near home, and they are found as sceptical
as the boldest atheist,— frequently more so.
*
3
�26
CLASS IX. — TURNING WATER INTO WINE.
This is frequently done at the present day, though we believe
most men prefer taking the wine clear. We do not mean by this
remark any disrespect for Jesus; we say it for all wine-makers,
and for them in the true spirit of wine, which is anything but
stupid gravity. If any believe Jesus to belong to the class of
wine-makers which they would not be among, we may offend them •
but. foi ourselves, we do not believe it, and we will here give the
reasons.
1st. We think the people at the wedding had already drunk
wine enough, having drained all their bottles; and for Jesus to
make six water-pots full more (at least thirty gallons) would
border on extravagance, if not intemperance.
2d. The only account of this is given in John 2 : 1—10, which
account is rendered impossible by circumstances related in the other
three gospels. Compare Matt. 3: 16, 17; 4 : 1—13 ; Mark 1:
10—13; Luke 4 : 12. John 2 : 1, “And the third day there was
a marriage in Cana of Galilee.” By the previous chapter, verses
28, 29 and 43, it is evident that this was the third day after the
baptism of Jesus by John. By the above references to the other
three gospels, it will be seen that 11 immediately (after the bap
tism) the spirit driveth him into the wilderness, and he was there
in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with wild
beasts, and the angels (spirits) ministered unto him,” which clearly
proves an alibi by three witnesses; therefore, the testimony of
John is good for nothing.
It will be observed that I reject the miracle wholly on the
ground of evidence, there being a decided balance against it; one
witness testifying that, in a certain place, on a certain time, Jesus
performed a certain act, while three witnesses testify that Jesus
was not there within forty days of that time, — that he was off in
the wilderness with the devil.
As to the fact of water being changed into wine, or something
resembling it, I think it could be easily explained by spirit agency.
I will briefly state two facts involving the same principles.
1st. By request of spirits, distilled water was hermetically
�27
sealed in a glass bottle. In this condition it twice changed its
color; then, being analyzed, was found to contain several mineral
substances of medicinal qualities.
2d. A lady medium being sick, by the request of spirits, put
several empty bottles into a room, and, while no person could enter,
these were taken off the mantel, placed in the centre of the floor,
and filled with medicine, which she used according to the direc
tions of the spirits, and was restored to health.
I could produce several witnesses who would testify to the above
facts, though I am sure many who believe, on the testimony of one,
that Jcsus made thirty gallons of wine at a wedding feast, would
ridicule the fact of spirits making a few quarts of medicine for a
poor sick woman, though it were testified to by twenty witnesses.
But I would say to those who may think it “ a sign of mental
defect,” that, while we accept many of the facts of modern spiritu
alism, we reject some of the reports of similar facts ages since,—
and to those spiritualists who think it wisdom to swallow down
all reports of ancient and modern wonders, however great, simply
because they know some to be true, — the fact that a thing is proved
possible by our knowledge of things involving the same principles,
by no means proves that the same thing happened on any partic
ular occasion. We still require testimony, or evidence of some
kind, in proportion to the infrequency of the event, and equal to
all the probabilities against it occurring in the particular case
under consideration.
I would also reply to one class above named, if you consider me
ilin some way mentally defective” for rejecting a part of the
New Testament “miracles,” while I have subsequently believed
some of the modern “ miracles,” can I think your mind perfectly
sound, when you, having previously believed all the New Testa
ment “miracles,” reject all the modern “miracles,” notwithstand
ing the balance of testimony in favor of the latter is as ten to one.
CLASS X.
Feeding “ five thousand men, besides women and children,
On FIVE BARLEY LOAVES AND TWO SMALL FISHES,” and then
taking up “twelve baskets-full of the fragments that re
�28
mained after they did all eat and were filled” ! ! !! ten times
the amount they had before eating ! This is truly a miracle! I
confess it goes far beyond anything related by modern spiritualists.
Nothing like it has occurred in these times, nor can I believe
anything like it will occur. We have four accounts of it given
in the New Testament, as we suppose, by four different persons,
though we do not know that either of these persons were present
on the occasion, or how they got their information, oi’ when they
made the statement.
But, if ten most reliable men in any community, at the present
day, should state that they were present on such an occasion, and
give all the particular circumstances of the case, I could not
believe the fact occurred; and I think, if an hundred, nay, the
whole five thousand, should testify to it, very few Christians would
believe it. I should say they were deceived,— bread and fishes,
in abundance, might be brought into the midst of such a multi
tude, and they know nothing about the means of bringing. Hence,
the inference is plain that I do not believe the fact above related:
and may I not infer the same in the case of others, whatever their
professions ? I can conceive an explanation of the fact (if it be a
fact) which, to many spiritualists, will be perfectly rational.
It has been asserted by thousands that spirits have moved mate
rial substances, and conveyed them to a greater or less distance
through the air. I have presented testimony to this effect in this
essay. But the most remarkable facts of this kind I have not
mentioned, for I know they would be rejected, however much
testimony I might produce in their favor. I have been told, by
the parties themselves, that spirits have conveyed letters from them
to the distance of several hundred miles, and brought back answers,
of which they gave me, in all gravity, the fullest particulars. Re
liable persons have stated that when they have been in want of
certain articles (specifying the articles), those very things have
been placed before them by spirits. The last spiritualist paper I
read gave an account of a ribbon and a knife being conveyed by
spirits across the Atlantic ocean. The case of the knife being
taken from under the table and again replaced, as stated by Mr.
Garrison, involves the same principle.
�29
This fact — the ability of spirits to convey material objects
through the air — being established, as it is, in connection with the
fact that angels or spirits ministered unto Jesus, Mark 4:11,
and what he said on one occasion, “ Thinkest thou that I cannot
now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than
twelve legions of angels (spirits)?” [Matt. 26: 53], suggests a
plausible explanation of the above miracle. Spirits, perhaps,
“more than twelve legions ” of them, were employed in bringing
bread and fishes from the neighboring towns and villages. But
this explanation, plausible as it is, and no doubt acceptable to
many spiritualists, appears to me really ludicrous. Why ? Simply
because it would be more natural and easy for Jesus to dismiss the
multitude, in accordance with the suggestions of his disciples, and
permit them to go home and get their supper, than to employ so
many angels to take each a loaf of bread and a fish under his
wing, and bring them into the desert, and, after they had there
eaten, immediately dismiss them to their homes. The object
secured by all this angelic parade “would not pay.” But how
much more would it not pay for the Almighty Ruler of a million
worlds, the infinite and unchangeable God, to suspend or counter
act any of the “ immutable laws ” by which he governs all nature,
or create new laws, to accomplish this simple object! The idea
of spirits doing it is ludicrous, but the idea of the Deity doing it
is a solemn absurdity. And any person whose mind is so consti
tuted that he cannot accept the wonderful facts of modern spirit
ualism, which we have given on the testimony of forty witnesses,
cannot believe this far more wonderful fact on the testimony of
four witnesses.
CLASS II. — RAISING A PERSON FROM THE DEAD.
There is only one case of this kind in the New Testament,
that of Lazarus. — In the other cases there is no certainty that
the persons were really deaf as any one will readily see by
referring to the accounts themselves. Persons are very frequently
supposed to be dead, and sometimes buried, when they are only in
a swoon. But I think, in the case of Lazarus, this could not be.
It is not at all probable that he could lie in this state four days,
�30
and in the tomb. I am aware that this account is given more in
detail than that of any other miracle in the New Testament. But
I will ask any candid person, who professedly believes this narrative
given in the writings of only one man, and those of doubtful au
thorship, but who finds it too great a stretch of credulity to believe
“modern miracles” on the testimony of a thousand living wit
nesses, — I will ask such a person, Could you believe a fact similar
to that related in the gospel of John, if ten most reliable men
should declare they saw it performed 2 If not, then may I not
infer that you, with me, do not believe this account? I think
the other gospel writers did not believe it, or they would have re
corded it. For, if it took place, they must have known it, as Jesus
was a particular friend in this family of Lazarus. It is a greater
miracle than they have mentioned; and I can account for their
silence only on the ground that they never heard the story,
or did not believe it. I know not why a big story could not grow
up from a small matter in that age, as well as in the present age.
All, who have read any considerable portion of the church fathers
know that the greater story they could tell, the better ; and who
can say how early they began to fabricate them, or when the
gospel of John was written?
The silence of the other three histories, as to this greatest of all
the miracles, looks rather suspicious. It can be accounted for
only in one of three ways : either the writers did not hear of the
miracle, or they did not believe it, or they did not think it of
sufficient importance to be recorded.
The last supposition cannot be accepted; for they all three, with
John, record several miracles, which we all know, and which they
must have known, were far less important than this.
Either of the others amounts to the same thing. For, had such
a miracle as this occurred in the presence of so “many Jews”
(John 11: 45 and 46), it would have been not only extensively
known, but well attested. This, and the fact that Lazarus, with his
family, were particular friends of Jesus and his disciples (John
11: 11), makes it certain that they all would have known the fact,
had it really occurred as related in the fourth gospel. So, if they
heard but did not believe the story, having the same means of
�91
Ol
knowing the facts, we must conclude that it was false. The
Jews, who did not believe in Jesus, might hear of this or any
other work of Jesus, and not believe it; or they might witness
facts, and think it a deception or an imposture, as many at the
present day, who disbelieve “spirit manifestations,” reject any
particular fact, though they may have been eye-witnesses to it.
But this could not be the case with the disciples of Jesus. They
would both have known and believed the fact, had Jesus raised
Lazarus to life, after he had been dead (11 : 13, 14) four days in
the tomb. Since, then, we are compelled to accept one of those
alternatives, — namely, that they did not know, or did not believe,
— we must conclude that the fact did not occur as related.
This reasoning proceeds on the supposition that the three first
gospels were written by the immediate disciples of Jesus; but, if
they were written by those of a later period, the reasoning, with
a slight alteration, will apply with equal force.
CLASS XII. — CHILD BORN WITH NO NATURAL FATHER.
How do we know ? Somebody said so. Who said so ? Sup
posed to be Matthew and Luke ! Who told them ? Suppose
Paul told Luke, and somebody told Matthew and Paul; for
neither of these persons knew anything about the child or its
mother till thirty years after he was born. Suppose, then,
the mother of the child told this story, for it must come to this at
last. Joseph’s dream cannot be credited among a people who do
not believe in dreams and visions; nor can any of the spiritual
communications to Mary, or any of the parties, be relied upon by
those who do not believe it possible for spirits to communicate to
mortals. We then have the story reported to us at second-hand,
at least.
Now, where is the court, in any country, which could accept
such second-handed testimony as this, for the most natural event ?
And could the most credulous Christian judge, upon any bench,
but smile with pity upon the unfortunate female who should per
sonally give oath before him that her child had no natural father,
or that an angel, or a spirit, had begotten him; and would he not
�32
be the more surprised, should she solemnly declare that no less a
spirit than God himself had done this ? Why, this goes beyond all
the spirit intercourse of modern times ; though there were many
similar stories told, and believed, in those ancient times. The
people then did not think it at all strange for the gods to have
intercourse with women; and it appears, by the Old Testament,
that Jews could credit such stories, as well as the heathens,—
Gen. 4 : 2 and 4.
I am fully aware that those who professedly believe these stories
do not receive them on the flimsy testimony which is given in
their support, but through their theories of ££ the fallf and ££ the
plan of redemption ; ” else they accept them from tradition and
habit, as they do many others, without the disposition or courage
to question them. But, should we not be cautious how we build
theories upon facts so poorly substantiated ? Theories to support
the facts — then make the facts support the theories ! and this
when both the theories and the facts are, in themselves, so mon
strous and absurd, if not blasphemous, that human nature revolts
at them 1
�TESTIMONY.
Case I.
No. 1. Testimony of seven to class 1., taken from a statement published
in “ The Spirit World," Feb. 1, 1851.
>
We, the undersigned, having witnessed this day, at the house of
La Roy Sunderland (No. 28 Elliot-st., Boston), the following phenom
ena, deem it proper, in this way, to make mention of them.
We asked the spirits if they would give us some physical manifesta
tions, and we were promptly answered by raps in the affirmative.
The table was then immediately moved in various directions, from
one to two feet, - and, at our request, was quite a number of times
turned over into the laps of those surrounding it. In two instances
it was raised entirely from the floor, and we are positive that no human
instrumentality was employed in producing these results.
Upon the evening of the same day we met again, with the addition
of two to our circle. The circle was formed in Mr. Sunderland’s back
parlor, as before, when the following, among other phenomena, were
produced.
On holding each other’s hands, so that no one was at liberty in the
room, a centre-table around which we were sitting was raised up from
the floor five times, and let down with considerable force, so as to shake
the floor. Once or twice the raps were made, not on the table, but *
with it, the table being used by the spirit, as we were assured, to rap
on the floor.
Five times the table was upset and turned over, so that it fell sidewise upon the floor, with violence. A small bell, which stood upon the
table, was moved without human hands from the table, four times. It
*
was thrown upon the floor, thrown into the lap of Dr. Kibbee,. and
4
�finally it was removed by the spirit, and they spelled out, “ Find the
bell, which was the first we knew of its absence. Search was made
by one of the company, while the others remained in the circle, holding
each other s hands. After the search had been continued for some
minutes, the bell was accidentally discovered in Mrs. Cooper’s lap, as it
fell out from the folds of her apron ! During the whole of this tinw,
Mrs. Cooper’s hands had been held in the hands of two of the company,
standing or sitting, by her side. We can only say, that we have been
profoundly impressed with the conviction that no human agency what
ever was used in the production of the phenomena we have described.
Signed,
7i. P. Kibbee, M. D., Springfield, Mass.
Rufus Elmer,
«
«
Nelson L. Elmer,
“
«
Theodore M. Smith, Boston,
«
George E. Haskell,
“
“
Z. Rogers, Charlestown,
“
Moses Babcock, “
«
Boston, Jan. 22d, 1851.
No. 2. Testimony of three to class I., taken from a statement which
appeared in “ The Pittsburg Despatch:'
On the evening of Friday, March 21st (1851), our circle met at
the house of Mr. Courtney. After mentioning some conversation with
what they supposed an ignorant spirit, and some very violent physical
phenomena, to remove the ground for suspicion, we then formed a com
plete circle of all in the room, around the table, joining hands; Mary
and Mrs. Bushnell (mediums) included. A case-knife was then thrown
from the mantel into the middle of the floor, a distance of several
yards. Another book was thrown from the stand against the opposite
wall; and various other articles were tossed about in a strange mann®r
all the while a loud and muffled knocking being kept up,' caus
ing the house to shake, and the table to jar and tremble. There is not
in this case the slightest ground for suspicion of fraud and collusion, as
our two media were in the circle during the last scene, with their hands
tightly held. We will not, for a moment, suppose that the charge of
imposition will be alleged against any- of the others present, as they are
all well known in this community, with the exception of Mr. Joseph
Ketler, of New Castle, Pa., whose character can be sworn to be unex• ceptionable.
The following persons were present: W. S. Courtney, William II.
�35
Williams (broker), Milo A. Townsend, William McDonald, Joseph
Ketler, Mrs. Courtney, Mrs. Bushnell and Mary and Caroline Cronk,
all of whom are willing to testify to the facts above related.
Signed,
W. S. Courtney.
Milo A. Townsend.
William McDonald.
No. 3. Testimony of eight to class I.
To the Editors of the Republican : As many of our citizens
are of opinion that the wonders of Spiritualism, so called, have been
explained away by Prof. Grimes, as being a manifestation of the mes
meric power, and as the professor asserted that the manifestations
would cease from that time forth in this community, I am induced to
offer you the following facts, which I, in company with several other
persons, witnessed at the house of Rufus Elmer, in this city, on the
evening of the 28th of February, 1854. The circle, consisting of nine
persons besides the medium, were seated around a common cherry
table, when the following phenomena occurred. The table commenced
a trembling, vibratory motion ; sounds were heard on the floor and table,
some of which were very loud. Then the table was rocked with great
force; then raised nearly, if not quite, two feet from the floor, and was
held supported in mid air with a waving motion, as if floating on the
agitated waters of the sea, for considerable time. This operation was
repeated a number of times. Then, by the tipping, we were directed
to place the dinner-bell (weighing one pound one ounce) under the
table, on the floor, where it was rung with great violence many times;
questions answered by the raps upon it, and with it each individual in
the circle was touched in such a manner that there could be no mistake
about it. We then requested the spirits to pass the bell from the floor,
and place it into our hands, which was done to each individual sepa
rately ; and again, at our request, it was taken from our hands, and
carefully deposited upon the floor. Again, while we sung the hymn,
“ While shepherds watched,” the bell was raised from the floor and rung
in perfect time with the measure of the tune sung (Old Coronation),
after which another tune was drummed out with the bell against the
under side of the table, the sound resembling the roll of drumsticks in
the hands of a skilful performer upon a tenor drum. This was con
tinued for several minutes.
•
All the above I know was performed without human agency; the
�36
hands of each person present, during the whole performance above
described, being on the top of the table, with the room well lighted,
and in the full view of every person present; and this was also the
case during the whole sitting. During the whole time of the various
performances with the bell, as well as before and after it, our garments
were pulled almost constantly; two handkerchiefs were firmly knotted
together, while laying in the laps of the owners; our persons were
many times touched more or less forcibly, producing a peculiar and
indescribable sensation; some of us had our limbs grasped with con
siderable force, and distinctly felt the form of the spirit hand — a soft,
delicate, elastic yet powerful touch, which cannot be described, but
must be felt to be appreciated. The reader will bear in mind that the
hands of every person present were in plain view on the top of the
table.
“ The name of the medium is withheld, he being, like many others in
our city, unwilling to face the bitter contempt, scorn and sneers, which
must be borne by all who have the moral courage to honestly and fear
lessly advocate and defend the claims of the modern manifestations to
a spiritual origin.
Yours, in the cause of truth,
H. F. Gardner.
Springfield, March 1, 1854.
We, the other members of the circle above referred to, most sol
emnly and emphatically declare the foregoing statement, subscribed by
Dr. Gardner, to be strictly and literally true; and that we were sever
ally in our normal condition, both of mind and body, were fully con
scious of all that transpired, and know, as well as we are capable of
knowing any fact, that the manifestations above related were produced
by some invisible intelligence entirely independent of ourselves or of
the medium.
Mrs. John Lord,
F. C. Andreu,
Mrs. R. Elmer,
Rufus Elmer,
Mrs. S. A. Richie,
Marshall Elmer,
Miss Mary M. Harris.
Springfield, March 1, 1854.
[Springfield Republican.
No. 4. Testimony of four to class I. Extract from a statement pub
lished in “ The Springfield Republican ” of 1853.
“ The undersigned, from a sense of justice to the parties referred to,
very cordially bear testimony to the occurrence of the following facts,
�37
which we severally witnessed at the house of Rufus Elmer, in Spring
field, on the evening of the 5th inst.
The table was moved in every possible direction, and with great
force, when we could not perceive any cause of motion.
Mr. Wells seated himself on the table, which was rocked for some time
with great violence; and at length it poised itself upon two legs, and
remained in this position for some thirty seconds, when no other person
was in contact with the table.
Three persons, Messrs. Wells, Bliss and Edwards, assumed positions
on the table at the same time, and while thus seated the table was
moved in various directions.
Occasionally we were made conscious of a powerful shock, which
produced a vibratory motion on the floor of the apartment in which
we were seated. It seemed like the motion occasioned by distant
thunder, or the firing of ordnance far away; causing the tables, chairs
and other inanimate objects, and all of us, to tremble in such a manner
that the effects were both seen and felt. In the whole exhibition we were
constrained to admit that there was almost constant manifestation of
intelligence, which seemed at least independent of the circle. During
these occurrences the room was well lighted, and every possible oppor
tunity was afforded us for the closest inspection; and we submit this,
our emphatic declaration.
We know we were not imposed upon nor deceived.
Wm. Bryant,
Wm. Edwards,
B. K. Bliss,
David A. Wells.
Note.— These four witnesses are, as I have been informed, well
known in this community, and are of undoubted veracity. Mr. Wells
is Professor of Chemistry in this University.
No. 5. Testimony of 1 to class I. Case of lifting a person into the
air, taken from Rev. Herman Snow's book on “ Spirit Intercourse,”
p. 64.
In the month of March, 1852, being at the house of Rev. J. J.
Locke, in the town of Barre, Mass., one evening, as we were seated in
a circle around a table, — I should say about a dozen persons present,
several of whom were strangers to us, — all listening to some messages
that were being spelled out by raps on the table (which stood inde
pendent from the touch of any), by the use of the alphabet; all was
*
4
�38
still and peaceful, the room well lighted, and no one expecting any
thing unusual, that I was aware of, when Mrs. Cheney’s right hand began
to rise very gradually and steadily — up, up — higher and higher —
till it seemed to raise her from the chaii’; still upward she was raised,
until she swung in the open atmosphere between the floor and ceiling,
and positively not coming in contact with any visible thing whatever.
Such are the facts in relation to the case, as near as I can state them.
If any should doubt the above statement, I am happy to say that I am
able to substantiate any part of it by reliable evidence.
'
Yours, in the faith,
Athol Depot, April 26, 1853.
S. F. Cheney.
Note.— Mr. Snow states that Mr. and Mrs. Cheney are personal
acquaintances of his; that they are of excellent moral character, and
members of Rev. Mr. Clark’s church, in Athol; and may be referred
to for the fact, should any one question it.
Case II.
No. 1. Testimony of 2 to classes I and II.
Messrs. Partridge and Brittan.
Dear Sirs : We have some very strong spiritual manifestations here
in Baltimore. Our citizens are waking up to investigate the beautiful
phenomena, and we have a large number of mediums being developed.
We have also an association for investigating the subject, and over two
hundred private circles. The following is a brief description of the
phenomena which occurred at one of our private circles:
The circle met at 8 o’clock in the evening, at B. S. Benson’s house
— five ladies and four gentlemen being present. The circle was formed,
the lights were removed, and, after singing, Miss L., Miss H., Mrs. A.
P. P., mediums present, were perceived to be in the interior state, by
their description of things then transpiring in the room. It was said,
“ There is Franklin; there are three others with him; they have boxes
under their arms; they place them under the table ; they are going to
make raps ; they say something is wrong; they have gone over in the
corner of the room, and are talking together and pointing to the table;
they now bring two more boxes ; they say they are going to break the
table.” The raps, or rather pounding, commenced, and were as if made
by a muffled mall, of many pounds’ weight, suspended under the table,
at first striking so lightly as not to raise the table, but increasing by
�39
degrees, until the table was raised from the floor some ten or twelve
inches, all four legs of the table being off the floor at once. The table
was heard to drop, as if it had fallen some distance, with a tremendous
crash. There were no material means used to produce the raps, nor did
there exist a possibility of deception, there being no one in the room
but those joined in the circle, hand in hand, around the table, not one
of whom touched the table at the time. The table was at one time
thrown on the lap of a lady present, and thrown off by the same
unseen power. All present, at times, saw lights in different directions
around the room, as well as over the table. After some tremendous
poundings, which made some of those present fear they would be struck
with pieces of the table, it was then spoken by one of the mediums,
“ Nothing more to-night.”
Yours, truly,
B. S. Benson,
W. W. Laning.
No. 2. Testimony of 1 to classes II. and III. Experience of a Clergy
man. From “ Spiritual Telegraph," April 15, 1854.
Having been a Methodist local preacher, in England and America,
for about twenty years, I had many difficulties to contend with ; yet I
considered that if Spiritualism was what it purported to be, it would
be worth everything to me.
I have twelve children, and a number of them are writing, speaking
and seeing mediums; therefore I have had a good opportunity to inves
tigate. I did that which many professors do not do. I did not try to
prove the spirits good or bad spirits by my old opinions, but permitted
them to write whatever they thought proper. My wife has given me
all the evidence I could wish for. * * * *
From the time of her death up to the present time, I have received
evidence enough to satisfy any reasonable man. * * * * I have
also constantly received communications from relations and friends.
They told me I was to be a seeing medium, and so it proved.
The first I saw was (as they call it) the spirits in open daylight
(not in the body). They are always with me. * * * *
They light me to bed with a bright cloud, and I can see them by
candle-light moving around the room in colors of crimson and blue;
and now of late I am enabled to see my father, mother, sister and
brother-in-law; but none as plainly, or so long at a time, as my wife.
�40
I have been able to examine her features and dress. She looks
about thirty years of age. * * * *
Joseph Brydle.
Kellogsville, Ashtabula Co., Ohio.
Case III.
No. 1. Testimony ofl to class III.
While at High Rock, Katy professed to see the spirit of the wife
of J esse Hutchinson, who left the form before she came to this country.
On being shown a number of daguerreotype likenesses, one of which
was that of Mrs. H., without any intimation as to the object, she imme
diately exclaimed, “ 0, there’s Mrs. Hutchinson ; ” and, the company
refusing to acknowledge the fact, and apparently denying it, only made
her the more earnestly declare that it was the countenance she had
seen in the spirit world! She never had seen the likeness of Mrs. H.
before.
Rufus Elmer.
Nov. 6, 1852.
No. 2. Testimony of (1) Mr. Chase and seven others, to classes 1 and
III. Taken from Adin Ballou's “ Spirit Manifestations."
About the last of October, 1851, I was at the house of Marcus C.
Wilcox, of Blackstone. What purported to be his wife, Sybil Chase
spelled out through the raps, in answer to the question if it would ever
be possible for her to take his hand; “ I cannot shake hands with you
here, but, if you will go to the house of Meltiah Knowlton, in Green
ville, R. I., and sit with Daniel Knowlton, I will take hold of your
hand.” At the same time my father and George Knowlton, who pur
ported to be present, said they would take hold of my hand, if I
would go to Greenville and sit with Daniel.
Soon after this, in company with Mr. C. Wilcox he went to the
house of Mr. Knowlton, in Greenville. He says, I then held out
my hand in open space, where it was not possible to be reached
by any one present without altering their position, — which they did
not, as I must have seen them, — I felt a hand as perfect as that
of a living person; the touch and separation of th.e fingers were
plainly perceptible. It purported to be the hand of my former
wife. One of her hands was deformed by being badly burnt when a
child. Two of her fingers were bent inwards toward the palm, and
the nail on one of the fingers was very short and thick. I then asked
�41
her to put her deformed hand into mine, which she immediately did ;
and then passed her fingers with the thick nail, over the palm of my
hand, as if to convince me of her identity. Afterward, my father and
George Knowlton (or what purported to be them) put their hands into
mine.
Much more was done at the time; one particular of which I will
relate. I held in my hand two pieces of money, which were taken out
and passed into the hand of Mrs. Knowlton at a distance of about six
feet, by an invisible hand.
Blackstone, June 30, 1852.
(The above is given in the words of Mr. Chase.)
If the believers in the New Testament accounts object to the reality
of the above phenomena, on account that the physical deformity of a
hand could not be continued in the spirit world, or represented by a
spirit, we would refer them to the case mentioned in the twentieth chap
ter of John, where a spirit (“the doors being shut”) appeared in the
midst of a company, and exhibited to the touch of one present, the
wounds inflicted upon his physical body but few days before. It seems
the two cases are very similar; and certainly the testimony in favor of
the case we present is as reliable as that in favor of the case here
referred to; for we have in the one case the words of the very person
who witnessed the fact, while in the other we do not; nor does the
writer say he was present on the occasion, or tell us how he obtained
his information. If it be asserted that, in the case of Thomas, an
object was accomplished, we will give the very words of Mr. Chase, to
show that precisely the same object was accomplished in his case.
“ For more than twenty years,” says he, “ I was a confirmed sceptic, or
infidel, as the people called me. I did not believe man had an immor
tal soul, or any existence after the death of the body; but, in witness
ing the incident related hereafter, relative to the defective hand of
Sybil Chase, my former wife, feeling the bent and stiffened fingers, the
short and thick nails, my scepticism departed, and I believed that man
possessed an immortal part.” I will further quote from Mr. Ballou in
reference to Mr. Scott and Mr. Wilcox, both being present with Mr.
Chase on the occasion above named. Mr. Wilcox affirms that this
(feeling the pressure of spirit hands) has taken place, to his knowl
edge, more than one hundred times. The grasp is generally sensible,
firm and cordial. Mr. Wilcox says he has frequently been permitted
to feel of the hand, wrist, and part of the arm, as deliberately as he
�42
ever did one of flesh and blood. The spirits represent that they have
power, under certain circumstances, to assume forms proper to manifest
themselves to the senses of mortals, either to touch or sight. Mr.
Ballou states that Emery Scott, Ellis Cook, Marcus Wilcox and his
wife Eliza, distinctly saw a spirit hand and arm, on several occasions,
both separately and together; and states the particulars which render
it impossible that they should be deceived. At the close of the chap
ter, he says, “ The persons referred to in the foregoing narrative
(Harvey Chase, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus C. Wilcox, Mr. Emery Scott,
Elis Cook, Benj. Ray, of Blackstone, Meltiah Knowlton and Daniel
Knowlton, of Greenville, R. I.) have authorized me to refer any
doubter or inquirer to them, as witnesses of the facts set forth, and of
numerous similar facts. Messrs. Emery Scott, Marcus C. Wilcox
and Harvey Chase, are not only willing, but desirous, that I should
state to the public their conversion to a firm and happy belief in the
immortality of all human souls. Scott was for many years an intelli
gent but inveterate materialist. He says he desired to believe in
man’s future existence, but could find no proof of it adequate to a
rational conviction. He ridiculed the very idea of spirits communicat
ing with mortals, and for some time stubbornly refused to witness what
was going on at the house of Mr. Wilcox. Mr. Wilcox was brought
up an Atheist, and says he ‘ hated the very sight of the Bible from
childhood.’ ”
Here we have an equivalent to the testimony of eight persons, vouched
for by Adin Ballou (of Hopedale, Mass.), whose veracity and whose
candor are above suspicion. Besides, the persons are ready to be
referred so by those who doubt, — their names and residences being
given ; the parties, some of them at least, more sceptical and not at
all inclined to favor the spiritual side of nature. They had no preju
dices in favor, but all against, the idea of communications from spirits
out of the body. To reject such testimony, without a thorough
inquiry, by referring to the witnesses themselves, and making personal
experiments with the same, or other mediums, in whose presence such
facts are said to occur, is not only unscientific- and irrational, but the
most stupid bigotry, which none save those whose whole minds are made
up of traditions taken in with their mother’s milk, and with as little
thought, will be guilty of.
�43
Case IV.
JVo. 1. Testimony oflto class IV.
Mr. J. F. Lanning, says: “ In the month of August, 1851, I first
became sensibly influenced by some invisible power moving my hand to
write without the aid of my will, and in a short time very rapidly.
* * * * I have also often heard whisperings^ as distinctly as if
some one was at my side in conversation with me."
No. 2. Testimony of 1 to classes III. and TV. Taken from a state
ment published in the first “ Spiritual Telegraph."
* * * * That same day I received another word or words
sealed up as the first, from the hands of a gentleman, who is now, and
has been for several years, the proprietor of a city paper, with a
request similar to the first. I was sitting alone in my chamber at my
residence, a short distance from the city, at about eleven o’clock on the
night of the 8th of April, when * * * * I saw the form of my
wife standing within arm’s-length of my chair, and near the table. It
is utterly impossible for me to describe her appearance, further than
that she was, so far as features were concerned, just as she appeared in
life; but there was a bright, almost dazzling radiance about her, which
defies description.
After standing for, perhaps, ten seconds, with her eyes all the time
fixed on me, she took up from the table the sealed envelope, held it in
her fingers, and smiled as I had seen her a thousand times when living.
I am as well satisfied that I saw the words in the envelope quite as
plainly as I do these which I am now writing, as I am of my own
existence. I took up my pen, and wrote two names; whereupon the
“ presence,” or whatever it was, laid down the envelope with the most
meaning smile of satisfaction I ever beheld, and almost immediately
took up a pencil, and — I did not see her write, or lay down the pencil;
but I did see the pencil laying on the paper, and there, too, I saw the
following sentence, written in Spanish, and the exact chirography of
my wife when alive : “ God has called a mighty army for my hus
band.” Thirty seconds might have passed, during which time I sat
and gazed at the “ form,” as free from agitation as I ever was in my
life; when she spoke, —and I should have recognized that voice in an
instant among ten thousand, even had I not seen her. “ I must go
now, but I will come again, some time; ” and the next moment I was
�44
conscious of being alone, although I have no knowledge how the pres
ence disappeared. On the succeeding night I saw her in my room
three several times after I was in bed; and, if ever I heard words audi
bly spoken in my life, it was that “ form,” saying, “ Husband, I have
been to bless our little Inez.” (Our child, now nearly three years old,
at Grenada, in Spain.) On the following Monday, I gave the words
which I had written, together with the sealed envelope, to the gentle
man from whom I had received it, and who, after satisfying himself
that no efforts had been made to get at its contents, declared the names
to be correct; then, opening the envelope, in presence of witnesses who
had seen it sealed, proved, by comparing them, that they were correct
in every particular. * * * *
George R. Raymond.
Case V.
No. 1. Testimony of 1 to class V. Taken from a statement of Dr.
Joseph R. Buchanan, of Cincinnati, Ohio ; published in the
“ Journal of Man,” for May, 1852.
Spirits not only rap out the messages in languages foreign to the
medium, but, by impressing the mind of a suitable medium, enable him
to speak in a language to him entirely unknown.
Dr. Buchanan goes on to relate the particulars of a female speaking
French. She stated in that language, wholly unknown to her, that a
bloody war would soon break out, and overwhelm the continent of
Europe.
He also says of Mr. F.: “ This young gentleman, a school-teacher
by profession, having no knowledge of any foreign language, except a
slight smattering of Latin, has fallen under the influence of spirits
belonging to other nations, and speaks their language familiarly, with
out knowing the meaning of what he is uttering. * * * * Under
the influence of the Indian chief, Red Jacket, he delivers Indian
speeches, sings Indian songs, and performs the Indian dances. * * * *
Two of the company present, who were acquainted with the Indian
languages, spoke of his speech with approbation, as a genuine Indian
harangue, and a fine specimen of oratory. Mr. F. also declaims in a
language supposed to be Chinese, as he writes, under the control of the
same spirit, characters which resemble Chinese writing. I have sev
eral specimens of his writing in the character of a medium, some of
which resemble the Chinese, others the Arabic, and others the Hebrew.
�45
No. 2. Testimony of one to classes I., V. and VI. From a private
letter to the Ed. “ Spiritual Telegraphy
Wheeling, Va., July 1, 1852.
In the same vicinity [Lloydsville, Bel. Co., Ohio] is a child who is
made to speak Dutch, though she is of Irish descent. Another, who
never wrote a word, never tried to learn, and yet she has written a
legible hand while under spirit influence.
In Harrison Co., Ohio, at the house of Mr. Steel, almost every
article of furniture is moved. A stand placed in the centre of the
room moves about when no person is in the house !
J. B. Wolf.
Case VI.
No. 1. Testimony of one to class VI.
N. Y. Conference,— Weekly Report, — Friday, Aug. 6th, 1854.—
Meeting large. Dr. Smith mentioned the case of a child, some seven
or eight years of age, — the family of an acquaintance of his.
She appears to be a medium of considerable powers ; but, what is
more singular, the child, without having been taught, as far as is known
to any of the family, has recently and most unexpectedly been able to
read ! The child’s Own simple statement of the matter is, that her
mother in heaven has come to her, and taught her to read.
R. T. Hallock, Seely.
No. 2. Testimony of one to class VI.
New York Conference, Friday Evening, March Ath, 1853.—Mr.
Waters, among many other interesting facts, stated that, in West Troy,
a child four years old had been developed as a medium. The child
cannot write, yet communications are made through her in writing, and
with fac-similes of the hand-writing of deceased persons.
R. T. Hallock, SeCy.
Note. — This case, though not precisely the same as being taught
to read, involves the same principles, and is equally remarkable.
Case VII.
No. 1. Testimony of one to class VII.
The following interesting letter we take from the Practical Christian,
5
�46
of which Adin Ballou is the principal editor. A. A. Ballou, the
communicating spirit, is the son of Adin, and departed from the earth
life some two years ago.
Cuba, N. Y.
Dear Adin: On the 21st of Jan. last, 1854, Augustus took
control of Cora, and commenced influencing a sick lady who was very
low with the asthma. After operating upon the patient a few moments,
Cora was caused to lay her hands upon Miss Lucina Folsom, another
medium. Miss F. was immediately entranced, and resumed the busi
ness of operating upon the sick lady.
[The spirit here gives to the medium a description of the disease.]
About one-third of one lobe of the lungs was consumed, and the
surrounding parts appeared in a decaying condition. The bronchial
tubes on that side were obstructed by a thick glutinous substance,
which prevented the natural circulation.
lie raid the disease could be arrested where it was, and the lungs
healed over; but the organs could not be created anew where they
were gone. Cora was. again entranced, and wrote : “ If Lucina will
come here, we will operate on the sick lady, and she will receive great
benefit. Come about once a week.” This was a desperate case, of
many years’ standing. The patient was reduced to a mere skeleton,
and had not lain down in bed for some six months, on account of suf
focation. I have lately received a letter from her father, stating that
she now does her housework, shows no signs of her disease, is gaining
flesh fast, and has laid in bed without difficulty from the time above
mentioned. This was the first case, and unexpected to us all; the sub
ject not having been introduced or anticipated.
Another circumstance. One evening, Augustus delivered a lecture
through Cora, in our circle at Lake Mills, concerning heaven and hell
as being a state or condition of the mind, the spirit-land a place, &c.
&c. After closing the discourse, he said he must leave immediately,
and go to Waterloo, — that there was a gathering there, and a medium
from Sun Prairie, through whom he could speak. This was about
forty-five minutes past 7. We ascertained, the next day, that at about
that moment Mr. Budlong, of Sun Prairie, was entranced, and the
spirit announced his name to be A. A. Ballou, who spoke a communi
cation concerning heaven and hell as being a state or condition of the
mind, the spirit-land a place, &c. &c.; the identical subject, word for
word, that was delivered to us a few minutes before. The distance
between the two places is eight miles, and we had no knowledge of
their meeting, nor they of ours.
�47
I will not attempt to relate any more circumstances relative to this
subject. Were I present with you, I could tell you similar and more
“ astounding facts,” till my speech had become mute with hoarseness.
I am here with Cora, making an “ uproar among the people.” Through
Cora, a lecture has been delivered and questions answered before an
assembly of some five hundred people. The spirit-doctor has taken all
the cases of the worst character, — such as total blindness, consump
tion in the last stages, hereditary infirmities, &c., where all earthly
hopes are gone, — if the patients are willing and desirous of submitting
themselves to spirit influence. In such cases, the disease is arrested,
and the patient begins to recover from “ that very hour.” The Lord
knows what will become of us, or where we shall end — I don’t. This,
however, I do know, “ we enter into rest,” and are at peace with all
men — desiring the truth.
D. W. Scott.
No. 2. Testimony of one to class VII. Three cases of healing. H. H.
Hunt, Clergyman, Medium, from “ Spiritual Telegraph," Jan. 8,
1853.
Addison, Sept. 13, 1852.
In September, 1851, while in Indiana, I went to hear the rappings,
when I became convinced that there must be a spiritual agency in
volved in the matter. But by my position as a preacher of the Gospel
x being restrained from giving my sentiments to the public, I remained
silent, until January of 1852, when two of my daughters became
media for the sounds. After investigating the matter, and still finding
no other solution than the spiritual theory, I imputed it to the devil,
who, appearing as an angel of light, stood ready to deceive the very
elect. Indeed, I was angry at the sounds; but, as they would not
stop, I made this request, — that the unseen powers would not make my
children victims of hell, but spare them and try me.
After retiring the same night, the spirits paralyzed both my arms,
keeping them in continual motion until six o’clock in the morning, when
the circular alphabet was handed me ; and then I learned my duty
from good authority. As soon as this was made clear, I commenced
holding meetings in public, and up to this date my time has been spent
lecturing on the subject. * * * Ata circle held at Adrian, the first
Sunday in July, the spirits wrote, “ Seek the lame, the halt and the
infirm, and they shall be healed.” I then remarked to Mr. J. Rey
nolds, “ It cannot be done; if that is read, away go the spirits, and
converse to others, for some one will be presented and not cured.”
�48
Nevertheless the call was read by my colleague, when Mr. Lyons
presented himself, stating that his leg had been drawn up by rhenmatism four years, and was under acute pain at the time.’ Without
exercise of my own volition, I was thrown into the spiritual state, and
placed before him. I was also made to speak by the power of the
spirit. Like doubting Thomas of old, I put my hand on him, and he
was made whole. He dropped his cane, and went away rejoicing, fleet
as a boy of sixteen.
Cure of Fits.
2. After this, a child, son of D. C. Smith, was very sick. The
physician having given the most powerful medicine for stopping the
fits without effect, the father called me in. I seated myself by the boy,
and was put in communication with him by an unseen agency. Soon
the patient showed too clearly that another fit was coming on; but,
instead of his suffering from the attack, the whole power of the malady
fell on me. The agonizing distress, the clenched fist and contracted
muscle, gave me alarm for my own safety; but the second thought,
that I was in the hand of spirits, quieted me, and I threw off the attack.
The boy had no more fits, but got well.
3. Last July, I was called to visit Mrs. Brownell, near Adrian. She
had been sick with a weak back and continual pain in the side. Her
doctor said her liver was decayed, and she could never regain her
health.
I was moved by the power of spirits to lay my hand on her back
and head, when she said, “ I feel strange and dizzy.” I told her to
trust in God, for he was able to restore her to health. She now is well,
doing the work of her family, which she had not done before for two
years.
There are other cases which I might give, if time would permit.
Yours, in spiritual affinity,
H. H. Hunt.
No. 3. Testimony of one to class VII. “ Spirit Telegraph,” Sept. 1853.
Bridgeport, Jan. 13, 1853.
Six weeks ago last Thursday evening, Mrs. Phebe Jane Wooster, of
this place, was developed as a spiritual medium. The spirits say that
her mission, at present, is to heal the sick and wounded, the lame, the
halt and the blind. Previous to her development as a medium, she
was rather opposed to Spiritualism, but was willing to investigate the
subject. She was never an enthusiast, but submitted all subjects to the
�49
test of reason, and would never assent to anything until sufficient evi
dence was given to convince her of its truth. She was always modest
and unassuming in her deportment, and hence is compelled to do and
say many things, when acted on by spirits, in opposition to her own
views and feelings, even in the normal state. When this part of her
mission was first announced by the spirits, I must confess I was some
what sceptical about it. But my scepticism was soon removed, for, the
third day after she was developed, her predicted powers were put to
the test, and found competent to remove even a putrid disease.
The case to which I allude is as follows: Mrs. Julia Dunn, a near
neighbor, had a putrid sore throat. Large lumps or kernels had gath
ered in it, to such a size that she said she could neither swallow, speak
nor breathe, without suffering the severest pain. She told Mrs. W.
that she wished her to cure her, if possible; to which Mrs. W. replied,
that she knew nothing about it herself, but that the spirits said she could
be cured in less than twenty-four hours.
The spirits immediately took possession of the medium, and caused
her to make passes over the head, throat and stomach, of Mrs. Dunn,
for the space of thirty minutes, after which she turned to the patient
and said, “ To-morrow morning you will be well! ”
The next morning Mrs. Dunn’s complaint had entirely disappeared,
and she was as well as usual.
On the evening of the 24th of December, as we were all engaged in
conversation, my little daughter was taken with a fit, caused, the spirits
said, by sleeping with a cat; and I have every reason to believe that,
if Mrs. W. had not been there at the time, she would not have lived
fifteen minutes. What was most remarkable about it was, that none of
us knew anything was the matter with the child, until the medium was
acted on, got up out of her chair, and went to the child, who was sit
ting directly behind her, and exclaimed, “What is the matter with
Lydia Ann ? ”
I immediately went to the child, and found she was quite cold, and
had stopped breathing; but the medium took her in hand, and, after
making a few passes over her, she revived. . The child said she knew
when Mrs. W. first took hold of her, but that she could neither speak,
breathe, nor stir; that a sort of numbness came over her, and she
experienced no pain.
Case of Asthma cured.
The next day or two after, Mrs. W. was called on to go and see
*
5
�50
one of our neighbors, who had an attack of the asthma. I went in
company with her.
She had not been in the house long before she was acted on, and
spoke as follows:
“You think you are better than you were yesterday, because you
can breathe easier; but the fact is, you are not as well. True, your
asthma is not as bad, but a more deadly disease is eating at your vitals,
which, if not arrested, will terminate in physical death. But fear not;
have confidence in God, and you shall shortly be healed.”
She then commenced operations by placing one hand in his bosom,
and making passes over his system with the other. In about five
minutes’ time, the hand she placed in his bosom was as red as a piece
of scarlet, from the tip of her fingers to the elbow. She changed hands
alternately, and continued to work over him about an hour; after which
she declared he would be well on the morrow, with the exception of a
weakness, from which it would take him two or three days to recover.
Now, it is well to remark that no one suspected the person of having
any fever, more than generally results from a cold; but the medium
had not worked over him longer than ten minutes, before the room was
so filled with fever, it became sickening, and they were obliged to
throw open the door, and let in fresh air, notwithstanding it was a very
cold day, and there was but very little fire in the room at the time.
The spirits said the disease was typhus fever, and those present at the
time believed it.
Cyrus Tyrrell.
No. 4. Testimony oflto class VII.
Morris, Ostego Co., N. Y., Oct. 1852.
I know that I have conversed with the spirits of my departed friends,
as well as I know that I exist, and by the same kind of evidence. I
know by the aid of my natural senses and reason that I exist, and by
the same evidence I know that I communicate with departed spirits.
* * * * For the last six years of my life, my health has been
extremely poor, until I became a medium for spirit communications;
and, by the direction of the spirits, I am now restored to comfortable
health, and, what is better still, I am confirmed in the faith that man is
immortal.
Sarah Herron.
G. T., Dec. 11, 1852.
�No. 5. Testimony of 2 to class VII. S. C. Hewitt and John M. Spear,
“ The Prisoner's Friend."
I select the three following from the many remarkable cures which
have been performed through Mr. Spear, as specimens of the others. I
have heard the first from 'Mr. Spear himself (as I have heard him
relate many more). There can be no doubt as to Mr. Spear’s perfect
sincerity in this whole matter, and the circumstances are such as to
preclude the possibility of his being the dupe of any hallucination.
On the 21st of March, 1852, Mr. Spear’s hand, moving with no con
scious volition, took the pen and wrote, “ You must go to Abington (a
town twenty miles distant), to-morrow night — you will be wanted
there — call on David Vining.” * * * *
Never having had any experience in cases of this kind, and not
knowing anything about Mr. Vining, or what was wanted, Mr. Spear
was very sceptical, and hesitated to obey this request, till it was
urgently pressed several times, and many promises of good results had
been made.
He finally consented to go, as the unseen power directed. He re
ceived several special and encouraging communications in the course of
his journey. Among others was a perfectly satisfactory explanation of
why he was directed to go to Abington, instead of the adjoining town
of Weymouth, where Mr. Vining lived, it being important that he
should go to Abington. From Abington he took with him Mr. Phi
lander Shaw, by spirit direction, and went to Mr. Vining’s house in
W eymouth.
Mr. Spear had never heard of Mr. Vining before, and knew nothing
of the purpose of his being sent to him, till he arrived and found Mr.
Vining very sick with neuralgia.
He had been in the most extreme pain for ten days, and during all
this time had not slept. Mr. Spear immediately felt moved to sit by
his side; which being done, Mr. Spear’s hand began involuntarily to
move, and rested itself on the head of Mr. Vining, near the ear. The
latter in a moment caught up his foot, saying, “ What are you doing
to my leg ? ”
“ I am not doing anything to your leg,” was the reply.
“Well,” said Mr. Vining, “the pain is all gone.”
*
Mr. Vining being then requested to take his bed, replied that he
was afraid to do so while Mr. Spear was present; but, being reassured,
he consented, and, after a refreshing sleep, which had continued for
�52
some time, he remarked an angel had visited him in his sleep, and done
him good.
Mr. Vining soon went about his business, as usual. This he contin
ued till, in consequence of great exposure, he took a severe cold, which
was followed by neuralgia, of which, in about fifty days from the first
cure, he died; Mr. Spear being prevented, by his doubting friends,
again visiting him.
If, from the fact of his subsequent death, it be considered that his
•first cure was not real, we might urge the same objections to every
case of Christ; — for I presume none will doubt that all he cured have
since died,— how soon after the cure by him is not known.
That the cure of Mr. Vining was real and complete, has been fully
confirmed by many witnesses. Should any one doubt, I would refer
him to Mr. Philander Shaw, of Abington, Mass., and Mr. Seth Hunt,
of Weymouth, both of whom testify to the facts.
Again, Mr. Spear was directed, by what purported to be Swedenborg,
to go to Georgetown. He went, not knowing for what purpose. Then
Benjamin Franklin told him he must go and see a woman who had
been struck by lightning. He found the person, by the superior direc
tion. * * * * His hand was placed upon hers by the same
power. She then remarked to her husband, “ I can breathe easier.”
and she was very soon relieved from all pain.
But in this case, as not unfrequently occurs with others, Mr. Spear
took the pain himself, which continued about two hours. As further
testimony to the above case, Mrs. Tenny, of Georgetown, Mass., may
be referred to.
On another occasion, Mr. S. C. Hewitt, as he writes and has person
ally confirmed, called, with Rev. Mr. W., to see some remarkable dia
grams, which Mr. Spear’s hand, by the same involuntary power,
executed.
They were then introduced to each other, and seated near together.
While they were in conversation, Mr. Spear’s hand rose, as he sup
posed, to take that of Mr. W.; but his forefinger was placed on Mr.
W.’s head, where it remained several minutes. During the time, the
question was asked, “ What name do phrenologists give that part of the
brain ?”
Answer. “ Ideality.”
To which Mr. W. replied, “ That is the leading element of my mind.
The love of the ideal and the beautiful.”
This remark led the company to suppose the movement was meant
�53
simply to signify that fact; but, when the finger was removed, Mr. W.
remarked that when he came in he had a severe pain in both sides of
the head, in precisely the region where the finger rested. Mr. Spear
then asked,
“How does your head feel now?”
“ The pain is all gone," was the reply.”
In this instance, Mr. Spear’s hand had taken the pain, which, how
ever, passed away in a few minutes.
[For the full detail of these and other cases, see Murray’s “Mes
sages. By S. C. Hewitt.”]
Now, the fact of relieving the pain might be accounted for on what
are called mesmeric principles; but that will not account for the intel
ligent directing power, which, in these, as in all other cases, is entirely
foreign to Mr. Spear.
No. 6.
Testimony oflto class VII. x Cure of Mrs. Rhodes, of Lynn,
Mass. The following was given to me personally:
My wife had been confined to her bed nine months — had been
under the care of two physicians, Dr. J. U. Nye four months, and Dr.
Eastman two months, but continued to grow worse. She had lost the
use of her limbs, the muscles of her arms being so contracted as to draw
her hands up nearly to her face. Her legs were drawn up in a similar
manner, and her hips drawn out of their socket-joints. The lower ver
tebra had been split and displaced in child-birth. She had the spine
complaint, was dropsical, and greatly afflicted with darting neuralgic
pains in all parts of her system. She only prayed for death to relieve
her sufferings. The neighbors all thought she could live but a short
time.
This was her situation when Mr. John M. Spear was called to see
her by me (she having no faith in him, or in spiritualism). Mr. Spear
described her disease, and told her what to do. She obeyed him, and,
though she has taken no medicine, she is better now than she has
before been for ten years, being able to do all her work, and walk two
miles without difficulty. A few days after Mr. Spear came to see her,
on Sunday night, her arms were drawn down; she was taken from the
bed to a chair with her bed-clothes about her; she used her arms very
freely, dressed herself, and walked about the room — the family all
being present, and called in the neighbors (Mr. George Summers,
Mr. E. A. Summers and wife, and ten others). The vertebra above
referred to was replaced by the unseen agency, and likewise her hip
�54
joints by the same. During these three surgical operations (each of
which was performed at different times) she distinctly felt the impres.
sion of unseen hands about the parts operated upon.
Boston, April 25th, 1854.
Benjamin A. Rhodes.
No. 7. Testimony of 6 to class VII. Mrs. Semantha Mettler, of Hart
ford, Conn.
Testimony of Deacon Silas Mosman, of Cabotville. — Be it
known that my daughter Mary, now twenty-two years old, has, for
about three years past, been mostly confined to her bed, and unable to
walk alone. About the middle of July last, she lost all power of the
organs of speech, and a few days after was deprived of her eye-sight,
becoming entirely blind, with no power even to raise her eyelids. All
possible means have been used for her relief; she has been attended by
twelve or thirteen physicians, some of them being of the highest order
and skill. She continued in about the same condition, changing only
for the worse; and was finally told that she could never be any better.
By this time we had almost despaired of any relief; but, through a
kind providence, we noticed a letter in one of the Springfield papers
respecting the claims and powers of Mrs. Mettler, the clairvoyant, in
healing and restoring the sick. We immediately applied to her, and,
after several attempts, we were fortunate in getting her to make us a
visit. On the evening of the above date she called, made a clairvoyant
examination of Marv’s case, and prescribed for her. The next day,
Mrs. M. called again, and by manipulations quieted her a good deal.
On the next Wednesdav she called a third time to see her, and in
about half an hour, with nothing but her own hands, she succeeded, to
the joy of all, in opening her eyes, and restoring her sight and
SPEECH! The next day Mrs. Mettler called again, and, to our
astonishment, she triumphantly put the case beyond all question, by
making my daughter walk entirely alone, which she had not done for
three years. Such are the facts in this most remarkable case. Mary
continues to see, talk and walk; and, for all we know, she must be
restored to her former good health.
Silas Mosman.
Cabotville, Jan. 9, 1850.
Testimony of Mr. S. Pease.
This is to certify that I have been suffering from an extreme weak
ness of the lungs and chest; a great shortness of breath, produced
�55
from what one physician termed adhesion of the lungs, though others
were not able to determine what the real difficulty was. Although
under medical skill and treatment, my difficulties seemed to increase;
my case continued to grow alarming, as I had already been suffering
for over two years, and unable to do scarcely anything, or get any re
lief. At this stage of my difficulties, I made up my mind that there
was no help for me; this was also the opinion of the physician. [Here
he mentions the circumstances of calling on Mrs. Mettler, and says:]
Without the least faith, I ventured to have her, in her clairvoyant
state, explore my then hopeless condition, which she did with the most
perfect accuracy, pointing out facts almost impossible to believe without
a previous knowledge of them. *
*
* She then succeeded in
affecting me psychologically, and in a few moments caused me to
breathe as free as any one. My lungs felt strong and easy; hope
revived. I then commenced taking her prescriptions, and following her
directions. Soon after I commenced her treatment, I took the worst
and most prostrating cold that man could ever be afflicted with; yet,
under her treatment, with the cold upon my lungs, I felt better and
stronger than before, though all the neighbors thought it impossible for
me to live.
But here I am, in less than four months, under her treatment,
restored. I am now able to do any kind of work, and can walk as far
in a day as any other person.
I know a great many, in this and other neighborhoods, that have
been under her treatment. Cases that seemed to baffle all ordinary skill
by the regular physicians have been restored by this lady’s wonderful
and mysterious power.
N. B. This testimony is given of my own free will, unsolicited on
her part. I give it as a duty I owe Mrs. Mettler, as well as to the
public.
M. S. Pease.
Granby, Mass., October, 1850.
Taken from a Statement published in the “Hartford Times."
My daughter, some three years since, became afflicted with inflamma
tion in her eyes, produced at first, as we suppose, by getting a piece of
time in one of them. This inflammation continued to increase until both
eyes became greatly inflamed, depriving her almost entirely of her sight.
She then took cold, and this increased the inflammation, with renewed
distress and sufferings. [Here follows a statement of the case under
�56
the hands of three successive physicians, one for three months, the
others for “ some time,” the case growing worse all the while. He says:]
During the attendance of these physicians, there was a spot or felon
upon the eye, which was continually increasing; and the inflammation
became so extreme that it was with great difficulty that she could
distinguish one person from another. She could scarcely open her
eyelids, and that only in the dark. Of course, now, all hope for her
restoration was at an end, and thus she remained suffering intensely.
Finally, through the persuasion of a kind friend, as a last resort, we
took her to Mrs. Mettler, on the 21st of May last. Mrs. Mettler, while
in the clairvoyant state, gave a perfect and minute detail of the causes
of her complaint, and then prescribed for her; and, to our utter
astonishment, after the application of her prescription, in less than two
weeks she could see quite well, improving almost as if by miracle; and
in less than four weeks she could see to read, and has continued so
ever since.
The cry of humbug is a miserable substitute for facts, especially
when facts are daily multiplying in our own city, to say nothing of
what is occurring all over the wide world.
Almost daily I hear of some poor sufferer relieved or restored by
this lady’s powers. She seems to have all the worst cases to attend,
after they have passed through the physicians’ hands.
Hartford, Dec. 13, 1852.
George Staples.
Bridgeport, April, 1852.
I hereby certify that I had been troubled for several years with
ulcerations in my throat, caused at first by slight colds, inducing a
disease which is generally called quinsy. * * At length it became
a seated bronchial affection, and continued in a constant state of ulcer
ation for several months, baffling all the skill of the physicians, and
almost the last power of endurance in the sufferer. * * Finally, as
a last resort, by the desire of my friends I was persuaded to consult
Mrs. Mettler. I soon obtained relief from her prescription, and my
throat has never ulcerated once since the first application of the
remedies proposed by her. I am now happy in declaring myself in the
full enjoyment of physical health and mental harmony, with the fullest
assurance that the weak things of the earth do sometimes confound
the wise. May the life of this good woman long be preserved, as her
work is an exemplification of the angels’ mission to suffering humanity.
Eliza C. Leeds.
�57
Cure of Joseph Haight.
It is well known to my friends that I am subject to a disease which
may properly be termed an inflammatory action of the heart. Those
attacks have been so severe that many times I have longed for that
release of soul, which is commonly termed death. All applications of
medical skill have only seemed to aggravate the difficulty; and, for sev
eral years past, my disease has bid defiance to all strictly professional
means of relief. After having sunk so low as to be almost beyond the
reach of hope, I applied to Mrs. Mettler, whose powers and sympathies
are so widely known, and obtained from her the relief I had long
despaired of. * * * * A more wonderful event than this, per
haps, is not recorded in the annals of medicine. * * * * The
relief from my intense suffering appeared truly miraculous.
Bridgeport, April 2, 1853.
Joseph Haight.
The following is a very severe case of a child being burned.
writer says:
The
We had two physicians in attendance, but without much effect. The
case had become one of long standing; and his sufferings were
approaching a fearful crisis. * * * * We are grateful to Mrs,
Mettler for her kindness in restoring our little boy; for we know that
she has been the instrument of saving his life.
William Dibble.
Darien, Ct., May, 1852.
These cases are taken from the “ Biograghy of Mrs. Semantha Met
tler,” by Frances H. Green. They are by no means the most remark
able, but we selected them on account of the directness of the testimony,
and the brevity with which they could be stated. In all these cases,
Mrs. Mettler has given prescriptions; but there are many cases of
her direct and immediate cure of very malignant diseases, simply by
“ laying on the hands.”
It may be asked What has all this to do with spirits ? Truly, I have
not related that part of these or other experiences which put it beyond
a doubt that she, as she firmly believes, is assisted by spirits. But, if
any one will take the trouble to make himself acquainted with the
facts, he will have no doubt upon the subject. I cannot forbear to
quote the following words, spoken by Mr. Spear under the spirit influ
ence :
6
�58
On the 29th of January, 1853, Mr. Spear was requested by a spirit
communication to go to Hartford. He set off immediately ; arrived in
Hartford at half-past eight, when he was distinctly impressed to go to
the house of Mrs. Mettler. There he, in the superior condition, gave a
very beautiful and impressive address to Mrs. Mettler, relative to her
mission, &c. This address closed by saying :
“ This medium has been commissioned to wisely instruct this woman
for a high purpose. There is to open before this woman a new and
beautiful labor. At ten o’clock, to-morrow, the purpose of his mission
to this place will be unfolded. Let this woman be in the region of the
Tranquillities at that hour.”
At the appointed time, Mr. Spear made the following address :
“ Father of fathers, and Deity of deities, thy wills be done on the
earths as they are done in the Heaven of heavens.
“ This fondly loved one shall be consecrated to the Charities. Thou,
Lcuceforth, shalt be called Charity. That shall be thy denomination.
“ Thou shalt say to the sufferer on his couch, Arise, and it shall be
so; thou shalt say to the maimed, Be thou whole, and it shall be so;
thou shalt say to the blind, Open thou thy closed eyes, and this also
shall be; thou shalt say to the dead, Arise, and it shall come to pass.
Thou shalt pass through the humble vale, over the lofty^nountains, over
rivers and seas, and the elements shall be at thy command. Naught
shall disturb thy sweet placidity. No want shalt thou know.
“ This open hand shall bless others; and thou shalt thyself be blest.
This foot shall go and come. Thou shalt mount up like a bird of the lofti
est flight, and thou shalt never be wearied. Thou shalt ‘ go and come,
nor ever fear to die, till thou art called home.’ Happy shall they be
who behold thy sweet countenance. Blessed are they on whom thy
hand rests. Receive now this blessed power.
“ This hand shall be unfolded to dispense blessings far and wide.
Blessings shall descend upon thee. In blessing others, thou thyself
shalt be blest. Thou shalt go on in a mysterious way, dispensing
blessings. It is done.”
No. 8. Testimony oflto class VII.
From the “New Era”
Rutland, Vt., April 18, 1853.
Last summer a lady in New Hampshire was severely afflicted with
a cancer on the face. She had been in the habit of applying a great
variety of things with a view to its cure, but she grew worse continu
ally. [Here follows the direction of the spirits, and the manner of
�59
getting it, which was entirely unsolicited:] Soon after this, says the
writer, I visited the lady, and gave her the above information. She
very readily consented to a trial, and in less than three months, to the
surprise of all, she was thoroughly cured.
Charles C. York.
I hereby certify that I have been afflicted with poor health for three
years. The last year, I have been confined for weeks, in such a con
dition that I could not be turned in my bed for two weeks at a time.
My doctor said I had a tumor in my side. It appeared to grow daily,
causing great pain, — so much so, that, for the last year, I could not
walk or ride a mile without making myself sick. My doctor would do
something to relieve me' for a few days, but said I was liable to die
any day. Last February, C. C. York, a healing or clairvoyant medium,
of Claremont, N. H., came to this place, by spirit direction. I called
on him, at the suggestion of my husband, but without faith. The
said medium was immediately put into the unconscious state without
any visible agency, and described the feelings I had experienced for
many years, and told the cause of the difficulty, and said that I could
be cured. He then prescribed for me, and I made a trial. The tumor
disappeared in less than two weeks. In one week I walked five miles
in a day without pain. In ten days I rode in a carriage fifteen miles
and back in one day without inconvenience or distress, and am now in
good health.
There are others also who are receiving the same blessings here,
through this medium. I most cheerfully recommend him to the
afflicted.
Pamelia A. Nichols.
Reading, Mass., March 30, 1854.
I hereby certify that the within statement of my wife, Pamelia A.
Nichols, is true.
William Nichols.
Reading, Mass., March 30, 1854.
Another Cure. — I hereby certify, that my health has been very poor
for some years, with a general weakness, nervousness, neuralgia and
weak stomach; and all the remedies I tried only made me worse.
Since last December, I have been unable to sit up all day. The first
of this month, seeing Mrs. P. A. Nichols restored to health, I sent for
Doctor York. He called, and soon went into the clairvoyant state.
He described my feelings, told the cause of my difficulty, and said I
could be cured. I followed his directions, and I now can Sleep as
�60
usual. My food does not distress rue. I ean sit up and labor all day
without being nervous or in pain. I cheerfully recommend Doctor
York to the afflicted.
Mbs. Harriet Nelson.
Reading, Mass., March 30, 1854.
Case VIII.
No. 1. Testimony of Mr. Garrison.
However much any one may differ in opinion from Mr. Garrison,
all must admit his candor and unimpeachable veracity.
[From the Liberator of March 3, 1854.]
We are often privately asked, what we think of the “Spiritual
Manifestations,” so called, and whether we have had any opportunities
to investigate them.
When we first heard of the “Rochester knockings,” we supposed
(not personally knowing the persons implicated) that there might be
some collusion in that particular case, or, if not, that the phenomena
would ere long elicit a satisfactory solution, independent of all spiritual
agency. As the manifestations have spread from house to house, from
city to city, from one part of the country to the other, across the
Atlantic into Europe, till now the civilized world is compelled to
acknowledge their reality, however diverse in accounting for them, —
as these manifestations continue to increase in variety and power, so
that all suspicion of trick or imposture becomes simply absurd and
preposterous, — and as every attempt to find a solution for them in
some physical theory relating to electricity, the odic force, clairvoyance,
and the like, has thus far proved abortive, — it becomes. every intelli
gent mind to enter into an investigation of them with candor and fair
ness, as opportunity may offer, and to bear such testimony in regard to
them as the facts may warrant, no matter what ridicule it may excite
on the part of the uninformed or sceptical.
As for ourselves, most assuredly we have been in no haste to jump
to a conclusion in regard to phenomena so universally diffused, and of
so extraordinary a character. For the last three years, we have kept
pace with nearly all that has been published on the subject; and we
have witnessed, at various times, many surprising “ manifestations; ”
and our conviction is, that they cannot be accounted for on any other
theory than that of spiritual agency. This theory, however, is not
unattended with discrepancies, difficulties and trials. It is certain
that, if it be true, there are many deceptive spirits, and that the apos-
�61
tolic injunction to “believe not every spirit,” but to try them in every
possible way, is specially to be regarded, or the consequences may prove
very disastrous.
We might write a pretty long essay on what we have seen and heard,
touching this matter; but this we reserve for some other occasion.
We shall now merely describe some of the phenomena which we wit
nessed in New York, during our recent visit to that city.
The medium, in this instance, was Mrs. Brown, formerly Miss Fish,
of Rochester. The circle was composed of six gentlemen and four
ladies. The table was of ample dimensions, so as to accommodate the
party without inconvenience. We sat around it in the usual manner
(the hands of each individual resting upon the table), and engaged in
social chit-chat. While waiting for some demonstrations from the
invisible world, we had our right foot patted as by a human hand, and
the right leg of our pantaloons strongly pulled, by some unseen agency.
This was done repeatedly, though we said nothing at the time ; but,
thinking it might be possible that the foot of some one of the company
might undesignedly be in contact with our own, we cautiously felt
around to ascertain if this were the case, but there was nothing tangi
ble ; and the moment we put our foot down, the same familiar tappings
and jerks followed. Still, we made no disclosure. Raps were then
distinctly heard, and the alphabet was called for. Letter by letter, it
was rapped out that the medium must put her feet in the custody of
one of the party, and then we were told to wait for demonstrations.
This was evidently done to convince every one present that the medium
had nothing to do with the phenomena, by way of fraud or collusion;
and, during the entire sitting (a protracted one), before any remarka
ble feat was performed, the medium was invariably ordered to take
such a position as to render it clearly impossible for her to be privy to
it. The presence of several spirits was indicated during the evening,
and satisfactory tests were made; but the most communicative and
efficient one purported to be that of “ Jesse Hutchinson.” It was he
who had been playing bo-peep with us under the table ; and, now that
the medium was secured, to the satisfaction of all present, he renewed
his salutations, not only to us personally, but to nearly every one of
the circle. The ladies had their dresses, and the gentlemen their panta
loons, pulled, and their feet patted, in the most emphatic manner.
Heavy raps were now made on the floor; and, on being requested to
that effect, “Jesse” beat a march, — it seemed to us Washington’s
march, — in admirable time, and in the most spirited manner; no
*
6
�62
drummer could have done it more skilfully. He was then asked to
beat time, while the company joined in singing several tunes, — “The
Old Granite State,” among others, — which he did to perfection. He
then spelt out the following communications by the alphabet: “ I am
most happy, dear friends, to be able to give you such tangible evidence
of my presence. The good time has truly come. The gates of the
New Jerusalem are open, and the good spirits, made more pure by the
change of spheres, are knocking at the door of your souls.”
Isaac T. Hopper now indicated his presence to his daughter, who
was at the table, and made some physical demonstrations. His message,
as rapped out, was as follows : “ I am truly happy to echo back joy
and gladness from my happy home. Truth is bearing its way on glori
ously, and the subject of spiritualism will work miracles in the cause
of reform. My friends, the rock of prejudice begins to yield to the
hammer of truth; and, now, with the aid of good spirits, you can blast
it without the use of powder.” And he subsequently added, “I want
you to see that spirits have power to move matter.”
It was next rapped out, “ Put the bell under the table.” We, accord
ingly, took the bell (an ordinary table-bell), and put it down at our
feet. In a few moments, it was smartly rung by an unseen power, and
then fell to the floor. This was done again and again,— the bell mak
ing the circuit of the table, and ringing so loudly that the servant-girl,
in an adjacent room, supposing she was needed, came in to inquire what
was wanted.
Next, a cane with a hooked handle was laid on the carpet, under the
table. Immediately, it struck the table violently, and rubbed along
the under surface its entire length. It then fell to the floor, and
traversed over and under the feet of several of the party, like a living
;Snake, — in one or two instances, the foot being involuntarily lifted to
enable it to pass under. Its movements were exceedingly curious. At
one -time, we caught hold of the handle as it protruded itself by our
side, and .endeavored to pull it from under the table ; but the resist
ance was as strong as though another hand was grasping it at the
opposite end.
We were now directed to put several things under the table, observe
how they were placed, and wait for results. When told to look, we
found that a penknife was missing, nor could it be discovered by the
most careful search. On again resuming our seats, we were told to
take another look; and, behold! there was the penknife, precisely
where it had been originally placed !
�63
Next, we were directed to lay some writing-paper, with, a pencil upon
it, under the table. This was done ; and, in a few moments, on being
told to look, we found the word “Jesse” written upon it in a scrawling
hand, as though made with great difficulty. The same experiment was
again made, and “ Isaac T. H.” (Hopper), was written very legibly, and
in a different hand. A third time this was done, and “ Mary Jane ”
was recorded, — the name of a young lady who had been communi
cating with a gentleman present. The first two autographs we have
in our possession.
We now made two requests of “ Jesse,” to convince us yet more
strongly of his presence. The first was, to press our right foot firmly
to the floor, and to make loud raps directly under it. This was quickly
done, the foot being grasped as by a mortal hand, and vibrating to the
raps thus strangely made. The second was, if possible, to take us by
the right hand with his own, so as to make the touch palpable beyond
a doubt. Keeping the hand carefully in custody between our knees as
we sat, — the hands of all the company, including those of the medium,
being on the table, — we, in a few moments, had it patted, first on one
side, then on the other, briskly, and repeatedly, as if by another hand,
having a negative feeling, as though there was no warmth in it, but
natural in every other respect. For the general gratification, the same
thing was done to others of the party.
How shall demonstrations like these be accounted for, except on the
hypothesis of spirit-agency ? If we cannot positively affirm that Isaac
T. Hopper and Jesse Hutchinson were present on that occasion, we are,
at least, prepared to declare, as our own conviction, as well as that of
the entire company, we believe, that invisible spirits, not of this mun
dane sphere, performed the phenomena we have thus briefly narrated to
our readers.
Note. — I, with a sceptical friend, took particular pains to call on
Mr. Garrison, in reference to his experience, when he stated so many
particulars, and other important facts, as to dispel every possible
doubt.
No. 2. Testimony oflto classes I and V. Statement of Adin Ballou.
Extracted from his “ Spirit Manifestations.'"
“ I have heard the time and metre of tunes beaten out with the utmost
accuracy, and by several rappers in unison, not only while the tune was
being played or sung, but afterwards, without accompaniment; and I
�64
am as certain that these sounds were not made by any conscious mortal
agency as I am of the best authenticated facts in the common transac
tions of life.
“ I have seen tables and light-stands move about in the most astonish
ing manner, by what purported to be the same invisible agency, with
only the gentle and passive resting of the hands or fingers of the
medium upon the table. Also, many distinct movings of such objects
by request, without the touch of the medium at all.
“ I have known these invisibles, by request, to write their names with
a common plumbago-pencil on a clean sheet of paper, half a dozen of
them, each in a different hand. [He states the circumstances of 'their
writing, holding the pen themselves, and concludes it with] This (writing
without hands) was repeatedly tested with the same results, under cir
cumstances putting all suspicion of fraud and jugglery entirely at rest.”
■ [There are several other more convincing things which he states he
has seen, but they are of such a nature as to require too much room
for a place here.]
No. 3. Testimony of 1 to class I. Statement of Mr. William
1
Bugbee.
[I give the following statement as a specimen of many which I could
present from the most reliable persons. Mr. Bugbee lives in Roxbury,
and, so far as I can learn, is a man of irreproachable reputation. I
give his statement as I took it down at the time, and to which he
authorized me to attach his name.]
I have seen tables move, beat time to tunes, move contrary to my
request, when I know no person was touching them.
Mrs. Newton [whose testimony I have given] described my son, who
had been long at sea ; told every particular about him, all which were
true. She said, among other things, “he is cross-eyed;” which is true.
She said, “ he has a sore on his leg,” which she also described. This
we knew nothing of till a long time after, when he came home ; then
he confirmed the whole by showing the scar. He was greatly aston
ished that we could know anything about it. Mrs. Newton could have
no means of knowing that we had a son.
My daughter, who became a medium, said in the spiritual state, on the
19th of March, “ I see the ship in which is my brother crossing the
line.” This also proved true.
William Bugbee.
Harmony Hall, Boston, May 11, 1854.
�65
Case IX.
No. 1.
A Test.
About the first of January, 1854, the spirit of Laura F. Stevens
spelled out by raps, “ Your friend, Ellen Cronan, is dead.” When
did she die? “Jan. 1st, 1854.” What was her disease and age?
“ Her disease was lung fever; her age, fifteen years the 17th of March.”
Where did she reside at the time of her death ? “ In Lawrence, Mass.,
at No. 53 Linwell-st.” Do you know her father’s name ? “ It is Sam,
uel W. Cronan. His business is brick-making.”
Mary E. Kendall (the medium) had for a few weeks attended school
with Ellen Cronan in South Boston, six years since. Mary was then
eight years of age. This was all we ever knew of Ellen Cronan, or
any of her folks, and did not know where they lived.
But we directed the following letter in accordance with the directions
above given:
“ Sir : I have learned that your daughter Ellen is dead. Will you
please give me the particulars concerning her death, and direct to D.
C. Kendall, No. 1 India Wharf. I am very anxious to know all about
it.
“ Boston.”
A few weeks after, a reply was received, as follows :
“ Lawrence, Mass., Jan. 25, 1854.
“ Miss Kendall : You will excuse me for not answering your letter
before. We are preparing to remove from this place, and are very
busy at present. Your very singular request, for me to give you the
whole particulars of my daughter’s death, immediately led me to sup
pose that you were what is termed a ‘ spirit rapper.’ But I will give
them to you, as you wish it. She died New-Year’s night, aged fifteen
years. Her birthday would have been on March 17; disease, lung
fever. My business is brick-making; but, as it has not been very
pressing lately, and was not, especially when your letter arrived, I
began searching for a medium. I found one, and the following words
were spelled out: ‘ Dear Father, I requested a spirit to send to you
for the particulars of my death, through the mediumship of Mary E.
Kendall, in South Boston, to convince you, and to give her a test.
Direct your letter to her, and this wiH be a test for you.’ I shall
have to become a believer in this, which I have so unmercifully con
�G6
demned and ridiculed the idea of, if this test be true ; for this reason,
I have not directed as you desired me to. Most respectfully,
“ 53 Linwell-st.
Samuel AV. Cronan.”
Note. — Mrs. Kendall and her daughter both testify to the above,
and have the letter received from Mr. Cronan, which I have seen.
J. H. Fowler.
Last Tuesday afternoon, immediately after I had taken my seat in
the school-room, my hand was moved, and wrote, “ You have lost your
bracelet; you will find it in the lower hall, broken in pieces.” This
was the first I knew of its being gone. I immediately went below, and
found it as was stated.
Mary E. Kendall.
South Boston, May 18th, 1854.
Note. — I received the above statement from Miss Kendall, and
saw the pieces of the bracelet referred to.
J. H. Fowler.
No. 2. Spirit delivers a Message. From “ Spiritual Telegraph,” March
12, 1853.
S. B. Brittan.—Dear Sir: On the evening of Feb. 2d, 1852,
while a circle was convened at our residence in Lowell, my wife
inquired if Louisa (our deceased daughter) was with us, and was
answered in the affirmative. In reply to the question, “Are you often
with Susan ” (our only surviving daughter, who was then travelling
with her friends in Georgia), the spirit answered that she was. My
wife then requested the spirit to “ go and stay with Susan, and keep
her from all harm while she was away.” To which Louisa replied by
rapping that she would. This, it should be remembered, was on the
evening of Feb. 2d. In about one week from that time, we received
a letter from Susan, dated Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 3d, 1852, in which the
following fact was stated. “ Last night we had a sitting, and Louisa
came and rapped for the alphabet, and spelled out to me this sentence,
namely, ‘ Mother wants me to come and stay with you, and keep you
from all harm while away from home.'
Louisa.”
Thus you see that some invisible agent, claiming to be my daughter,
received the communication in Lowell, Mass., and delivered it, word
for word, in the town of Atlanta, Georgia, and all within the space of
an hour.
B. McFarland.
�67
jVo. 3. Testimony of Rev. D. F. Goddard, Boston.
This is to certify that, during a long investigation of the modern
phenomena which are now attracting attention in our own country and
in the old, I have repeatedly seen my own table, in my own room, to
which I know there is no nice machinery affixed for purposes of decep
tion, without any contact whatever of earthly kind, raised, tipped,
moved about the room, as if a strong man was there at work. Also,
a pianoforte played upon in the same way, without mortal, contact, pro
ducing most beautiful music, — an ocean piece, in which a storm was
represented succeeded by a calm. These phenomena occurred in the
presence of several other individuals of both sexes, all of whom saw,
and all of whom are ready to testify. I have also received from a
medium, who never saw me before, and knew nothing of my family,
the fact of my father’s death, his name, and a perfect fac-simile of his
hand-writing; and this when I was not expecting such hand-writing,
and could not have possibly imitated it, without a copy, in the labor
of a three months.
D. F. Goddard.
Boston, May 21, 1854.
No. 4. From the “New Era."
New Orleans, March 31, 1854.
Brother Hewitt. — Dear Sir : It is with much pleasure that I
take this opportunity to give you a description of the manifestations as
witnessed by myself and twenty-four others, at Jonathan Koon’s spirit
room, in Athens County, Ohio, on the evenings of the 17th, 18th and
19th of February last, in order that you may publish the statement
in your paper, if you wish, with the use of some of our names, as you
may think proper.
On the following evening, we had another sitting, when they beat a
march on the drum, and then carried the tambourine all around over
our heads, playing on it the while. They then dropped it on the table.
Then they took the triangle from the wall, and carried it all around, as
they did the other instruments, for some time. We could only hear
the dull sound of the steel; then would peal forth the full ring of the
instrument. They let this fall on the table also. After this, they
spoke through the trumpet to all, stating that they were glad to see
them. Then they went to a gentleman who was playing on the violin,
and took it out of his hand up into the air, all around, thrumming the
�68
strings, and playing as well as mortals can do, sounding very sweetly.
They soon returned it to its owner again, and then they brought the
accordeon out, and put it on the other table, and played on it; but, one
key being out of order, they took up the trumpet, and said they did
not like bad instruments to play upon. They now played most sweetly
on the trumpet; then took the harp, and brought both into tune, and
played on both instruments, and at the same time sung with some four
voices, sounding like female voices, and which, indeed, made the room
swell with melody.
After this, they made their hands visible again, and took paper, and
brought it out on the other table, and commenced writing slowly, when
one of the visitors asked them if they could not write faster; the hand
then moved so fast we could hardly see it go, but all could hear the
pencil move over the paper for some five minutes or so. When it was
done, the spirit took up the trumpet and spoke, saying the communica
tion was for friend Pierce; and at the same time the hand came up to
him, and gave the paper into his hand. Now the spirit said, if friend
Pierce would put his hand on the table, they would shake hands with
him for a testimony to the world, as he could do much good with such
a fact while on his spiritual mission. He then put his hand on the
table by their request, and the hand came up to him, and took hold of
his fingers, and shook them. Then it went away, but soon came back
again, and patted his hand some minutes, then left again. Now it
came back the third time, and, taking his whole hand for some five
minutes, he examined it all over, and found it as natural as a human
hand, even to the nails on the fingers. He traced the hand up as far
as the wrist, and found nothing any further than that point. The hand
did not feel as warm as a human hand, but it did not feel of a chilly
coldness. It remained with him until he was satisfied. Then it shook
him heartily by the full hand, and disappeared some ten minutes.
After the hand had gone, he felt a very queer sensation on the back
of his hand, where the thumb of the spirit-hand had been.
On the same evening, two spirits spoke through Mr. Pierce — one
on the first of the evening, and another the last part — to some fifty
persons.
You are at liberty to make such use of our names, private or public,
as you may think proper. Yours, truly,
D. Hasteller, Pittsburg.
Lewis Dugdale, Farmer, Ohio.
A. P. Pierce, Philadelphia. Chas. C. Stillman, Marion, Ohio.
H. F. Partridge, Wheeling, Va.
�69
No. 5. Testimony of 1 to class I.
I hereby certify that, in the month of January last, while in the
office of Mr. Cummings (No. 40 State-st., Boston), I was lifted, by
what I believe spirit agency, from the floor, and placed on a table.
Amos Cummings and wife, George Clapp, and Miss Susan Bayly, all
of Boston, each of whom were present on the occasion, are ready to
certify to the above fact.
I further certify, that, soon after this, while in the house of Mr.
Andrew J. Page, in Danvers, I was again lifted from the floor to the
table, by the same power. On this occasion were present Mr. Cum
mings and wife, and Mr. Clapp and William D. Emerson, Mr. Page
and wife, James Page, of Lowell, and many others.
Boston, May 2, 1854.
Mary H. Ide, East Boston.
Edward P. Fowler, N. Y.
No. 6. Testimony of 1 to classes III. and, IV; of 10 to class V; of
8 to classes I. and II.
The experience of Mr. Fowler is given at length in the Telegraph,
and in Judge Edmonds’ “ Spiritualism,” from which we take the follow
ing testimony:
The phenomena are so remarkable that it requires much direct testi
mony to substantiate them. This we shall present. Mr. Fowler says:
“ On this night (Nov. 21, 1851), after extinguishing my light, and
before getting in bed, I noticed a bright light over my bed, which I
should judge was a foot in diameter. At this I was not surprised,
because I had been accustomed to see such lights, with the exception
that this was brighter than usual. I proceeded to bed, where I had
lain, probably, five minutes, when I heard footsteps in the room.
“ My face was, at that time, turned towards the wall. I looked
around toward the window, and beheld a form, apparently that of a
man forty years old, and a little more than six feet high, walking
from the centre of the room toward window No. 1 ” [as given in the
diagram], “ where he met another man, not so tall, who seemed to have
come through that window. I did not see him come through, but first
saw him when one or two feet from the window, on the inside. They
stopped near the window, and spoke with each other for a few minutes,
and then came to my bed-side, and the taller one said to me, ‘ Arise and.
take thy pen, for I will dictate.’ ”
7
�70
Mr. Fowler did not arise, but states that these two spirits went to
the table, where they were joined by a third and a fourth, coming in at
the window, as the others. The fourth he believes to be Franklin.
He continues : “ After the four had consulted together for the space
of half an hour, the first and second one came to my bed-side, and
talked with me twenty-five or thirty minutes. I, at the time, fully un
derstood what was said. The two again went to the table, and con
versed with the other two. I could hear them talk, but could not
understand their language.
o
O
“ After staying three hours, from twelve till three, they left, appar
ently going out of the same window at which they came in. They
seemed to disappear from my sight when about a foot from the window,
inside.
“ That I really had possession of my natural senses, I infer from the
following circumstances:
First, I had not been asleep when the scene commenced.
“ Second, The Brooklyn fire-bells, which were tolling for fire when I
went to bed, I could still hear; and, in the course of half an hour, the
City Hall bell, of New York, gave the alarm of fire, which the church
bells repeated. I heard the ‘ Rutgers Hose ’ go by the house, and the
adjacent church-bell toll the four hours, as I lay awake, namely, 12, 1,
2, 3 and 4 o’clock.”
At other interviews of this kind, Mr. Fowler states that the spirits
have written with apparatus of their own ; he has seen them writing,
and produced the manuscripts.
The most remarkable of these is copied into Vol. i. No. 9, of the
Spiritual Telegraph.
It was this motto, Peace, but not without Freedom, signed by
upwards of fifty distinguished names, in fac-similes of their writing
while on the earth.
*
* In the Telegraph, with the copy of this autographical manuscript, is the follow
ing statement, with the signatures, as here given.
We, the undersigned, believing that these are the signatures of the spirits them
selves, and fully concurring in the sentiment expressed, hereunto affix our names,
this twenty-fifth day of December, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
John Gray,
Edward P. Fowler,
John F. Gray, M. D.,
William J. Baneb,
S. T. Fowler,
Mrs. Almira L. Fowler,
F. F. Cary,
Mrs. S. A. Partridge,
Mrs. Charlotte F. Wells,
Almon Roff,
Rorert T. Shannon,
Ward Cheney,
Daniel Minthorn,
Dr. R. T. Hallock,
Charles Partridge,
Mrs. Martha H. F. Baneb.
*
�71
In reference to this, Mr. Fowler says : « The original paper, contain
ing the autographs, I found upon my table, about three o’clock one
afternoon, on my return from business; the paper used being a sheet
of drawing-paper, which was incidentally left on my table, and which
I am sure was blank when I left my room in the forenoon. The suc
ceeding autographical manuscript, a representation of which was pub
lished, was executed in my room, on a piece of parchment, left on my
table, by direction of spirits, for that purpose. This was written on
during the night, while I was in my room asleep. I would add, that
many of the signatures on the parchment were entirely strange, having
never seen them before. I have also had several specimens of various
oriental languages, written in my room, on paper which I could identify
as my own, though the languages were unknown to me. These have
been written on, both when I have been in my room and when I have
been absent. Several of the languages referred to I had never seen,
prior to my acquaintance with them through these mystical manu
scripts ; and, of course, did not know what they were, until I had sub
mitted them to a linguist, who read them with facility.
“ The first one which I received was, as I am informed through the
kindness of Prof. Bush, a quotation from the Old Testament, written
in Hebrew. The execution of this occurred about three o’clock in the
afternoon, soon after I had returned from business. I was alone in my
room, when, through the sounds which then occurred in my presence,
I was requested to leave the room for the space of five minutes, during
which interval they (the spirits) promised an attempt to write.
“ I obeyed their request, and went into a room below, where sat my
sister. I told her what had transpired, and, at the expiration of five
minutes, we both ascended to my room. Instead of finding, as we con
jectured we should, some directions written in English, we discovered
this Hebrew quotation, the ink on the paper being still unabsorbed,
although after experiments proved that the ink of a hand heavier than
that in which the Hebrew was written would, on the same kind o?
paper, invariably dry in from two to three minutes.
“ That these writings have not been imposed upon me, I know, because
I had seen some of them written. I have seen them written in day
time, as well as in the night; and that I was in no ‘ abnormal mag
netic state’ I infer from the fact that my consciousness of the circum
stances of outward life remained unimpaired. The ringing of fire-bells,
moving of engines, the tolling of the bells at the ferry, the paddling
�72
of the boat, wheels, and various other noises, common to the city,
were no less distinctly heard than at other times.
That these writings were not perpetrated by myself, I have the
strongest proofs. First, I had never seen any specimens of the lan
guages in which most of the manuscripts were written, and, even to^he
present date, I have seen no other specimens of one or two of the lan
guages used. Second, that power which has communicated to us in our
circle, through the rappings and lifting of tables, professes to have per
formed this writing also.
E. P. Fowler.
New York, August, 1852.
As collateral testimonies to the above facts, and to the veracity of
E. P. Fowler, we submit the following extracts, omitting many par
ticular statements which tend to confirm the whole. First, statement
of facts by Mrs. Charles Partridge, taken from the minutes of the New
York circle.
Persons at the circle have been unexpectedly turned round in the
chairs in which they were sitting, and moved to and from the table.
Chairs and sofas have suddenly started from their positions against the
wall, and moved forward to the centre of the room, when they were
required in the formation of the circle. The persons in the circle have
each successively lifted his own side of the table, and the invisible
power has raised the opposite side correspondingly. Occasionally the
spirits have raised the table entirely, and sustained it in air, at a
distance of from one to three feet from the floor, so that all could
satisfy themselves that no person in the flesh was touching it. Lights
of various colors have been produced in dark rooms. A man has been
suspended in, and conveyed through, the air, a distance of fifty feet, or
more. The communications have been given in various ways, but
chiefly in writing, and by the rappings through the ordinary alphabet
ical mode.
At the close of the session held on the 17th of Nov., 1851, the
spirits, through the alphabet, and in their usual manner, said, “ We
wish to give you a sentence for you to find out and rememberwhen
the following was communicated: “ Debemos amar a todo el mundo aun
a nuestros enemigos." No person present on that occasion understood
a word of this language, but we were subsequently informed that it
was Spanish.
During the session on the 19th of January, 1852, the spirits signi
fied their desire to make a communication in Hebrew. Mr. Partridge
�73
asked who should call the alphabet, and received for answer, “ The
only person present who understands it, — George Bush.” Professor
Bush thereupon proceeded to repeat the Hebrew alphabet, and a com
munication in that language was received.
Many additional facts might be given to show that spirits communi
cate in various languages through E. P. Fowler, but the above will
suffice for the purposes of this statement.
We cannot allow the present occasion to pass without an expression
of the entire confidence and unqualified esteem with which Mr. Fowler
is regarded by the members of the New York circle, and by those who
know him generally. We have had an intimate personal acquaintance
with him for two years past, — some of us for a much longer period, —
and we have only known him as a high-minded and honorable young
man. From the beginning, he has steadily refused to accept the
slightest compensation for his time and services while employed in the
capacity of a medium; and we deem it but an act of simple justice
to Mr. F. to record the fact that, on all occasions, we have found him
entirely unassuming in his deportment, and eminently truthful in his
life. Signed,
K. T. Hallock, M. D.,
W. J. Baner,
J. T. Warner, M. D.,
John F. Gray, M. D.,
Almira L. Fowler,
Samuel T. Fowler.,
A. G. Hull, M. D.,
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Partridge.
Prof. Bush's Testimony. Extract from a letter to Mr. Brittan, dated,
New York, March 27, 1852.
Mr. Brittan : In compliance with your request, I.willingly make
a statement respecting the several communications in Hebrew, Arabic,
Bengalee, &c., which have been submitted to my inspection. Altogether,
the specimens are of an extraordinary character, such as I cannot well
convey by any verbal description.
Mr. E. P. Fowler, since I have become acquainted with him, does
not at all impress me as one who would knowingly practise deception
upon others, however he might possibly be imposed upon himself. He
certainly has no knowledge of the above languages, nor do I think it
likely that he is leagued in collusion with any one who has. A man who
is versed in these ancient and Oriental tongues would be, I think, but
little prone to lend himself as a party to a pitiful scheme of imposture.
It must, indeed, be admitted to be possible that Mr. Fowler may him
self have copied the extracts from printed books; but I can only say
*
7
�74
for myself taat, from the internal evidence, and from a multitude of
collateral circumstances, I am perfectly satisfied that he never did it.
In like manner I am equally confident that he, though the medium on
the occasion, had, consciously, nothing to do with a Hebrew communi
cation which was spelled out to me, in presence of a circle of very
respectable gentlemen, not one of whom, beside myself, had any knowl
edge of that language.
Signed,
Gr. Bush.
[In regard to these writings by E. P. Fowler, Prof. Bush says, in
another letter, published in Spiritual Telegraph, No. 45 :]
Your readers, Mr. Editor, will have seen that I assume no special
patronage of the present or any similar assorted phenomena. It is of
no consequence to me what verdict, in the end, may be pronounced
upon them. * * I accept, on the whole, what is termed the spiritual
theory of these phenomena. But I stop short with this concession.
When we come to the details, — to the identification of persons, to
the subject-matter of what is communicated from this source, — I
acknowledge, with all frankness, that I make precious little of it. For
the most part, it directly contradicts,what I believe to be true, on
evidence to which my calmest and clearest reason assigns a vastly
higher authority ; and therefore, while others will have every confidence
in making these responses oracular, with me they are “ mere leather and
prunella.”
[In this letter he reaffirms his former testimony, using this lan
guage :]
I only know that here are remarkable specimens of writing in dif
ferent tongues, of which young Fowler is ignorant in his ordinary
state, and in the penning of which I, for one, am satisfied that he had no
conscious agency.
QEOt Bush.
Note. — The languages in which the spirits have communicated,
through the mediumship of E. P. Fowler, are Sanscrit, Arabic, Hebrew.
Bengalee, Persian, French, Spanish, Malay and Chinese. I have given
this testimony to a very great length, because the phenomena are of
such a remarkable nature as to seem to justify it. If any one still
doubts the spiritual cause, they have only to examine the whole amount
of testimony given in the Spiritual Telegraph, in the Shekinah, in
Judge Edmonds’ work on Spiritualism, and in various other works on
the subject, in which an overwhelming amount of testimony in regard
to this case may be found, — testimony to which nothing in the New
Testament can compare.
�75
Statement of Martha H. Baner.
Mr. Brittan. — Dear Sir : In relation to the writing in various
languages, made in E. P. Fowler’s room, and said to have been pro
duced by spirits, I am free to say that I have been cognizant of the
execution of some of said manuscripts under circumstances physically
precluding the possibility of their having been done by any human
agency. * *
For the last three years, he has lived in the same house with my
self, and spent much time in the same room; thus giving me an almost
unlimited opportunity to discover any deception, had he been disposed
to attempt anything of the kind, or to detect any hallucination, had any
existed. His moral character I consider to be in every respect unim
peachable.
Signed,
Martha H. Baner.
Statement of Almira L. Fowler.
* * He (Mr. E. P. Fowler) has hitherto sustained an unblemished
reputation for honesty and veracity, and enjoyed the confidence of all
acquainted with him. * * I have evidence sufficient to my own mind
that he had no agency in the writing of the different languages executed
in his room, and purporting to be the products of spirits.
Philadelphia, Sept. 24, 1852.
Signed,
Almira L. Fowler.
�76
Case X.
No. 1. Testimony of 1 to classes I. and V. Testimony of Dr. G. T.
Dexter, New York, taken from his Introduction to “ Spiritualism^
It is now nearly two years since “ spirit rappings ” first attracted
my notice. My unbelief was so great, that I was ready to denounce
the whole subject as one of the greatest humbugs of the day. * * *
I made arrangements with a friend to invite to my house a medium of
considerable powers, and thus to have an opportunity of careful inves
tigation, where I knew there could be no collusion, and the chances for
deception were very few. Previous to this time, about the 10th of
Sept., 1851,1 had never witnessed any spiritual manifestations, neither
had any member of my family been present at a circle; both they and
myself were entirely ignorant of the whole subject.
[He then states that a circle, composed of the persons above referred
to, was formed at his house, with the results of which he was not satis
fied, and invited the medium to stop another day. While at breakfast,
the next morning, they heard raps about the table, &c.]
Immediately after breakfast, we formed a circle, at which were pres
ent myself and all the members of my family, the friend I have before
mentioned, and another friend, who could not be present on the eve
ning previous. The two gentlemen friends and myself were positive
unbelievers, and the others — Mrs. D. and my two daughters — were
in the same catalogue. One of my daughters was about fourteen years
of age, and the other was not yet nine years old. They had no idea
of the modus operandi of spirit on the medium, either by hearing or
by sight.
*
*
*
After we had remained sitting, with the raps heard in every direc
tion, * * * it was written out by the medium, “ Let Mr. G. go into
the other room.” Mr. Gr. went as directed. Now, my youngest
daughter (not being interested) appeared somewhat tired of the affair
before this direction was given ; but, as soon as he left the room, she
became visibly agitated all over, — her countenance changed, and she
was evidently resisting, with considerable effort, what I supposed a
slight attack of illness from being so long shut up in one room. I
asked her if she was sick. She replied, “No, but I cannot keep either
my body or my hands still. I am trembling all over.” As soon as she
�77
uttered these words, her hands and arms were violently shaken.
* * * * She became very much alarmed, and, running to her
mother, who was also deeply moved at this unlooked-for manifestation,
she said, while her voice trembled with fear, “ 0, mother, take me
away ! — take me away ! ” But her arms were forcibly wrested, as it
were, from her mother’s neck, and thrown violently up and down.
* * * * When, having soothed the frightened child, we in
duced her to remain in the circle some twenty minutes longer, her hand
was made to write legibly, and in bold, large letters,— not in the least
resembling her ordinary hand-writing,— answers to all our questions,
both mental and oral; and, what was yet more remarkable, she wrote
rapidly and easily; and the style of composition and the spelling far
excelled what we knew was the character of her original attempts at
composition, and her spelling previous to this time. Being fatigued,
about one o’clock, she was ordered, by the spirits, to leave the circle ;
and, not immediately complying with this direction, her chair was drawn
from under her by some invisible agency, and she fell to the floor. She
arose to go into the next room, and, as she was passing a sofa, she was
taken up bodily by some unseen force, and deposited upon it as gently
as if lain there by her parents.
At this sitting there were many correct answers given to questions,
and of such a character as to satisfy some individuals that the spirits
of their friends were really there. I could not bring myself to believe
that spirits had anything to do with the matter. * . * * *
I did not doubt that everything I witnessed took place without the
intervention of any individual present, and I knew that those present
could not have tricked me. In my own child I had that confidence which
a life of truthfulness has inspired. Yet the idea that the spirits of
our deceased friends could hold communication with ourselves on
earth, &c., was so strange, wonderful, and so incompatible with my edu
cation, and so opposed to my preconceived opinions and religious belief,
that what I had seen at this circle completely bewildered me. I could
not understand — I did not believe. * * * *
About this time (Oct. 1851) I was engaged in business which re
quired my absence for the day from home. The spirit of a friend had
intimated to my wife that he would apprise her of the time when I
would conclude this affair; and, on the day mentioned, just at the hour
when I had consummated the matter, he wrote out, through my daugh
ter’s hand, “ The doctor has settled his business.” She asked him how
�78
he knew; and he replied, “ I have just left him — it was six o’clock
when he finished.”
As soon as I returned home Mrs. D. immediately accosted me and
said, “ So you have arranged your affair.”
I was surprised, and asked her how she knew. She mentioned her
authority, and I then recalled to mind that just as the final arrange
ments were made the clock in the room struck six. I did not attempt
to explain this circumstance even to myself, and was yet an unbeliever.
* * * * There was no kind of evidence but what was pre
sented. The secret thoughts of my heart were read as if they had
been written on my face. Secrets, known only to the dead and my
self, were revealed to me, when there were none present but the
medium. Events, occurring even at the distance of a thousand miles,
were told to me while they were taking place, and afterwards were cor
roborated, to the letter, by the individuals who were active agents in
the transactions.
Facts relating to my own actions were predicted months before they
took place. I have listened to the most elevated thoughts, couched in
language far beyond her comprehension, describing facts in science, and
circumstances in the daily life of the spirits after death, which were
corroborated, fact by fact, idea by idea, by other mediums, with whom
she was entirely unacquainted, uttered by a little girl scarce nine years
*
old!
I have heard an illiterate mechanic repeat Greek, Latin, Hebrew and
Chaldaic. I have been present when a medium answered my ques
tions in the Italian language, of which she was ignorant, aod also
uttered several sentences in the same language, and gave the name of
the Italian gentleman, of whom she had never heard, but who was,
when living, the friend of one of the party at the circle. * * * *
It was not till after I had become a writing medium, against my will
and determined efforts to the contrary, that I yielded an implicit faith
in the truth of spiritual intercourse with men. After the concerted and
continued attempt to impress me had passed over, I refrained from
visiting circles, and thought, by staying away, I might be free from
any impression. On the contrary, my own arm would be moved while
I was asleep, and awake me by its motion.
During the time I abstained from sitting in any circle, I was twice
lifted bodily from my bed, mooed off its edge, and thus suspended in the
* It will be remembered Jesus “ was about twelve years old. ”
�79
air / # * * # Heretofore my arm had been the organ to which
their efforts had been chiefly directed; now, my whole body was sub
jected to their influence, against my will and desire, and all my strug
gles and efforts to resist them. * * * *
Often when I am alone in my office, my hand will be moved, and I
am obliged to abandon every other purpose till the spirits have con
cluded their communication. An incident of this kind happened some
months since. After I had retired to bed, I was awakened from sleep
by the rapid and violent motion of my hand. It was midnight. I
could assign no cause for this manifestation, and essayed to throw off
the influence, by all possible means, but in vain.
I was compelled to rise, procure pencil and paper, and a long com
munication was written before they would again permit me to sleep.
Another instance of their presence, when I was alone in my office,
took place a few weeks since. * * * * I was scarcely seated,
when my right hand began to move, In this hand was a small gold
pencil, which I had just been using. I was somewhat impatient at
this display of their presence, for I did not know how long I might be
detained, and I could spare them but very little time. I therefore
exclaimed, pettishly, “ Don’t detain me to write now, but show me
something new.” As if to gratify my request, the fingers and thumb
were brought together at the ends, leaving the pencil resting on the
ball of the thumb, and the fingers closed, forming a roof over it. In
this shape the arm was placed firmly on the arm of the chair, so I could
not move it. The pencil was then turned round several times, drawn
out from the hand, and lifted up toward the palm, without even a
movement of the fingers or hand during the whole operation. At this
moment a lady, resident in my house, who was an unbeliever, happened
to come into the office. I asked her to watch the pencil in my hand,
and see if it stirred. I also charged her to watch my hand, and see if
it moved in the least. I then asked the spirits to move the pencil as
before. The same process again took place, in every particular corre
sponding with the first. Whether this satisfied her or not of the pres
ence of the action of spirits, I am unable to say.
I have her corroboration of the fact as it occurred; that it was
impossible for the pencil to become so agitated by any effort of my
own.
It should be noticed, in this connection, that when I am alone, as
also when in a circle, the manifestation, whether by writing or any
�80
physical display, is entirely free from any participation with my own
mind, either in the subject taught or in the effect produced on my body.
I reiterate this statement, that it may be understood that the teach
ings revealed by my instrumentality, in this book, contain thoughts,
sentiments and statements, differing in toto from what were my own
views when they were communicated.
I have now given a brief history of some of the causes which have
induced in me the belief of Spirit-intercourse, and it is not a tithe, not
a hundredth part, of what I have witnessed.
George T. Dexter.
No. 2. Testimony of 1 to classes I, V. and VI. Judge Edmonds'
Statement, New York, Aug. 1 and Sept. 1, 1853. See Introduc
tion to “ Spiritualism."
It was in January, 1851, that my attention was first called to the
subject of “ spiritual intercourse.” I had, in the course of my life,
read and heard from the pulpit so many contradictory and conflicting
doctrines on the subject (of man’s future existence) that I hardly knew
what to believe.
For about four months I devoted at least two evenings in a week,
and sometimes more, to witnessing the phenomena in all its phases. I
kept careful records of all I witnessed, and, from time to time, com
pared them with each other, to detect inconsistencies and contradic
tions. I read all I could lay my hands upon, on the subject, and
especially all the professed “ exposures of the humbug.” In fine, I
availed myself of every opportunity that was afforded, thoroughly to
sift the matter to the bottom. I was all this time an unbeliever. At
length the evidence came, and in such a force that no sane man could
withhold his faith.
To detail what I witnessed, for those four months, and recorded,
would fill, at least, one hundred and thirty closely-written pages. I
will, however, mention a few things, which will give a general idea of
that which characterized interviews now numbering several hundred.
Most of them have occurred in the presence of others. I have pre
served their names in my records. * * * * These considera
tions grow out of this fact:
First, That I have thus very many witnesses whom I can invoke to
establish the truth of my statements.
Second, That if I have been deluded, and have not seen and heard
what I think I have, my delusion has been shared by many as shrewd, as
�81
intelligent, as honest and as enlightened people, as are to be found any
where among us.
My attention was first drawn to the intercourse by the rappings, then
the most common, but now the most inconsiderable mode of communing.
Of course, I was on the look out for deception, and at first relied upon
my senses, and the conclusions which my reason might draw from their
evidence. * * *
.
After depending upon my senses as to these various phases of the
phenomenon, I invoked the aid of science, and, with the assistance of an
accomplished electrician and his machinery, and of eight or ten intelli
gent, educated, and shrewd persons, examined the matter. We pursued
our inquiries many days, and established, to our satisfaction, two
things: first, that the sounds were not produced by the agency of any
person present or near us; and, secondly, that they were not forth
coming at our will and pleasure. In the mean time, another feature
attracted my attention, and that was “ physical manifestations,” as they
are termed. Thus, I have known a pine table, with four legs, lifted
up bodily from the floor, in the centre of a circle of six or eight per
sons, turned upside down, and laid upon its top at our feet, then lifted
up over our heads, and put leaning against the back of the sofa on
which we sat. * * * * I have seen a mahogany centre-table,
having only a centre leg, and with a lamp burning upon it, lifted from
the floor, at least a foot, in spite of the efforts of those present, and
shaken backward and forward, as one would shake a goblet in his
band. * * * *
I have known a dinner-bell, taken from a shelf in a closet, rung over
the heads of four or five persons in that closet, then rung around the
room over the heads of twelve or fifteen persons in the back parlor,
and then borne through the folding-doors to the further end of the
front parlor, and then dropped on the floor.
I have known persons pulled about, with a force which it was impos
sible for them to resist; and once, when all my strength was added, in
vain, to that of one thus affected.
I have known a mahogany chair thrown on its side, and moved
swiftly back and forth on the floor, no one touching it, through a room
where there were, at least, a dozen people sitting. Yet no one was
touched, and it was repeatedly stopped within a few inches of me, when
it was coming with a violence which, if not arrested, must have broken
my legs.
This is not a tithe, nay, not an hundredth part, of what I have seen,
8
�82
of the same character. At the same time, I have heard from others,
whose testimony would be credited in any human transaction, and
which I could not permit myself to disregard, accounts of still more
extraordinary transactions; for I have been, by no means, so much
favored in this respect as some.
Intelligence was a remarkable feature of the phenomenon. Thus, I
have frequently known mental questions answered, — that is, questions
merely framed in the mind of the interrogator, and not revealed by him
or known to others. Preparatory to meeting a circle, I have sat down
alone in my room, and carefully prepared a series of questions to be
propounded ; and I have been surprised to find my questions answered,
and in the precise order in which I wrote them, without my even tak
ing my memorandum out of my pocket, and when I knew that no per
son present knew that I had prepared questions, much less what they
were.
2Iy most secret thoughts — those which I never uttered to mortal
man or woman — have been freely spoken, as if I had uttered them.
I have known Latin, French, and Spanish words spelled out through
the rappings; and I have heard mediums, who knew no language but
their own, speak in those languages, and in Italian, German and Greek,
and in other languages unknown to me, but which were represented to
be Arabic, Chinese and Indian, and all done with the ease and rapid
ity of a native.
I have seen a person who knew nothing of music, except a little that
he had learned at a country singing-school, go to the piano and play in
perfect keeping, as to time and concord, the several parts of an over
ture to an opera.
When I was absent, last winter, in Central America, my friends, in
town, heard of my whereabouts, and of the state of my health, seven
times; and, on my return, by comparing their information with the
entries in my journal, it was found to be invariably correct.
I went into the investigation originally thinking it a deception, and
intending to make public my exposure of it. Having, from my
researches, come to a different conclusion, I feel that the obligation to
make known the result is just as strong. Therefore it is, mainly, that
I give the result to the world.
J. W. Edmonds.
The following statement of Governor Tallmadge, relative to the char
acter of Judge Edmonds, may be interesting to those who do not
already know his character. The statement is extracted from a letter
�83
to Hon. James F. Simmons, of Rhode Island, who had formerly been
in the United States Senate with Governor Tallmadge; Mr. Simmons
also being a firm believer in the spiritual manifestations.
“I had known Judge Edmonds for thirty years; had practised law in
the same courts, had served in the Senate of New York, with him, had
been associated with him also as a member of the Court for the Correc
tion of Errors, — the highest court in the state ; had known him, since
that time, as a justice of the Supreme Court, and, more recently, a
judge of the Court of Appeals, where he holds a deservedly high rank
among his brethren, the able judges of that court of last resort in the
State of New York.
“ I also knew him as a gentleman of finished classical education, and
as a lawyer of an acute mind, and a decided talent for investigation.
And, above all, I knew him to be a man of unimpeachable integrity.”
No. 3. Testimony of 1 to classes I. and VI.
Tallmadge.
Statement of Governor
During the above communication of Calhoun, the table moved occa
sionally, perhaps a foot, first one way and then the other. After the
communication closed, we all moved back from the table from two to
four feet, so that no one touched it. Suddenly it moved from the posi
tion it occupied some three or four feet, — rested a few moments, and
then moved back again to its original position. Then it again moved
as far the other way, and returned to the place it started from.
One side of it was then raised, and stood for a few moments at an
angle of about thirty-five degrees, and then again rested on the floor as
usual. The table was a large, heavy, round one, at which ten or a
dozen persons might be seated at dinner. During all these movements
no person touched it, nor was any one near it. After this the follow
ing conversation ensued: Q. Can you raise the table entirely from
the floor? A. Yes. Q. Will you raise me with it ? A. Yes; get
me the square table.
The square table was of cherry, with four legs, — a large-sized tea
table. It was brought out, and substituted for the round one. The
leaves being raised, I took my seat on the centre; the three ladies sat
at the sides and end, their hands and arms resting upon it. Two legs
of it were then raised about six inches from the floor, and then the
other two legs were raised to a level with the first, so that the whole
�84
table was suspended in the air about six inches from the floor. While
thus seated on it, I could feel a gentle vibratory motion, as if floating
in the atmosphere. After being thus suspended in the air for a few
moments, the table was gently let down again to the floor.
At a subsequent meeting, Calhoun directed me to bring three bells
and a guitar; I brought them accordingly. The bells were of different
sizes — the largest like a small-sized dinner-bell. He directed a drawer
to be put under the square table. I put under a bureau-drawer, bottom
side up. He directed the bells to be placed on the drawer. The three
ladies and myself were seated at the table, with our hands and arms
resting on it. The bells commenced ringing in a sort of chime. Nu
merous raps were made, as if beating time to a march. The bells con
tinued to ring, and to chime in with the beating of time. The time of
the march was slow and solemn. It was beautiful and perfect. The
most fastidious ear could not detect any discrepancy in it.
The raps then ceased, and the bells rang violently for several
minutes. A bell was then pressed on my foot, my ankle, and knee.
This was at different times; repeated knocks were made most vehe
mently against the underside of the table, so that a large tin candle
stick was, by every blow, raised completely from ,the table by the con
cussion. I afterward examined the underside of the table (which, it
will be recollected, was of cherry), and found indentations in the wood,
made by the end of the handle of the bell, which was tipped with
brass. Here the ringing of the bells ceased, and then I felt sensibly
and distinctly the impression of a hand on my foot, ankle, and knee.
These manifestations were several times repeated.
I was then requested to put the guitar on the drawer. We were all
seated as before, our hands and arms resting on the table. The guitar
was touched softly and gently, and gave forth sweet and delicious sounds,
like the accompaniment to a beautiful and exquisite piece of music.
It then played a sort of symphony, in much louder and bolder tones.
* * * I am utterly incapable of giving any adequate idea of the
beauty and harmony of this music. I have heard the guitar touched
by the most delicate and scientific hands, and heard from it, under such
guidance, the most splendid performances. But never did I hear any
thing that fastened upon the very soul like these prophetic strains,
drawn out by an invisible hand from the spirit world. After the
music had ceased, the following communication was received. “ This
is my hand that touches you and the guitar.
John C. Calhoun.”
I was present, by Calhoun’s appointment, with the Misses Fox and
�85
their mother. We were seated at the table as heretofore, our hands
and arms resting upon it. I was directed to put paper and pencil on
the drawer. I placed several sheets of unruled paper, together with a
wood pencil, on it. I soon heard the sound of the pencil on the paper.
It was then rapped out — Get the pencil and sharpen it. I looked
under the table, but did not see the pencil. At length, I found it
lying diagonally from me, three or four feet from the table; the lead
was broken off within the wood; I sharpened it, and again put it on the
drawer. Again, I heard the sound of the pencil on the paper. On
being directed to look at the paper, I discovered pencil-marks on each
side of the outer sheet, but no writing. Then was received the fol
lowing communication : “The power is not enough to write a sentence.
This will show you that I can write. If you meet on Friday, precisely
at seven, I will write a short sentence.
John C. Calhoun.”
We met pursuant to appointment; took our seats at the table, our hands
and arms resting on it as usual. I placed the paper, with my silvercased pencil, on the drawer, and said : “My friend, I wish the sentence to
be in your hand-writing, so that your friends will recognize it.” He
replied : “Yau will know the writing. Have your minds on the spirit
of John C. Calhoun.” I soon heard a rapid movement of the pencil on
the paper, and a rustling of the paper, together with a movement of
the drawer. I was then directed to look under the drawer. I found the
pencil outside of the drawer near my feet, but found no paper on the
drawer where I had placed it. On raising up the drawer, I discovered
the paper under it. The sheets were a little deranged, and, on examin
ing, I found on the outside sheet these words : “ Ifci with you still.”
I afterwards showed the “sentence” to Gen. James Hamilton, former
Governor of South Carolina; Gen. Waddy Thompson, former minister
to Mexico ; Gen. Robert B. Campbell, late consul at Havana ; together
with other intimate friends of Calhoun, and also to one of his sons, all
of whom are as well acquainted with his hand-writing as with their
own, and they all pronounced it to be a perfect fac-simile of the hand
writing of John C. Calhoun. Gen. Hamiltop says that Calhoun was
in the habit of writing “I’m” for “I am.” Mrs. Gen. Macomb has
stated the same fact to me.
How significant, then, does this fact become! We have not only the
most unequivocal testimony to the hand-writing itself, but, lest any
sceptic should suggest the possibility of an imitation, or a counterfeit,
this abbreviation, peculiar to himself, and known only to his most inti-
*
8
�86
mate friend?, and which no imitator or counterfeiter could know, is
introduced by way of putting such a suggestion to flight forever.
[This statement is extracted from a letter to Mrs. Sarah H. Whit
*
man, Providence, R. I., dated Washington, Jan. 10, 1853.] Signed,
N. P. Tallmadge.
The following is taken from a letter of Gov. Tallmadge to Judge
Edmonds. See “Spiritualism,” page 38:
“ My youngest daughter, aged thirteen, plays the piano by the in
struction of spirits, like an experienced performer. She knows nothing
of notes or music, and never played the piano before in her life.” *
Case XI. — Candor.
Mr. and Mrs. Newton's Testimony.
[Extracted from “ The Ministry of Angels Realized. A Letter to the
Edwards Congregational Church, Boston,” of which they were mem
bers.]
The results, however, of this first investigation, at the time, were
(for reasons not then apparent, but which have since been made plain
to us) far from satisfactory. Though we witnessed some striking
evidences of invisible intelligent agency, there was nothing by which
this agency could be positively identified; and the conclusion seemed
most in accordance with our previous opinions, that, if any agency
beyond that of human beings was concerned, it was that of evil and
seducing spirits. Some months subsequently to this, we were led to
attempt- the investigation under circumstances more favorable to
arriving at a satisfactory conclusion. * * * The results of this
interview were of the most surprising, yea, astounding character. An
intelligence, claiming to be that of a venerated parent, who had long
since passed within the vail, manifested its presence, and addressed to
one of us a communication glowing with parental affection, and
breathing the very spirit of the upper realm. This was accompanied
by the statement of a number of facts, pertaining to his earthly life,
none of which, we were fully satisfied, could have been known to any
person, bodily present, except the inquirer, and some of them unknown
even to him. Although the investigation had been approached with
* This case of playing the piano involves the same principles as being taught to
read. It is not more remarkable than the playing without human hands, which is
frequently done.
�87
minds on the alert and perceptions sharpened to detect collusion, im
posture, deception, or diabolism, in any of its forms, no trace of them
could be perceived; all was conducted with evident frankness and
candor, on the part of those concerned; and no solution of the
mystery was then arrived at, and no adequate one has since been
offered, which does not recognize the agency of intelligent beings. A
trumpet-blast from the clouds could scarcely have been more startling
to our prejudices and unbelief than was that message from the hidden
world. * * * As may be well supposed, the interest awakened
by this occurrence was sufficient to lead to a further investigation.
But a truth so novel and startling could not at once be received,
however demonstrative and convincing the evidence on which it rested.
Nor was it until evidence had accumulated upon evidence, and proof
become piled upon proof,— not until manifestations of the most mar
vellous character had been repeatedly witnessed, under a great variety
of circumstances, and notwithstanding the application of every con
ceivable test, — that we could consent to acknowledge, even to ourselves,
a belief in the agency of spiritual beings. That belief, however, in
spite of prejudice and scepticism, in spite of the general cry of “ hum
bug ” and “ imposture,” in spite of all attempts of scientific men to
explain the marvels on the basis of materialism (which explanations we
found in every case to be wholly inadequate to account for what we wit
nessed), that belief became at length forced upon our minds by irre
sistible evidence.
But the question still pressed upon us, who were these invisible
beings ? and what their character and designs ? They claimed to be
the spirits of departed human beings. Some of them insisted that they
were our relatives and friends, and they furnished most startling and
inexplicable proofs of their identity. They professed to be thus mani
festing themselves to our outward senses, for the purest and holiest of
purposes. * * *
The most favorable of opportunities were offered us for making this
investigation ; and they were carefully and prayerfully improved.
For several successive months did we continue to apply to what was
transpiring under our notice, through the mediumship of others, the
keenest powers of observation, and the highest exercise of moral per
ception, which have been granted us; ever seeking light and aid from
Him who has said, “ Ask, and ye shall receive.”
At length, these intelligences from another sphere began to manifest
themselves to us in a manner most unlooked-for and diverse from
�88
anything we had elsewhere witnessed, in the quietness and seclusion of
our own home, and without the intervention of any other person. From
small and gentle beginnings, they have gone forward as we were able to
bear the increasing light, to give greater, and higher, and clearer proofs
of the reality of their presence, their identity, and their heavenly mis
sion; until, through a period of six or seven months, we have been
permitted, as we believe, the almost daily enjoyment of the sweetest
and most intimate communion with the spirits of “just ones made per
fect above.”
Signed,
A. E. Newton,
S. J. Newton.
Such is a very brief statement of the experience of two persons in
this community, whose reputation is above suspicion, and whose candor
is made sufficiently evident by the character of the statement. Several
things should be noticed in this testimony.
First, They have been personal witnesses to the facts.
Second, These facts have been such as to convince them that they are
of a certain origin, and tend to produce certain results.
Third, They were prejudiced against these facts by previous experi
ence and religious belief.
Fourth, They took every possible precaution not to be deceived;
were not convinced till after a long and thorough investigation; finally,
the facts occurring in an unexpected manner in their own house, af
forded them the most ample opportunities for investigation, at the same
time precluding all possibility of imposition, unless they imposed upon
themselves, which, in consideration of their known integrity, their prej
udices and many other circumstances, it is absurd to suppose.
Fifth, As to their conclusion concerning the origin or cause, the
nature or character, the tendency or object, of these facts, they have
arrived at it by no preconceived notions. It is altogether contrary to
all their prejudices. They were compelled to relinquish every position
they had assumed, and this by no subtlety of logic, but by what they
saw and heard of the facts themselves; — and in this same manner, by
the facts, not by a process of reasoning, they were driven to their
conclusion.
Now, this experience, and these conclusions forced upon the mind
by it, do not belong alone to two persons, nor to a hundred, but thou
sands have had the same experience, and come to the same conclu
sions, concerning the origin, nature and tendency, of the phenomena. In
�89
view of these facts, I ask if it can be possible that all these people are
deceived ?
The idea of “ deception,” “ collusion,” “ humbug,” is absurd; a fool’s
reply, who judges a matter before he knows anything about it.
The assertion of “ physical impossibility ” is the bigot’s reply, who
judges all creation, and all powers of creation, by what he has seen in
his father’s door-yard, though he cannot even tell how the grass grows
thereon. The cry of “ diabolism,” raised by many divines, is a pla
giarism. Their brethren raised it eighteen hundred years ago, for the
same cause. They were obliged to admit the facts to save their own
reputation and influence ; they raised this foolish cry to bring the whole
thing into disrepute. But these are a thousand times more stupid; for
the facts which they thus admit will not only doom them to the fate of
their ancient brethren, but completely blast and totally annihilate the
chief corner-stone on which their order rests, their very shield and
defence against this as well as all other truths of nature which are not
first discovered and proclaimed within their own dismal edifice. Yes,
they are pitifully stupid to raise this cry of “ diabolism ” against that
which has not only laid a giant hand upon, but has already began to
strangle Diabolos himself; — that which has the power and the will
to completely finish the old fellow.
Can they not see the force of the reply to them, “ If Satan be
divided against Satan, how shall his kingdom stand ” ?
Again, the assertion of “physical cause" raised by some men of
science, is most unscientific of all that calls itself science. They are
not only obliged to exclude a whole class of important facts, which
rest upon just as good evidence as those which they accept, but they
are obliged to exclude from the majority of the facts they do admit
one important element, namely, a directing personal intelligence; they
are not only compelled to admit the physico-spiritual existence of a
new physical agent, or rather physical spiritual agent, which they
have never before known to exist, and the powers and properties
of which they theoretically and most dogmatically frame for every
occasion; but they are also compelled to renounce all their old the
ories of Psychology (the science of mind), and to attribute to the human
mind, in the body, more wonderful power than is claimed for it out
of the body.
If any one doubt this assertion, we refer him to “ The Philosophy
of Mysterious Rappings,” by Dr. Rogers, of Boston.
In this book he will find all we have stated fully illustrated. The
�90
work reminds us of a certain brilliant attempt once made, in the pres
ence of two honest country farmers, as they were hastily preparing
their dry hay for an approaching shower. A shaft of lightning, accom
panied by a sharp thunder-clap, descended upon a majestic pine, which
had for a century proudly defied all blasts of this kind. The fierce
bolt, no doubt, intended to demolish the noble tree at once; but, being
obliged to take a scientific course and follow the grain, it began to
wind itself around the trunk, more and more directly as it descended,
apparently becoming more angry, but making less headway, till finally
it spread itself over the whole surface of the tree, and fell harmless at
its roots; whereupon one of the farmers very coolly said, “ I swear !
that is the first time I ever saw lightning get its match.”
So we think science, if it attempt to explain this spirit manifestation
on “ material ” principles, will, for the first time, find its match.
The following, which we have taken from a daily paper, expresses
the conclusion to which every honest scientific inquirer must soon
come:
“ Prof. Hare, formerly Professor of Chemistry in the University of
Pennsylvania, avows that, after having tested the spiritual rappings by
electrical apparatus, and every other mode capable of detecting the
presence and influence of electricity as to their cause, he has come to
the conclusion that there is an intelligent independent invisible agency,
entirely aside from the medium, concerned in producing the various
phenomena, and further affirms that the theory of the spiritualists is
the only intelligible solution yet presented.”
It is well known among spiritualists and their opponents that this
aged professor had formerly endorsed the theory of Faraday, and that
he wrote several lengthy articles in favor of that theory.
�THE NATURE OF THE PHENOMENA.
We now take it for granted, that he who still adheres
to the “ miracles” of the New Testament, will accept, on
the far greater evidence, the modern “miracles.” We
think the superiority of the evidence will more than bal
ance the enchantment of distance. We have presupposed
that the resemblance between each of the first seven
classes in the New Testament, and those we have pre
sented under the same heads, would be sufficiently obvious
to justify this connection. They resemble each other as
much as any two cases at the present day. It would be
wholly gratuitous to point out the close resemblance be
tween the laying on of the dpostles’ hands and the con
sequent recovery of the sick, and the laying on of the
“mediums’” hands, followed by the same results. So
with speaking in tongues, the luminous appearances
attending spirit manifestations, and with all the other
classes ; the only difference seems to consist in some in
cidental circumstances attending the modern phenomena,
which have not been related as connected with those
of the New Testament. If they had some kinds of man
ifestations which we have not, we also have some of which
they give us no account, — such as spelling sentences by
raps or tips, or pointing to the letters ; writing by spirits
alone, and singing and playing music. But these kinds
of manifestations are produced by the same causes as
other kinds which we now have; they are all of the same
nature; and, should the development of new kinds
of manifestation continue to any extent, no one would
�92
think of assigning any new cause from that fact. Hence
we conclude that these different kinds of manifestation,
which are peculiar to each, will lead no one to suppose
that the modern phenomena are of a different nature from
the ancient, or that they can be assignable to a wholly
different cause. It is not philosophical to assign different
causes to phenomena so closely resembling each other,
simply because they occur in different ages of the world,
any more than it would be to say that those which now
occur in America are of a different nature, and are pro
duced by a different cause, from those in Europe. No
one would be in danger of this last mistake, though the
phenomena in the two countries differ as widely as those
in the two ages.
This principle, essential to science, has been insisted
upon by all who have attempted to account for these
phenomena; but they have made an exception in the
case of the Christian miracles, — an exception which, if
insisted upon, destroys the principle, and renders science
impossible.
So, when it is once decided that a number of phenomena
belong to the same class, according to a principle already
asserted, it is unphilosophical to assign a cause to the
whole from the consideration of a part only, whether
the part considered be the highest or lowest. The cause
must be adequate to the production of both the high and
the low. Hence we conclude that, whatever may have
been the moving cause in the early Christian manifesta
tions, the same cause is now operating to produce similar
phenomena.
Mr. Rogers, in his “ Philosophy of Mysterious Rap
pings,” judges the cause by physical manifestations of
the lowest character, in which no distinct marks of an
�93
independent directing intelligence are apparent; and
then, adhering to the principle above laid down, assigns
the same cause to the similar phenomena in which such
an intelligence is too apparent to be denied, without
denying many of the facts themselves. The cause he
assigns cannot produce the higher manifestations ; but
the cause assigned by spiritualists can produce both the
lower and the higher.
Mr. Dods, in his “ Spirit Manifestations Examined and
Explained” by the “Back-Brain,” says, “ On these in
voluntary powers (in the back-brain) presentiments are
often impressed ; and through these the Creator has held,
in the early ages of the world, mysterious converse with
holy men, and through these He has poured the streams
of prophetic truth and divine inspiration from the fountain
of His being, and through these He has reached the
reason, thought, understanding and will of His creatures ”
(p. 104). “It (the back-brain instinct, or involuntary
power) is the living oracle through which God has spoken
to His servants in dreams, in visions, in silent and passive
meditation. It is the living oracle, through which Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, consulted the Eternal;
and through which, as His inspired servants, they heard
His voice speaking, in the cool stillness of the day, in
silent and passive meditation” (p. 69). But Mr. Dods
pretends that it is almost blasphemy to suppose ‘‘ impres
sions” are now made upon these same involuntary powers
of the will by spirits, or that God now “speaks in dreams
and visions ” through this “ living oracle.” This is the
way he expresses it, in his own peculiar style : “Ladies
and gentlemen, I will only say that electro-psychology and
mesmerism, as matters of science, should be kept in their own appropriate domain, to detect and describe disease,
9
�94
and apply the healing remedy; but let them not pre
sume through these agents, by supposed spirit mani
festations, clairvoyance, or any other mode, to make a
revelation superior to the prophets, and Jesus Christ and
the apostles. And deeply do I regret that Mr. Davis has
attempted this!! ” (page 108). On the same page he says,
“ I say all somnambulists write, and, if I may so speak,
reason and move by the involuntary power of mind and
nerves. And so do all mesmeric clairvoyants, and those
in a state of catalepsy.” Now, he has just said, as we
have quoted, “ Through this involuntary power the Cre
ator has held, in the early ages of the world, mysterious
converse with holy men. It is the living oracle through
which Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and David, consulted the
Eternal, and through which, as His inspired servants, they
heard His voice.” Why, then, Mr. Dods, may not these
men, who you say possess the same “living oracle” as
“the prophets, and Jesus Christ and the apostles,” also
“ consult the Eternal ” through it, and, “ as His inspired
servants, hear His voice ” ? The prophets came before
Jesus Christ and his apostles; but Mr. Dods himself thinks
that the latter, “ through these agents,” did “ presume
to make a revelation superior to the prophets,” and that
' they succeeded.
Now, if Mr. Davis and others at the present day, who
have, according to Mr. Dods, presumed “ through these
agents to work a revelation superior to the prophets, and
Jesus Christ and the apostles,” should really succeed,
though Mr. Dods may “marvel and wonder,” “I hope
he will not wonder and perish” ! I have no fears that
he will; for, in the same chapter (p. 103), to save himself,
he has built a bridge in large capitals, on which he may
walk right over the invisible chasm from his theory into
�95
Spiritualism.
This is it: “Now,
convince me that the
SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS ARE TRUE, AND MY PHILOSOPHY IS
STILL CORRECT.
In
SUCH A CASE IT WOULD BE NECESSARY
FOR ME TO MOVE MY POSITION ONE STEP FURTHER BACK, AND
SAY THAT DEPARTED SPIRITS INFLUENCED THE INVOLUNTARY
POWERS OF THE MIND IN THE BACK-BRAIN, AND MOVED INTO
ACTION THE INSTINCTIVE ENERGIES OF OUR.BEING.”*
If the New Testament records were accepted on the
same ground that we accept other records, and the accounts
of similar phenomena at the present day, it would be
readily seen that to reject the fact of spirit communica
tion would reject a large portion of the New Testament
itself, and make much of the remainder sheer nonsense ;
for that book begins and ends with, and all the way through
contains, reports of these communications, or allusions to
them. In the first and second chapters of Matthew sev
eral verbatim reports of these are professedly given, and
the whole book of Revelations is made up of what “ the
spirit,” who was John’s “fellow-servant, and of the
prophets,”’communicated to him while “ in the spirit,”
or, what we should say, “under the spiritual influence.”
The modern manifestations resemble those of the New
Testament, not only in their nature and quality, but in
the effect they produce on those who believe them.
“While reading Mr. Dods’ lectures, one feels that he already knows that he
cannot much longer maintain his present position, — that the facts will drive him
back, upon his own theory, into Spiritualism. He says, on the ninety-third page,
“ Let the mediums step into a room, not touch the table at all, and then cause it to
be tipped, raised or moved, and their work is done. For one, I am a convert,
and will unflinchinglyface a sneering and scoffing world.” Now, if Mr. Dods
is the candid man he professes to be, he will take the true method to satisfy him
self of this fact,— for it frequently occurs, — then he will “ unflinchingly come out,
and face a sneering and scoffing world.’’ We expect soon to see this additional
title attached to the second edition of his book : “ With my position moved one.
STEP FURTHER BACK.”
�96
Christ and his disciples, according to the accounts, be
came the most zealous philanthropists. So enthusiastic
were they, that they believed the kingdom of heaven
was really coming on the earth, and they in good earnest
set about to bring it. They met together and formed
communities (Acts 2 : 44, 45; 4 : 32, 37); and de
sired to live in harmony.
Now, the modern manifestations have precisely this
tendency; and in this consists their chief value.
The two following communications — the first purport
ing to come from John C. Calhoun, the second from W. E.
Channing — express the object the spirits professedly have
in view in these communications. They are given in
answer to this question: “ It is to draio mankind together
into harmony, and convince sceptics of the immortality of
the soul.”
“ To unite mankind and convince sceptical minds of
the immortality of the soul.”
And such every spiritualist knows to be their teach
ings generally, and the actual results of them. I could
name hundreds of sceptics, honest sceptics, whom the
New Testament, and the Christian ministry, and all other
means, could not convince, and yet who have become
firm believers in this joyous truth, through these mani
festations.
But its tendency “ to unite mankind in harmony” is
its most interesting feature to me. If it is all imagina
tion, I know it produces this result. I have for the last
six years been deeply interested in the social condition
of mankind ; and, were it not for this present influx of
spirit life, I should almost despair of its change for the
better.
But now I see the eyes of nearly all spiritualists
�97
opening to the fearful social discords which are baffling all
individual efforts for goodness and harmony.
With
but few exceptions, every spiritualist with whom I have
met has somehow become possessed of an intense desire
for harmony. “ Harmony” “Harmony,” I hear ut
tered, and repeated, many times, in every circle of spir
itualists. I know it has awakened the desire in the
hearts of thousands, and it has become intense.
Such a
desire I know will be answered by- some mighty practical
results. From the first creation of the world, there have
been periods of the influx of new and higher life into
this earth. It is distinctly traceable through all the geo
logical ages, and in the traditions and monumental his
tories of mankind. And now we see the most unmistaka
ble indications of a new and higher influx of life, of di
vine life, into this world, which is already opening upon
mankind the dawn of a new era, as much more glorious
than the “Christian” era as that is more glorious than
the Mosaic. The friends of the cause have everything
to hope. Let them work on ; the full light of the day
of harmony, which is now dawning, will soon appear,
when the reward of all their labors will be realized in
the practical brotherhood of the race ; what all those
ancient spiritualists so earnestly desired and labored for,
---- THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON EARTH.
I have, throughout, implied a belief in the spiritual
cause of these phenomena. This belief is founded on
facts and reason ; and, though firmly established in it, I
have not come to it by the observation of a few facts of
a particular kind, but by a careful observation of many
facts of various kinds, and under every variety of circum
stances. I have become so acquainted with this mode
of communication with spirits, that I can sit at the table,
*
9
�98
and, through its movements, converse almost as intelli
gently and rapidly as with a personal friend. I cannot
always tell who the spirit is with whom I am conversing.
But I have frequently become so acquainted with the
peculiar movements of a certain spirit, that I can iden
tify him the moment he begins to move the table. I can
readily detect the feelings of the spirit, whether he is
angry or pleased, by the movements. I have conversed
with spirits, when, by a single word, I seemed to throw
them into a violent fit of passion, which they would
manifest so forcibly as to greatly disturb the medium and
myself; then, by a few words, I have quieted them. I
have been sitting at the table with my sister, conversing,
when the table, of its own accord, would start off and
open the door, and come back to its former position;
when it, in the same manner, would go to the pianoforte,
and, by intelligible signs, ask for a tune ; and other
things of a similar nature. I have seen it perform, as in
telligently as a human being, and with an intelligence
wholly independent of the conscious thought of any person
in the room.
I have listened to and read communications enough to
fill a volume larger than the Bible ; and, with but very
few exceptions, the communications have been of a high
moral character ; frequently very applicable to the oc
casion, and gratifying to the feelings of the persons to
whom they were addressed ; also instructive to others
present. I haye seen frivolous communications, but
these have always been given in reply to questions equally
frivolous. Never have I witnessed anything lower, or
more vulgar, in the utterances of spirits, than in those
of the persons conversing with them at the time.
Truly, the communications are not generally so great
�99
and wise, according to the standard of this world ; but,
according to the New Testament standard, they often
contain “ the wisdom and the power of God unto sal
vation.” Generally they breathe the very spirit of love,
which, according to Jesus, is the germ of all wisdom.
They frequently manifest a deep interest in the welfare
of their personal friends, and in the general welfare of
humanity.
Do you ask again, “ What is the good of all this” ?
I would say, first, my dear friend, it will give you that
very light of which, your question implies, you are now
wholly destitute ; so destitute and dark is your mind,
that you cannot comprehend the light, and when it
shines upon you, you cry out, “ what is that ? ” “ away
with the shadow.”
Yes, it will enlighten you, wise as you now are, and
reveal to you things, both in heaven and earth, which,
hitherto, you have not dreamt of. Allow me to speak
further of my own experience.
I had “ lost ” a dear sister, whom I loved as myself,
and a father, more precious than life. I often thought
of delightful and instructive intercourse I had with them
while on earth ; my soul at times would seem to feel
their presence ; and, for the moment, I would seem to
realize a joyous communion with their spirits; but
the next moment I would be aroused from “ the pleasant
delusion,” to feel all the more lonely from the contrast.
Then would I offer the whole world for one audible word
from them, that I might know they still lived and knew
my thoughts; for I had even then begun to feel the
foreshadowing of that awful state of positive unbelief into
which many minds have fallen. I did not then see it;
but I now see that the course of study and investigation
�100
which I had marked out for myself would have carried
me to the pit of atheism, had I not been saved by means
which I did not then believe to exist.
In the winter of 1849-50, I took up a paper in which
an account of audible communication with the spirit
world was given. I read that account with a thrill of
interest seldom experienced ; though I could not believe
the reality of those dear friends speaking to me again,
while I lived on this earth, I hoped it would prove true.
I resolved to investigate for myself, for I had often
wondered why there could not be some means of com
munication between those who so dearly love. I did in
vestigate ; and, after a long trial, have become fully
convinced of the fact. I feel sure that my father and
sister have spoken that precious word for which I would
have travelled to the farthest verge of earth. And now,
when I think of that gloomy gulf of doubt into which all
the active tendencies of my nature and pursuits would
have inevitably plunged me, my heart swells with grati
tude, and yearns with a desire to use every means to
save the many thousand others who, in spite of all the
evidences in the Bible, have no belief in their immortal
existence.
I have seen many persons, in this land of Christian
churches, who, from honest doubt and sincere atheism,
have been brought to a firm and cheering faith in the
immortality of the soul, through the “ raps ” and the
“ table tippings.” Ask them, if you would know “ what
sense there is in a table jumping up and down.” They
will tell you it has done more for their souls than all your
pulpit “jumping up and down.” These physical move
ments, as they are called, though the lowest manifesta
tions, are still the most useful ; they are what most
�101
spiritual persons demand before they will accept the
higher as genuine spirit communications.
Thus it often
happens that those “ foolish things ” at which the wise
scoff are able to save them from the folly of their own
wisdom. “ The last shall be first, and the first shall be
last.”
�S. ti
re 4Í
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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New Testament "miracles" and modern "miracles"; the comparative amount of evidence for each; the nature of both; testimony of a hundred witnesses: an essay read before the middle and senior classes in Cambridge Divinity School
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Fowler, J. H.
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Place of publication: Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.; Philadephia
Collation: 101 p. ; 22 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Printed by Hobart & Robbins, Boston.
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Bible
Spiritualism
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Bible-N.T.
Conway Tracts
Miracles
Spiritualism
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NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY
SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
a state of ignorance persons are liable to numerous
impositions ; they are easily imposed- on by rumours
IbSj
ar* reports which they have not the power of investid
pat'nS> and still more easily imposed on by their own
iMCiMiSSffi impressions or notions. Of all the impositions which
have vexed the ignorant, a belief in the reality of spectral appear
ances has been one of the most ridiculous, yet one of the longest
and most zealously supported. This belief was once current even
among men reputed for their learning—that is, a kind of learning, not
founded on a correct knowledge of nature—but, by the progress of
inquiry, it has gradually been abandoned by persons of education,
and now is maintained only by those whose minds have not been
instructed on the subject. Considering that this belief, like every
other error, is injurious to happiness, and that, in a particular
manner, the young require to be put on their guard against it, we
propose, in the present paper, to explain the theory of spectral
illusions—how they originate in the mind, and are in no respect
supernatural in their character.
To obtain right ideas of this curious, and, to many, mysterious
subject, it is necessary to understand, in the first place, what kind
of a thing the human mind is, and how it operates in connection
with the senses, or at least two of them—seeing and hearing. The
seat of the mind is in the brain ; in other words, the brain is the
organ or mdss of organs by which the thinking faculties act. Like
No. 159.
,
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
an instrument finely tuned, the brain, when in a sound state of
health, performs its part in our economy with fidelity. Shut up in
the skull, however, it has no communication with external nature
except through the medium of the senses. The senses are the
channels of intelligence to the brain. When the eye receives the
impression or picture of a thing presented to it, that impression iscarried by a nerve to the brain, where the consciousness or mind
recognises it; and the same thing occurs with the ear in the trans
mission of sound. The ordinary notion, therefore, that the eye sees,
is scarcely correct. It is the mind, through the operation of the
brain, the optic nerve, and the eye, which sees. The eye is only an
instrument of vision and recognition. Such is the ordinary process
of seeing, and of having a consciousness of what is presented to the
eye ; and we perceive that the outer organ of vision performs but an
inferior part in the operation. There is, indeed, a consciousness of
seeing objects, without using the eyes. With these organs shut, we
can exert our imagination so far as to recall the image of objects
which we formerly have seen. Thus, when in an imperfect state of
sleep, with the imagination less or more active, we think that we
see objects, and mingle in strange scenes ; and this is called dream
ing. Dreams, therefore, arise principally from a condition of partial
wakefulness, in which the unregulated imagination leads to all kinds
of visionary conceptions. In a state of entire wakefulness, and with
the eyes open, unreal conceptions of objects seemingly present may
also be formed; but this occurs only when the system is disordered
by disease.
We are now brought to an understanding of the cause of those
illusions which, under the name of ghosts, apparitions, or spectres,
have in all ages disturbed the minds of the credulous. The disorder
which leads to the formation of these baseless visions may be
organic or functional, or a combination of both. Organic disorder
of the body is that condition in which one or more organs are
altered in structure by disease. Functional disorder is less serious
in character : it is that condition of things where the healthy action
of the organ or organs, in part or whole, is impeded, without the
existence of any disease of structure. Lunacy, if not arising from
organic disorder, hovers between it and functional derangement, in
either case producing unreal conceptions in the mind. Functional
disorder may arise in various ways, and be of different kinds. It
may be said that violent excitement of the imagination or passions
constitutes functional mental disorder : ‘ Anger is a short madness/
said the Romans wisely. As for functional bodily disorder, tem
porary affections of the digestive organs may be pointed to as
common causes of such cases of physical derangement. All these
disorders, and kinds of disorders, may appear in a complicated
form; and, what is of most importance to our present argument,
the nervous system, on which depend the action of the senses, the
2
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
powers of the will, and the operation of all the involuntary functions
(such as the circulation of the blood, and digestion), is, and must
necessarily be, involved more or less deeply in all cases of constitu
tional disorder, organic or functional. These powers of the nerves,
which form, as we have seen, the sole medium by which mind and
body act and react on each other, are clearly, then, connected with
the production of every kind of illusory impression.
In lunacy, from organic derangement, these impressions are
usually the most vivid. Every lunatic tells you he sees spectres, or
unreal persons ; and no doubt they are seemingly present to his
diseased perceptions. The same cause, simple insanity, partial or
otherwise, and existing either with or without structural brain disease,
has been, we truly believe, at the foundation of many more apparition
cases than any other cause. By far the greatest number of such
cases ever put on record, have been connected with fanaticism in
religious matters ; and can there be a doubt that the majority of the
poor creatures, men and women, who habitually subjected themselves,
in the early centuries of the church, to macerations and lacerations,
and saw signs and visions, were simply persons of partially deranged
intellect ? St Theresa, who lay entranced for whole days, and who,
in the fervour of devotion, imagined that she was frequently addressed
by the voice of God, and that St Peter and St Paul would often in
person visit her solitude, is an example of this order of monomaniacs.
That this individual, and others like her, should have been perfectly
sensible on all other points, is a phenomenon in the pathology of
mind too common to cause any wonder. We would ascribe, we
repeat, a large class of apparition-cases, including these devotional
ones, to simple mental derangement. The eye in such instances
may take in a correct impression of external objects, but this is not
all that is wanting. A correct perception by the mind is essential to
healthy and natural vision, and this perception the deranged intellect
cannot effect.
We should go further than this for a complete elucidation of
spectral illusions. At the time the spectre makes its appearance,
the mind may be neither altogether diseased nor altogether health
ful ; the perceptive powers may recognise through the eye all
surrounding objects exactly as they appear, but, almost in the same
instant of time, the mind may mix up an unreal object with them.
How, then, is the unreal object introduced into the scene ? There
is the strongest ground for believing that the unreal object—the
spectre—is an idea of the mind acting on the optic nerve, and
impressing a picture on the retina, just as effectually as if the object
were external to the person. The mind, as it were, daguerreotypes
the idea—the flash of thought—on the retina, or mirror of the eye,
where it is recognised by the powers of perception. That spectres
are mental pictures, is forcibly stated as follows by Sir David
Brewster : ‘ I propose to shew that the “ mind’s eye ” is actually the
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
Tody’s eye, and that the retina is the common tablet on which both
classes of impressions are painted, and by means of which they
receive their visual existence according to the same optical laws.
Nor is this true merely in the case of spectral illusions. It holds
good of all ideas recalled by the memory, or created by the imagina
tion, and may be regarded as a fundamental law in the science of
pneumatology.
‘ In the healthy state of the mind and body, the relative intensity
•of these two classes of impressions on the retina are nicely adjusted.
The mental pictures are transient, and comparatively feeble, and in
ordinary temperaments are never capable of disturbing or effacing
'the direct images of visible objects. The affairs of life could not be
• carried on if the memop' were to intrude bright representations of
‘•the past into the domestic scene, or scatter them over the external
{-landscape. The two opposite impressions, indeed, could not co
exist. The same nervous fibre which is carrying from the brain to
the retina the figures of memory, could not at the same instant be
carrying back the impressions of external objects from the retina to
the brain. The mind cannot perform two different functions at the
same instant, and the direction of its attention to one of the two
classes of impressions necessarily produces the extinction of the other.
But so rapid is the exercise of mental power, that the alternate
appearance and disappearance of the two contending impressions is
710 more recognised than the successive observations of external
objects during the twinkling of the eyelids.’ *
With these general observations, we proceed to an analysis of the
-different kinds of spectre-seeing, beginning with a short explanation
of dreaming and somnambulism, with which apparitional illusions
are intimately associated.
DREAMS—SOMNAMBULISM.
Dreaming is a modification of disordered mental action, arising
usually from some kind of functional derangement. In sound sleep,
■The functions of digestion, the circulation of the blood, and all others,
may be said to be duly in action, and the mind is accordingly not
•disturbed. If, however, any of the bodily functions be in a state of
derangement ; if, in particular, the digestion be incommoded, which
it ordinarily is in an artificial mode of life, the senses, the nerves,
"the mind, will also be probably affected, and an imperfect sleep,
with an imperfect consciousness, is the result. According to the
Test writers on the subject, it has been ascertained that, in beginning
To sleep, the senses do not unitedly fall into a state of slumber, but
drop off one after the other. The sight ceases, in consequence of
The protection of the eyelids, to receive impressions first, while all
* Letters on Natural Magic.
4
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
the other senses preserve their sensibility entire. The sense of tasteis the next which loses its susceptibility of impressions, and then the
sense of smelling. The hearing is next in order ; and, last of all,,
comes the sense of touch. Furthermore, the senses are thought to
sleep with different degrees of profoundness. The sense of touch
sleeps the most lightly, and is the most easily awakened; the next
easiest is the hearing ; the next is the sight ; and the taste and
smelling awake the last. Another remarkable circumstance deserves
notice ; certain muscles and parts of the body begin to sleep before
others. Sleep commences at the extremities, beginning with the feet
and legs, and creeping towards the centre of nervous action. The
necessity for keeping the feet warm and perfectly still, as a prelimi
nary of sleep, is well known. From these explanations, it will not
appear surprising that, with one or more of the senses, and perhaps
also one or more parts of the body imperfectly asleep, there should
be at the same time an imperfect kind of mental action, which pro
duces the phenomenon of dreaming.
A dream, then, is an imperfectly formed thought. Much of the
imperfection and incoherency of such thoughts is from having no
immediate consciousness of surrounding objects. The imagination
revels unchecked by actual circumstances, and is not under the
control of the will. Ungoverned by any ordinary standards of
reason, we, in dreaming, have the impression that the ideas which.,
chase each other through the mind are actual occurrences: a mereill-formed thought is imagined to be an action. As thought is veryrapid, it thus happens that events which would take whole days or
a longer time in performance, are dreamed in a few moments. Sowonderful is this compression of a multitude of transactions into the
very shortest period, that when we are accidentally ‘ awakened from
a profound slumber by a loud knock at, or by the rapid opening of,
the door, a train of actions which it would take hours, or days, or
even weeks to accomplish, sometimes passes through the mind.
Time, in fact, seems to be in a great measure annihilated. An
extensive period is reduced, as it were, to a single point, or rather a
single point is made to embrace an extensive period. In one
instant we pass through many adventures, see many strange sights,,
and hear many strange sounds. If we are awaked by a loud knock
,
*
we have perhaps the idea of a tumult passing before us, and knowall the characters engaged in it—their aspects, and even their very
names. If the door open violently, the flood-gates of a canal mayappear to be expanding, and we may see the individuals employed,
in the process, and hear their conversation, which may seem an
hour in length ; if a light be brought into the room, the notion of
the house being in flames invades us, and we are witnesses to the
whole conflagration from its commencement till it be finally extin
guished. The thoughts which arise in such situations are endless,,
and assume an infinite variety of aspects.
5.
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
' ‘ One of the most remarkable phenomena attendant upon dream
ing, is the almost universal absence of surprise. Scarcely any event,
however incredible, impossible, or absurd, gives rise to this emotion.
We see circumstances at utter variance with the laws of nature, and
yet their discordancy, impracticability, and oddness never strike us
as at all out of the usual course of things. This is one of the
strongest proofs that can be alleged in support of the dormant
Condition of the reflecting faculties. Had these powers been awake
and in full activity, they would have pointed out the erroneous
nature of the impressions conjured into existence by fancy, and
shewn us truly that the visions passing before our eyes were merely
the chimeras of an excited imagination—the airy phantoms of
imperfect sleep.’*
Dreams are in general connected with snatches of waking recol
lections, and assume a character from the dreamer’s ordinary'
pursuits and feelings. Shakspeare has admirably described the
effects of dreams of different classes of persons; and the subject
has been also well illustrated by Stepney in the following lines :
‘ At dead of night imperial reason sleeps,
And Fancy with her train her revels keeps.
Then airy phantoms a mixed scene display,
Of what we heard, or saw, or wished by day;
For memory those images retains
Which passion formed, and still the strongest reigns.
Huntsmen renew the chase they lately run,
And generals fight again their battles won.
Spectres and fairies haunt the murderer’s dreams;
Grants and disgraces are the courtier’s themes.
The miser spies a thief, or a new hoard ;
The cit’s a knight; the sycophant a lord.
Thus Fancy’s in the wild distraction lost,
With what we most abhor, or covet most.
Honours and state before this phantom fall;
For sleep, like death, its image, equals all.’
Chaucer’s description, versified by Dryden, is also worthy of being
quoted :
.
‘ Dreams are but interludes which Fancy makes ;
When monarch reason sleeps, this mimic wakes;
Compounds a medley of disjointed things,
A court of cobblers, and a mob of kings :
Light fumes are merry, grosser fumes are sad:
Both are the reasonable soul run mad ;
And many monstrous forms in sleep we see,
That neither were, or are, or e’er can be.
* Macnish’s Philosophy of Sleep.
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
Sometimes forgotten things, long cast behind,
Rush forward in the brain, and come to mind.
The nurse’s legends are for truth received,
And the man dreams but what the boy believed;
Sometimes we but rehearse a former play,
The night restores our actions done by day;
As hounds in sleep will open for their prey.
In short, the farce of dreams is of a piece
In chimeras all; and more absurd or less.’
In ordinary dreaming, the powers of voluntary motion are often
exercised to a slight extent. A dreamer, under the impression • that
he is engaged in an active battle, will frequently give a bed-fellow
a smart belabouring. Often also, in cases of common dreaming,
the muscles on which the production of the voice depends are set
in action, through the instrumentality of that portion of the brain
which is not in a quiescent state, and the dreamer mutters, or talks,
or cries aloud. Sometimes nearly all the senses, along with the
muscles of motion, are in activity, while part of the cerebral organs
are dormant, and in this condition the dreamer becomes a somnam
bulist, or sleep-walker. ‘ If we dream,’ says Mr Macnish, 1 that we
are walking, and the vision possesses such a degree of vividness
and exciting energy as to arouse the muscles of locomotion, we
naturally get up and walk. Should we dream that we hear or see,
and the impression be so vivid as to stimulate the eyes and ears,
or more properly speaking, those parts of the brain which take
cognizance of sights and sounds, then we both see any objects, or
hear any sounds, which may occur, just as if we were awake. In
some cases the muscles only are excited, and then we simply walk,
without hearing or seeing.’ In other cases we both walk and see,
and in a third variety we at once walk, see, and hear. In the same
way the vocal organs alone may be stimulated, and a person may
merely be a sleep-talker; or, under a conjunction of impulses, he
may talk, walk, see, and hear.
Cases of persons in a state of somnambulism rising from bed and
walking to a distant part of the house, or of looking for some object
of which they were dreaming, and so forth, are exceedingly common,
and the seeming marvel is explained by the fact already noticed—
only certain senses and portions of brain are asleep while others are
waking. The boy who, according to the common story, rose in his
sleep and took a nest of young eagles from a dangerous precipice,
must have received the most accurate accounts of external objects
from his visual organs, and must have been able to some extent to
reason upon them, else he could never have overcome the difficulties
of the ascent. He dreamed of taking away the nest, and to his great
surprise found it beneath his bed in the morning in the spot where
he only thought himself to have put it in imagination. The follow
ing case, mentioned by Mr Macnish, is scarcely less wonderful. It
7
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
occurred near one of the towns on the Irish coast. ‘About two
o’clock in the morning, the watchmen on the Revenue Quay were
much surprised at descrying a man disporting himself in the water,
about a hundred yards from the shore. Intimation having been
given to the Revenue boat’s crew, they pushed off, and succeeded in
picking him up ; but, strange to say, he had no idea whatever of his
perilous situation, and it was with the utmost difficulty they could
persuade him he was not still in bed. But the most singular part
of this novel adventure was, that the man had left his house at
twelve o’clock that night, and walked through a difficult and to him
dangerous road, a distance of nearly two miles, and had actually
swum one mile and a half when he was fortunately discovered and
picked up.’ The state of madness gives us, by analogy, the best
explanation of the condition of these climbers and swimmers. With
one or more organs or portions of his brain diseased, and the
rest sound, the insane person has the perfect use of his external
senses, yet may form imperfect conclusions regarding many things
around him. The somnambulist, with one or more of his senses in
activity, but with some of his cerebral organs in a torpid state, is
in much the same position as regards his power of forming right
judgments on all that he hears or sees.
A respectable person, captain of a merchant-vessel, told Sir
Walter Scott the following story, in illustration of illusion from
somnambulism. While lying in the Tagus, a man belonging to his
ship was murdered by a Portuguese, and a report soon spread that
the spirit of the deceased haunted the vessel. The captain found,
on making inquiry, that one of his own mates, an honest, sensible
Irishman, was the chief evidence respecting the ghost. The mate
affirmed that the spectre took him from bed every night, led him
about the ship, and, in short, worried his life out. The captain knew
not what to think of this, but he privately resolved to watch the mate
by night. He did so, and, at the hour of twelve, saw the man start
up with ghastly looks, and light a candle ; after which he went to
the galley, where he stood staring wildly for a time, as if on some
horrible object. He then lifted a can filled with water, sprinkled some
of it about, and, appearing much relieved, went quietly back to his
bed. Next morning, on being asked if he had been annoyed in the
night, he said : ‘Yes; I was led by the ghost to the galley ; but I
got hold, in some way or other, of a jar of holy-water, and freed my
self, by sprinkling it about, from the presence of the horrible phantom.’
The captain now told the truth, as observed ; and the mate, though
much surprised, believed it. He was never visited by the ghost
again, the deception of his own dreaming fancy being thus discovered.
Had the mate burned his hand with the candle, and, by the same
mode of reasoning which led him to believe in the banishment of
the ghost by holy-water, formed the conclusion that the spectre had
touched his hand to imprint on it a perpetual mark, what would
8
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
have been said of the matter by his comrades and himself in the
morning, supposing no watching to have taken place? They would
assuredly have held the scar as an indubitable proof of the super
natural visitation, and the story would have remained as darkly
mysterious as could be desired.
The condition of nightmare, in which the sufferer is under the
feeling of some terrible oppression, is one of the most afflicting kinds
of dreaming. In the more simple order of cases of nightmare, the
dreamer is only labouring under the influence of indigestion; but in
the more severe, the cause is ascribed to cerebral disorder. A
gentleman in Edinburgh was afflicted for years with a night
mare which rendered existence almost unsupportable. On falling
asleep, he dreamed that he was chased by a bull; and frequently, in
terror of being tossed by the horns of the infuriated animal, he leaped
from the bed to the opposite side of the room, on one occasion doing
himself a serious injury. At the death of this unhappy gentleman,
his head was opened, and a portion of his brain found to be affected
with a deep-seated ulcer. In cases of this kind, the spectral
illusions of the dreamer are usually most vivid, and on awakening,
it requires a strong effort of reason to be convinced that the appear
ances were nothing more than airy phantoms of the disordered brain.
With these explanations on the subject of dreaming, we are pre
pared for a consideration of those unreal impressions made on the
mind while in a wakeful condition.
ILLUSIONS FROM CONGESTION OF THE BLOOD-VESSELS.
One of the more simple kinds of functional disorder producing
false impressions on the mind, is an overfulness of blood in the
circulatory vessels. Persons who have followed the discommendable
practice of blood-letting periodically, and have neglected it for more
than the usual length of time, are the most liable to this species of
illusion. Upwards of seventy years ago, Nicolai, a celebrated book
seller in Berlin, experienced the feeling of seeing spectres from this
cause. According to an interesting account he has given on the
subject, it appears that he was a man of a vivid imagination and
excitable temperament, who, some years previous to the occurrences
he relates, was troubled with violent vertigo, which he relieved by
periodical bleeding with leeches. It became with him a custom to
be bled twice in the year; but at length having on one occasion
neglected this means of relieving the system, his mind became
depressed, and apparitions began to be seemingly present to his eyes.
The following is his narration of this painful condition :
‘ My wife and another person came into my apartment in the
morning in order to console me, but I was too much agitated by a
series of incidents, which had most powerfully affected my moral
feeling, to be capable of attending to them. On a sudden I perceived,
159
9
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
at about the distance of ten steps, a form like that of a deceased
person. I pointed at it, asking my wife if she did not see it. It was
but natural that she should not see anything; my question, therefore,
alarmed her very much, and she immediately sent for a physician.
The phantom continued about eight minutes. I grew at length more
calm, and being extremely exhausted, fell into a restless sleep, which
lasted about half an hour. The physician ascribed the apparition to
a violent mental emotion, and hoped there would be no return; but
the violent agitation of my mind had in some way disordered my
nerves, and produced further consequences which deserve a more
minute description.
‘At four in the afternoon, the form which I had seen in the
morning reappeared. I wp.s by myself when this happened, and, •
being rather uneasy at the incident, went to my wife’s apartment,
but there likewise I was persecuted by the apparition, which, how
ever, at intervals disappeared, and always presented itself in a
standing posture. About six o’clock there appeared also several
walking figures, which had no connection with the first. After the
first day the form of the deceased person no more appeared, but its
place was supplied with many other phantasms, sometimes repre
senting acquaintances, but mostly strangers ; those whom I knew
were composed of living and deceased persons, but the number of
the latt'er was comparatively small. I observed the persons with
whom I daily conversed did not appear as phantasms, these repre
senting chiefly persons who lived at some distance from me.
‘ These phantasms seemed equally clear and distinct at all times
and under all circumstances, both when I was by myself and when
I was in company, as well in the day as at night, and in my own
house as well as abroad; they were, however, less frequent when I
was in the house of a friend, and rarely appeared to me in the street.
When I shut my eyes, these phantasms would sometimes vanish
entirely, though there were instances when I beheld them with my
eyes closed; yet when they disappeared on such occasions, they
generally returned when I opened my eyes. I conversed sometimes
with my physician and my wife of the phantasms which at the
moment surrounded me; they appeared more frequently walking
than at rest; nor were they constantly present. They frequently
did not come for some time, but always reappeared for a longer or
shorter period, either singly or in company; the latter, however,
being most frequently the case. I generally saw human forms of
both sexes ; but they usually seemed not to take the smallest notice
of each other, moving as in a market-place, where all are eager to
press through the crowd; at times, however, they seemed to be
transacting business with each other. I also saw several times
people on horseback, dogs, and birds.
‘ All these phantasms appeared to me in their natural size, and as
distinct as if alive, exhibiting different shades of carnation in the
IO
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
uncovered parts, as well as different colours and fashions in their
dresses, though the colours seemed somewhat paler than in real
nature. None of the figures appeared particularly terrible, comical,
or disgusting, most of them being of an indifferent shape, and some
presenting a pleasing aspect. The longer these phantasms continued
to visit me, the more frequently did they return, while at the same
time they increased in number about four weeks after they had first
appeared. I also began to hear them talk: these phantoms sometimes
conversed among themselves, but more frequently addressed their
discourse to me ; their speeches were commonly short, and never of
an unpleasant turn. At different times there appeared to me both
dear and sensible friends of both sexes, whose addresses tended to
appease my grief, which had not yet wholly subsided : their consolatory speeches were in general addressed to me when I was alone.
Sometimes, however, I was accosted by these consoling friends while
I was engaged in company, and not unfrequently while real persons
were speaking to me. These consolatory addresses consisted some
times of abrupt phrases, and at other times they were regularly
executed.’
Having thus suffered for some time, it occurred to him that the
mental disorder might arise from a superabundance of blood, and he
again had "recourse to leeching. When the leeches were applied, no
person was with him besides the surgeon ; but during the operation
his apartment was crowded with human phantasms of all descriptions.
In the course of a few hours, however, they moved around the
chamber more slowly; their colour began to fade; until, growing
more and more obscure, they at last dissolved into air, and he ceased
to be troubled with them afterwards.
ILLUSIONS FROM DERANGEMENT IN DIGESTION.
Any derangement of the digestive powers acts on the brain; when
the derangement is excessive, and the health otherwise impaired,
the mind becomes affected, so as to deceive the senses and to produce
spectral illusions. Sir David Brewster, in his Letters on Natural
Magic, narrates the case of a lady of high character and intelligence,
but of vivid imagination, who was so affected from only simple
derangement of the .stomach. The facts were communicated by
the husband of the lady, a man of learning and science, and are as
follow:
‘ I. The first illusion to which Mrs A. was subject was one which
affected only the ear. On the 26th of December 1830, about half
past four in the afternoon, she was standing near the fire in the hall,
and on the point of going up stairs to dress, when she heard, as she
supposed, her husband’s voice calling her by name : “------------ J
come here! come to me 1” She imagined that he was calling at
the door to have it opened; but upon going there and opening the
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door, she was surprised to find no person there. Upon returning to
the fire, she again heard the same voice calling out very distinctly
and loudly: “----- , come; come here!” She then opened two
other doors of the same room, and upon seeing no person, she
returned to the fireplace. After a few moments, she heard the same
voice still calling: “------------ , come to me! come! come away!”
in a loud, plaintive, and somewhat impatient tone. She answered
as loudly: “Where are you? I don’t know where you are;” still
imagining that he was somewhere in search of her : but receiving no
answer, she shortly after went up stairs. On Mr A.’s return to the
house, about half an hour afterwards, she inquired why he called to
her so often, and where he was ; and she was of course greatly sur
prised to learn that he had not been near the house at the time.
‘2. The next illusion which occurred to Mrs A. was of a more
alarming character. On the 30th of December, about four o’clock
in the afternoon, Mrs A. came down stairs into the drawing-room,
which she had quitted only a few minutes before, and on entering
the room she saw her husband, as she supposed, standing with his
back to the fire. As he had gone out to take a walk about half an
hour before, she was surprised to see him there, and asked him why
'he had returned so soon. The figure looked fixedly at her with a
serious and thoughtful expression of countenance, but did not speak.
Supposing that his mind was absorbed in thought, she sat down in
an arm-chair hear the fire, and within two feet at most of the figure,1
which she still saw standing before her. As its eyes, however, still
continued to be fixed upon her, she said, after the lapse of a few
minutes: “Why don’t you speak,----- ?” The figure immediately
moved off towards the window at the farther end of the room, with
its eyes still gazing on her, and it passed so very close to her in
doing so, that she was struck by the circumstance of hearing no step
nor sound, nor feeling her clothes brushed against, nor even any
agitation in the air. Although she was now convinced that the figure
was not her husband, yet she never for a moment supposed that it
was anything supernatural, and was soon convinced that it was a
spectral illusion. The appearance was seen in bright daylight, and
lasted four or five minutes. When the figure stood close to her, it
•concealed the real objects behind it, and the apparition was fully as
vivid as the reality.
‘ 3. On these two occasions Mrs A. was alone, but when the next
phantasm appeared her husband was present. This took place on
the 4th of January 1831. About ten o’clock at night, when Mr and
Mrs A. were sitting in the drawing-room, Mr A. took up the poker
to stir the fire, and when he was in the act of doing this, Mrs A.
exclaimed : “Why, there’s the cat in the room !” “ Where?” asked
Mr A. “ There, close to you,” she replied. “ Where ?” he repeated.
“ Why, on the rug to be sure, between yourself and the coal-scuttle.”
Mr A., who had still the poker in his hand, pushed it in the direction
'
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
y
mentioned. “Take care,” cried Mrs A.; “take care, you are hitting
her with the poker.” Mr A. again asked her to point out exactly
where she saw the cat. She replied : “Why, sitting up there close
to your feet on the rug : she is looking at me. It is Kitty—come
here, Kitty ?” There were two cats in the house, one of which went
by this name, and they were rarely if ever in the drawing-room. At
this time Mrs A. had no idea that the sight of the cat was an illusion.
When she was asked to touch it, she got up for the purpose, and
seemed as if she were pursuing something which moved away. She
followed a few steps, and then said : “ It has gone under the chair.”
Mr A. assured her it was an illusion, but she would not believe it.
He then lifted up the chair, and Mrs A. saw nothing more of it..
The room was then searched all over, and nothing found in it. There was a dog lying on the hearth, which would have betrayed great
uneasiness if a cat had been in the room, but he lay perfectly quiet.
In order to be quite certain, Mr A. rung the bell, and sent for the
two cats, both of which were found in the housekeeper’s room.
‘ 4. About a month after this occurrence, Mrs A., who had taken
a somewhat fatiguing drive during the day, was preparing to go
to bed about eleven o’clock at night, and, sitting before the dressing
glass, was occupied in arranging her hair. She was in a listless
and drowsy state of mind, but fully awake. When her fingers were
in active motion among the papillotes, she was suddenly startled
by seeing in the mirror the figure of a near relation, who was then
in Scotland, and in perfect health. The apparition appeared over
her left shoulder, and its eyes met hers in the glass. After a few
minutes, she turned round to look for the reality of the form over
her shoulder; but it was not visible, and it had also disappeared
from the glass when she looked again in that direction.’
Passing over from the fifth to the ninth cases, we come to the
tenth. ‘ On the 26th of October, about two P.M., Mrs A. was sitting
in a chair by the window in the same room with her husband. He
heard her exclaim : ‘ What have I seen ! ’ And on looking at her,
he observed a strange expression in her eyes and countenance.
A carriage and four had appeared to her to be driving up the
entrance road to the house. As it approached, she felt inclined
to go up stairs to prepare to receive company, but, as if spell-bound,
she was unable to move or speak. The carriage approached, and
as it arrived within a few yards of the window, she saw the figures
of the postilions and the persons inside take the ghastly appearanceof skeletons and other hideous figures. The whole then vanished
entirely, when she uttered the above-mentioned exclamation.
‘11. On the morning of the 30th October, when Mrs A. was
sitting in her own room with a favourite dog in her lap, she distinctly
saw the same dog moving about the room during the space of about
a minute or rather more.
‘12. On the 3d December, about nine P.M., when Mr and Mrs
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A. were sitting near each other in the drawing-room, occupied in.
reading, Mr A. felt a pressure on his foot. On looking up, he
observed Mrs A.’s eyes fixed with a strong and unnatural stare on
a chair about nine or ten feet distant. Upon asking her what she
saw, the expression of her countenance changed, and upon recover
ing herself, she told Mr A. that she had seen his brother, who was
alive and well at the moment in London, seated in the opposite chair,
but dressed in grave-clothes, and with a ghastly countenance, as
if scarcely alive 1
‘ From the very commencement of the spectral illusions,’ observes
Sir David in conclusion, ‘ both Mrs A. and her husband were well
aware of their nature and origin, and both of them paid the most
minute attention to the circumstances which accompanied them,
not only with the view of throwing light upon so curious a subject,
but for the purpose of ascertaining their connection with the state
of health under which they appeared.’
ILLUSIONS
FROM
DELIRIUM
TREMENS.
A bodily disorder, which in itself ought to afford a solution of
nearly all apparitions, is that called delirium tremens, or vulgarly
blue devils. This is most commonly induced, in otherwise healthy
subjects, by continued intemperance in intoxicating liquors. It is a
disorder intimately connected with a derangement of the digestive
functions. So long as the drinker can take food, he is comparatively
secure against the disease, but when his stomach rejects (jommon
nourishmept, and he persists in taking stimulants, the effects are
for the most part speedily visible, at least in peculiarly nervous
constitutions. The first symptom is commonly a slight impairment
of the healthy powers of the senses of hearing and seeing. A ringing
in the ears probably takes place; then any common noise, such
as the rattle of a cart on the street, assumes to the hearing a
particular sound, and arranges itself into a certain tune perhaps,
or certain words, which haunt the sufferer, and are by and by rung
into his ears on the recurrence of every noise. The proverb, ‘ As
the fool thinks, so the bell tinks,’ becomes very applicable in his
case. His sense of seeing, in the meanwhile, begins to shew equal
disorder; figures float before him perpetually when his eyes are
closed at night. By day also, objects seem to move before him
that are really stationary. The senses of touch, taste, and sfnell
are also involved in confusion. In this way the disturbance of
the senses goes on, increasing always with the disorder of the
alimentary function, until the unhappy drinker is at last visited,
most probably in the twilight, by visionary figures as distinct in
outline as living beings, and which seem to speak to him with the
voice of life. At first he mistakes them for realities; but, soon
discovering his error, is thrown into the deepest alarm. If he
14
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
has the courage to approach and examine any one of the illusory
figures, he probably finds that some fold of drapery, or some shadow,
has been the object converted by his diseased sense into the appari
tion, and he may also find that the voice was but- some simple house
hold sound, converted by his disordered ear into strange speech:
for the senses, at least in the milder cases of this sort, rather convert
than create, though the metamorphosed may differ widely from the
real substance. The visitations and sufferings of the party may
go on increasing, till he takes courage to speak to the physician,
who, by great care, restores his alimentary organs to a state of
health, and, in consequence, the visions slowly leave him. If, how
ever, remedies are not applied in time, the party will probably sink
under the influence of his disorder. The spectral figures and voices
being solely and entirely the creation of his own fancy, will seem
to do or say anything that may be uppermost in that fancy at
the moment, and will encourage him to self-murder by every possible
argument—all emanating, of course, from his own brain. The whole
consists merely of his own fancies, bodied forth to him visibly and
audibly in his seeing and hearing organs. His own poor head is
the seat of all; there is nothing apart from him—nothing but
vacancy.
Dr Alderson, a respectable physician, mentions his being called
to a keeper of a public-house, who was in a state of great terror, and
who described himself as having been haunted for some time with
spectres. He had first noticed something to be wrong with him on
being laughed at by a little girl for desiring her to lift some oyster
shells from the floor. He himself stooped, but found none. Sooh
after, in the twilight, he saw a soldier enter the house, and, not
liking his manner, desired him to go away; but receiving no answer,
he sprang forward to seize the intruder, and to his horror found the
shape to be but a phantom ! The visitations increased by night and
by day, till he could not distinguish real customers from imaginary
ones, so definite and distinct were the latter in outline. Sometimes
they took the forms of living friends, and sometimes of people long
dead. Dr Alderson resorted to a course of treatment which restored
the strength of the digestive organs, and gradually banished the
spectres.
,
ILLUSIONS FROM SEVERE DISORDERS.
Among the other varieties of bodily ailments affecting either
structure or function, which have been found to produce spectral
illusions, fevers, inflammatory affections, epileptic attacks, hysteria,
and disorders of the nerves generally, are among the most pro
minent. As regards fevers and inflammatory affections, particularly
those of the brain, it is well known to almost every mother or
member of a large family, that scarcely any severe case can occur
l5
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
without illusions of the sight to a greater or less extent. In hysteric
and epileptic cases also, where fits or partial trances occur, the same
phenomena are frequently observed. But we shall not enlarge on
the effects produced by the influence of severe and obviously exist
ing maladies, as it is in those cases only where the spectre-seer has
exhibited apparent sanity of mind and body that special wonder has
been excited. It is so far of great importance, however, to notice
that these diseases do produce the illusions, as in most cases it will
be found, on inquiry, that the party subject to them, however sound
to appearance at the time, afterwards displayed some of these
complaints in full force; and we may then rationally explain the
whole matter by supposing the seeds of the ailments to have early
existed in a latent state. A German lady, of excellent talents and
high character, published an account some years back of successive
visions with which she had been honoured, as she believed, by
Divine favour. The case of this lady throws so much light on
delusions arising from deranged temperament and kindred maladies,
that we take the liberty of extracting it from the interesting work of
Dr Hibbert.
‘The illusions which the lady experienced first came on in the
fourth year of her age, while she was sitting with her little doll upon
her knees; and, for the greater convenience of dressing and
undressing it, resting her feet upon a large folio Bible. “ I had
scarcely taken my place,” she observes, “ above a minute, when I
heard a voice at my ear say: ‘Put the book where you found it;’
but as I did not see any person, I did not do so. The voice, how
ever repeated the mandate, that I should do it immediately; and,
at the same time, I thought somebody took hold of my face. ' I
instantly obeyed with fear and trembling; but not being able to
lift the book upon the table, I called the servant-maid to come
quickly and assist me. When she came, and saw that I was alone
and terrified, she scolded me, as nobody was there.” It may be
remarked of this part of the account, that the voice which the
narrator heard can only be regarded as a renovated feeling of the
mind, resulting from some prior remonstrances that she might have
incurred from her protectors, whenever she treated with unbecoming
irreverence the holy volume ; while the impression of a person
taking hold of her face, may be referred to some morbid sensation
of touch, incidental to many nervous affections, which would easily
associate itself with the imaginary rebuke of her mysterious monitor,
so as to impart to the whole of the illusion a certain degree of
connection and consistency. The patient (for such I shall call her)
next describes the extreme diligence and the peculiar delight with
which, as she grew up in years, she read twice over, from the
beginning to the end, the pages of the Scriptures ; and she likewise
dwells upon her constant endeavour to render the Bible more
intelligible, by often hearing sermons and reading religious books.
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�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
It is certainly of importance to know the subject of her incessant
and anxious studies, as it is well calculated to explain the nature of
her visions, which, as we might expect, were generally of a religious
description. We are, in the next place, told by the lady, that after
she had reached her seventh year, she saw, when playing, a clear
flame which seemed to enter through the chamber door, while in
the middle of it was a long bright light about the size of a child of
six years old. The phantasm remained stationary for half an hour
near the stove of the room, and then went out again by the room
door ; the white light first, and the flame following it. After this
vision, we hear of no other until the lady is married, when, unfor
tunately, her husband made her life so bitter to her, that she could
think only of death. Hence must have necessarily arisen the
combining influence of strong mental emotions, which could not
but act as powerful exciting agents upon a frame the mental feelings
of which, from constitutional causes, were of the most intense kind.
Spectral illusions would of course become very frequent. Thus, on
one occasion, when she had received some ill-treatment from her
husband, she made a resolution to desist from prayer, thinking the
Lord had forsaken her; but, upon further consideration, she
repented of this purpose, and, after returning thanks to Heaven,
went to bed. She awakened towards the morning, and then, to her
astonishment, found that it was broad daylight, and that at her bed
side was seated a heavenly figure in the shape of a man about sixty
years of age, dressed in a bluish robe, with bright hair, and a
countenance shining like the clearest red and white crystal. He
looked at her with tenderness, saying nothing more than ‘■'■Proceed,
proceed, proceed!” These words were unintelligible to her, until
they were solved by another phantasm, young and beautiful as an
angel, who appeared on the opposite side of the bed, and more
explicitly added : “ Proceed in prayer, proceed in faith, proceed in
trials” After this incident, a strange light appeared, when she
immediately felt herself pulled by the hairs of her head, and pinched
and tormented in various ways. The cause of this affliction she
soon discovered to be the devil himself, who made his debut in
the usual hideous form under which he is personated, until at length
the angel interfered and pushed away the foul fiend with his elbow.
“Afterwards,” as the lady added, “the light came again, and both
persons looked mournfully at it. The young one then said : ‘ Lord,
this is sufficientand he uttered these words three times. Whilst
he repeated them, I looked at him, and beheld two large white
wings on his shoulders, and therefore I knew him to be an angel
of God. The light immediately disappeared, the two figures
vanished, and the day was suddenly converted into night. My
heart was again restored to its right place, the pain ceased, and I
arose.” ’
Dr Crichton, author of an able work on insanity, found that this
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�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
unfortunate lady was always affected with the aura epileptica during
the prevalence of the illusions ; or, in other words, that she was
labouring under slight attacks of epilepsy. Thus simply was
explained a series of phenomena which, from the high character
for veracity of the subject of them, astonished a great part of
Germany.
ILLUSIONS OF THE IMAGINATION.
Persons in a desponding or gloomy state of mind are exceedingly
liable to be deceived by their fancies. The morbid imagination
catches at every seemingly mysterious appearance, and transforms
it into a spectre, or warning of approaching dissolution. ‘ A man
who is thoroughly frightened,’ observes a popular American writer,
*
* can imagine almost anything. The whistling of the wind sounds
in his ears like the cry of dying men. As he walks along trembling
in the dark, the friendly guide-post is a giant; the tree gently waving
in the wind is a ghost; and every cow he chances to meet is some
fearful apparition from the land of hobgoblins. Who is there that
•cannot testify, from personal experience, of some such freaks of
imagination? How often does one wake up in the night and find the
clothes upon the chair, or some article of furniture in the room,
assuming a distinctly defined form, altogether different from that
which it in reality possesses!
‘ There is in imagination a potency far exceeding the fabled power
of Aladdin’s lamp. How often does one sit in wintry evening
musings, and trace in the glowing embers the features of an absent
friend! Imagination, with its magic wand, will there build the
city with its countless spires—or marshal contending armies
—or drive the tempest-shattered ship upon the ocean. The
following story, relate.d by Scott, affords a good illustration of
this principle :
‘ “ Not long after the death of a late illustrious poet, who had filled,
while living, a great station in the eye of the public, a literary friend,
to whom the deceased had been well known, was engaged, during
the darkening twilight of an autumn evening, in perusing one of the
publications which professed to detail the habits and opinions of the
distinguished individual who was now no more. As the reader had
enjoyed the intimacy of the deceased to a considerable degree, he
was deeply interested in the publication, which contained some
particulars relating to himself and other friends. A visitor was
sitting in the apartment, who was also engaged in reading. Their
sitting-room opened into an entrance-hall, rather fantastically fitted
up with articles of armour, skins of wild animals, and the like. It
was when laying down his book, and passing into this hall, through
• Scientific Tracts (Boston, 1832).
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�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
which the moon was beginning to shine, that the individual of whom
I speak saw right before him, in a standing posture, the exact repre
sentation of his departed friend, whose recollection had been so
strongly brought to his imagination. He stopped for a single
moment, so as to notice the wonderful accuracy with which fancy
had impressed upon the bodily eye the peculiarities of dress and
position of the illustrious poet. Sensible, however, of the delusion,
he felt no sentiment save that of wonder at the extraordinary accuracy
of the resemblance, and stepped onward towards the figure, which
resolved itself, as he approached, into the various materials of which
it was composed. These were merely a screen occupied by great
coats, shawls, plaids, and such other articles as are usually found in
a country entrance-hall. The spectator returned to the spot from
which he had seen the illusion, and endeavoured with all his power
to recall the image which had been so singularly vivid. But this he
was unable to do. And the person who had witnessed the appari
tion, or, more properly, whose excited state had been the means of
raising it, had only to return into the apartment, and tell his
young friend under what a striking hallucination he had for a
moment laboured.”
‘Most persons under such circumstances would have declared
unhesitatingly that the ghost of the departed had appeared to them,
and they would have found great multitudes who would have believed
it. When the imagination has such power to recall the images of
the absent, is it at all wonderful that many persons should attribute
such appearances to supernatural visitations? Had the poet himself
been in the place of the screen, he probably would not have been
more vividly present. How many, then, of the causes of vulgar fear
are to be attributed to the effect of imagination 1 A lady was once
passing through a wood, in the darkening twilight of a stormy
evening, to visit a friend who was watching over a dying child. The
clouds were thick—the rain beginning to fall; darkness was increas
ing ; the wind was moaning mournfully through the trees. The
lady’s heart almost failed her as she saw that she had a mile to walk
through the woods in the gathering gloom. But the reflection of
the situation of her friend forbade her turning back. Excited and
trembling, she called to her aid a nervous resolution, and pressed
onward. She had not proceeded far, when she beheld in the path
before her the movement of some very indistinct object. It appeared
to keep a little distance in advance of her, and as she made efforts
to get nearer to see what it was, it seemed proportionably to recede.
The lady began to feel rather unpleasantly. There was some pale
white object certainly discernible before her, and it appeared
mysteriously to float along at a regular distance, without any effort
at motion. Notwithstanding the lady’s good sense and unusual
resolution, a cold chill began to come over her. She made every
effort to resist her fears, and soon succeeded in drawing nearer the
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�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
mysterious object, when she was appalled at beholding the features
of her friend’s child, cold in death, wrapped in its shroud. She
gazed earnestly, and there it remained distinct and clear before her
eyes. She considered it a monition that her friend’s child was dead,
and that she must hasten on to her aid. But there was the apparition
directly in her path. She must pass it. Taking up a little stick,
she forced herself along to the object, and behold, some little animal
scampered away. It was this that her excited imagination had
transformed into the corpse of an infant in its winding-sheet. The
vision before her eyes was undoubtedly as clear as the reality could
have been. Such is the power of imagination. If this lady, when
she saw the corpse, had turned in terror and fled home, what
reasoning could ever have satisfied her that she had not seen some
thing supernatural? When it is known that the imagination has
such a power as this, can we longer wonder at any accounts which
are given of unearthly appearances ?’
The numerous stories told of ghosts, or the spirits of persons who
are dead, will in most instances be found to have originated in
diseased imagination, aggravated by some abnormal defect of mind.
We may mention a remarkable case in point; it is told by the com
piler of Les Causes Celebres. Two young noblemen, the Marquises
De Rambouillet and De Precy, belonging to two of the first families
of France, made an agreement, in the warmth of their friendship,
that the one who died first should return to the other with tidings of
the world to come. Soon afterwards, De Rambouillet went to the
wars in Flanders, while De Precy remained at Paris, stricken by a
fever. Lying alone in bed, and severely ill, De Precy one day heard
a rustling of his bed-curtains, and turning round, saw his friend De
Rambouillet in full military attire. The sick man sprung over the
bed to welcome his friend, but the other receded, and said that he
had come to fulfil his promise, having been killed on that very day.
He further said that it behoved De Precy to think more of the after
world, as all that was said of it was true, and as he himself would
die in his first battle. De Precy was then left by the phantom ; and
it was afterwards found that De Rambouillet had fallen on that day.
De Precy recovered, went to the wars, and died in his first combat.
Here, a'fter a compact—the very conception of which argues credu
lousness or weakness of mind—we not only have one of the parties
left in anxiety about the other, but left in a violent fever, and aware
that his friend was engaged in a bloody war. That a spectral illusion
should occur in such a case, is a thing not at all to be wondered at, as
little as the direction and shape that the sick man’s wanderings took.
The fulfilment of the prophecy is the point of interest; and regard
ing it we would simply use the words of Dr Hibbert, in referring to
the story of Lord Balcarras and Viscount Dundee. Lord Balcarras
was confined as a Jacobite in the castle of Edinburgh, while Dundee
was fighting for the same cause ; and on one occasion the apparition
20
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
of the latter came to the bedside of Balcarras, looked at him stead
fastly, leaned for some time on the mantel-piece, and then walked
away. It afterwards appeared that Dundee fell just about the time
at Killiecrankie. ‘ With regard to this point,’ says Dr Hibbert, ‘ it
must be considered that, agreeably to the well-known doctrine of
chances, the event [of Dundee’s death] might as well occur then as
at any other time ; while afar greater proportion of other apparitions,
less fortunate in such a supposed confirmation of their supernatural
origin, are allowed quietly to sink into oblivion? This observation
applies equally as well to the case of De Precy as to that of Balcarras,
each of whom knew that his friend was then hotly campaigning, and
could most probably even guess, from the latest bulletins, on what
day the hostile armies would decisively meet. We are not told
whether or not Balcarras, like De Precy, was in ill health, but the
Scottish lord was confined on a charge of high treason, and on
Dundee’s life or death, victory or defeat, the fate of the prisoner
must have been felt by himself to rest. This was enough to give his
lordship a vivid dream, and even to give him a waking portraiture of
Dundee, after the fashion of the bust of Curran case.
But though explanations may thus be given of the common run
of apparition cases, it may seem to some that there are particular
cases not to be so accounted for. Of this nature, such readers
may say, is the well-warranted story of the Irish lady of rank, who,
having married a second time, was visited in the night-time by the
spirit of her first husband, from whom she received a notification of
the appointed period of her own death. The lady was at first
terrified, but regained her courage. ‘ How shall I know to-morrow
mom,’ said she boldly to the spectre, ‘ that this is not a delusion of
the senses—that I indeed am visited by a spirit ?’ ‘ Let this be a
token to thee for life,’ said the visitant, and, grasping the arm of the
lady for an instant, disappeared. In the morning a dark mark, as
if of a fresh burn, was seen on the wrist, and the lady kept the scar
covered over while she lived. She died at the time prophesied.
This story is told with great unction by some memoir writers,
and the circumstances are said to have been long kept secret by
the lady’s family. For argument’s sake let us admit the most striking
points of the case to be true. As for the circumstance of her death
at the time foretold, it is well known how powerful imagination is in
causing fulfilment in these cases ; and at all events, one instance of
such a fulfilment is no great marvel amid hundreds of failures.
But the black mark—what of it ? We confess to the reader, that if
we had actually seen the scar upon the wrist of the lady, we should
not have been one step nearer to the admission of supernatural
agency. Supposing, however, that the mark actually existed, could it
not have been explained by somnambulism ? The lady may readily
have risen in her sleep, burnt her hand against the bedroom grate,
and, conscious of an unpleasing sensation, though not awakened by
2X
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
it, her fancy may have formed the whole story of the preternatural
visitation, precisely as the Irish mate of the merchant vessel in
vented the circumstances connected with the holy-water. When
we find that such an explanation of the matter is accordant with
observed and unquestionable facts, it would be irrational to over
look it, and seek a solution in a supposed breach of the laws of
nature.
In some instances, it may be difficult to decide whether spectral
appearances and spectral noises proceed from functional derange
ment or from an overwrought state of mind. Want of exercise and
amusement may also be a prevailing cause. A friend mentions to
us the following case. An acquaintance of his, a merchant in London,
who had for years paid a very close attention to business, was one
day, while alone in his counting-house, very much surprised to hear,
as he imagined, persons outside the door talking freely about him.
Thinking it was some acquaintances who were playing off a trick, he
opened the door to request them to come in, when, to his amazement,
nobody was there. He again sat down at his desk, and in a few
minutes the same dialogue recommenced. The language employed
was now very alarming. One voice seemed to say : ‘ We have the
scoundrel safe in his counting-house ; let us go in and seize him.’
‘ Certainly,’ replied the other voice ; ‘ it is right to take him ; he has
been guilty of a great crime, and ought to be brought to condign
punishment.’ Alarmed at these threats, the bewildered merchant
rushed to the door; and there again no person was to be seen. He
now locked his door and went home ; but the voices, as he thought,
followed him through the crowd, and he arrived at his house in a
most unenviable state of mind. Inclined to ascribe the voices to
derangement in mind, he sent for a medical attendant, and told his
case ; and a certain kind of treatment was prescribed. This, how
ever, failed: the voices menacing him with punishment for purely
imaginary crimes continued, and he was reduced to the brink of
despair. At length a friend prescribed entire relaxation from business,
and a daily game of cricket; which, to his great relief, proved an
effectual remedy. The exercise banished the phantom voices, and
they were no more heard.
In bygone times, when any kind of nonsense was believed without
investigation, the Lowland Scotch, as they alleged, occasionally saw
wraiths, or spectral appearances of persons who were soon to quit
this mortal scene ; the Irish were also accustomed to the spectacle
offetches; and the Highlanders had their second-sight; the whole,
be it observed, being but a variety of mental disease or some
kind of delusion. In some instances the appearances were a
result of atmospheric refraction, but generally they were nothing
more than the phantoms of a morbid and overexcited fancy. The
progress of education and intelligence has almost everywhere
banished such delusions.
28
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
ILLUSIONS
FROM
DERANGEMENT
OF
THE
EYES.
In our preliminary observations, it was shewn that spectral appear
ances produced by mental disorder were really formed or daguerreotyped on the eye; but an unsound state of the eye itself may
also cause these phantoms. Dr Abercrombie mentions two cases
strikingly illustrative of this fact. In one of these, a gentleman of
high mental endowments, and of the age of eighty, enjoying unin
terrupted health, and very temperate in his habits, was the person
subject to the illusions. For twelve years this gentleman had
daily visitations of spectral figures, attired often in foreign dresses,
such as Roman, Turkish, and Grecian, and presenting all varieties
of the human countenance, in its gradations from childhood to old
age. Sometimes faces only were visible, and the countenance of
the gentleman himself not unfrequently appeared among them.
One old and arch-looking lady was the most constant visitor, and
she always wore a tartan plaid of an antique cut. These illusory
appearances were rather amusing than otherwise, being for the most
part of a pleasing character. The second case mentioned by Dr
Abercrombie was one even more remarkable than the preceding.
‘ A gentleman of sound mind, in good health, and engaged in active
business, has all his life been the sport of spectral illusions, tosuch an extent that, in meeting a friend on the street, he has first
to appeal to the sense of touch before he can determine whether
or not the appearance is real. He can call up figures at will by
a steady process of mental conception, and the figures may either
be something real, or the composition of his own fancy? Another
member of the family was subject to the same delusive impressions.
These very curious cases indicate, we think, a defective condition,
of the retina, which may be held as one distinct and specific source
of spectral deceptions. That defective condition seems to consist
in an unusual sensitiveness, rendering the organ liable to have
figures called up upon it by the stimulus of the fancy, as if impressed
by actual external objects. In ordinary circumstances, on a friend
being vividly called to one’s remembrance, one can mentally form
a complete conception of his face and figure in their minutest
lineaments. ‘ My father ! ’ says Hamlet; ‘ methinks I see him now !’’
‘Where, my lord?’ ‘In my mind's eye, Horatio? In Hamlet’s
case, an apparition is described as having followed this delineation
by the memory, and so may a vivid impression of any figure or
object be transferred from the mind to the retina, where the latter
organ is permanently or temporarily in a weak or peculiarly sensitive
state. In this way the spectral illusions seem to have been
habitually caused in the two cases described. There the defect in
the retina was the fundamental or ultimate cause of their existence,
and the fancy of the individual the power which regulated their
23 •
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
frequency and character. Slighter cases of this nature are of com
paratively common occurrence—cases in which the retina is for a
short time so affected as to give the impression of an apparition.
Every one is aware that a peculiarly bright or shining object, if long
gazed upon, does not leave the retina as soon as the eye is with
drawn from it. It remains upon the nerve for a considerable time
afterwards, at least in outline, as may be observed by closing the
eyelids on such occasions. This retentive power, when aided by
the imagination, and perhaps by a little bodily derangement with
which the senses sympathise, may be carried so far as to produce
an actual and forcible spectral illusion. A gentleman, who had
gazed long and earnestly on a small and beautiful portrait of the
Virgin and Child, was startled, immediately on turning his eye
from the picture, by seeing a woman and infant at the other end
of his chamber of the full size of life. A particular circumstance,
however, disclosed in a moment the source of the appearance.
The picture was a three-parts length, and the apparitional figures
also wanted the lower fourth of the body, thus shewing that the
figures had merely been retained on the tablet of the eye. But
the retina may retain an impression much longer than in this case;
or rather may recall, after a considerable time, an impression that
has been very vividly made at the first. A celebrated oculist in
London mentioned to us that he had been waited on by a gentle
man who laboured under an annoying spectral impression in his
eye. He stated that, having looked steadfastly on a copy of the
Lord’s Prayer, printed in minute characters within a circle the size
of a sixpence, he had ever since had the impression of the Lord’s
Prayer in his eye. On whatever object he turned his organs of
vision, there was the small round copy of the Lord’s Prayer present,
and partly covering it.
It appears, then, from the cases described, that the eye, through
defectiveness of its parts, or through the power of the retina in
retaining or recalling vivid impressions, may itself be the main
agent in producing spectral illusions. From one particular circum
stance, we may generally tell at once whether or not the eye is the
organ in fault on such occasions. In Dr Abercrombie’s cases,
the spectral figures never spoke. This is equivalent to a positive
indication that the sense of hearing was not involved in the derange
ment ; in short, that the eye, and not the whole of the senses, or
general system, constituted the seat of the defect.
ILLUSIONS EXPLAINED BY PHRENOLOGY.
In previous sections, it has been stated that maladies of various
kinds are capable of producing spectral illusions by their effects on
the brain and nervous system. In some cases, it was stated that the
brain is directly diseased; in other cases, that the perceptions made
24
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
by that organ are only indirectly deranged by sympathy with some
bodily malady. Madness, for example, having its origin in diseased
cerebral structure, may be attended with spectral illusions ; and
disorder of the alimentary organs, caused by dissipation, may be an
indirect source of them; the senses, and the brain which forms per
ceptions through their reports, being functionally disordered from
sympathy. That a peculiar temperament of body, and, in part, a
particular mental constitution, are requisite to give a predisposition
to the affection, there can be little doubt. Some mental philosophers
go a great way further. The phrenologists hold that it is chiefly on
a particular development of one portion of the brain, which they
describe as the seat of the sentiment of Wonder, that the tendency
to see visions depends. It is observed by them that this ‘sentiment,
when in a state of extreme exaltation (great development and high
excitement), may stimulate the perceptive faculties to perceive objects
fitted to gratify it; and that spectres, apparitions, spirits, &c. are
the kind of ideas suited to please an inordinate Wonder.’ They
class pretenders to supernatural messages and missions, the seers of
visions and dreamers of dreams, and workers of miracles, among
such patients. Separating the remark just quoted from its reference
to the organology of the phrenological science, we may hold it to
signify that the sentiment of wonder, when predominant in an
individual’s mind, will stimulate those faculties which take cognizance
of the forms, colours, sizes, &c. of material existences, to such a
pitch of activity, that illusory perceptions of objects, characterised by
qualities fitted to gratify wonder, will be formed in the brain. The
following case, contributed by Mr Simpson to the Phrenological
Journal, No. 6, affords an interesting example of the manner in
which spectral illusions are accounted for by the strict rules of this
science.
‘Miss S. L., a young lady under twenty years of age, of good
family, well educated, free from any superstitious fears, and in perfect
general health of body and soundness of mind, has, nevertheless,
been for some years occasionally troubled, both in the night and in
the day, with visions of persons and inanimate objects, in numerous
modes and forms. She was early subject to such illusions occasion
ally, and the first she remembers was that of a carpet spread out in
the air, which descended near her, and vanished away.
‘ After an interval of some years, she began to see human figures
in her room as she lay wide awake in bed, even in the daylight of
the morning. These figures were whitish, or rather gray, and trans
parent like cobweb, and generally above the size of life. At this
time she had acute headaches, very singularly confined to one small
spot of the head. On being asked to point out the spot, the utmost
care being taken not to lead her to the answer, our readers may
judge of our feelings as phrenologists when she touched with her
forefinger and thumb each side of the root of the nose, the com
as
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
mencement of the eyebrows, and the spot immediately over the top
of the nose—the ascertained seats of the organs of Form, Size, and
Individuality! Here, particularly on each side of the robt of the
nose, she said the sensation could only be compared to that of
running sharp knives into the part. The pain increased when she
held her head down, and was much relieved by holding'her face
upwards. Miss S. L., on being asked if the pain was confined to
that spot, answered, that ‘ some time afterwards the pain extended
to right and left along the eyebrows, and a little above them, and
completely round the eyes, which felt often as if they would have
burst from their sockets.’ When this happened, her visions were
varied precisely as the phrenologist would have anticipated, and she
detailed the progress without a single leading question. Weight,
Colouring, Order, Number, Locality, all became affected-; and let us
■observe what happened. The whitish or cobweb spectres assumed
the natural colour of the objects, but they continued often to present
themselves, though not always, above th'e size of life. She saw a
beggar one day out of doors, natural in size and colour, who
vanished as she came up to the spot. Colouring being overexcited,
began to occasion its specific and fantastical illusions. Bright spots,
like stars on a black ground, filled the room in the dark, and even in
daylight; and sudden and sometimes gradual illumination of the
room during the night seemed to take place. Innumerable balls of
fire seemed one day to pour like a torrentjjout of one of the rooms
of the house down the staircase. On onefbccasion the pain between
the eyes, and along the lower ridge of l^te brow, struck her suddenly
with great violence—when instantly thfe room filled with stars and
bright spots. On attempting on that occasion to go to bed, she said
she was conscious of an inability to balance herself, as if she had
been tipsy; and she fell, having made repeated efforts to seize the
bedpost, which, in the most unaccountable manner, eluded her
grasp, by shifting its place, and also by presenting her with a number
of bedposts instead of one. If the organ of Weight, situated between
Size and Colouring, be the organ of the instinct to preserve, and
power of preserving equilibrium, it must be the necessary consequence
of the derangement of that organ to overset the balance of the person.
Overexcited Number we should expect to produce multiplication of
objects, and the first experience she had of this illusion was the
multiplication of the bedposts, and subsequently of any inanimate
object she looked at, that object being in itself real and single : a
book, a footstool, a work-box, would increase to twenty, or fifty,
sometimes without order or arrangement, and at other times piled
regularly one above another. Such objects deluded her in another
way, by increasing in size, as she looked at them, to the most
amazing excess—again resuming their natural size—less than which
they never seemed to become—and again swelling out Locality,
overexcited, gave her the illusion of objects, which she had been
26
1
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
accustomed to regard as fixed, being out of their places; and she
thinks, but is not sure, that on one occasion a door and window in
one apartment seemed to have changed places; but, as she added,
she might have been deceived by a mirror. This qualification gave
us the more confidence in her accuracy, when, as she did with regard
to all her other illusions, she spoke more positively. She had not
hitherto observed a great and painful confusion in the visions which
visited her, so as to entitle us to infer the derangement of Order.
Individuality, Form, Size, Weight, Colouring, Locality, and Number
only seemed hitherto affected.
. ‘For nearly two years Miss S. L. was free from her frontal head
aches, and—mark the coincidence—untroubled by visions or any
other illusive perceptions. Some months ago, however, all her
distressing symptoms returned in great aggravation, when she was
conscious of a want of health. The pain was more acute than before
along the frontal bone, and round and in the eyeballs; and all the
organs there situated recommenced their game of illusion. Single
figures of absent and deceased friends were terribly real to her, both
in the day and the night, sometimes cobweb, but generally coloured.
She sometimes saw friends on the street, who proved phantoms
when she approached to speak to them; and instances occurred
where, from not having thus satisfied herself of the illusion, she
affirmed to such friends that she had seen them in certain places,
at certain times, when they proved to her the clearest alibi. The
confusion of her spectral forms now distressed her. (Order affected.)
The oppression and perplexity was intolerable when figures presented
themselves before her in inextricable disorder, and still more when
they changed—as with Nicolai—from whole figures to parts of
figures, faces and half faces, and limbs—sometimes of inordinate
size and dreadful deformity. One instance of illusive disorder which
she mentioned is curious, and has the further effect of exhibiting
what cannot be put in terms, except those of the derangement of the
just perception of gravitation or equilibrium. (Weight.) One night,
as she sat in her bedroom, and was about to go to bed, a stream of
spectres, persons’ faces, and limbs, in the most shocking confusion,
seemed to her to pour into her room from the window, in the manner
of a cascade ! Although the cascade continued apparently in rapid
descending motion, there was no accumulation of figures in the room,
the supply unaccountably vanishing after having formed the cascade.
Colossal figures are her frequent visitors. (Size.)
‘Real but inanimate objects have assumed to her the form of
animals ; and she has often attempted to lift articles from the
ground, which, like the oysters in the pothouse cellar, eluded her
grasp.
‘ More recently, she has experienced a great aggravation of her
alarms ; for, like Nicolai, she began to hear her spectral visitors
speak! (The organs of Language and Tune, or Sound, affected.)
87
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
At first her crowds kept up a buzzing and indescribable gibbering,
and occasionally joined in a loud and terribly disagreeable laugh,
which she could only impute to fiends. These unwelcome sounds
were generally followed by a rapid and always alarming advance of
the figures, which often on those occasions presented very large and
fearful faces, with insufferable glaring eyes close to her own. All
self-possession then failed her, and the cold sweat of terror stood
on her brow. Her single figures of the deceased and absent then
began to gibber, and soon more distinctly to address her ; but terror
has hitherto prevented her from understanding what they said.
‘ She went, not very wisely, to see that banquet of demonology,.
Der Freischutz ; and of course, for some time afterwards, the dram
atis persona of that edifying piece, not excepting his Satanic
majesty in person, were her nightly visitors. Some particular
figures are persevering in their visits to her. A Moor, with a turban,
frequently looks over her shoulder, very impertinently, when she uses
a mirror.
‘ Of the other illusive perceptions of Miss S. L., we may mention
the sensation of being lifted up, and of sinking down and falling
forward, with the puzzling perception of objects off their perpendic
ular ; for example, the room, floor, and all, sloping to one side.
(Weight affected.)
‘ Colours in her work, or otherwise, long looked at, are slow to
quit her sight. She has noises in her head, and a sensation of heat
all over it; and, last of all, when asked if she ever experienced acute
pain elsewhere about the head than in the lower range of the fore
head, she answered that three several times she was suddenly affected
with such excruciating throbbing pain on the top of the head, that
she had almost fainted; and when asked to put her finger on the
spot, she put the points of each forefinger precisely on the organ of
Wonder, on each side of the coronal surface I’
In the same paper Mr Simpson adduces the singular illusive
perceptions suffered occasionally by Mr John Hunter, the great
anatomist, several of which are identical with Miss S. L.’s. In the
eighteenth and other numbers of the Phrenological Journal, other
cases of spectral illusions are mentioned, several with local pain,
which are held to corroborate the inferences drawn from that of Miss
S. L. But the case of that lady seems to us the most comprehensive
on the subject.
In a subsequent paper by Mr Simpson (in No. 7), the most brief
and satisfactory explanation of the illusions of the English OpiumEater is given. The forms and faces that persecuted him in millions
(Form diseased)—the expansion of a night into a hundred years
(Time)—his insufferable lights and splendours (Colour)—his descent
for millions of miles without finding a bottom (Weight or Resistance,
giving the feeling of support, diseased)—all described by him with
an eloquence that startled the public—are only aggravated illusions,
28
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
•due to his irregularities. It is extremely probable that the intoxi
cating gas affects the same organs.
ILLUSIONS FROM ARTIFICE.
Illusions from the use of phantasmagoria, magic lanterns, mirrors,
and other means of deception connected with professed jugglery,
need not here be more than alluded to. Illusions arising from the
alleged appearance of, and intercourse with, spirits, are of a different
kind, and a regular notice of such would form a dark chapter in the
history of our popular superstitions. In all ages, there have been
persons who lived by imposing on the vulgar, and pretending to
possess supernatural powers. Others, either through heedlessness or
a wanton spirit of mischief, have inflicted scarcely less injury on
society by terrifying children and weak-minded persons with tales of
ghosts and other spectral appearances. It is little more than a cen
tury since the metropolis was thrown into a state of extraordinary
excitement by the Cock Lane ghost; and as the history of this affair
will best illustrate the absurdity of this class of illusions, we may be
allowed to add it to our list of apparition anecdotes.
About the year 1759, Mr Kempe, a gentleman from the county of
Norfolk, came to reside with the sister of his deceased wife, in the
house of a Mr Parsons in Cock Lane, near Smithfield. The lady, it
appears, slept with a girl, the daughter of Parsons, and complained
of being disturbed with very unaccountable noises. From this or
some other cause, Mr Kempe and his sister-in-law removed to
another lodging in Bartlett Street. Here, unfortunately, the lady,
who passed by the name of Mrs Kempe, was attacked with small-pox,
and died ; and on the 2d of February 1760, her body was interred in
a vault in St John’s Church, Clerkenwell.
From this event two years elapsed, when a report was propagated
that a great knocking and scratching had been heard in the night at
the house of Parsons, to the great terror of all the family ; all methods
employed to discover the cause of it being ineffectual. This noise
was always heard under the bed in which lay two children, the
eldest of whom had slept with Mrs Kempe, as already mentioned,
during her residence in this house. To find out whence it proceeded,
Mr Parsons ordered the wainscot to be taken down ; but the knocking
and scratching, instead of ceasing, became more violent than ever.
The children were then removed into the two pair of stairs room,
whither they were followed by the same noise, which sometimes
continued during the whole night.
From these circumstances, it was apprehended that the house was
haunted ; and the elder child declared that she had, some time
before, seen the apparition of a woman, surrounded, as it were, by a
blazing light. But the girl was not the only person who was favoured
with a sight of this luminous lady. A publican in the neighbour29
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
hood, bringing a pot of beer into the house, about eleven o’clock at
night, was so terrified that he let the beer fall, upon seeing on the
stairs, as he was looking up, the bright shining figure of a woman,
which cast such a light that he could see the dial in the charityschool, through a window in that building. The figure passed by him,
and beckoned him to follow ; but he was too much terrified to obey
its directions, ran home as fast as possible, and was taken very ill.
About an hour after this Mr Parsons himself, having occasion to go
into another room, saw the same apparition.
As the knocking and scratching only followed the children, the
girl who had seen the supposed apparition was interrogated what
she thought it was like. She declared it was Mrs Kempe, who about
two years before had lodged in the house. On this information,
the circumstances attending Mrs Kempe’s death were recollected,
and were pronounced by those who heard them to be of a dark and
disagreeable nature. Suspicions were whispered about, tending to
inculpate Mr Kempe ; fresh circumstances were brought to light, and
it was hinted that the deceased had not died a natural death ; that,
in fact, she had been poisoned.
The knocking and scratching now began to be more violent; they
seemed to proceed from underneath the bedstead of the child, who
was sometimes thrown into violent fits and agitations. In a word,
Parsons gave out that the spirit of Mrs Kempe had taken possession
of the girl. The noises increased in violence, and several gentle
men were requested to sit up all night in the child’s room. On the
13th of January, between eleven and twelve o’clock at night, a
respectable clergyman was sent for, who, addressing himself to the
supposed spirit, desired that, if any injury had been done to the
person who had lived in that house, he might be answered in the
affirmative, by one single knock ; if the contrary, by two knocks.
This was immediately answered by one knock. He then asked
several questions, which were all very rationally answered in the
same way. Crowds now went to hear the ghost; among others, Dr
Johnson, ‘the Colossus of British literature,’ who was imposed on like
the rest. Many persons, however, would not be duped. Suspecting
a trick, with the sanction of the lord mayor, they set themselves
carefully to watch the movements of the girl. The supposed ghost
having announced that it would attend any gentleman into the vault
under St John’s Church, in which the body of Mrs Kempe was
entombed, and point out the coffin by knocking on the lid, several
persons proceeded to the vault accordingly, there to await the result.
On entering this gloomy receptacle at midnight, the party waited
for some time in silence for the spirit to perform its promise, but
nothing ensued. . The person accused by the ghost then went down,
with several others, into the vault, but no effect was perceived.
Returning to the bedroom of the girl, the party examined her closely,
but could draw no confession from her; on their departure, however,
30
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
towards morning, they arrived at the conviction that the girl possessed
the art of counterfeiting noises. Further examinations took place, and
ultimately it was discovered that she was a finished impostor. They
found that she had been in the habit of taking with her to bed a thin
and sonorous piece of wood, on which she produced the noises that
had deceived such crowds of credulous individuals. Parsons, who had
been privy to the plot for injuring the reputation of Mr Kempe, with
his daughter and several accomplices, were now taken into custody;
and after a trial before Lord Mansfield, were condemned to variousterms of imprisonment; Parsons being, in addition, ordered to stand,
in the pillory. Such was the termination of an affair which not
only found partisans among the weak and credulous, but' even stag
gered many men reputed for possessing sound understandings. A
worthy clergyman, whose faith was stronger than his reason, and
who had warmly interested himself in behalf of the reality of the
spirit, was so overwhelmed with grief and chagrin, that he did not
long survive the detection of the imposture.
CONCLUSION.
A word of advice may now be given in conclusion to those whoare subject to illusions of a spectral kind. If hysteria, epilepsy,
or any well-marked bodily affection be an accompaniment of these
illusions, of course remedial measures should be used which have
a reference to these maladies, and the physician is the party to be
applied to. If, however, no well-defined bodily ailment exists, a
word of counsel may be useful from ourselves. We believe that,
in general, spectral illusions are caused by disorders originating
in the alimentary system, and that the continued use of stimulating
liquors is to be most commonly blamed for the visitation. If the
patient is conscious that this- is the case, his path to relief lies open
before him. The removal of the cause will almost always remove
the effect. At the same time, the process of cure may be slow.
The imagination becomes morbidly active in such cases, and many
maintain the illusions after the digestive system is restored to order.
But this will not be the case long, for the morbidity of the imagina
tion does not usually survive, for any length of time, the restoration
of the sanity of the body. To effect a cure of the fundamental
derangement of the alimentary system, aperient medicines may be
used in the first instance, and afterwards tonics—nourishing food,
in small quantities, at the outset—and gentle but frequent exercise
in the open air. Last, but not least, for the cure of the sufferer
from spectral illusions, the indulgence in cheerful society is to be
recommended. Solitude infallibly nurses the morbidity of the
imagination. The notion that the use of ardent spirits should only
be dropped by degrees, is found to be a mistake. Even in instances
of the most inveterate drunkards, no harm follows from instantaneous
31
�SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.
abstinence. Therefore, as a little too often leads to much in the
matter of drinking, those who would break off the practice should
not be over-indulgent to themselves, through fear of the consequences
•of change. If opium have been the cause of the illusions, a gradual
cessation from its use may be advisable.
Should the sufferer from spectral illusions be conscious of no error
as regards the use of stimulants or narcotics, some affection of
the brain may be suspected, and headaches will corroborate this
suspicion. . Local or general blood-letting will prove in most cases
the best remedy. Leeches or cupping may be tried in the first place,
and, if tried ineffectively, the lancet may then be employed.
With rdspect to the demonstrable truthfulness of stories of appari
tions, we consider that the whole may be referred to natural causes.
Let us think of the apparent reasons for the majority of spectral
communications, supposing them to be supernatural. Can we deem
it accordant with the dignity of that great Power which orders
the universe, that a spirit should be sent to warn a libertine of
his death ? Or that a spiritual messenger should be commissioned
to walk about an old manor-house, dressed in a white sheet, and
dragging clanking chains, for no better purpose than to frighten
old women and servant-girls, as said to be done in all hauntedchamber cases? Or that a supernatural being should be charged
with the notable task of tapping on bed-heads, pulling down plates,
and making a clatter among tea-cups, as in the case of the Stockwell ghost, and a thousand others ? The supposition is monstrous.
If to any one inhabitant of this earth—a petty atom, occupying a
speck of a place on a ball which is itself an insignificant unit among
millions of spheres—if .to such a one a supernatural communication
was deigned, certainly it would be for some purpose worthy, of the
all-wise Communicator, and fraught with importance to the recipient
of the message, as well, perhaps, as to his whole race.
32
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Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Title
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Spectral illusions
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An account of the resource
Place of publication: [s.l.]
Collation: 32 p. : ill. ; 18 cm.
Notes: Approximate date from LC record. Part of the NSS pamphlet collection.
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[s.n.]
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[ca. 1880?]
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N619
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Spiritualism
Science
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[Unknown]
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application/pdf
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Text
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English
Apparitions
Hallucinations and illusions
NSS
-
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Text
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Title
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Spiritualism a delusion: its fallacies exposed. A criticism from the standpoint of science and impartial observation
Creator
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Watts, Charles
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: London
Collation: 24 p. ; 19 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Author's list on back cover. Includes Appendix: Origin of the Belief in a Future Life -- Bodily Changes and Immortality -- Life is the Result of Organisation -- The Caterpillar.
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Freethought Publishing Company Ltd.
Date
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1900
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G2932
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Spiritualism
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (Spiritualism a delusion: its fallacies exposed. A criticism from the standpoint of science and impartial observation), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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English
Spiritualism
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/28ac7b9e9f97c7a29cc4f42ef6358f04.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=LSoHwmv85T1rttnSfgCM%7EBUHo3h7Ia9KVl9wAG1kgt35vxjKKolzlJNI0Dk1peC1AMS65%7E4MXM4fSspaymcBx0N%7ExO3UkAm0zcJjAPIJiofifTAoFSKTJai6NSqr-7QwLhKLxtzu%7E48bA-itk0jgJmaY%7Eg6z2eIc0WFOF%7EzW5BhQNhto88ol2fRBlQmRBvejAK38bR7K3guj%7EpweVK4YkfcNAMRL4f6MQhxz1amSoZV9zsU4fMaFvvZDQGopy3cnFh0sglC7ZENIi5atc%7EWTRhcmyOev54hCbpYB61a0uai-OdxdaMGHm1fW3bc2yCqnGW7Kae%7EGYZZ-RDRJFp7ksA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
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NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY
/1875.1
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life*
59
her promise. I observed that Katie
wore the gold ring. But when, at the
close of the sitting, I examined with a
light every nook and corner in the cabi
net, neither ring nor chain was to be
found.
June 10. Katie called me up to the
aperture, handed me back the hair chain,
and said: “Violet wishes you to keep
this, in memory of her, until you are
called to meet her in her spirit-home.”
Where was that chain during the
preceding twenty-four hours? One is
lost in conjecture on such subjects.
Ere Katie came forth, a tall figure,
partly hidden by the cabinet, laid its
luminous hand on her head; then the
hand and arm floated up out of sight;
the door being seven and a half feet
high.
June 15. Present only myself and
Mr. Oluf Stenersen, minister to the
United States from the Swedish court.
Three different faces showed them
selves: one of a middle-aged man, one
of a young lady, and another of a child.
Then Katie, from the left hand aper
ture, asked the medium for paper and
pencil. Half a sheet of note paper be
ing handed to her, she beckoned to me
and gave me the paper, saying: “Mr.
Owen, please put your private mark on
it.” I wrote at the top of the sheet
three words in the German character;
and, as I returned it to her, she
added: “ An English friend wishes to
write to you.” In a minute or two we
saw, at the left hand aperture, a lumi
nous detached hand, shaded off at the
wrist, and holding the pencil as a mun
dane writer would. Over against this
hand floated in the air a half sheet
of paper, the surface illuminated as if
phosphorescently. At first it swayed
to and fro; but presently, without ap
parent cause, it remained stretched and
motionless. Then the hand approached
it and wrote, under our eyes, during
some three or four minutes; covering
the page. Then the sheet, again with
out apparent cause, turned over in the
air, the hand continuing to write until
the second page was half filled. Then
the hand laid hold of the paper, and
passed it out of the cabinet window to
ward me. I went up and received it,
and the pencil dropped on the floor. It
was the same paper on which I had writ
ten “ lch bin bier; ” and proved to be a
letter addressed to me, didactic in char
acter and elevated in sentiment, signed:
“ Fred. W. Robertson.” 1
Afterwards, accompanied by a friend
who is an expert in autographs, I took
this paper to the Franklin Library; and
there, in presence of the librarian, we
compared it with Mr. Robertson’s signa
ture as it is given in the English edition
of his biography, by the Rev. Stopford
Brooke. Both gentlemen agreed that
the signature obtained by me was so per
fect a fac-simile of the other, that the
internal evidence of its genuine charac
ter was unquestionable.
June 19. A circle of twenty-five per
sons. The partition between parlor and
bedroom (alluded to in a previous note)
had been put up the day before. Each
time that Katie issued from the cabinet,
a brilliantly luminous hand, emitting
light, showed itself at the left upper
corner of the cabinet door. It point
ed downward, sometimes waving, to
ward Katie. The second time that she
stepped out, she beckoned me to ap
proach her. I did so, extending my
hand, which she pressed; then, as I bent
my head toward her, she took it in both
hands and kissed it, uttering her usual
low and earnest “ God bless you, Mr.
Owen.”
June 20. Present only my friend Mrs.
L. Andrews, of Springfield, and myself.
We both thoroughly examined the bed
1 At Dr. Slade’s, in New York (February 9,1874),
I witnessed, by gaslight, a precisely similar phe
nomenon. The paper, placed on a slate, lay on my
knee ; and a band, luminous and entirely detached
at the wrist, rose from under the table and wrote,
while I looked on, what proved to be three verses
from the Greek Testament; headed, in English,
“ Law of Love = Matth. 5 ; 43-45 — ” (punctuation,
contraction, and dashes exactly as here set down).
To use a common phrase, I could scarcely believe
my eyes. My knowledge of Greek has, under half
a century of disuse, almost faded out: but, having
submitted the manuscript to one of the best Hel
lenists of our country, I learned that every word
and letter was correct, a few breathings and ac
cents only being omitted.
�60
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
[January,
room before sitting down. For the first
time neither of the mediums, at any time
during the sitting, entered the cabinet: so
that, when we had searched it and closed
its door, we were certain that no human
being occupied it.
A remarkable sitting followed. First,
we were surprised by a dusky face at one
of the apertures. Soon after, the door
opened and a girl at least two inches
taller and rather stouter than Katie,
with dark, handsome Indian features,
and lithe figure, arrayed in richly orna
mented Indian dress, walked out to with
in two feet of us. She had a snow-white
blanket over her head, which she held
under her chin. This she waved toward
us; it was very fine, thick, and soft to
the touch. She came out three times,
spoke to us, the last time quite distinct
ly, telling us that her name was Sauntee.
“Good God!” cried Mrs. Holmes,
in evident astonishment and alarm.1
Next there issued from the cabinet
the figure of a lad dressed in sailor-boy
fashion; his bow and gestures awkward
and jerky, his face frank and pleasant.
He came out three times, and when we
asked his name he answered, in hoarse
and broken but audible tones: “ Don’t
you know me? You ’ve heard me speak
often enough; I ’m Dick.”
We had frequently heard of Dick, as
one of the (alleged) operating and talk
ing spirits in the dark circles for phys
ical manifestations which Mrs. Holmes
occasionally gave. Both he and the In
dian girl presented themselves now for
the first time.
At last Katie herself appeared. When
she stepped into the room, I asked per
mission to approach, and gave her a
mother-of-pearl cross, with white silk
braid attached, together with a small
note, folded up, in which I had written:
“I offer you this because, though it be
simple, it is white and pure and beauti
ful, as you are. ” She took both, did not
open the note, suspended the cross from
her neck, kissed it and retreated to the
cabinet, closing the door. In a minute
or two she returned, the cross, shining
as with phosphorescent lustre, in one
hand, and the folded note in the other;
bent over me, and said, in her low, ear
nest voice and with her charming smile:
‘ ‘ White and pure and beautiful like me
— is it ? ” How did she read that note ?
The cabinet, with its, closed door and its
black-covered apertures, was, as I have
often verified, quite dark. Ever after,
when she appeared, she wore that cross
on her breast; reminding one of the
well-known lines in Pope’s Rape of the
Lock.
Immediately after the close of the sit
ting we critically examined the cabinet.
No cross there! Where was it?
June 21. No medium in the cabinet.
Katie appeared at the aperture; and
Dr. Child, desiring to please all, pro
posed that every person in the circle
(upwards of twenty) might go up, one
by one, to the aperture, touch Katie’s
hand, and speak to her. They all did
so except one young lady, deterred by
fear. Toward the close, one of the
circle (not a lady) asked if Katie would
not allow him to kiss her. She instant
ly withdrew and we saw her nd more
that night.
Afterward I remonstrated, in private,
with Dr. Child, against this lack of de
corum ; adding that unless the wishes of
the spirit were consulted in all things, I
would not attend another sitting, nor
countenance the proceedings in any way.
He took what I said in excellent part,
frankly admitting that I was in the right.
Little did I expect what was to come!
June 22.2 Katie, appearing at the ap
erture after unusual delay, beckoned to
me. The pale and beautiful face, now
grown familiar, usually tinged with sad
ness, wore such a look of weary sorrow
and deep depression that I was moved
almost to tears when, in low and plaint
ive tones, she said: “Mr. Owen, in
deed, indeed I cannot come out to night
1 She explained to me, after the sitting, that
“ Sauntee ” was the name of the (alleged) control
ling spirit of Mrs. Fanny Young, an intimate friend
of hers and a trance medium ; and that she (Mrs.
Holmes) had had many a communication, through
Mrs. Young, purporting to come from this young
Indian girl. Just two months before this sitting,
Mrs. Young had died.
2 At this and all succeeding sittings, both medi
ums remained outside, unentranced.
�1875.]
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
unless I have assurance that my wishes
shall be respected.”
“ They shall be,” said I, “so long as
I come here.”
“ I want your promise,” she added.
“ When you touch me, it gives me
strength; but when others, with whom
I have no sympathy, are suffered to ap
proach indiscriminately, it wearies and
exhausts me. I want your promise that
no such overture as that made last night
shall be repeated. They forget that I
am a spirit. They forget why I come
to them at all.”
“ Dear Katie,” said I, “I will pro
tect you, as I would my own daughter,
from that and every other annoyance.
No one shall approach you except with
your express permission.”
The changed, more hopeful expres
sion was charming to see, as she said:
“ God bless you! Tell my medium not
to urge me; it hurts me to refuse her.”
At a request from the audience, I
stated to them, in brief, what Katie had
said.. Nothing more was needed, that
evening, to call forth a hushed reverence
such as is not often found, even in
church..
I pass by my record of sundry meet
ings where phenomena similar to those
already recorded presented themselves,
and come to a memorable seance, June
28. At Katie’s suggestion, coupled with
her promise of “ a good time,” I had
this sitting all to myself, the two medi
ums only being present, and sitting be
side me.
Sauntee again appeared. The ma
terialization seemed absolutely perfect.
She wore a rich, dark jacket, reaching
to the knee, of stuff resembling silk vel
vet, embroidered in white spangles, open
over the bosom and showing an under
garment apparently of Indian-tanned
buckskin; the jacket coming to a point
at the waist. She wore black leggins
and embroidered moccasins. This time
she had no blanket, but some soft, light,
gray tissue covering her head and falling
over her shoulders. Around her waist
was a belt, with lappets that dropped on
one side. She held one of these toward
us to touch; it was soft and thick as rich
61
velvet. Her motions were more free
than before, and there was more spirit
in her large, expressive eyes.
She
spoke, too, more readily and distinctly.
Four several times she showed herself,
uttering friendly expressions.
Then, after an interval, came Katie.
She, too, stepped out, more freely than
usual. I showed her a small tortoise
shell box, in which I had preserved sev
eral mementoes of her; to wit, a card on
which she had written my name, a small
nosegay, and a tiny lock of hair which
she had given me during the sitting with
Mrs. Andrews. She seemed pleased,
and said, smiling, “I’ll give you some
thing better worth keeping than that.”
Retreating to the cabinet, she returned
in a minute or two without the lace veil
she usually wore depending from each
side of her head; this being the first
time I had ever seen her bareheaded.
She asked for scissors, and I provided a
pair which I had brought with me, hop
ing to obtain a bit of her dress. Then
she stooped her head toward me, and,
passing both hands through her back
hair, separated a lock and bade me cut
it off. I did so, close to the head. It
proved to be a beautiful ringlet, about
four inches long, literally of a golden
color, soft and fine. After four months
it has not melted away, and it is not dis
tinguishable from human hair, though
one seldom sees any so beautiful.
The next time she came out she asked
for a large nosegay which stood on the
mantelpiece; and, coming close to me,
she knelt down, laid the flowers on the
floor, and deliberately picked out two or
three lilies. These she handed to me,
returning the rest to Mrs. Holmes. As
she knelt there, I observed that her hair
curled in short, graceful ringlets over
the top and front of her head, while
several longer curls dropped to her
shoulders. One of these, longer than
the rest, she had several times shown us,
and allowed us to touch, at the aperture.
Once more — and for the last time
that evening — she emerged from the
cabinet, came quietly close up to me,
extending a hand. I passed my left
arm gently round her, and sustained her
�62
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
left arm, bare from the elbow, in my
right hand. To the touch her garments
and her person were exactly like those
of an earthly creature.
In low but distinct tones, she made
some recommendations in regard to my
health. “ You have work to do,” she
said, “ before you leave your earth; and
you must rest, that you may be able to
do it.”
Then, stepping back, she took my
face in both hands, kissed me on the
forehead, and retreated to the cabinet,
as is her wont, without turning from us.
After closing the door, she half opened
it again with a smile and the words:
“Didn’t we have a good time, Mr.
Owen, as I promised? ”
“Indeed we did,” I replied; “you
kept your word. ’ ’
“ But we ’ll have far better times, by
and by, when you come to us.” The
door closed upon that earnest, beautiful
face, and we were left alone with the
memory of the marvels we had wit
nessed !
I questioned my consciousness. Had
I held familiar converse with a creature
who had already, perhaps, returned to
her fellow-denizens of the skies?
July 3. Besides myself only two
friends, Dr. P------ and Mrs. B------.
Both the mediums outside, as usual.
Sauntee came out in full form, salut
ing and touching us all : her features
handsome, .spirited, but unmistakably
Indian, and very distinct. The third
time she appeared, bending over me till
her face was scarcely a foot from mine,
she'said: “Come pale-faced chief.”
Some twenty minutes later, the cabinet
door opened and disclosed the form, dis
tinctly materialized, of a man, appar
ently of middle age, some five feet ten
in height, as I judged, with broad shoul
ders, rather dark complexion, mustache,
and short beard; his look earnest and
spirited. At the same time that he
appeared Sauntee showed herself at
the aperture and repeated: ‘ ‘ Pale-faced
chief.” The male figure showed itself
four times; its dress a white robe reach
ing to the feet, with some sort of dark
vest, partially visible, underneath.
(January,
We asked its name. After several
unsuccessful efforts, it said distinctly,
the third time it appeared: “ General
Rawlings.”
Katie, appearing ten minutes later,
repeated, in answer to our inquiries,
that it was General Rawlings.
“ Who was General Rawlings? ”
asked Mrs. B----- .
“ Secretary of War under President
Grant,” replied Katie.
Of course I knew of the general as
one of our bravest soldiers; but neither
I nor any one present had seen him or
his photograph; so that I am unable to
say whether the figure thus unexpect
edly presented to us resembled him oi'
not.
This evening Katie came out into the
room eight or nine times, appearing
more distinct than usual. She wore, as
is her wont, a resplendent white robe,
falling in loose folds, open at the neck,
running to a point on the bosom and
belted at the waist. Her arms were
bare several inches above the elbow;
the gauze sleeves which she wore being
- open half-way to the shoulder and drop
ping some six inches below the upper
arm. She remained with us three or
four minutes at a time; probably twenty
or twenty-five minutes in all.
I particularly noticed, this evening,
the ease and harmony of her motions.
In Naples, during five years, I frequent
ed a circle famed for courtly demeanor;
but never in the best-bred lady of rank
accosting her visitors have I seen Katie
outrivaled. Anything more refined than
the gentle sway of the body and turn of
the head and gesture of arm and hand,
as she passed round, saying something
pleasant or playful to each, I do not ex
pect to witness till I reach that higher
life whence this visitant descended to
teach and to charm us here.
In the course of the evening I had
asked her if she could give me a bit of
her dress, to which she replied: “I’ll
try to materialize it so that it will keep.”
The fifth time she came out, receiving
from me a pair of scissors, and turning
to the left, so as to be just opposite
where Dr. P----- and Mrs. B------sat,
�1870
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
63
'How the pieces cut were thus con
densed in size, I do not assume to ex
plain. Katie’s robe looks like the thin
nest gauze, and her veil like the fleeci
est cobweb-lace. But the bits of each
now in my possession seem bona-fide
lawn and lace, such as ladies wear in
this lower world.
This evening, for the first time, Katie
vanished and reappeared, but a “part
of her form was intercepted by the front
partition of the cabinet; at another sit
ting I witnessed the same phenomenon
in perfection.
July 6. Katie exhibited an amiable
trait of character. A little, slender, and
somewhat infirm old lady, already in her
seventy-sixth year, a Mrs. Peterman,
who, though never a professional medi
um, had been for half a life-time en
dowed with what Paul calls spiritual
gifts, was present, and had modestly
taken a back seat. Katie spied her,
and requested that she should have a
seat in front. Then she called me and
said: “Mr. Owen, I want to kiss that
old lady, she’s so cunning; ask her if
she would be afraid.”
Mrs. Peterman expressed great de
light; and Katie, slowly advancing, in
her usual gracious way, lightly touched
the gray head, as it bent before her,
and imprinted a kiss on the wrinkled
forehead.
A well-known artist of Philadelphia
attended this sitting; and, after exam
ining Katie through his opera-glass, said
to me, ere he left, that he had seldom
seen features exhibiting more classic
beauty. ‘ ‘ Her movements and bear
ing,” he added, “ are the very ideal of
grace.”
July 9. This evening, having ob
served that Katie seemed to delight in
flowers, I handed her a large calla lily.
She smelt it, exclaiming: “ What a
charming odor! ’ ’ And each time that
evening when she issued from the cabi
net, she carried the flower in her hand.
I had begged her, if she could, to re
peat for us the phenomenon of disap
pearance, and had placed myself so that
I could see her entire person without
the- intervention of any part of the cab
inet front.
It is an era in one’s life when one
witnesses, in perfection, this marvelous
manifestation. Katie stood on the very
threshold of the cabinet, directly in
front of me, and scarcely nine feet dis
tant. I saw her, with absolute distinct
ness, from head to foot, during all the
time she gradually faded out and reap
peared. The head disappeared a little
1 To those who may read this with incredulity, I
state that Mrs. Ross-Church (Florence Marryatt,
daughter of the well-known novelist, and editor of
London Society) relates, in the (London) Spiritual
ist of May 29,1874, a similar experience. After
giving various particulars of Katie’s last London
stance, she says : “ What appeared to me one of the
most convincing proofs of Katie’s more than natu
ral power was, that when she had cut, before our
eyes, twelve or fifteen different pieces of cloth from
the front of her tunic, as souvenirs for her friends,
there was not a hole to be seen in it, examine it
which way you would.”
In the same communication Mrs. Ross-Church
adds : “ Katie desired me to place my hands within
the loose single garment which she wore, and feel
her nude body. I did so thoroughly, and felt her
heart beating rapidly beneath my hand.”
and not more than three feet from them,
she gathered, up her dress, cutting and
handing to me a portion; then after
wards of her veil in like manner.
The piece from her dress, less than
two inches long and nearly in the form
of a leaf, proved to be a fabric like fine
bishop’s lawn; that taken from the veil
was nearly circular, an inch and a quar
ter in diameter, apparently a single
figure of the finest quality of Honiton
lace, with a star-like opening near one
edge.
An astounding incident connected
with this gift remains to be told. Dr.
P------and Mrs. B-------, under whose
very eyes the cutting was done, unite in
declaring that the hole left in the robe
where Katie cut from it, was not less
than five or six inches long, and that
made in the veil at least three or four
inches in diameter; further, that in the
course of a few seconds both openings
disappeared and the garments were
whole again. Although, when Katie
turned from me, I could not distinctly
see the cutting done, yet, intimately ac
quainted as I am with both these wit
nesses, I cannot doubt their veracity.1
�64
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
before the rest of her form, and the feet
and lower part of the drapery remained
visible after the body and the cross she
wore had vanished. But the lily was to
be seen, suspended in the air, for several
seconds after the hand which had held
it was gone; then it vanished, last of all.
When the figure reappeared, that lily
showed itself in advance of all else, at
first like a bright crystal, about eighteen
inches from the floor; but gradually ris
ing and assuming the lily shape, as the
hand which had held it, and the form to
which that hand belonged, first shim
mered and then brightened into view.
In less than a minute after the reappear
ance commenced, Katie issued from the
cabinet in full beauty, bearing the lily
in her right hand, with the cross on her
bosom, and arrayed in the self-same
costume which she had previously worn;
then, coming toward us, she saluted the
circle with all her wonted grace.
I am not sure whether we have, on
record, any account of the vanishing
and reappearance, in the light, of phys
ical objects; at least any example when
it was observed so closely and in such
perfection as this.
During the sitting of July 10, Katie
allowed us again to witness this phe
nomenon; and, on that occasion, a bou
quet which she held in her hand van
ished and reappeared, as the lily and
cross had done.
About this time I obtained incident
ally most cogent additional evidence
(little needed) that these phenomena
were genuine.
An old and valued friend, Mr. Fer
dinand Dreer, desiring to allay the sus
picions of certain skeptical intimates of
his, proposed to bring them to a sdance,
at which he should be allowed to keep
watch outside the parlor door. At ten
o’clock on the morning of July 13, he
called on me, asking me if I could ar
range this for him with the mediums.
As soon as he left I proceeded, in
accordance with his wishes, to the
Holmeses, whom I found just returned
from breakfast. We talked the matter
over, and I remarked: “ I wish I could
know what Katie thinks about it.”
[January,
“ I dare say we could ascertain,’’ said
Mrs. Holmes; “ we can try.”
So we locked the doors, closed the
window-blinds, lit and shaded a single
gas-burner, and sat down quietly before
the cabinet. In ten minutes Katie ap
peared at the aperture, beckoned to me,
and, before I had said a word, asked:
“ Is Mr. Dreer a man upon whose prom
ises you can rely? ”
I. Absolutely. And he has given
me his solemn promise that neither he
nor the friends he proposes to bring with
him will violate any conditions imposed.
Katie. But you must have some of
our intimate friends in the front circle.
I need such aid.
I. Be sure that we shall attend to
that.
Katie. Let Mr. Dreer examine all
the rooms before the sitting begins, and
leave the door of this parlor open, so
that he can see and hear what passes.
It did not occur to me, till after this
impromptu sitting closed, what a severe
test it was. The Holmeses had never,
up to this time, had a forenoon oi' mid
day sitting. They could not, by possi
bility, have anticipated my coming,
since the intention to visit them pre
ceded my visit by five minutes only.
Still less could they have imagined that
I would express a desire to hear from
Katie at that hour. The hypothesis of
preparation is absolutely barred. The
door of the cabinet stood open, as usual,
when I entered. I examined it care
fully, and myself closed its door, before
we sat down.
July 14. Mr. Dreer came with four
friends. Ere the sitting commenced,
he examined the house, inspected the
bedroom most critically, saw the out
side window-shutter of that room effect
ually barred, saw its door locked, and
placed a bit of adhesive plaster over the
key-hole, then sat down in the entry, so
that no one could go up or down stairs
without passing him. The door open
ing from the parlor on the passage
where he sat remained open during the
whole sitting.
Under these strict test conditions, the
manifestations were triumphantly sue-
�Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
65
cessful. Katie came out in full form
five or six times. In the course of
the evening she jestingly deplored Mr.
Dreer’s solitary condition, begged him
to let. her know in case he saw Katie
King pass up or down stairs, and finally
®nvited him into the room, advancing
and gracefully saluting him.
Ere the sitting closed we had — now
for the fifth time — the phenomenon of
appearance and disappearance in full
perfection. During this and the sitting
of June 12, the reappearance seemed to
be effected in a somewhat modified way.
The form came into view first as a sort
of dwarfed or condensed Katie, not.over
eighteen inches high; then the figure
appeared to be elongated, almost as a
I pocket-telescope is drawn to its full
length, till the veritable Katie, not a
fold of her shining raiment disarranged,
stood in full stature before us. That
scriptural expression of “ shining rai
ment ” was constantly suggested to me
when Katie, issuing from the darkness
of the cabinet, shone out upon us in full
form.
Another phenomenon, that of levi
tation, which we witnessed during the
sitting of July 12, and on four or five
other occasions, recalled some of the
old paintings of the Transfiguration.
Within the cabinet, but in full view, we
saw Katie’s entire form — her graceful
garments literally “ white as the light ”
— suspended in mid-air. I observed
that she gently moved hands and feet, as
a, swimmer, upright in the water, might.
She remained thus, each time, from ten
to fifteen seconds.
July 16. This was my farewell sit
ting, appointed on the forenoon of the
iay on which I left Philadelphia, by
Katie herself, Dr. and Mrs. Child being
present, at her request.
I had a talk with her at the aperture.
Producing the mother - of - pearl cross
I had given her, she said: “ Father
Owen,11 shall keep this cross forever,
and when, at any time, I fall short of
my highest conceptions of duty, be sure
that the sight of it will recall me to bet
ter thoughts.”
I told hei' with how much regret I
parted from her, and she added: “ But
you will return in the autumn; for I
don’t think it is intended that you
should come to us yet awhile. But if
it is, be very certain that I shall be
there to receive you.”
I told her I should be quite content to
go at once, only that I had some work
which I desired still to do.
Katie. I think you will live to do it;
yet you ought to rest for two months at
least. The excitement of these inter
views keeps you up, but you. will feel
exhausted when that passes off.
She came out four or five times, walk
ing about freely, seated herself on a
chair, then came up to us, laying her
hands on our heads. She gave sun
dry instructions touching the sittings to
come, and expressed the hope that, in
the future, she might still be able to do
much for us.
■Myself. It is a marvel to me, dear
Katie, that you should take such pains
about us earthly creatures.
Katie. Why, I love you all. It is
beautiful to be here, among dear friends.
Toward the close of this sitting we
had a phenomenon somewhat different
from any we had yet witnessed. The
door of the cabinet opened slowly, with
out visible cause. Nothing was to be
seen within except the black walnut
boards; but, after a minute or two,
there appeared, exactly as if emerging
from the floor, first the head and shoul
ders of Katie, then her entire body;
and, as on previous occasions, after
standing a few seconds, she came out
into the parlor and approached us.2
When the astonishment called forth by
such a sight had somewhat subsided, I
thought of the text which speaks of
Samuel, at En-dor, “ arising out of the
earth.”
She came up to me, kissing me on
the forehead, and bestowing her final
benediction. Then, after a few pleas-
1 Ever since the day I promised to protect her
from annoyance as if she were my own daughter
she was in the habit ef thus addressing me.
W>L. XXXV.—NO. 207.
5
2 At that hour the music store, of which I have
spoken as being immediately below the parlor and
cabinet, was open and frequented by customers.
�66
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
ant words to the mediums and to Dr.
and Mrs. Child, and after looking at us
all for some time, she said: “ I am very
sorry that I shall soon have to part with
you all.”
As she spoke, the tears — literal tears
— stood in those large, kind eyes, and
she wiped them with her veil, slowly
retreating to the cabinet. Both the
ladies wept; and to us all it was a sad
and solemn leave-taking.
touch it; all as with us: also a luminous
detached hand wrote for him. But
there were differences. In his case the
materialization was effected, in every
instance, during a dark sitting, while all
our sittings were lighted. The figure
which appeared to him was made vis
ible by spiritual light; being sometimes
self-illumined, sometimes lighted from
an ephemeral light vehicle which he
saw and handled; and when the figure
vanished, the light went out with it.
Again, it never conversed with him,
uttering only (now and then) inarticu
late sounds. Nor did the expression of
the face vary, as in a human being. It
was more or less perfect in resemblance,
indeed, on different occasions; depend
ing in part, it seemed, on the weather;
but, once formed, it maintained, through
out the evening, a fixed expression, as
if crystallized.
There was another marked difference.
Mi’. Livermore obtained, as I did, a
lock of hair and a portion of the dress;
but both melted away in ten or fifteen
minutes.
1
Thus it appears that, since that time,
spirit artists have made progress. They
are now able to materialize the vocal
organs, and to give to the features that
mobility of expression which thoughts
and feelings, as they change, impart to
the human countenance. Finally, they
have learned how to give permanence
to locks of hair and portions of gar
ments, so that these gifts from spiritual
hands no longer vanish as we gaze,
The reader who may have followed
me to this point will have concluded
(correctly) that I no longer entertained
the slightest doubt touching the genuine
character of these manifestations.
The proof lies in a nutshell, and may
be stated in simplest syllogistic form;
the only axiom to be conceded being
this: Human beings cannot pass, at
will, through the substance of a brick
wall, or of a stout wooden partition.
This conceded, the case stands thus: —
Either Katie was, what she professed
to be, a visitant from another phase of
being, or else she was a confederate
stealthily introduced into the cabinet,
for purposes of deceit.
But under the conditions as they were
arranged, entrance to or exit from the
cabinet, except by the door which
opened into the parlor where we sat,
was a physical impossibility.
Therefore Katie, not being an inhab
itant of this world, was a denizen of
another, made visible to us, for the time,
by some process which has been called
materialization.
It was to a similar conclusion that
the London scientists, Mr. Crookes, Mr.
Wallace, and Mr. Varley, came, after a
long, patient, and critically conducted
investigation.
To the same effect is the experience
(ten years older than ours) of Mr.
Charles Livermore.1 He saw the eido
lon of his deceased wife on eighty or
ninety different evenings. The figure
vanished and reappeared, floated in the
air, touched him, and suffered him to
but remain in human possession, tan
gible vouchers for the reality of spirit
visitation.
It would lead me too far to extend
comparison to the sittings of the Eddys,
of Vermont, whom I have not seen.
Some of the phenomena obtained through
them seem to be even more marvelous,
and much more varied, than those here
recorded: but with them, as in London,
it has ever been necessary, in order to
1 Formerly head of the well-known New York
banking firm of Livermore, Clews, & Co. His ex
perience, running through five years (1861 to 1866),
will be found (based on his own record, made from
day to day) in The Debatable Land (Carleton &
Co., New York), pages 482 to 501.
“ Like fairy-gifts fading away; ”
�1875.]
Touching Visitants from a Higher Life.
67
obtain materialization, that a medium
should remain in the cabinet.
I have seen Katie’s brilliant form
walk forth into the room eighty or a
hundred times. Nearly as often I have
conversed with her at the aperture,
sometimes as to the manner of conduct
ing the sittings. On several of these
occasions she read, and replied to, my
thoughts. I saw her face, day after
day, as distinctly as I ever saw that of
a human being. I am as certain that it
was the same spirit, from first to last,
as I can be in regard to the identity of
any friend whom I meet daily. Not
only by the bright, changeful play of
the features, and the large, somewhat
sad eyes, with their earnest, honest look,
but by the tone and tenor of her con
versation, evincing alike good sense and
good feeling, did I recognize a distinct
and uniform, and, I may add, an ami
able and estimable character.
There are, however, certain discrep
ancies which seem, at first, not easily
explained. In somewhat strange con
trast with Katie’s high-bred finish of
manner when she walks forth from the
cabinet, are a few of her peculiarities.
When those who ought to know better,
making light of the occasion, have spok
en to her after what is sometimes called
a chaffing fashion, she has replied, if
she replied at all, in the same tone;
using such expressions as “ Of course I
be,” “I can’t,” ‘.‘I shan’t,” and giv
ing to the a in these words, and in the
word 41 thank,” its broad sound, as in
hall; occasionally, too, jestingly calling
the mediums or Dr. Child “ stoopid.”
But whenever I have conversed with
her alone, I have detected no triviality;
her language has been that of an edu
cated’woman, and her sentiments those
Of a kind and a good one. On such
occasions she has more than once re-
minded me that her mission here was to
give to the children of this world evi
dence of their immortality.
These apparent discrepancies of bear
ing and manner are, perhaps, philosoph
ically accounted for in a communication
purporting to come from Katie herself
through the mediumship of a gentleman
whose good faith is unquestionable; in
which occur these passages: —
“ The way in which I sometimes ap
pear and speak, when I am materialized,
is not a true exponent of my present
condition. . . . Spirits either in or out
of the form, as you call it, are, to a
great extent, subject to the influences
of material elements; and if you could
spend a little time with me, in an ap
preciative manner, in my home in spirit
land, you would not recognize me as the
same Katie who calls you ‘ stupid,’
and uses expressions that are often re
pulsive to my inner consciousness. . . .
All spirits, when they visit earth, must,
in subjection to a law of their being,
assume the conditions they had when
they left the earthly form, though they
may bring to your world many thoughts
and ideas which they have acquired in
the inner life. . . . All spiritual com
munications are more or, less modified
by. the channel through which they
pass.” 1
As to the side issue regarding the
identity of the Katie who appeared to
us with the Katie who was the sub
ject of Mr. Crookes’ investigations, it is
less conclusively settled than the reality
of the phenomena themselves. Yet I
see strong reason for admitting it 2 and
little or none for denying it. In the
main, our experience on this side is but
the counterpart of that obtained in En
gland, with such advance as, in the
progress of all phenomenal experiments,
is to be expected. I do not believe that
1 Holding this for truth, and being desirous not
to mix uncertainties with certainties, I refrain from
alluding here to certain (alleged) particulars of
Katie’s earth-life (with a truthful ring in them),
coming to us through such a channel. All that
Katie herself ever told me on that subject was, that
her true name is Annie Morgan, and that the spirit
usually known as John King or Henry Morgan is
her father.
2 On one occasion, without any previous allusion _
by myself to the subject, Katie said to me, from the
cabinet window: “ Some of my London friends mis
interpreted my parting words. I took final leave,
not of your earth, but of dear Florrie Cook, because
my continuance with her would have injured her
health.”
This is the only allusion which Katie has ever
made to me in regard to her London experience, or
her friends in that city.
�68
Touching Visitants from a Higher' Life fl [January,
we could have succeeded as we did in previous observers is, that the mediums
Philadelphia, unless the way had been remain outside in full view and unen-«.
prepared for us in London; nor unless tranced during the whole sitting. I have
we had been aided by the same spirit not found any record of a case in which
which had acquired, during three years’ a spirit in full form issued from the cab
experience with Florence Cook as me inet, walked about the room, conversed
dium, the skill — if I may use the earth with its visitors, touched them and was
ly expression — which enables her to touched in turn, unless a medium had
present herself in veritable earthly guise. previously entered the cabinet, and had re
To judge by the London photographs mained there (usually entranced) until
of Katie taken by electric light, the the spirit-form returned thither. Our
beautiful form and features with which light, too, was sufficient to show the
we are familiar here do not resemble features in perfection (at least when we
those which appeared to the English approached the cabinet); and this has
observers; nor is there here, as there not usually been the case at materializa
was in London, any likeness between tions elsewhere.
Nor do I doubt that, at the sittings
the spirit-form and either of the medi
ums. The face of the London Katie which have recently been recommenced,
suggests the adjectives pretty and inter- — and at which the self-same Katie has
esting. The face of our Katie is Gre already shown herself, as distinctly as
cian in its regularity. Earnestness, with ever, — we shall make important addi
a passing touch of weariness, is its ha tional progress.1
bitual expression; and even its smile,
If, now, I am asked where all this is
though bright, has an occasional dash
of sadness in it. One thinks of it as to end; what is to come of it, in case
unquestionably handsome, as full of familiar converse with visitants from a
character, as intellectual, and withal as higher life shall continue to be permitted
singularly attractive; but one would here; I reply that that is not our affair.
never call it pretty, any more than one We have to deal, for the present, with
would apply that term to the Venus of facts, not with the results from facts.
Milo. The nose is straight, not aqui We are not the governors of this world,
line as in the London photographs, and and need not trouble ourselves with
the large, clear eyes are dark gray with predictions looking to the ultimate con
a bluish tinge. The face is a trifle sequences of natural phenomena. Cos
broader than the classical model; the mical order has never, so far, been dis
upper lip somewhat less short, and the arranged by any new class of truths;
features, perhaps, less delicately chis and if we fear that it ever will be, we
eled: yet both features and expression shall merit the reproach: “ O ye of
much more nearly resemble those of little faith I ’ ’
I hold it of all human privileges the
some fine old statue, than they do the
lineaments and looks of Florence Cook, greatest, to have been permitted to wit
so far as one can judge from her photo ness these phenomena.
graph. But in this case identity must
Postscript. Since writing the above
be determined by internal evidence, not
by outward form. The mediums, from there has come to my notice a document
whom is doubtless drawn a portion of which enables me to speak with more
the elements to materialize, here and assurance of the identity of the Katie
King of Philadelphia and the spirit ap
there, being entirely different.
The chief advance which, so far as pearing under the same name in London.
Mr. J. C. Luxmore, a gentleman of
my reading goes, we have made over all
1 For brevity’s sake I have passed over the record
of more than half our sittings, with numerous
minor details ; among them the appearance, in full
form within the cabinet, of a tall, stately figure,
purporting to be that of Abraham Lincoln and of
another said to be John King. There came also, at
different times, to the apertures, fifteen or sixteen
different faces, a few of which were recognized by
relatives or friends.
�1875.]
Old Times on the Mississippi.
the utmost respectability, has been,
throughout the period of Miss Florence
Cook’s mediumship, her constant friend
I and supporter. Many of her sittings
were held at his town-house, 16 Glouces
ter Square, Hyde Park, London.
Now, in The (London) Spiritualist of
February 1, 1873, Mr. Luxmore has
given, under his own signature, the full
details of a stance, by the Holmeses,
which he attended on the evening of
January 13, 1873. After describing a
preliminary dark stance, and then the
appearance, in the light at the aperture,
of four or five faces, “ very plainly
seen,” he adds: “ Last of all came
Katie, who generally, or I believe I may
say always, presents herself at Miss
Cook’s seances. I have seen her three
times at Hackney,1 and could perfectly
identify the face. She spoke, as usual, in
a whisper, but not sufficiently loud for me
to determine what was said. I, although
I had not the slightest doubt of her iden
tity, said: ‘If you are Katie, put out
your chin as you do at Miss Cook’s.’
This was at once done. I should think
it perfectly impossible for any one who
has had the privilege of attending Miss
1 Where Miss Cook and her parents then lived.
Katie, at that time, had not appeared in full form.
69
Cook’s stances to have a single doubt of
its being the same face we see there.”
The italics are Mr. Luxmore’s.
But all those who, like myself, were
fortunate enough to converse frequently
and familiarly with Katie last summer,
will bear me out in asserting that the
one peculiarity which marked her ap
pearance at the aperture was, that each
time, after she had said something to us,
she withdrew the upper part of her face
and head, bringing her chin prominent
ly forward. The self-same peculiarity
marks her recent reappearance.
It does not at all affect the genuine
character of the phenomena whether we
conclude that the question of identity is
determined, or that it must be left open.
Nor do I assert that it is positively set
tled by the above facts. What I do
say is, that these facts, taken in con
nection with other evidence already ad
duced, afford to my mind fair and rea
sonable assurance that (though varying
in outward feature) the spirit which con
versed with Mr. Crookes and others in
London and that which has spoken to
myself and others here — in both cases
an eminent instrument to advance the
cause of Spiritualism — is but one and
the same.
Robert Dale Owen.
OLD TIMES ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
I.
When I was a boy, there was but
one permanent ambition among my com
rades in our village on the west bank of
the Mississippi River. That was, to
be a steamboatman. We had transient
ambition® ;of other sorts, but they were
only transient. When a circus came
and went, it left us all burning to be
come clowns; the first negro minstrel
show that came to our section left us all
suffering to try that kind of life; now
and then we had a hope that if we lived
and were good, God would permit us to
be pirates. These ambitions faded out,
each in its turn; but the ambition to be
a steamboatman always remained.
Once a day a cheap, gaudy packet
arrived upward from St. Louis, and an
other downward from Keokuk. Before
these events had transpired, the day
was glorious with expectancy; after they
had transpired, the day was a dead and
empty thing. Not only the boys, but
the whole village, felt this. After all
these years I can picture that old time
to myself now, just as it was then: the
white town drowsing in the sunshine of
a summer’s morning; the streets empty,
or pretty nearly so; one or two clerks
sitting in front of the Water Street
�70
Old Times on the Mississippi.
stores, with their splint-bottomed chairs
tilted back against the wall, chins on
breasts, hats slouched over their faces,
asleep — with shingle-shavings enough
around to show what broke them down;
a sow and a litter of pigs loafing along
the sidewalk, doing a good business in
water-melon rinds and seeds; two or
three lonely little freight piles scattered
about the ‘ ‘ levee; ” a pile of ‘ ‘ skids ’ ’
on the slope of the stone-paved wharf,
and the fragrant town drunkard asleep
in the shadow of them; two or three
wood flats at the head of the wharf, but
nobody to listen to the peaceful lapping
of the wavelets against them; the great
Mississippi, the majestic, the magnifi
cent Mississippi, rolling its mile-wide
tide along, shining in the sun; the
dense forest away on the other side;
the “point” above the town, and the
“point” below, bounding the river
glimpse and turning it into a sort of
sea, and withal a very still and brilliant
and lonely one. Presently a film of
dark smoke appears above one of those
remote “points;” instantly a negro
drayman, famous for his quick eye
and prodigious voice, lifts up the cry,
“ S-t-e-a-m-boat a-comin’!” and the
scene changes! The town drunkard
stirs, the clerks wake up, a furious
clatter of drays follows, every house
and store pours out a human contribu
tion, and all in a twinkling the dead
town is alive and moving. Drays, carts,
men, boys, all go hurrying from many
quarters to a common centre, the wharf.
Assembled there, the people fasten their
eyes upon the coming boat as upon a
wondei’ they are seeing for the first
time. And the boat is rather a hand
some sight, too. She is long and sharp
and trim and pretty; she has two tall,
fancy-topped chimneys, with a gilded
device of some kind swung between
them; a fanciful pilot-house, all glass
and “ gingerbread,” perched on top of
the “ texas ” deck behind them; the
paddle-boxes are gorgeous with a pict
ure or with gilded rays above the boat’s
name; the boiler deck, the hurricane
deck, and the texas deck are fenced and
ornamented with clean white railings;
[January,
there is a flag gallantly flying from the
jack-staff; the furnace doors are open
and the fires glaring bravely; the upper
decks are black with passengers; the
captain stands by the big bell, calm,
imposing, the envy of all; great vol
umes of the blackest smoke are rolling
and tumbling out of the chimneys — a
husbanded grandeur created with a bit
of pitch pine just before arriving at a
town; the crew are grouped on the
forecastle; the broad stage is run far
out over the port bow, and an envied
deck-hand stands picturesquely on the
end of it with a coil of rope in his hand;
the pent steam is screaming through the
gauge-cocks; the captain lifts his hand,
a bell rings, the wheels stop; then they
turn back, churning the water to foam,
and the steamer is at rest. Then such
a scramble as there is to get aboard,
and to get ashore, and to take in freight
and to discharge freight, all at one and
the same time; and such a yelling and
cursing as the mates facilitate it all
with! Ten minutes later the steamer is
under way again, with no flag on the
jack-staff and no black smoke issuing
from the chimneys. After ten more
minutes the town is dead again, and the
town drunkard asleep by the skids once .
more.
My father was a justice of the peace,
and I supposed he possessed the power
of life and death over all men and could
hang anybody that offended him. This
was distinction enough for me as a gen
eral thing; but the desire to be a steam
boatman kept intruding, nevertheless.
I first wanted to be a cabin-boy, so that
I could come out with a white apron on
and shake a table-cloth over the side,
where all my old comrades could see
me; later I thought I would rather be
the deck-hand who stood on the end of
the stage-plank with the coil of rope in
his hand, because he was particularly
conspicuous. But these were only day
dreams — they were too heavenly to be
contemplated as real possibilities. By
and by one of our boys went away. He
was not heard of for a long time. At
last he turned up as apprentice engineer
or “ striker ” on a steamboat. This
J
x
**
�1875.]
Old Times on the Mississippi*
thing shook the bottom out of all my
f Banday-school teachings. That boy had
been notoriously worldly, and I just the
reverse; yet he was exalted to this
eminence, and I left in obscurity and
misery. There was nothing generous
about this fellow in his greatness. He
would always manage to have a rusty
bolt to scrub while his boat tarried at
our town, and he would sit on the in
side guard and scrub it, where we could
all see him and envy him and loathe
him. And whenever his boat was laid
up he would come home and swell
around the town in his blackest and
greasiest clothes, so that nobody could
help remembering that he was a steam
boatman; and he used all sorts of
steamboat technicalities in his talk, ds
if he were so used to them that he forgot
common people could not understand
them. He would speak of the “ lab
board ’ ’ side of a horse in an easy,
natural way that would make one wish
he was dead. And he was always
talking about “ St. Looy ” like an old
citizen; he would refer casually to oc
casions when he “ was coming down
Fourth Street,” or when he was “ pass
ing by the Planter’s House,” or when
there was a fire and he took a turn on the
brakes of “ the old Big Missouri ; ” and
then he would go on and lie about how
many towns the size of ours were burned
down there that day. Two or three of
the boys had long been persons of con
sideration among 'us because they had
been to St. Louis once and had a vague
general knowledge of its wonders, but
the day of their glory was over now.
They lapsed into a humble silence, and
learned to disappear when the ruthless
“ cub ”-engineer approached. This
fellow had money, too, and hair oil.
Also an ignorant silver watch and a
showy brass watch chain. He wore a
leather belt and used no suspenders. If
ever a youth was cordially admired and
hated by his comrades, this one was.
No girl could withstand his charms. He
“ cut out ” every boy in the village.
When his boat blew up at last, it dif
fused a tranquil contentment among us
such as we had not known for months.
71
But when he came home the next week,
alive, renowned, and appeared in church
all battered up and bandaged, a shin
ing hero, stared at and wondered over
by everybody, it seemed to us that the
partiality of Providence for an unde
serving reptile had reached a point
where it was open to criticism.
This creature’s career could produce
but one result, and it speedily followed.
Boy after boy managed to get on the
river. The minister’s son became an
engineer. The doctor’s and the post
master’s sons became “ mud clerks ; ”
the wholesale liquor dealer’s son be
came a bar-keeper on a boat; four sons
of the chief merchant, and two sons of
the county judge, became pilots. Pilot
was the grandest position of all. The
pilot, even in those day's of trivial wages,
had a princely salary — from a hundred
and fifty to two hundred and fifty dollars
a month, and 1. > board to pay. Two
months of his wages would pay a
preacher’s salary' for a year. Now
some of us were left disconsolate. We
could not get on the river — at least
bur, parents would not let us.
So by and by I ran away. I said I
never would come home again till I was
a pilot and could come in glory. But
somehow I could not manage it. I went
meekly aboard a few of the boats that
lay packed together like sardines at
the long St. Louis wharf, and very
humbly inquired for the pilots, but got
only a cold shoulder and short words
from mates and clerks. I had to make
the best of this sort of treatment for
the time being, but I had comforting
day-dreams of a future when I should
be a great and honored pilot, with
plenty of money, and could kill some
of these mates and clerks and pay for
them.
Months afterward the hope within me
struggled to a reluctant death, and I
found myself without an ambition. But
I was ashamed to go home. I was in
Cincinnati, and I set to work to map out
a new career. I had been reading about
the recent exploration of the river Am
azon by an expedition sent out by our
government. It was said that the ex
�72
Old Times on the Mississippi.
pedition, owing to difficulties, had not
thoroughly explored a part of the coun
try lying about the head-waters, some
four thousand miles from the mouth of
the river. It was only about fifteen
hundred miles from Cincinnati to New
Orleans, where I could doubtless get a
ship. I had thirty dollars left; I would
go and complete the exploration of the
Amazon. This was all the thought I
gave to the subject. I never was great
in matters of detail. I packed my va
lise, and took passage on an ancient tub
called the Paul Jones, for New Orleans.
For the sum of sixteen dollars I had
the scarred and tarnished splendors of
“ her ” main saloon principally to my
self, for she was not a creature to at
tract the eye of wiser travelers.
When we presently got under way
and went poking down the broad Ohio,
I became a new being, and the subject
of my own admiration I was a trav
eler ! A word never had tasted so good
in my mouth before. I had an exultant
sense of being bound for mysterious
lands and distant climes which I never
have felt in so uplifting a degree since.
I was in such a glorified condition that
all ignoble feelings departed out of me,
and I was able to look down and pity
the untraveled with a compassion that
had hardly a trace of contempt in it.
Still, when we stopped at villages and
wood-yards, I could not help lolling
carelessly upon the railings of the
boiler deck to enjoy the envy of the
country boys on the bank. If they
did not seem to discover me, I presently
sneezed to attract, their attention, or
moved to a position where they could
not help seeing me. And as soon as
I knew they saw me I gaped and
stretched, and gave other signs of being
mightily bored with traveling.
I kept my hat off all the time, and
stayed where the wind and the sun could
strike me, because I wanted to get the
bronzed and weather-beaten look of an
old traveler. Before the second day
was half gone, I experienced a joy
which filled me with the purest grati
tude; for I saw that the skin had begun
to blister and peel off my face and neck.
[January,
I wished that the boys and girls at home
could see me now.
We reached Louisville in time — at
least the neighborhood of it. We stuck
hard and fast on the rocks in the mid
dle of the river and lay there four days.
I was now beginning to feel a strong
sense of being a part of the boat’s fam
ily, a sort of infant son to the captain
and younger brother to the officers.
There is no estimating the pride I took
in this grandeur, or the affection that
began to swell and grow in me for those
people. I could not know how the
lordly steamboatman scorns that sort of
presumption in a mere landsman. I
particularly longed to acquire the least
trifle of notice from the big stormy
mate, and I was on the alert for an op
portunity to do him a service to that
end. It came at last. The riotous
powwow of setting a spar was going
on down on the forecastle, and I went
down there and stood around in the
way — or mostly skipping out of it —
till the mate suddenly roared a gen
eral order for somehody to bring him
a capstan bar. I sprang to his side
and said: “ Tell me where it is — I’ll
fetch it! ”
If a rag-picker had offered to do a
diplomatic service for the Emperor of
Russia, the monarch could not have been
more astounded than the mate was. He
even stopped swearing. He stood and
stared down at me. It took him ten
seconds to scrape his disjointed remains
together again. Then he said impress
ively: “Well, if this don’t beat hell!”
and turned to his work with the air of a
man who had been confronted with a
problem too abstruse for solution.
I crept away, and courted solitude for
the rest of the day. I did not go to
dinner; I stayed away from supper until
everybody else had finished. I did not
feel so much like a member of the boat’s
family now as before. However, my
spirits returned, in installments, as we
pursued our way down the river. I was
sorry I hated the mate so, because it was
not in (young) human nature not to ad
mire him. He was huge and muscular,
his face was bearded and whiskered all
�W5J1
Old Times on the Mississippi.
Over; he had a red woman and a blue
woman tattooed on his right arm, -— one
on each side of a blue anchor with a red
rope to it; and in the matter of profanity
he was perfect. When he was getting
out cargo at a landing, I was always
where I could see and hear. He felt all
the sublimity of his great position, and
made the world feel it, too. When he
gave even the simplest order, he dis
charged it like a blast of lightning, and
sent a long, reverberating peal of pro
fanity thundering after it. I could not
help contrasting the way in which the
average landsman would give an order,
with the mate’s way of doing it. If
the landsman should wish the gang
plank moved a foot farther forward, he
would probably say: “James, or Will
iam, one of you push that plank for
ward, please;” but put the mate in his
place, and he would roar out: “ Here,
now, start that gang-plank for’ard!
Lively, now! What ’re you about! Snatch
it! snatch it! There! there! Aft again!
aft again! Don’t you hear me? Dash it
to dash! are you going to sleep over it!
’Vast heaving. ’Vast heaving, I tell
you! Going to heave it clear astern?
WHERE ’re you going with that bar
rel! for’ard with it ’fore I make you
swallow it, you dash-dash-dash-das7zed
split between a tired mud-turtle and a
crippled hearse-horse! ’ ’
I wished I could talk like that.
When the soreness of my adventure
with the mate had somewhat worn off, I
began timidly to make up to the hum
blest official connected with the boat —
the night watchman. He snubbed my
advances at first, but I presently vent
ured to offer him a new chalk pipe,
and that softened him. So he allowed
me to sit with him by the big bell on the
hurricane deck, and in time he melted
into conversation. He could not well
have helped it, I hung with such hom
age on his words and so plainly showed
that I felt honored by his notice. He
told me the names of dim capes and
shadowy islands as we glided by them in
the solemnity of the night, under the
winking stars, and by and by got to talk
ing about himself. He seemed over-
73
sentimental for a man whose salary was
six dollars a week — or rather he might
have seemed so to an older person than
I. But I drank in his words hungrily,
and with a faith that might have moved
mountains if it had been applied ju
diciously. What was it to me that he
was soiled and seedy and fragrant with
gin ? What was it to me that his gram
mar was bad, his construction worse, and
his profanity so void of art that it was
an element of weakness rather than
strength in his conversation? He was
a wronged man, a man who had seen
trouble, and that was enough for me.
As he mellowed into his plaintive history
his tears dripped upon the lantern in his
lap, and I cried, too, from sympathy.
He said he was the son of an English
nobleman — either an earl or an aider
man, he could not remember which, but
believed he was both; his father, the
nobleman, loved him, but his mother
hated him from the cradle; and so while
he was still a little boy he was sent to
“ one of them old, ancient colleges ” —
he couldn’t remember which; and by
and by his father died and his mother
seized the property and “ shook ” him,
as he phrased it. After his mother
shook him, members of the nobility with
whom he was acquainted used their in
fluence to get him the position of ‘1 lob
lolly-boy in a ship; ’ ’ and from that
point my watchman threw off all tram
mels of date and locality and branched
out into a narrative that bristled all
along with incredible adventures; a nar
rative that was so reeking with blood
shed and so crammed with hair-breadth
escapes and the most engaging and un
conscious personal villainies, that I sat
speechless, enjoying, shuddering, won
dering, worshiping.
It was a sore blight to find out after
wards that he was a low, vulgar, igno
rant, sentimental, half-witted humbug,
an untraveled native of the wilds of Illi
nois, who had absorbed wildcat literature
and appropriated its marvels, until in
time he had woven odds and ends of the
mess into this yarn, and then gone on
telling it to fledgelings like me, until he
had come to believe it himself.
Mark Twain.
�
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Touching visitants from a higher life
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Owen, Robert Dale [1801-1877]
Twain, Mark [1835-1910]
Description
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Place of publication: [s.l.]
Collation: 59-74 p. ; 22 cm.
Notes: Pp.59-69 apparently extracted from Owen's autobiography, published in an unidentified periodical (apparently The Atlantic) January 1875. Printed in double columns. Imperfect copy - text begins in mid-sentence on p.59. Contains also (p.69-73) 'Old times on the Mississippi', by Mark Twain. Part of the NSS pamphlet collection.
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[s.n.]
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1875
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N519
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Spiritualism
Autobiography
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NSS
Robert Owen
Spiritualism
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ec3b2fd81a48115f2ec2862f75676b38
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Text
ILLUSION AND DELUSION;
OK,
MODERN
PANTHEISM
versus
SPIRITUALISM.'
“The burden of the mystery of all this unintelligible world."—Wordsworth:.
CHARLES BRAY,
AUTHOR OF UTHE PHILOSOPHY OF NECESSITY,” “ A MANUAL OF ANTHROPOLOGY.” ETC.
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS SCOTT,
NO. 11, THE TERRACE, FARQUHAR ROAD,
UPPER NORWOOD, LONDON, S.E.
Price Sixpence.
��ILLUSION AND DELUSION, ETC.
N Mathematics we can all agree ■ in Physics we have
at least learned to call things by the same name;
we understand what we are talking about so far as to
have certain definite admitted facts in common; but in
Psychology every one at present appears to use words
in a different sense, and we talk of Body and Soul,
Matter and Mind, Spirit and Spirits, Knowledge and
Ideas, Matter andMotion and Borce,without any common
ground of assent, or even knowing whether such things,
in the sense in which we use the terms, have any real
existence or not. In this unfenced, hazy, uncultivated
ground superstition still rides supreme. But is it not
possible, and if so, will it not be desirable, to divest
ourselves of the preconceptions time and authority
have attached to these names, and to see how far known
facts will carry us in the knowledge of such things, as
in others in which we are all agreed 1 Accuracy in
Mental Science is the more important, as all sects and
denominations take advantage of the want of it, and of
the darkness that exists to introduce all sorts of ground
less assumptions, and to reason upon them as established
truths. The differences between metaphysicians, and
much misconception and error at present arise, from
their confounding motion and the thing moving ; force
■with that of which it is the force; passive force, which
I
�4
Illusion and Delusion.
they call matter, with active force, which they call
spirit. The question is, have we knowledge enough
to enable us to substitute such very vague conceptions
on these and similar fundamental principles for the
more accurate ones which science requires? I think
we have.
“ All our conceptions,” says James Hinton, in 1 Man
and his Dwelling-Place,’ “ are based on the implied pos
tulate that the world is as it appears. . . . The
advance of knowledge consists in the substitution of
accurate conceptions for natural ones.” This implies
that our natural conceptions are not accurate ones, and
such will be found to be universally the case. In no
single instance is the world what it appears to be tothe common sense or to the vulgar eye. It is a com
plete illusion to all, and delusion to those who believe
in its real existence as it appears to us. The delusion
is not more complete in those who believe that Heaven
is above, in a world that turns round every twenty-four
hours, and in which therefore there can be no above
and below, than it is with respect to the existence of
the earth itself. Let us take a single illustration of the
common belief, and examine it thoroughly by the light
of science. The world, as it appears to the common
sense, is based on the conception that colour is some
thing that belongs to bodies outside ourselves, and the
world without colour would lose all its beauty. And
yet what we call colour is a nervous sensibility, an
idea, a feeling within ourselves. The vulgar idea is
that the green is in the grass, whereas the green is in
ourselves. Equally it will be found that all the other
attributes or qualities ascribed to matter are attributes
of mind and not of matter, and that the world itself is
but an illusion and delusion—a great ghost or mental
spectre. All that is known of matter is its capability
of creating within us these Illusions. Professor Tyn
dall says, “ The atoms of luminous bodies vibrating,
communicate their vibrations to the ether in which they
�Illusion and Delusion.
5
swing, being propagated through it in waves ; these
waves enter the pupil, cross the ball, and impinge upon
the retina, at the back of the eye. The motion of the
ether then communicated to the retina is transmitted
thence along the optic nerve of the brain, and there
announces itself to consciousness as light;.” It would
take, he tells us, 699 million of millions of such waves
to enter the eye in a single second to produce the im
pression we call violet in the brain. We are not
required to count these waves, because that would take
some little time, but as 57,000 of such waves fill an
inch, and light travels at the rate of 192,000 miles in a
.second, we have only to bring the miles into inches
and then multiply one by the other to get the million
■of millions required. It takes 477 millions of millions
of such waves to produce the colour we call red, and
577 millions of millions to produce green. Now let
us examine these facts. The effect produced by this
wonderful motion from without is a nervous impression,
a sensation of light, an idea of colour. Our perception
of colour, it is now known, is dependent upon a parti
cular part of the brain, for if that part of the brain is
not there, or deficient in quantity, people have no
*
perception of colour, i.e., are colour blind, or can only
partially distinguish colours. How, then, can colour
be in the object ? or what possible resemblance or sim* Sir David Brewster says that as many as one person in
twenty-eight cannot distinguish some colours from.others, and
that about one in ninety are colour blind, that is, cannot see
colours at all. Any one, in such cases, may easily satisfy
himself that it is the brain that is deficient; for if he puts his
thumb on the centre of the eye-bsow he will find an indenta
tion enabling him to touch the eye—his thumb will rest upon
the eye-ball. People are equally blind, in about the same
proportion, in other mental faculties. They may be fluent in
speech, full of facts, well read in history, with a generally
good memory, so as to be able to make a great display, and
yet be blind in the reasoning power ; and people are seldom
conscious of their own mental deficiencies, even in colour,
unless they are quite colour blind.
�6
Illusion and Delusion.
ilitude can there be between our feeling or idea and the
object which we say is coloured? The immediate
antecedent of our idea of colour is the motion of the
brain; this motion is communicated, through the eye
and retina, by the ether, and the ether is set in motion
by the reflex action of what we erroneously call the
coloured body. What this particular action is that
produces this effect upon the ether we have no means
whatever of knowing; we only know that it has tn
produce 122 millions of millions of knocks on the eye
less per second from the ether waves to produce the
green colour than the violet, and 100 millions of mil
lions less to produce the red than the green. Then
what is colour ? An idea or feeling within ourselves,
requiring all these links in the chain, and all their
wonderfully varied modes of motion, to produce it. If
any link in the chain is absent—if the brain, or the
retina, or the eye-ball, or the waves of ether, or the
reflex action on the ether, are not there, the effect is
not produced. ' It has probably taken millions of years
to perfect this relationship—to create this faculty of
mind which entirely depends upon this continuous
adjustment of internal relations to external ones. Tyn
dall says, “ We have rays of too high and too low a
pitch to be visible, that is, they are incapable of excit
ing any sensation, or creating within us any idea of
colour.'” Where, then, is the colour? Very nearly the
same motions go on outside of us without creating any
idea of colour or consciousness on our part. The
same, he -says, “ may be said of sound, and probably
sounds are heard by injects, which entirely escape our
perceptions ; and both as regards light and sound, our
organs of -sight and hearing embrace a certain practical
range, beyond which, on both sides, though the ob
jective cause exists, our nerves cease to be influenced
by it.” Metaphysicians used to divide the qualities or
properties of matter into primary and secondary; the
primary—extension, &c., were supposed to belong to
�Illusion and Delusion.
7
things themselves : the secondary—colour, &c., to our
selves ; but observation has shown that there is no
ground for this distinction, no difference between
primary and secondary, that all are equally dependent
upon the action of the brain. Extension, that is, form
and size, as well as weight, order, relative position, &c.,
are all formed in the mind like colour by the action of
forces from without, which set the brain in motion. It
is an illusion and delusion to suppose that there is
anything without ourselves resembling these percep
tions. Our perceptions are all we know or are con
scious of, and how can a perception be like an object,
or anything but itself ? There are no coloured forms
without us ; coloured forms are perceptions. All that
we know of without us are certain powers or forces,
producing certain motions which produce within us
these perceptions, the aggregate of which perceptions
we call the mind, and we are under the delusion that
they really exist out of our own minds, constituting
the external world. The world, however, as we con
ceive it, is created by the peculiar constitution of the
nervous system, which nervous system has been grad
ually increasing in size and complexity since the first
appearance of life on this earth, supposed to be some
100 millions of years ago. Each creature’s ideas, or
forms of thought, depend upon its nervous system, and
vary as that system varies, so that each animal creates
its own world, and carries it about in its own head, that
world varying as the size and Rapacity of that head
varies.
There is not one world, then, but thousands of
worlds, as each creature creates its own, and all made
out of the same stuff, which is not matter, but mind.
What we call matter is an illusion and delusion.
What there may be in reality we do not know, we only
know of something that affects us in a certain way, for
“ we know nothing of- objects, but the sensations we
have from them.” Locke says (book ii., chap. 23, § 29),
�8
Illusion and Delusion.
“ The simple ideas we receive from sensation and reflec
tion are the boundaries of our thoughts, beyond which
the mind, whatever effort it would make, is not able to
advance one jot.” David Hume only puts this a little
more emphatically. He says, “We may observe that
it is universally allowed by philosophers, and is besides
pretty obvious of itself, that nothing is ever present with
the mind but its perceptions or impressions and ideas,
and that external objects become
k
*nown
to us only by
the perceptions they occasion. Now, since nothing is
ever present to the mind but perceptions, and since all
ideas are derived from something antecedent to the
mind, it follows that it is impossible for us so much as to
conceive or form an idea of anyth ing specifically different
from ideas and impressions. Let us fix our ideas out
of ourselves as much as possible; let us chase our
imaginations to the heavens, or to the utmost limit of
the universe; we never really advance a step beyond
ourselves, nor can perceive any kind of existence but
those perceptions which have appeared in that narrow
compass.” That is, no creature can advance a single
step beyond the little world its own brain has created.
He knows nothing of matter, but only of his idea of
matter ; nor of spirit, but of his idea of it; and what
relation these ideas bear to the real truth, and whether
there is any real difference between matter and spirit
he has no means of knowing. .Knowing and perceiving
are to us the same thing. We know or are conscious of
our own perceptions, and what those perceptions are in
themselves we do not know. We know nothing of the
real or essential nature of anything. Any supposed
difference, then, between matter and spirit or between
mind and matter, may be, as far as we know, and pro
bably is, as we shall see, a delusion. All dogmatizing
about such supposed differences proceeds from ignorance,
and all theories based upon them must fall to the
ground, for if we do not know what matter is or what
spirit is, only their different modes of motion or mani
�Illusion and Delusion.
9
festation, how can we know that they differ from each
other, except in such manifestations ?
The brain, and the nervous system that travels to and
from this great nervous centre, have been of> very slow
growth. The brain of a fish bears about the average
proportion to the spinal cord of 2 to 1 ; of the reptile,
of 2 J to 1 ; the bird, 3 to 1; the animal, 4 to 1; and,
lastly, man averages 23 to 1. Sensibility or power of
feeling, which in man we call mental energy, increases
as we thus rise in the scale of being, and always in
proportion to the enlargement and complexity of the
brain and nervous system ; from the creature who is all
stomach to a London Aiderman, who is sometimes
supposed to possess feelings and faculties beyond.
The faculties, both of feeling and intellect, have been
gradually formed during countless ages by the continu
ous adjustment of internal relations to external neces
sities. First, we have exercise, then habit, attended
with increase of structure, this structure is transmitted
to offspring with its functions, and we have then spon
taneous action or instinct as it is called. All our faculties
are instincts,-—organized experience or habits that have
become structure transmitted from parent to offspring,
through innumerable generations, from variety to
variety. It is a most complicated relationship this be
tween external forces and our perceptions, as we have
seen in the faculty which enables us to perceive colour,
and has been doubtless countless ages forming, so that
the whole body upon which it and our other faculties
depend is the most wonderful contrivance of creative
skill with which we are acquainted or can conceive.
The way in which this body and mind have been built
up, part added to part, and function to function, through
the chain of being, since life first appeared on this earth,
probably 100 million years ago, is the great marvel,
and yet we hear endless talk of spirits that possess all
these attributes without this previous probation, and of
souls to whom this wonderful body is only a clog and
�io
Illusion and Delusion.
hindrance to its naturally more perfect action; but
there is not a single fact on record from which we can
infer that there is or can be anywhere such a thing as a
disembodied spirit, and as to this soul, whatever that
may be, we know its action is determined entirely by
the body.
First, we have the monad, the simplest of all organisms,,
of which seven species are at present known. These
do not present any division of functions or of organs.
One of these species, discovered by Huxley, inhabits
the sea at great depths, covering the ground with a sort
of network, and is so homogeneous in its construction
that its spontaneous generation is not thought improb
able. This monad becomes a cell, the original starting
point of all plants and animals. Man at the out
set of his existence, like every other animal, is only an
egg, a simple cell, of almost invisible proportions. This
egg after fecundation becomes an embryo. The female
supplies the egg, the male the fecundation, and there
is considerable dispute as to which performs the most
important part in the production of the new being. It
is asked, “ Does the mother merely supply, as it were,
by the ovum a cradle for the incipient man, and after
wards feed and nurse it until birth; or is it that the
germ is in the ovum of the mother, to which nothing
more than vital action stimulating it to growth is
imparted by the father1?” We know that, however
important a part the woman may play in influencing
through her own nervous system the nervous organiza
tion of the child, yet that the man supplies the germ, and
often thus transmits to his offspring his colour of hair, or
other bodily features, tendencies to disease, and other
characteristics, and also his mental aptitudes, habits, and
idiosyncracies,—some peculiar habits that belonged to the
father not manifesting themselves till late in life. So
early is the soul under the influence of structure and
organisation, that is, of the body. It is significant that the
grades through which man passes in his passage through
�Illusion and Delusion.
[i
the womb are the same in order as the history of the
earth- shows us the different forms of animals have
been, viz., fishes, amphibia, reptiles, birds, and mam
mals, so that we have not only the evolution of the
ages, but the same thing repeated at the gestation
of every superior animal, and this development of the
individual from his cell is, if anything, more difficult to
explain than that of the species, inasmuch as it is ac
complished in so comparatively short a time. There is
nothing more wonderful than the hatching of a bird’s
egg, unless it is the hatching of a man. The different
classes in the earliest stages of their embryonic develop
ment cannot be distinguished from each other, and later
man and the dog are almost identical, and when develop
ment in man is arrested, as in the idiot, no higher
functions are manifested than in some of the lowest
animals, and vastly inferior to the dog. “ Mr Marshall
has recently examined and described the brains of two
idiots of European descent. He found the convolutions
to be fewer in number, individually less complex,
broader, and smoother than in the apes.” “ In this
respect,” he says, “the idiot’s brains are even more
simple than that of the gibbon, and approach that of
the baboon.” The proportion of the weight of brain
to that of body was extraordinarily diminished. We
learn, then, that when man is born with a brain no
higher —— indeed lower —- than that of an ape, he
may have the convolutions fewer in number, and
individually less complex than they are in the brain of
a chimpanzee and an orang; the human brain may
revert to, or fall below that type of development from
which, if the theory of Darwin be true, it has gradually
ascended by evolution through the ages.” * “ The
native Australian, who is one of the lowest existing
savages, has no words in his language to express such
exalted ideas as justice, love, virtue, mercy; he has no
such ideas in his mind, and cannot comprehend them.
* Body and Mind, p. 46. By Dr Henry Maudsley.
�12
‘
Illusion and Delusion.
The vesicular neurine, which should embody them in
its constitution and manifest them in its functions, has
not been developed in his convolutions ; he is as incap
able, therefore, of the higher mental displays of abstract
reasoning and moral feeling as an idiot is, and for a
like reason.” * M. Taine, speaking of the Bearn
peasants, says, “ Here men are thin and pale ; their
bones protrude, and their features are large and severe,
like their mountains. An eternal struggle with the soil
has made-women stunted as well as plants ; it has left
in their eyes a vague expression of melancholy and
reflection. . . . The impressions of the soul and
body modify in the long run the body and the soul;
the race moulds the individual, and the country moulds
the race. A degree of heat in the atmosphere and of
inclination in the soil is the primary cause of our
faculties and passions. . . . The productions of
the human mind, as well as those of organic life, are
only to be explained by the atmosphere in which they
thrive.” On the other side, when the climatic influences
are not too depressing, the necessity which is the
mother of invention, gives increased activity to the
brain, and with it increased size. Centuries of skinning
flints have bred the finest race in Scotland that there is
in the world, and the Scotch brain is the largest in the
world.
These are now well known and acknowledged facts.
The mind depends upon the brain, and the brain upon
the body of which it is part, and the body, not upon
the soul, but upon Life. “ Our thoughts,” says Huxley,
“ are the expression of molecular changes in that matter
of life which is the source of our other vital phenomena.”
Those molecular changes depend upon the perfect action
of every other part of the body, and “ it behoves us
clearly to realize the broad fact, which has most wide
reaching consequence in mental physiology and pathol°gy, that all parts of the body, the highest and the
* Body and Mind, p. 56.
�Illusion and Delusion.
13
lowest, have a sympathy with one another more intel
ligent than conscious intelligence can yet or perhaps
ever will, conceive ; that there is not an organic motion
visible or invisible ministrant to the noblest or to the
most humble purposes, which does not work its appointed
effect in the complex recesses of mind ; that the mind
as the crowning achievement of organization, and the
. consummation and outcome of all its energies, really
comprehends the bodily life. . . . Lower the
supply of blood to the brain below a certain level, and
the power of thinking is abolished ; the brain will then
no more do mental work than a water-wheel will move
the machinery of the mill when the water is lowered
so as not to touch it.” *
The Spiritists, 'or Spiritualists, as they improperly
call themselves, disregard or altogether ignore this close
and necessary connection between mind and body,—
this nice adaptation of one to the other. They think
they have observed a class of phenomena which prove
that mind can exist separately from body ; that spirits
and souls have new faculties adapted to their new
*
sphere of action, without having any idea, however, of
how such faculties are formed. The mental faculties
with which we are acquainted are a nice adaptation of'
internal to external requirements—necessitating certain
movements—which have taken ages to form. But the
Spiritualists, by a sort of hocus-pocus or thimble-rigging
with the words body, mind, soul, have created a sys
tem which, in my opinion, falls to pieces immediately
we know definitely what is meant by such terms.
I think we have sufficient knowledge now to show
definitely what there is that really corresponds to these
words.
We have seen what a perfect piece of mechanism the
body is, “fearfully and wonderfully made
the ques
tion is, what is the power that works it ? It is pre
cisely the same as works the steam-engine, and it re* Body and Mind, p. 102.
Dr Maudsley.
�14
Illusion and Delusion.
quires stoking very much in the same way, and if it is
not stoked or fed regularly it will not go. The source
of this power, as at present traced by us, is the sun;
sun-power divorces the carbon.from the oxygen in
plants, and when the carbon and oxygen come to
gether again this power is restored, whether in the fire
of a steam-engine or in the slower combustion of the
human body. The force of heat is generated, known
to us by its mode of motion. This heat, this peculiar
mode of motion, is correlated or transformed in its
passage through the body into various other modes of
motion, and which we call the functions of different
organs, until it causes the molecular motion of the
brain, on which it resumes consciousness or becomes
sensibility. A function is a force indicating a specific
mode of action. Force seems to intensify as it passes
through the body, one equivalent of chemical force
corresponding to several equivalents of heat or inferior
force, and brain or mental force is the most concen
trated of all. Mind is the highest development of Force.
But what is Force ? We know that it is persistent,
or that it cannot be made to cease to exist, and therefore ■
it is an entity. This admitted, and it cannot now be
disputed, and we have the gist of the whole matter.
It explains numberless difficulties both in psychology
and physics, and here will be found, in my opinion, the
explanation of the phenomena which now so perplex
sincere Spiritualists. Force is not a function of matter,
although it must be the force of something—of some
entity; matter only conditions it, that is, changes its
modes of manifestation ; it is not motion, but the
cause of motion. It is known to us only in its modes
of motion, and hitherto it has been confounded with
motion, and hereby we have lost the secret of much
that has appeared mysterious. Force, as it has been
known to us only by its manifestations, is what we
have been accustomed to call a spiritual entity. If I
turn the handle of a grindstone, force passes from me
�Illusion and Delusion.
*5
into the grindstone, and does its work; as soon as that
force has passed’ out, causing motion elsewhere, the
motion I caused in the grindstone ceases. If I wind
np a watch, force passes from me into the watch com
pressing the spring ; as it passes out, setting the whole
machine in regulated motion, it tells the time. Force
is the active principle in nature, causing motion every
where ; this motion acts in a certain order for a given
purpose, that is, it acts intelligently, and if you add in
telligence to force we have what we call mind or will.
Mind acts both consciously and unconsciously, or what
is called automatically, and what we call physical force
is probably automatic mind.
Now, what happens in the creation of what we call
mind ? The force we take in with the food, after un
dergoing various transformations in the body, is worked
up °into sensibility or consciousness, by . inducing a
peculiar motion in the brain, which we call its molecular
action, so that, as Dr Huxley tells us, “ Consciousness
and molecular action are capable of being expressed by
one another, just as heat and mechanical action are
capable of being expressed in terms of one another.
Consciousness requires so much force to produce it, and
the intensity of an idea or feeling is in proportion to the
amount consumed, and that is generally in proportion to
the size of the nervous centre, or organ, or specialized part
of the brain through which it passes. Thus conscious
ness, like heat, has also its mechanical equivalents.. The
brain, already in motion, is acted upon from without
through the medium of the senses, and the union of
the specific force within with the specific force without
produces an idea which we call a perception. We
have seen how our perception of colour is produced,
and the extraordinary complicated action that is re
quired. If any link in this long chain of outward
sequences is wanting, the idea is not produced ; and if
the food, or internal force is not supplied, or the mole
cular action of the brain is interfered with, by pressure
�i6
Illusion and Delusion.
upon it, there is no consciousness—no ideas or feelings
—and millions of millions of ether wave motions with
out are required to give a simple perception of colour.
Other ideas are formed in the same way, by the union
of force within with force without. We have ideas of
form, size, weight, which together give us our ideas of
extension and solidity, and which are no more solid
and extended than music and colour are. The popular
notion of these things is a belief in that which in fact
does not exist. Forces act upon us from without and
give us what we call perceptions, these are taken up by
other parts of the brain, by what we call our faculties
of relative perception, comparison, causality, &c., and
in this way the external world is created. But it is
only our idea of an external world, which must vary as
the specific structure of the brain varies upon which
that idea depends. But although the world, as we
conceive of it, exists only in our ideas, something exists,
which is real independent of our thoughts, something
that we call force, or a system of forces. Light and
sound, the mental states, might cease to exist, but their
vibratory causes without us would not, and they might
affect other beings'differently organized in quite a dif
ferent way; that which produced light m us might pro
duce sound, or other sensations or ideas, in them, and
vice versa. Perception is the direct action of force
without; Conception is the internal action of the brain
only, producing the same ideas but less vivid; Memory
is a repetition of this action in a given form; Imagina
tion is the re-combination in the brain itself of these
ideas, strong in proportion to the great or less activity
of the brain; and Judgment is either a reference of a
simple perception to its external source, or, as more
generally understood, the action of one class of faculties
upon the others, inducing, among other things, what is
called self-consciousness and reason. These are not
primitive or innate faculties of mind—they have no
organs, they are only modes of action of all the faculties.
�17
Illusion and Delusion.
To be conscious and to know, or consciousness and
knowing, are to us the same things. Consciousness
and sensibility are also the same things—and sensi
bility we divide into ideas and feelings. Knowing a
thing and our idea of it are the same, and an idea
cannot be like anything but itself. We cannot in our
knowledge get beyond or even behind that idea, and it
tells us nothing of itself, still less of anything but itself.
When, then, we speak of matter and spirit, of body,
mind, and soul, as different in themselves, we speak of
what we can and do know nothing about; we speak of
only our ideas of such things, and those ideas do not
differ in themselves, but are the same. The differences
we think we see are differences in modes of action only.
Almost all the controversies on these subjects are
based upon the supposed essential differences in these
objects, of which differences, if any such exist, we
know really nothing. When we talk of the material
man, we mean our idea of him, but that idea is what
has been called spirit.
Having stated facts as they are at present known to
us, let us now give a few definitions based upon them.
Matter is the unknown cause of states of con
sciousness. It produces different sensations in us
by its different modes of motion, and Science is the
mere registration of these different modes of motion.
Men of science give fine names to these motions, and
having named them, assume that they know all about
them, when in fact they know nothing but of these
modes of motion.
‘ ‘ Our little systems have their day;
They have their day and cease to he:
They are but broken lights of Thee,
And thou, 0 Lord, art more than they.”
—Tennyson.
The consciousness, idea, or perception of matter is
the union of the force within, prepared by the molecu
lar action of the brain, and the force without. We
B
�18
Illusion and Delusion.
have matter, motion, and force. Motion, which by
physicists is almost always confounded with its cause,
is nothing, it is a mere change of place, and is of course
inseparable from the thing moving. Force is the
active cause of all motion, and passive force, which is
what we call matter, is the cause of the peculiar and
specific direction which the force takes, its correlation
or transformation. It is force only that acts upon us,
that is upon our bodies or structures, and those struc
tures, when examined, resolve themselves into centres
of force. The more we examine the more the convic
tion is forced upon us that there is but one stuff out of
which all things are made, and that is force, or rather
the unknown of which force is the force. Huxley says,
“ Every form is force visible ; a form of rest is a bal
ance of forces; a form undergoing change is the pre
dominance of one over others.'"’ Matter and mind are
probably the same in essence ; I say probably, for we
know nothing of essences, and we do not know there
fore that there is any difference. Dr Carpenter says,
matter possesses extension, or occupies space, while
mind has no such property; but surely if individual
mind exists, and one mind exists separate and apart
from another, there must be somewhere where it exists,
and that somewhere is what we call space. But if ex
tension is only a form of thought, and there is only
force or mind, then space, like extension, is a form of
thought, or purely subjective, and the universe, with
its supposed enormous distances from star to star, must
be something very different to what we conceive
of it.
Spirit is only sublimated or etherialised matter.
Spirits and souls are, with most people, the same things.
Huxley tells us “ that the alchemists called the volatile
liquid which they obtained from wine, ‘spirits’ of
wine, and as the ‘ spiritus ’ or breath of a man was
thought to be the most refined or subtle part of him,
the intelligent essence of man was also conceived as a
�Illusion and Delusion.
19
sort of breath or spirit; and by analogy, the most re
fined essence of anything was called ‘spirit.’ And
thus it has come about that we use the same word for
soul of man and for a glass of gin.”
Mind.—Sensibility, as distinguished from insensi
bility, or consciousness, as distinguished from uncon
sciousness, is what we call mind. As protoplasm is the
physical base of life, so sensibility is the spiritual base
of mind, the specific form it takes depending on organ
isation. There is no idea or feeling but is connected
with the action of brain or nervous system. The spe
cific action of certain parts of the brain we call forms
of thought, the specific action of other parts we call
feelings, which we divide into propensities and senti
ments. We receive a number of separate impressions
from without, a form of thought gives them unity and
individuality, which unity we call matter, body, or
substance; we have a succession of separate and inde
pendent thoughts and feelings, the same faculty of
mind, or form of thought, gives unity to them also, and
we call them our mind, although it is clear that all the
unity they possess is. given them by a form of thought,
and that each separate thought and feeling is a distinct
entity. The mind is one whole, we are told—and much
is based upon the assumption—and yet it is evident
the idea of individual mind as a whole is a creation
of the mind, in the same way as colour is ; or rather it
is a whole only in the same sense as the body is, which
is composed of many parts, and is always changing
them, so the mind is composed of many ideas and feel
ings constantly changing.
The unity of mind is an illusion, there are individual
thoughts and feelings, and that is all. The unity of
any mind but the one Great Supreme, is a delusion.
Faith, hope, resignation, and all the soul’s highest
aspirations, exist only from their connection, like colour
and music, with organisation; they are feelings spe
cialised by the peculiar structure of certain nervous
�20
Illusion and Delusion.
centres, and if that organisation is not there, like colour,
they do not and cannot exist.
But there must be a substratum of consciousness, a
something that is conscious. What is that? Mind,
says one, soul, says another, brain or matter, says a third,
but none of these are right. The force within, it is,
that under brain action becomes conscious, and the
quantity of this force consumed is always proportionate
to the vividness of the idea or the amount of feeling.
Mental activity and nerve force are the same; mental
force is the strongest of all forces, and being persistent,
it passes from the state we call consciousness into all
the motions of the body, and probably into all the
extraordinary phenomena of so-called spiritual manifes
tations. We are told that “ the nerve and brain organism
is the immediate substratum which has the conscious
ness.” This is a mistake; it is the “ force” that be
comes consciousness, which the brain does not originate,
but only conditions. Again, “the nervous organism,
which is the conscious agent, reacts through the muscles
upon the external world.” Here, also, it is not the
organism, but the force that is the conscious agent, and
reacts, &c. Consciousness is said to be immaterial,
but consciousness tells us nothing of its own nature,
nothing of either material or immaterial.
The Soul.—It is this substratum of consciousness
that is usually called the soul, but in this sense it is
the active principle, conscious or unconscious, of all
things. Man, however, is supposed to have a special
soul of his own. I must confess, however, that I have
not been able to find it, or any use for it. If there is
a special soul, where does it come from? when and how
does it enter into him ? In the germ in which lie
folded up many of the mental attributes of the future
man ? or during what period of gestation, at what period
of animal evolution ? or at birth? No ; the poet says,
“ there lives and moves a soul in all things, and that
�Illusion and Delusion.
21
soul is God ■, ” arid the poet, I think, will prove to be
right.
The Self, the Ego.—Intimately connected with
this soul is the self or ego ; but this also is an illusion
and delusion. The “ ego” is a mere form of thought—
that is, self-consciousness is formed by the brain. Thus
we say “ I think,” when all we are warranted in saying
is, that “ thinking is.” The “ I” comprises both body
and mind, hut the body does not think, it only “con
ditions ” or gives the “form” to thought, therefore “I
think” is wrong. There is a succession of thoughts,
and that is all that we find in the analysis of conscious
ness. The “ I ” of consciousness is an intuition, but
intuitions are not always truths, although they are
generally accepted' as such. Intuitions or instincts
are specialised actions of the brain, hereditarily trans
mitted, to answer definite purposes. The body is con
stantly changing, and the mind is only a change of
thought corresponding; neither body nor mind are iden
tical or the same for any two seconds together, but are
part of, and in constant flux with, all the forces around ;
nevertheless, a part of the brain, whose function it is,
produces the “ ego,” or the sense of individuality, and
personal identity. This part of the brain is sometimes
diseased, and then the “I” or sense of identity is lost,
as is well known in some cases of insanity, and of
double consciousness. This ego has about the same
reality as the external world; there must be something
that produces the feeling, and that is all. It is charac
teristic of living organisms to replace the new material
precisely in the place of the old. A mark on the body
continues through life, the same on the brain, the new
material is placed round the old impressions, so that the
forms of thought and feeling turned out by it are very
nearly, if not precisely, the same. It is the trans
mitted experience of this result that has produced the
intuitional “ I,” or the feeling of identity. Memory is
the result of impressions on the brain, deep and vivid
�22
Illusion and Delusion.
in proportion to our youth and susceptibility. In old
age, when our animal vigour is exhausted, and less
force passes through the brain, and the brain itself be
comes less susceptible of impression, the old, or rather
the early impressions resume their sway, and we return
to our habits of feeling and thinking, and our early
memories. “If,” says Bishop Butler, in his “Analogy,”
“ the old man on the verge of the grave is the same as
the child within the womb, if the mutilated soldier is
conscious that no part of himself is, if to the very edge
of that change which we call death we have watched
the force of mind and soul continued in all its keen
ness, then the belief that what each man calls himself
will be destroyed when the material surroundings which
have been often changed without affecting him are dis
solved, is not justified by anything we see in the world
around us.” But material surroundings never do
change without affecting him, and close observation
show's that a change of mind always accompanies a
change of body.
The Will is generally regarded as our commander,
and free. This is another delusion. It is entirely a
servant, and necessarily obeys cither the last dictate of
the understanding or some strong impulse or feeling.
No doubt the will has a local habitation in the brain,
in a position in which it can best execute these com
mands. The intellect or feeling having determined
what to do, with a power proportioned to the size of
the organs from which the determination proceeds, the
will, like a trigger to the mind, lets off this force in the
direction of the purpose aimed at. Under the very
top of the head, where firmness lies, is the part of the
brain connected with the Ego, and again under this, in
the base of the brain, above the medulla oblongata, is
most probably the part connected wdth the will. This
specialises the control over different muscles. We say
“ I will,” and a bundle of isolated nerve-threads, com
municating with particular portions of the central
�Illusion and Delusion.
23
nervous system, can set to work any set of muscles
through the aid of the vaso-motor nerves, which close
or liberate the flow of blood to any particular part of
the central system.
Truth.—If, then, in the process of substituting
accurate conceptions for “ common sense ” ones we are
obliged to come to the conviction that the latter, or the
ordinary ideas of matter, mind, soul, the I, and the
free will are illusions and delusions, how is it that we
believe in them ? As these ideas result from the natu
ral exercise of our faculties—that is, as it is the func
tion of the brain to produce these illusions, so there is
-a part of the brain whose function it is to produce be
lief in them, or to give the sense of their reality. Each
faculty has its function, and it is natural to us to be
lieve in the result of its activity, but that may have no
relation to the real truth about any tiling. What, then,
is truth ? Truth, to us, is the record of the succession
-of our own consciousness, and of how that is affected
by the infinitely varied modes of motion without us.
But how distinguish the internal workings of our own
mind or brain, our active imaginings, from that which
takes .place without us, and which ought to be the
same to all beings similarly organised ? Observation
•and experience is the test of truth. Different and in
dependent individuals question nature, and if they
invariably get the same answer—that is, the same im
pressions,—that we call the truth. But this is merely
how we are impressed; it tells us nothing more, and
that impression can be like nothing but itself; still it
is all we can know, which is merely affirming what all
philosophers now admit, that our knowledge is only
relative, and not absolute. However it may affect our
•self-conceit, this relative knowledge is all we have, or
probably can have, and it is all that can be of any use
to us. To know what things are in themselves is pro
bably impossible to finite creatures, and how such
things affect other intelligences is of comparatively little
�24
Illusion and Delusion.
consequence to us. The object of nature does not
appear to be to give us any real knowledge, only to in
duce that kind of action in us that shall harmonise
with the things without us, and produce and perpetuate
the largest amount of enjoyment. All opinions may
be erroneous, but all are thus made salutory ; for “ it
is manifest,” as Bishop Butler observes, “ that nothing
can be of consequence to mankind, or any creature, but
happiness.” In this department alone has man any
real knowledge, all else is illusion and delusion. The
knowledge of pains and pleasures is alone absolute
knowledge, and to increase the sum of the pleasures,
the aggregate of which constitutes happiness, has this
wonderful phantasmagoria of a world been produced.
Man is “ the heir of all the ages,” and it has taken
ages to put him together in his present form. The
lowest forms of animal life appeared first, and arenecessary steps to the evolution of the highest. He
has passed through all grades, as is now illustrated in
his passage through the womb. We trace the gradual
evolution and specialisation of nerve centres from the
first appearance of nerve tissue in the lowest animals to
the complex structure of the nervous system of man.
What is rudimentary in savage man becomes more fully
developed as civilisation advances, and this “ progres
sive evolution of the human brain is a proof that wedo inherit, as a natural endowment, the laboured ac
quisitions of our ancestors. The added structure repre
sents, as it were, the embodied experience and memories
of the race..”* And this embodied experience or instinct
represents 30 per cent, of the added structure, which
is the difference in weight between the brains of savage
and civilised man. I know it is customary to speak of
the body, of the material man, in terms of depreciation
and reproach, as merely the instrument by which the
mind communicates with the world without, &c., but
* “Body and Mind,” p. 59, by Dr H. Maudsley.
�Illusion and Delusion.'
25
there is not the slightest evidence to show that mind, asknown to us-—that is, as specialised for special pur
poses here, can act separately or independently from
the body. Body and the succession of thought and
feeling which we call mind, are one and indivisible.
“ Life,” says Schelling, “ is the tendency to individua
tion.” The forces of nature are confined within definite
limits, and work towards a given object. The evolu
tion of the brain depends upon life ; and mind, as it is
specialised in human ideas and feelings, is the result of
brain action. The soul—that is, force, may exist as an
independent essence, but faith, hope, charity, and all
its other supposed attributes exist only from their con
nection, like colour, with organisation. These senti
ments, and the moral feelings generally, have been spe
cialised for a special purpose connected with the rela
tion of man to his fellows. Milton, among our great
and unprejudiced minds, and quite independent of
recent discoveries in cerebral physiology, perceived this
oneness of body and mind. He says, in his “ Treatise
on Christian Doctrine,” “ That man is a living being,
intrinsically and properly one and individual, not com
pound or separable, not, according' to the common
opinion, made up and framed of two distinct and differ
ent natures, as of soul and body—but the whole man
is soul, and the soul man; that is to say, a body, or'
substance, individual, animated, sensitive, and rational.”
This unity of body and mind is now generally ad
mitted by physiologists and scientific men generally,
and those who hold the unity only without, further
investigation into what has been called matter are
called Materialists, which is considered to be a term of
reproach. The Spiritualists think that they have dis
covered a class of phenomena which prove that man is
“ compound or separable,” and that these manifesta
tions appear at the present time as a sort of special
revelation to counteract the above materialistic tendency
�2,6
Illusion and Delusion.
of the age. The late hard-headed mathematician Au
gustus de Morgan, speaking of these phenomena, many
•of which he had himself witnessed, says, “When it
-comes to what is the cause of these phenomena, I find
I cannot adopt any explanation which has yet been
suggested. If I were bound to choose among things
that I can conceive, I should say that there is some
sort of action, of some combination of will, intellect,
and physical power, which is not that of any of the
human beings present. But thinking it very likely
that the universe may- contain a few agencies, say half
■a million, about which no man knows anything, I can
not but suspect that a-small proportion of these agen
cies, say five thousand, may be severally competent to
the production of all the phenomena, or may be quite
up to the task among them. The physical explana
tions which I have seen are easy, but miserably insuffi
cient ; the spiritual hypothesis is sufficient, but ponder. ously difficult.” In the early ages of the world, in the
prevalent ignorance of physics, spirits were the supposed
agents in all those unknown causes which we now
trace to natural law. Psychology is at the present
time where physics was in those early ages, and again
we have recourse to spirits to help us out of our diffi
culties, and supplement our ignorance. And more
than that, these spirits are called up to neutralise and
make of no avail the knowledge we have acquired.
But I would ask the Spiritualists, “Would it not be
better to pause, with Professor de Morgan, until we
■know more, rather than commit ourselves to a ‘ future
state’ so little desirable?” for, as the Professor says, ‘ if
these things be spirits, they show that pretenders, cox
combs, and liars are to Le found on the other side of
the grave as well as this,’ and all seem to have retro
graded, both in mind and feeling, since they were in
the body. Surely we had better satisfy ourselves with
nature’s course, and be content to pass on our powers
•of body and mind, in endless progress, to coming gene-
�Illusion and Delusion.
1”]
rations, than continue our own individual existence
under such conditions.
This idea of ghosts and apparitions and a future state
does not ever appear to have been a comfortable one
all the world over. Among savages, when a chief died
his wives and horses and dogs were slain at his tomb,
that he might have the use of them in the happy hunt
ing grounds where he had gone. Hindoo widows were
burnt (burnt themselves, it was said) on the funeral
pile in the same spirit, and at the present time, although
widows are not burnt, their life is one of continual
penance. A Hindoo widow obtains her husband’s pro
perty, that she may devote it to oblations and cere
monies for the good of her husband’s soul. Should
the lady marry again, the husband is supposed to have
a very bad time of it below, and the daring couple be■corne literally outcasts from all society, and all that
makes life enjoyable. In China this fear of ghosts is
the great barrier to all progress. It is not the living,
but the dead that rule. There can be no railroads, lest
in laying them down the bodies of the dead should be
disturbed, and relations should be haunted by their
-spirits. In this and other Christian countries a future
state is looked upon as a sort of necessary aid to the
policeman, and children are asked if they know where
they will “go to” if they steal or tell a lie. We are
also told by Mr Thomas Wright, the journeyman
■engineer, “ that it is well for society that the masses
have this hope and belief, or they would not endure
the present so patiently as they have done and do.”
Their belief is that the condition of rich and poor will
be reversed in another world, if they do not even rejoice
a little over the fate of Dives. But this kind of con
solation does not appear to be confined altogether to
the working classes. Thus we are told in “ Random
Recollections of the Midland Circuit,” by Robert Wal
ton, a book lately published, that “ a man of the
name of Harrington was tried at Warwick for bias-
�i8
Illusion and Delusion.
phemy. Old Clarke, Q.C., was the leading prosecuting
counsel. Clarke, in the general reply he claimed on
the part of the Crown, inveighed in no measured terms
upon the evil tendency of the man’s writing, especially
those parts which denied the existence of his Satanic
majesty and his various attributes, the doctrine of
future rewards and punishments, &c. Warming him
self as he went on, as he of course would, from the
very nature of his subject, he exclaimed, ‘ Gentlemen, if
there be any truth in what the prisoner asserts, where
are we?’ (A favourite expression of his.) ‘ If there
be no devil and no hell, what is to become of us?
Gentlemen, it is men like those who would deprive us
of all hope here and comfort hereafter.’”
Neither can a “ future state” be altogether a “ gospel
of glad tidings,” even to the orthodox Christian, who
professes to believe that “ Whosoever will be saved,
before all things, it is necessary that he hold the
Catholic Faith,” and that, without doubt, he shall
perish everlastingly,—go into everlasting fire, if he do
not. This Creed includes the belief that Christ “de
scended into Hell,” and that men shall live again with
their bodies, to give account for their own works. We
are told that “ Strait is the gate and narrow the way
that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” and
“ that many are called, but few are chosenand truly
this must be, so, if such faith is required. The Scotch
man’s creed, based on the Westminster Confession of
Faith, contains similar consolation. He holds that
God hath appointed the Elect only unto glory, and
that the rest of mankind he was pleased to pass by,
and to ordain them to dishonour, and wrath for their
sin, to the praise of his glorious justice / However
certain a man may be in his self-conceit and selfcomplacency of his own salvation, he must be extra
ordinarily constituted, if such a belief in a Future state
can supply him with any consolation. For myself, I
would rather, a thousand times, give up all hopes of an
�Illusion and Delusion.
29
“ individual ” hereafter, and go back to where I was
before I was born, when, if I was not happy, at least I
did not suffer, rather than that one being should be
reserved to everlasting suffering.
Continued existence does not necessarily imply Im
mortality, fortunately, as all the Spiritualists assume,
for think of the gift of Immortality being considered a
blessing, when, possibly it might be one of endless misery!
Even the poor “ wandering Jew” would rest when this
world came to an end. I cannot imagine how such
devilish conceptions ever got into people’s heads, or how,
having got them there, they can live and even be happy !
Dr Carpenter says: “ I look upon the root of this
Spiritualism to lie in that which is very natural, and in
some respects a wholesome disposition of the kind'—a
desire to connect ourselves, in thought, with those
whom we have loved, and who have gone before us.
Nothing is more admirable, more beautiful, in our
nature, than this longing for the continuance of inter
course with those whom we have loved on earth. . . .
But this manifestation of it, is one which those who
experience this feeling, in its greatest purity, and its
greatest intensity, feel to be absurd and contrary to
common sense.” How much better is the Poet’s
expression of this feeling :—
“ Forgive my grief for one removed,
Thy creature whom I found so fair,
I trust he Ilves in thee, and there
I find him worthier to be loved.”—Tennyson.
We who believe in God,— and not in a being
who exacts an impossible belief, or who elects a few
to glory, and passes the rest by, when he might either
have not created, or have elected all,—as regards a
Future state, hold the faith, that if it is better, all
things considered, that we should, as individuals, con
tinue to exist, we shall be sure to do so; if it is
not better we ought not, and do not, desire to do so.
Surely this is the least selfish faith. I, for one, am
�3°
Illusion and Delusion.
prepared to leave myself for the future, in infinite
confidence in God’s hands.
But are the physical explanations of these so-called
spiritual phenomena so miserably insufficient as De
Morgan represents •them ? I think not; at least they
appear to me to point unmistakeably to the direction
in which the explanation will be found. In the first
place, as we have seen, to know and to be conscious
are with us the same things, and consciousness is what
we call mental, and we know of nothing beyond—that
is, the difference between physical and mental is only
in their modes of manifestation; we know of no essen
tial difference between them. The more we know, the
more it seems probable that all is of one stuff, and that
all is mind, not matter. If so, we must confess that
we know at present but very little of its natural modes
of manifestation, that what little we do know is at pre
sent “practically interpretable only through the methods
and formulae of physics,” and through the language or
terms of physics. Thus an immense amount of what we
call physical force passes through the body, estimated
at 14 millions of foot pounds per day, which, when
subjected to the molecular action of the brain becomes
mind or consciousness, that is, thoughts and feelings.
This force, on leaving the brain again appears to lose its
consciousness, and to revert to physical force, and at
present we know very imperfectly what becomes of it,
or what its real condition is after leaving the brain.
The investigation which Sergeant Cox proposes to make
in his second Vol. of “ What ami?” into Sleep and
Dream, Insanity, Hallucination, Unconscious Cerebra
tion, Trance, Delirium, Psychic Force and Natural and
Artificial Somnambulism, will no doubt throw consider
able light on this subject, and be proportionally inter
esting. Dr C. Darwin’s book on “Expression of the
Emotions in Men and Animals,” is a valuable contribu
tion in this direction ; so also is “ Mysteries of the
Vital Element,” by Dr Eobt. Collyer. Mr Herbert
�Illusion and Delusion.
31
Spencer insists on the general law, that feeling passing
a certain pitch, habitually vents itself in bodily action,
and that an overplus of nervous forces, undirected by
any motive, will manifestly take first- the most
habitual routes ; and if these do not suffice, will next
overflow into the less habitual ones. But Mr Spencer,,
although an able exponent of the persistence of Force,,
has not yet attempted to trace nervous force, beyond
the body, in its action upon other organizations,
neither, as far as I know, does he believe in it. My
own personal experience has been very slight. I have
seen will force acting beyond the body, that is, without
the aid of the muscles, and producing various effects,
both in contact and without, both near and at some
distance. I have witnessed many cures from what
appeared to be the action of the nervous force of one
body upon another, and also one mind as completely
under the control of another, as if they were one, in
what is called Electro-biology. I have satisfied myself
beyond a doubt, that thought reading is a possibility,
having on one occasion seen a mesmerised child tell
the number of three watches, consecutively, each
number consisting of five figures each. These figures
could only have been known to the mesmeriser, who,,
with some difficulty, madti them out by the aid of a
strong light. I have also satisfied myself of the truthof phreno-mesmerism, and that it is not necessarily
connected with thought reading. I have also seen, in
Spiritualist circles, a great deal of humbug and pious
fraud, as well as self-deception.
I have, however, seen quite enough to satisfy me that
the senses, the ordinary inlets to the mind, are not the
only means by which the brain is acted upon from
without. The brain faculties specialize the action of
-mind for special purposes, and the senses direct the
action and limit the quantity of force from without
but these barriers to the more general and universal
action of mind can be partially removed. We are part
�32
Illusion and Delusion.
of all the forces around, and in direct and immediate
connection with them, and but partially individualized.
As star can act on star, at immeasurable distances, so can
one mind upon another within more limited bounds,
when such minds are en-rapport. In thought-reading
we have probably synchronism of vibration between
patient and mesmeriser. We can charge a table with
brain or nervous force, and our volition can act or pro
duce motion through that medium without the aid of
the motor-nerves and muscular contact. In electro
biology the same thing takes place, one brain becomes
charged with nervous force from another, and the whole
of this force is under the direction of one will. We
are surrounded by an atmosphere, the result of cerebra
tion, its character depending upon the nervous centres
or mental faculties from which it emanates. We all
have felt the effect, more or less, of coming into each
other’s atmospheres. There are mental attractions and
repulsions, likes and antipathies among individuals,
varying as they do in chemistry. The amount of force
that goes to the brain may -be artificially increased by
Alcohol, Opium, Haschisch, etc., not only inducing
greatly increased mental activity, but many extra
ordinary phenomena besides. We have nerve force
from mental energy, and mental energy from nerve
force in constant correlation. In trance we have the
same thing, the force being withdrawn from the vital
functions, gives us mind under new conditions, with
increased and additional and abnormal powers. As
force from the sun impinging upon body, produces 699
millions of millions of waves in ether (probably the raw
material of mind) inducing in us the sensation we call
violet colour, so brain force may be carried through the
same ether inducing consciousness, and carrying ideas
in all sorts of ways, at present unknown to us. At
any rate we should hesitate before we call in the aid of
the Spirits, the infallible resort, from the beginning of
time, of ignorance. We ought to be modest and
�Illusion and Delusion.
33
cautious when we reflect that we know only our own
consciousness, and everything else only as it is reflected
there, and that it tells us nothing of its own nature, or
of the nature of anything without its boundaries.
I have to apologize for this digression upon Spirit
ualism, which originally formed no part of my subject,
and .which shortens the space at my command, which
before was too little.
The Moral World.
If the physical world has been created by our forms of
thought connected with the intellect, so has the moral
world been created within us by our feelings ; as a few
simple perceptions have been worked up by the mental
faculties to form the world without, so our simple
pains and pleasures have been worked up by our moral
faculties to make our moral world. To suppose that
there is anything outside ourselves corresponding is as
pure an illusion and delusion in one case as the other.
We are said to be responsible for freedom of will, that is,
we are supposed to’be a sort of first cause in a small way
capable of spontaneous action ; an exception to every
thing else in the universe, to be capable of originating
motion; but this is a contradiction to the now estab
lished doctrine of the persistence of force.
This
doctrine of the conservation of energy furnishes the
modern proof of the truth of what has been hitherto
called Philosophical Necessity. Thus as Oerstead says,
“ everything that exists depends upon the past, prepares
the future, and is related to the whole.” This is the
principle of evolution : “ each manifestation of force
can be interpreted only as the affect of some antecedent
force, no matter whether it be an inorganic action, an
animal movement, a thought or feeling.”* “ Con
sequently, as I have said elsewhere (Manual of
* Herbert Spencer.
c
�34
Illusion and Delusion.
Anthropology, p. 309) “ all actions being equally
necessary—all equally the effect of some antecedent
force, there can be no intrinsic difference between them,
the only difference being one of arrangement. Good
and evil are purely subjective, that is dependent upon
the way in which our sensibility is affected by things
■without. Where we have pleasure it is called good ;
where we have pain evil. Pleasurable sensation
attends the legitimate action of all our faculties, whereas
pain or suffering is not the legitimate object of any
, part of our organization. Praise and blame, reward and
punishment are not a recognition of any intrinsic
difference in actions themselves, but of our wish to
produce one class of actions rather than another as more
agreeable to ourselves. They are intended merely as
motives to action.
Responsibility consists in our
having to bear the natural and necessary consequences
of our actions. The supposition that our responsibility
• consists in our liability to so much suffering for so much
sin or error, if not in this world then in another—that
jut, 'ice requires that if we sin we must suffer—however
ancient, is an altogether groundless notion. The object
of pain or suffering is reformation, and any pain or
punishment that has not that object, any suffering in
excess of that, would be objectless and mere revenge.
Every sin contains its own atonement in the pain or
penalty attached to the natural consequences that
follow it. . . . That retribution would not be just which
included more punishment than was sufficient to correct
the offence and was therefore good for the offender.”
“ If,” as Quetelet says, “ society prepares crime, and the
guilty are only the instruments by which it is executed,”
the strict demands of justice would require that the
sinner, not the saint, should be made happy in another
world, because the sinner having been made to dis
honour in this world, has been the most unhappy here,
and requires compensation.” We hear much of the
“ self-determining will of man, on which his moral
�Illusion and Delusion.
35
responsibility essentially depends.” But what does this
mean but that he may be moved by motives and his
liability to suffer the consequences if he does not ?
'Conscience tells him he must do right, and not do what
is wrong, and it is these consequences that tell him
what is right and wrong. A sense of pain and pleasure,
is the revelation God has given to all mankind, not to be
disregarded or misinterpreted. And what does self
determining mean but that a man must necessarily act
in accordance with the laws of his own nature? A
selfish man acts selfishly and takes the consequences,
and he could not do otherwise in either case, whether
his actions were free or necessary. Fire burns and
water drowns whether we get into them voluntarily or
by accident. Self-determining in this sense applies to
everything organic or inorganic,—everything acts in
.accordance with the laws of its own nature, from an
atom to a monad, and from a monad to God. It is the
power to do this without external constraint that con
stitutes freedom, and it is this experience, organized in
the long ages, that is the source of the instinct or intui
tion that is generally stronger than reason, even in the
best informed. I know that my will is free ; I feel that
I can do as I please, that is the language of intuition but
it is not the less an illusion and delusion. What we
please to do depends upon persistent force passing through
•our organization, the strongest force or feeling always
prevailing, or governing the will. It is our conscious
ness that deceives us in this case, as in so many others,
from it insufficiency ; the fact being that this governing
power or force, does not appear in consciousness, but
only‘its correlation. “Human liberty, of which all
boast,” says Spinoza, “ consists solely in this, that man
is conscious of his will, and unconscious of the causes by
which it is determined.” “ Arrest one of the viscera,
■ and the vital actions quickly cease; prevent a limb
from moving, and the ability to meet surrounding
circumstances is seriously interfered with; destroy a
�36
Illusion and Delusion.
sense organ, paralyze a perceptive power, derange the
reason, and there comes more or less failure in that
adjustment of conduct to circumstances by which life
is preserved.” * It is of such kind of impediments to
free action only of which man is conscious, and it is this
power of adjustment of conduct to circumstances that
constitutes his freedom, and this is a freedom that can
be exercised only in accordance with natural law.
There can be no mental science or social science, or
indeed “ science ” at all where these principles are not
admitted; and the sooner this dire chimera of man’s
freedom of will, which has caused and still causes so
much suffering, is banished the better. The science of
man must be placed on the same foundation as all the
other sciences, and not left to chance as this freedom
implies ; on the contrary we shall take care that the
will is never free but always under the governance of
the cultivated intellect and highest feeling. We shall
then begin to discover that the laws which regulate
men’s birth are quite as important as those by which we
improve our horses, short-horns, sheep, and dogs ; and
our inquiries will be directed, not so much as to where
he is going to, as to where he comes from. Our .gaols
will undergo the change, that, with much labour, we
have effected in our Lunatic Asylums^ and we shall
learn that civilization does not consist in the increase of
wealth, but in the increase of brain, upon which all
thought and feeling depend. When Morality becomes
a Science we shall cultivate brain, as its special organ
ization and harmonious development are essential to
warmth of sentiment, to the sense of the beautiful, and
to religious emotion ; and education in the future will
consist in the developing and perfecting of all the
faculties which make a complete man. Tf the organ-ization is deficient or defective, we can no more feel the
higher emotions than wre can see without eyes. To*•
*• Principles of Psychology, vol. 2, p. 627, by Herbert Spencer-
�Illusion and Delusion.
37
-ensure this development of a healthy and well-formed
brain, “ preaching ” goes but a very little way ; it must
be placed in conditions favourable to its healthy growth.
The increase of wealth is essential, as we cannot engraft
virtue on physical misery, and we must be happy
ourselves to wish to make others happy. As I have
said elsewhere (Education of the Feelings'), 11 To grow
the organization upon which moral action habitually
depends is the work of time, and we must be content
' to wait.”
We may pause here for a brief summary before we
enter a field of thought into which scientific men may
not feel equally disposed to follow me, and which,
with our limited knowledge, necessarily partakes of
much speculation.
Matter is known to us only from its capacity of
creating within us certain sensations which we call
ideas and feelings. “ The conception we have of matter,”
says Herbert Spencer, “ is one which unites independ
ence, permanence, and force.”
Mind is the aggregate of these ideas and feelings,
their character or speciality depending upon the brain.
The World, therefore, is created within us, and
although there is something without us, the world, as
we conceive of it, exists only in our conception. But
although the world is the world of our ideas, and exists
only in thought, it is not the less worthy or wonderful
on that account. It is our wmrld.
The Soul is the force or active power which causes
these ideas, or creates this world ; and more, this force,
■or that which it is the force of, is the stuff out of
which this world is made.
The Will is the subject of “law” like everything
else.
Morality regulates the laws of man’s well-being,
and as it is the “ law ” of his nature to seek his well
being, the interests of morality are sufficiently assured,
whatever may be his opinions on the subject.
�38
Illusion and Delusion.
The Body consists of forces of nature individualized
and acting together for a special purpose. Their action
depends upon the nice balance established between
external and internal relations. It has taken ages tobring together and establish this relationship, and it
is the unity of these powers and their united action
that constitutes the Identity or the Ego. The forces
which compose the body are all capable of acting
separately and are indestructible, but when this unity
of body is destroyed, whether the identity is destroyed
with it, is a question I leave every one to answer for
himself, as it is usually made a question of feeling and
not of reasoning.
Thus Matter, Mind, the World, the Will, in thecommon conception, are illusions, and to many delusions.
What is the Reality underlying them? For myself,
I believe in what natural philosophers call Pre
existent and Persistent Force and its Correlates, and
which to me is the Supreme and Universal Spirit and itsmanifestations. All the phenomena in the universe
consist but in changes of form or transformation of
energy. Matter wrhen closely examined resolves itself
into centres of force, and mind is force or energy,
representing a concentration of all the forces. All
forces readily pass from one into the other, according
to the structure through which they pass. We have
a right, therefore, to infer that there is but one force.
And what is this ? As there cannot be motion without
something moved, so force or power must be the force
of something; and that something to me is the Great
Unknown, its modes of action or manifestations alone
are known to us. But as everything shows the unity
of force, and as all force or power tends to a given
purpose or design, that force must be intelligent, and,
if intelligent, conscious, and the conscious action of
power is will. All power, therefore, is will power,,
and as W. R. Grove, says, “ Causation is the will,
creation the act of God.” The will which originally
�Illusion and Delusion.
39
required a distinct conscious volition has passed, in the
ages, into the unconscious or automatic, constituting
the fixed laws and order of nature.
Here Materialism and Absolute Idealism meet.
Physical force is automatic mind, and this uncon
scious force passing through the brain and subjected
to its molecular action resumes its consciousness consti
tuting that succession of “forms of thought ” and feeling
which man calls his mind. Thus our bodies :—
‘ ‘ Are but organic harps diversely framed,
That tremble into thought, as o’er them sweeps,
Plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze,
At once the soul of each, and God of all.”
Coleridge.
Giordano Bruno taught that “Nature is but a
shadow, a phantom, the mirror in which the Infinite
images himself. The basis of all things is mind, not
matter. It is mind that pervades all. We ourselves
are mind, and what we meet in creation is a corre
sponding mind. Creation does not present mere
traces or footprints of the Deity, but the Deity him
self in his own presence.” For this belief in the 13th
century he was burnt. The world is wiser now, for
there are many who believe with St. Paul “ that God is
all in all,—that of him and through him, and unto him
are all things.” That God is the universe, and the
universe is God; and that, in no poetical, but in a
truly literal sense, “ In him we live and move and
have our being.” “ It is true there are diversities of
operation, but the same God worketh all in all.”
“ God is everything or nothing.” * “ But nature,
which is the time-vesture of God, and reveals him to
the wise, hides him from the foolish.”^
It is as difficult for most people to accept this conclu
sion as it is to believe that the world does not exist
outside of them as it appears to them to do. God the
Victor Cousin.
t T. Carlyle.
�40
Illusion and Delusion.
author of all things is accepted only in theory and in
a very limited and secondary sense, for what then
becomes of sin and evil if it were so, is he the author
of them? The answer is, good and evil are purely
subjective—relative pains and pleasures, the creation
of our own minds; beyond is only good. What we
call the soul’s highest and sweetest emotions are parts
only of the great whole that equally includes the
little, the low, the poor and the helpless, and what to
us are the worthless and the bad.
This Pantheism is as old as the world, the highest
minds in very early ages have attained to it. “ The
earliest known origin,” says E. W. Newman, “ of
Pantheism was in India; where it was taught that
the eternal infinite Being creates by self-evolution,
whereby he becomes, and is, all existence ; that he
alternately expands, and as it were, contracts himself,
reabsorbing into himself the things created. Thus the
universe, matter, and its laws, are all modes of divine
existence. Each living thing is a part of God, each
soul is a drop out of the divine ocean; and, as Virgil
has it, the soul of a bee is a ‘ divinse particula aura?.’ ”
The question is, has modern thought or science added
any thing that helps to make the conception clearer?
I think it has, in the knowledge we now have of the
existence of persistent intelligent force and its unity.
But as we cannot know things in themselves, we can
only judge by analogy, or show how one thing resem
bles another. The human body is a perfect cosmos,
an epitome of the action of the forces of the whole
world. Every action of the body—the heart, the
liver, the lungs, &c.,—that is now performed uncon
sciously or automatically were originally performed vol
untarily ; the spinal cord, on its first appearance, in the
lower animal scale, governed the body consciously and
intelligently, as the brain does at present; it now
governs the body intelligently, Dt not consciously,
u
*
and it does its work quite as well. This is a most
�Illusion and Delusion,
4i
important distinction, as it seems to be universal.
Mind itself may perhaps be truly said to be inseparable
from consciousness, but it acts equally well uncon
sciously, and we have the action of “unconscious
intelligence.” We can only know things through
their manifestations, and this appears to be the nature
of mind. A conscious mental act frequently volun
tarily performed, passes with such frequent repetition
into the involuntary or automatic state, where the
same action is performed equally well unconsciously.
This it appears to do by the aid of structure (whatever
that is in itself) and as far as we know, mind is never
separated from structure or body. That
“ All are but parts of one stupendous whole,
Whose body nature is, and God the soul,”
is probably as true as it is poetical. “Thought and
extension,” says Spinoza, “are the internal and external
elements of Being.” In speaking of mind, therefore, we
must regard it, in its modes of manifestation at least,
as both conscious and automatic. Continuing then the
analogy between ourselves and the universe; as many of
the functions of the body are now performed, uncon
sciously but intelligently, and as many of our originally
voluntary acts during our lifetime, such as walking,
talking, &c., have passed into the automatic, so in the
world without the Laws of Nature appear to act
intelligently but unconsciously. All power is Will
power, but the will which originally required a distinct
conscious volition has passed, in the ages, into the
unconscious or automatic, thus constituting the
fixed laws and order of nature. If this view be
accepted the bridge over the gap between nerve
elements and consciousness has been discovered; the
gulf hitherto supposed to exist between matter and
mind is filled up, and such questions as,—Can mere
matter think ? How can mere physical force pass into
consciousness? In the world is mind developed first
�42
Illusion and Delusion.
or last? &c., are answered, and all we have to explain
are the conditions under which automatic mind or
unconscious intelligence resumes its consciousness.
Again, as our body has a centre of volition and intelli
gence so may the universe have. Our earth moves
round the sun, and all power comes to us from thence ;
but the sun moves round some other centre, and that
probably round another, until we approach the great
centre of all, where possibly God’s power may be more
directly exercised, and he may consciously govern all;
here, in the extremities, much of it seems to have passed
into the automatic. And here, as regards this centre,
we have another analogy most important. As the
world to us is the world only of our ideas, so the
universe may exist only in the mind of God. We
know nothing but consciousness, space is a mere mode
or form of thought, and if there is nothing but mind,,
things without ourselves must be very different indeed
As Bishop
to what we intuitively regard them.
Berkeley says, “All permanent existence is in the
Divine Mind,” and, as Hegel considers he has demon
strated, the essence of the world and all things in it is
thought, and Schopenhauer also holds that Will alone
is the dinge an sich, the essence of the world.
What then are we ? Schelling, like Spinoza and our
greatest thinkers, allow only a phenomenal existence
to the object and subject, admitting only one reality,
the Absolute. The individual ego is phenomenal, the
universal ego only is noumenal. This may be made
intelligible by the kaleidoscope : with each turn we
have a different form, this form is the phenomenon, and
passes away, that of which it was composed is the
noumenon, and is persistent. The world is a great
kaleidoscope, 'it is ever on the turn, producing its
infinitely varied forms in ever-increasing brilliancy and
beauty, and ever-increasing pleasurable sensibility.
That which persists or exists is not these forms but
that which is the nexus, or which underlies these ever
�Illusion and Delusion.
43
varying appearances. Thus “There is no death in the
concrete, what passes away passes away into its own self,
only the passing away passes away.”* We continue for
ever to exist as part of the Great Whole, in never-ending
changes of form. The sun sets in all his splendour, it is
equally beautiful on the following day, although the
splendour is not the same; the song of the lark each
returning spring is quite as sweet, although no one asks
or cares if it is the same lark; the night comes to us,
and a new day rises to some new comer, with no loss
of enjoyment, but only increased freshness. Is this for
us an ignoble position ?
Are we so perfect, any
of us, that we would for ever remain as we are?
Is the recollection of our present grub state so
very desirable? We are immortal, for we are part
of God himself, do we wish always to remain in
the childhood of our present individual existence ? To
be thus for ever fellow-workers with God is surely
honourable, by whatever names we may be called.
Through the countless ages, one universal plan prevails
for the elaboration and organisation of a nervous system,
by which unconscious mind shall again become conscious
in all the varied forms of animal life. Each creature has
its own world created in its own head, specially fitting
it to take its appointed place at the common feast.
And here we have the last and most striking analogy
of the human body to the great cosmos. As each of
the countless cells in the human body has a separate
life, and yet constituting the fife of the whole, making
one body, so the aggregate of individual creatures
makes one great nervous system, every beat or change
in which produces intense enjoyment, so great, indeed,
that the necessary pain which we call evil disappearsand is lost.
* Hegel.
TURNBULL AND SUIJARS, I'RtNTKKS, EDINBURGH
�
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Illusion and delusion; or, modern pantheism versus spiritualism
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Bray, Charles
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Place of publication: London
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Thomas Scott
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[1873]
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Pantheism
Spiritualism
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Conway Tracts
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Spiritualism
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¿f'í'w
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY;
OB, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
SPIRITUALISM AND MODERN THOUGHT.
Br
GEORGE BARLOW.
“Have faith in God.”—Jesus Christ.
LONDON:
JAMES BURNS, 15 SOUTHAMPTON ROW, IIOLBORN, W.C.
1876.
��THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY;
OR, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
SPIRITUALISM AND MODERN THOUGHT.
*
“Hava faith in God."—Jesüs Christ.
Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism. By William Crookes, F.R.S.
On Miracles and Modern Spiritualism.
Three Essays. By Alfred Russel
Wallace.
Thoughts in Aid of Faith. By Sara S. Hennell.
Present Religion: as a Faith owning Fellowship with Thought. By Sara S.
Hennell.
The Essence of Christianity. By Ludwig Feuerbach.
The Gospel of the Resurrection: Thoughts on its Relation to Reason and History.
By Brooke Foss Westcott, D.D., Regius Professor of Divinity, Cambridge.
A General View of Positivism. By Auguste Comte.
Literature and Dogma: an Essay towards a Better Apprehension of the Bible.
By Matthew Arnold.
The Old Faith and the New. By Friedrich Strauss.
The Arcana of Nature. By Hudson Tuttle.
The Arcana of Spiritualism. By Hudson Tuttle.
The Great Harmonia. By Andrew Jackson Davis.
At last man wakes from his dream of centuries.
He looks back
through the receding vistas of the ages, and he understands, by
the help of science, how it is that he was made—how the slow,
unconscious, creative power toiled upward through lower forms,
tiU it emerged in man, and became, in man, for the first lime
clearly conscious-of itself, and (now) of its own origin. He sees
how intellect gradually appeared—how reason supplanted in
stinct—how the dim germ of the moral sense first glimmered,
glow-worm like, along primeval plains and banks of thought—
how, when the moral sense had fairly established itself, the con
* This article attempts to deal with the theoretical and doctrinal sides of the
subject—which are hardly yet sufficiently discerned by the public—as Mr.
Wallace, in his articles in the Fortnightly Review, dealt with the experimental
and practical.
�4
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
ception of a God, like unto man, only larger and nobler, was not
long in following as its resultant—how that idea has gradually
become less and less anthropomorphic, till now, at last, man,
fully conscious of himself, takes back those attributes of his
own which he first, with childish eagerness, transferred to God,
and stands forth grand in the simple riches of his own divinity;
crowned with the crown of that God whom he first created, and
then detected and dethroned; bright with the product of his
own fiery, insatiable thought. Man now sees that all the motley
crowd of deities who have thronged the past, and made the ways
rich with their flashing sceptres and brilliant diadems—the
strange gods of India and the East—the Jewish stern Jehovah
—the pale, blood-stained Christ of Calvary—the lovely, golden
haired goddesses of Greece, who ruled the hills and watched the
streams of that immortal land—the weird divinities of the rough
Scandinavian thought—he sees that all these were but the crea
tions of his own fertile brain; that he himself is greater than all
these; that they find their fulfilment, as they first had their
origin, in man.
Now, if this be true; if, as many most able thinkers are now
pointing out, the word God is a symbol used by man to express
all of the highest and widest and noblest that he can conceive,
but having no objective significance; if man is, and has always
been, the creator of his own deities, and has fashioned them
according to his will—that is, according to the measure of
insight into what is really true and noble which he has pos
sessed in every age ; if the eternal essence or basis of things is,
as pointed out by Strauss and others, and hinted at by Mill in
his last work, itself unconscious, yet able to evolve conscious
ness (which then reacts upon its own originally unconscious
substance, producing further changes and improvements un
limited in extent); if a personal God is a (necessary) fiction of
the human brain, and the eternal power in which “ we live and
move and have our being” is an impersonal power, which yet,
by its upward struggles, blossoms into a consciousness of pure
and endless personality at last (a doctrine which the researches
of science daily render more probable); if the force which has
had no beginning is not a conscious force endowed with will,
but an unconscious force possessing attributes, what we call
personality and will being not causes but caused—-ultimate re
sults of the action and interaction of those inherent attributes
carried on through countless ages; if—to sum the whole matter
up briefly, and co set forth clearly the new point of view—the
first cause, or rather the perpetual cause, is an unconscious,
inevitable producer of consciousness, and that consciousness (our
own—upon this planet), again by the inevitable law of things,
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
O
turns round, as it were, upon itself, and, naturally ascribing its
own origin to a power in all things similar to itself, only greater,
exclaims—“ I am personal—I have a will and a moral sense—
all the elaborate works of human art that I see round me are
works of design—therefore I was created, and the world was
created, by the authoritative fiat of a beneficent, intelligent, per
sonal God”*—arranging, in so arguing, its inferences, as it is
now becoming plain to us, in a most inconsequent way;—if all
this, in very truth, be so, what is to be said about our personal
immortality ? Is that too, as Strauss thought, as Feuerbach
seems to indicate, a mere symbol—a mere outward expression of
our own intense longing for it ? Will our own proper person
ality be torn away from us along with the personality of God ?-|Must we acquiesce calmly in ideas of mere impersonal expan
sion along the tides and breezes of things—a mere unconscious
mingling with that unconscious universe whence we proceeded ?
First of all I would point out that those who believe (Feuer
bach, Strauss, S. Hennell, &c.) that God is a mere symbol—the
mere creation of our personality—ascribe a tremendous force to
that personality. I take, for the present, their view; I take it
boldly, uncompromisingly; I say that God does not exist at all
—never has existed save in our thought of him—save only in
the innermost recesses of those creative hearts of ours which
first originated the superb symbol, and then breathed upon it
and gave it a glorious life and a glorious kingdom to rule over,
even the entire universe—and gave it the sceptre of endlessness
and the crown of purity—of our purity generously transferred
to the symbol, even to the imaginary God. This view I take
and rejoice in—rejoicing in the exaltation that it confers upon
man, who thus becomes, verily, “ the master of things”—creat
ing, not created; bestowing, not gifted; the proud giver and
maker, and not the poor, humble, depraved, pitiful receiver of
life. 1 rejoice to restore his dignity to man, and the worth of
his attributes maligned and maltreated for ages.
But then,
doing and feeling all this quite as acutely as the scientific
atheists or humanitarians, I go on to ask—Why should we limit
the results of the human personality, confessedly in itself so
proud and supreme, to this life ? Why not extend the line of
its majestic continuity beyond the horizon of this life—beyond
“ the red vast void of sunset hailed from far, the equal waters of
* The Moral and Intelligent Governor of the Universe, at the popular concep
tion of whom Matthew Arnold has launched so many of his keen sarcastic arrows
in “ Literature and Dogma.”
f I am assuming in this article, for the sake of bringing my point of view
about Spiritualism clearly to bear, the truth of the modern notion as to the im
personal nature of the absolute essence.
�G
THE GOSPEL OF HUMAN II Y.
the dead ? ” If we have, indeed, from the depths of our inner
consciousness, lifted, with travail and strong effort, as it were,
the conception of an external anthropomorphic God, and are now
just discovering that this conception was our own, originated
from within, not imposed upon us from without, and not neces
sarily answering to any external reality;—if, so seeing, so know
ing, we are now taking back, resuming, with laughter and lordly
triumph, that crown and that sceptre of imperial rule which we
first bestowed upon God—or rather upon our conception of him—
how shall not all other things be ours as well, by virtue of our
own inherent attributes or those of the universe (the same
thing)—even immortality with all its sweetness, and endless
love with all its flowers ? If man could originate the giant con
ception of One God (as on the showing of Feuerbach and
Hennell he has done), besides creating the countless swarm of
smaller flame-winged deities who hovered on innumerable pinions
over Greece, over Borne, and the misty recesses of the remote
East—if man can do this, he can do something far greater—he
can take back from the symbol of God the crown of his own
divinity, and pass on in the strength of calm inherent immor
tality to meet death, which shall be to him as the golden gate
of life.
Understand, reader, clearly what I am arguing for. I am
arguing for inherent immortality—for immortality naturally in
herent in man, potentially present in the germ, waiting to be
evolved. Just as, according to Professor Tyndall, all our present
gifts and capacities were potentially latent in that wide-spread
“ fiery cloud ” whence our visible universe sprang, so, I say, is im
mortality potentially latent in man. Now, the difference between
my point of view and the orthodox point of view is just this—
that I look upon immortality as natural and inherent; they look
upon it as something inseparably connected with the Incarnation
and the Trinity—or even with certain ideas about the Incarna
tion and the Trinity—as something mercifully given to us by
God (and perhaps given only to a few)-—something w/w'cA we
might miss—which indeed we are all in great danger of missing
*
—something given by the Eternal King of Heaven as a boon/f
*
for which we have to be ceaselessly and laboriously grateful,
lifting up our praises with loud voices and urgent hearts to the
Lord for the riches of his goodness—something of which we
might have been deprived ; nay, were justly deprived by the sin
of Adam or our own, but which has been restored to us in the
* See Calvinistic and Evangelical views, passim.
+ “According to his mercy he saved us . .
that, being justified by
his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
(Titns iii. 5, 6, 7.) And in numberless other passages of the New Testament.
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
7
person of Jesus Christ, and for ever securely sealed to us in
him—something which the Son of God came to bring and to
bestow. From my point of view on the contrary—a point of
view which, I maintain, is strictly in accordance with the most
advanced scientific views of evolution and natural development
—immortality is not a matter of chance or divine gift at all,
but a matter of positive certainty. IVe cannot licl/p having it.
God cannot either bestow it or take it away from us It is wrapped
*
* Mr Buchanan has reached this idea by poetic intuition, though he has
probably never reasoned much about it. In one of his fine “ Coruisken
Sonnets,” he says : —
‘ ‘ All things that live are deathless—I and ye.
The Father could not slay us if he would;
The Elements in all their multitude
Will rise against their Master terribly,
If but one hair upon a human head
Should perish! ”
And in another: —
“ I heard a Whirlwind on the mountain peak
Pause for a space its furious flight and cry—
‘ There is no Death! ’ loudly it seemed to shriek;
‘ Nothing that is, beneath the sun, shall die.’
The frail sick Vapours echoed, drifting by—
‘ There is no Death, but change early and late ;
•
Powerless were God's right Hand, full arm'd with fate,
To slay the meanest thing beneath the sky. ’ ”
Surely such lines as those which I have italicised indicate a great change of
view now passing over the minds of the thoughtful upon these subjects. We
may compare also, in reference to the notion of the inherent inextinguishable
immortality of man, several very striking passages in Walt Whitman’s poems.
Take the following, for example, from “ To Think of Time”-—
“ You are not thrown to the winds—you gather certainly and safely
around yourself;
Yourself ! Yourself ! Yourself, for ever and ever!
It is not to diffuse you that you were born of your mother and father—
it is to identify you ;
It is not that you should be undecided, but that you should be decided;
Something long preparing and formless is arrived and form’d in you,
You are henceforth secure, whatever comes or goes.”
And, from the same poem:—
“ I swear I think now that everything without exception has an eternal
Soul!
The trees have, rooted in the ground ! the weeds of the sea have! the
animals!
“ I swear I think there is nothing but immortality!
That the exquisite scheme is for it, and the nebulous float is for it, and
the cohering is for it;
And all preparation is for it! and identity is for it! and life and
materials are altogether for it! ”
And if any one should say, as it is likely that those of the scientific and
sceptical turn of mind may, that in both these cases the poets are speaking
with a flue poetic frenzy, which has little real weight when brought to bear
upon objects with which the understanding pure and simple should properly
�8
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
up, sweetly enfolded, among the nobler necessities of our beings
it is as natural, in its place and time, as the visible life. It i;
evolved at a certain point by necessary law, just as the germs
of the lower forms of life were evolved from forms still lower by
their abiding impulse of upward progress. To make my meaning
*
quite clear, I may here quote a passage in Professor Westcott’s
“ Gospel of the Besurrection,” in which the view that I am op
posing is well stated. He says:—“The Apostles do not teach a
redemption to be wrought out by each man for himself, after the
example of Christ, but of redemption wrought for each by Christ,
and placed within their reach. . . . They do not teach an
immortality of the soul as a consequence flowing from any con
ceptions of man’s essential nature, but a resurrection of the body
. not only historically established in the rising again of Christ,
but given to us through Him who is ‘the Besurrection and the
Life,’” To which I reply generally, reserving for the present
what I have to say as to how the details of the resurrection are
affected by Spiritualism;—Why is “given to us” better than
“ a consequence flowing ” ? Surely our tenure of immortality
would be exactly the same in both cases—rather more secure as
a natural consequence I should think, being then safe from all
personal caprice of the giver. The hell of the churches could
never have been a natural consequence of man’s nature ; so subtle
a torture-chamber requires a personal giver and supporter.
Briefly, Why is it better to receive immortality than to take it,
or win it or earn it or (best of all) grow into it by certain steps,
grounded on inherent power ?
So far as regards the possibility of an inherent immortality—
“ the power of an endless life”—latent in man, without regard
deal—I reply that in this question of our immortality the fine poetic intuition,
whether expressed on its religious side by a Christ, or a Paul, or an A’Kempis,
or on its more strictly imaginative side by a Tennyson, or a Buchanan, or a
Whitman, is just the very thing we need—the very golden guiding-thread
whereby we may traverse those obscure cavernous recesses of our nature,
wherein the wished-for answer lies, but which the understanding, unassisted,
cannot reach.
* The able authors of “ The Unseen Universe” hold some view as to the
“ spiritual body,” closely akin to this I believe; only they go on (with strange
perverseness!) to deduce the theological Trinity, etc., from their physical
and scientific conclusions. It is curious that, while condemning the Spirit
ualistic manifestations of modern times as having “ no objective signifi
cance,” they should have failed to observe how exactly their own theory of
the “ spiritual body” corresponds to that of the more thoughtful among the
Spiritualists. Miss Cobbe, in the same way, in her last work, “ The Hopes of
the Human Race,” started a theory about the germ of the spiritual body being
resident in man and gradually blossoming, as if it were an original one—not
aware, apparently, that the Spiritualists, and indeed the Christians, had long
entertained and promulgated the very same notion. But these are only
instances of how we are all treading over the same ground just now; eagerly,
so that we run up against one another.
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
9
to capricious external divine beneficence of any kind. I now
come to the place at which Modern Spiritualism (as a theory,
for I am not here concerned with tire truth of this or that phe
nomenon) comes in to supplement and clinch my argument. As
a question of fact it must be investigated further, and the results
at present attained must be scientifically tabulated and arranged;
but as a theory or doctrine—as a system of belief, the uprising
of which was to be expected and predicted just at this precise
epoch of human development—the thing is perfect. I)r. West
cott, on page 50 of “The Gospel of the Resurrection,” says, in
reference to Spiritualism, “ Exactly when material views of the
universe seem to be gaining an absolute ascendancy, popular in
stinct finds expression now in this form of extravagant credulity,
and now in that. Arrogant physicism is met by superstitious
spiritualism; and there is right on both sides.”
Just so; but what Dr. Westcott does not appear to see is just
the very point which I want to bring out in this article, and in
which any originality of view that it may claim consists—viz.,
how beautifully Spiritualism supplements and completes the
positive Antichristian scientific teachings of modern times by
offering positive, tangible evidence of another world such as
science may lay hold of and investigate. We may say that the
“five hundred” nameless witnesses to Christ’s Resurrection,
whom science has so often longed to have in the witness-box,
are really present with us now, only tenfold in number, among
the Spiritualists. Let science examine them, and make what it
can of them, and let us know the results. I look upon Spiritu
alism, taken in its healthy and general sense, apart from the'
impostures and the nightmares of cliques, and rightly understood,
as the other world side of modern positivism—as positivism, in
fact, carried across death’s purely factitious boundary. Of
course, as Dr. Westcott (who has, I believe, some affinities with
the Spiritualists) would no doubt say, Spiritualism, if proved to
be true, would in one sense greatly strengthen the hands of the
Christians. It would show that the miracles, and notably that
of the Itesurrection, are possible. If they happen now, they
might have happened then; and the presumption would in such
case be that they, or many of them, did happen then. But
Spiritualism does far more than this, with its strong, free thought,
and its habit of pushing things to extremes. It goes further.
In its essence it is pitilessly hostile (as the clergy have instinc
tively recognised) to things orthodox, and is likeiy, if once fairly
established in England or in Europe, to do even more towards over
throwing the State Creeds than the modern advances of science.
It overcomes Christianity, in especial in this way—by outflank
*
ing it. If Christianity had miracles, Spiritualism has ten times
�10
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
as many. If Christianity revealed the other world to us, Spirit
ualism does so far more clearly and nearly—without a hopeless
gulf of eighteen centuries between. It is a mistake to suppose
that Spiritualism is merely a réchauffé of old supernatural
doctrines. It is something more. While, as Mr. Wallace
pointed out in the Fortnightly, it professes to clear away super
stitions by explaining the real rationale of former miracles,
demoniac possessions, and so forth, it extends a hand to modern
positive thought, and asks that that method may be applied to
miracles, and extended not only to hitherto unreached portions
of this world, but to the whole domain of the unseen. Miracles
happen, it says ; they have happened occasionally throughout
history, but never capriciously, always bylaw strict and unvary
ing enough to satisfy the most fastidious positivist or scien
tist. Immortality will turn out to be a thing natural enough ;
the Resurrection of Christ was perfectly simple and natural. We
hope in time to be able to supply science with the means of in
vestigating its method, and finally establishing it—perhaps even
reproducing it. This is the creed of the most intelligent among
the Spiritualists, and I do think that the general reasonableness
of their system, and its amenableness to the requirements of
positive or experiential thought ought to be more widely known
and understood. It is not too much to say that that unknown
quantity—that residue of fact which we have most of us felt
still remains in the early records of Christianity after the utmost
efforts of the sceptical school—those occurrences which Strauss
and Renan have failed to explain away—may yet be explained
(having been accepted as actual facts) by Spiritualism. Another
Life of Jesus may yet be written, neither on the orthodox nor
the infidel basis, but upon the Spiritualistic ; and it may come
more nearly than any previous life to the actual truth.
I think I may here be forgiven for quoting a portion of a
letter which I wrote to a friend when I first began to study care
fully the Spiritualistic literature, expressing the conclusions
which I formed at the time.
*
I see no reason now (the letter
was written towards the close of December, 1873—some months
before, Mr. Wallaces article appeared) materially to differ from
them, except that I should not now' call myself a Theist. The
extract will show still more clearly what I conceive to be the
relation of modern Spiritualism to that gospel of humanity (as
opposed to the gospel of the Resurrection of Christ) which I
touched upon at the beginning of this article—that gospel which
is being preached, or has been preached, with more or less of
* The contents of the letter have all the freshness and force of first impressions,
and I cannot state, my case better.
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
II
variety, and with more or less of success, by Goethe, Swinburne,
M. Arnold, Theodore Parker, Miss Cobbe, Miss Hennell, Emerson,
Greg, Mazzini, Feuerbach, Strauss, J. S. Mill, A. J. Davis, F.
Newman, H. G. Atkinson, Hudson Tuttle, Walt Whitman, Fiske,
Herbert Spencer, Huxley, Tyndall, Darwin, Comte, and others.
*
“ I am now going to talk a little about Spiritualism, upon which
subject I have been bringing my mind to bear lately. I think
a few observations may interest you, as you have not yet turned
the light of your mind-lantern in that direction. The subject is
one which all men of intelligence at the present day ought to
spend a certain amount of time (no£ »too much) in investigating
and coming to an opinion upon.
“ I have come to the conclusion that there is truth at the
bottom of it, and that (amidst a mass of jugglery, folly, and im
posture) many of the facts to Which it bears witness will have
to be accepted, and added to the sum of human knowledge. I
shall give up calling myself a Theist, and call myself a Spirit
ualist, by which I do not mean an adherent of table-rapping
and all that sort of thing, but simply (as opposed to a Materi
alist) a believer in an unseen and supra-sensual world, and a
believer in the creed which holds that this unseen world has acted
upon the visible world in certain exceptional cases, and at certain
exceptional epochs, in an abnormal, though not unnatural, fashion.
That is what I mean by Spiritualism; and I shall use the word
henceforward (and the word Spiritualist) in this significance,
distinguishing the creed of mere table-rapping and its adherents
by the words Spiritism and Spiritists. Do you do the same, and
then we shall have no misunderstanding.
“ Now Spiritualism is an advance upon Theism, and is in
excess of it just so far as this—that (while accepting with
Theism the results of modern criticism and of modern science to
a very large extent) it allirms where Positivism denies, and
where Theism (your position, if I understand you rightly) re
fuses either to affirm or deny. Positivism (perhaps I had better
say Materialism, as they are not exactly the same thing) denies
altogether the existence of the unseen world, and (of course) its
influence on ours; Theism affirms the unseen world, but denies
that it impinges upon ours in any way (or refuses to predicate
anything with certainty concerning this—there is a slight vari
* I have purposely thrown a large number of powerful names together, as it is
interesting to see how extraordinary is the real strength of the new thought of
the age, when its forces are combined. Those teachers whom I have mentioned
differ, of course, greatly in doctrine ; but they all unite in one thing—in pro
phesying great and speedy changes to the religion of the civilised world, and in
pointing towards new conceptions of man as man, and a new vision of the glory
and potential holiness of collective humanity, as the means whereby these mighty
and inevitable changes are to be finally achieved.
�12
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
ance among Theistic prophets at this point); Spiritualism affirms
positive law and positive criticism (with Materialism, Science,
and Theism), affirms the unseen world (with Theism), and (its
differentia) asserts that in rare instances and at rare seasons it
does impinge upon ours. I think it probable that the Resurrec
tion was one of these instances, and a cardinal one. I think it
probable that Westcott was right (so far) in his book. I do not
see any other way of reconciling the three marked books of
my this year’s reading—Westcott’s ‘ Gospel of the Resurrection,’
Comte’s ‘ General View of the Positive Philosophy,’ M. Arnold’s
‘ Literature and Dogma’—each of which has had a very strong
influence upon me, and in each of which I think I discern
several weak points—also noble truth in each. I do not see
any other way of combining these books than by affirming that
the Spiritual world has impinged upon ours at given points
(Westcott); that all worlds are under the dominion of positive
law (Comte); and, thirdly, that the critical spirit must be ap
plied to Christianity, that the day for metaphysical dogmas has
gone by, and that all religion must primarily repose upon the
Intuition (M. Arnold).
“ What do you think of the above generalisation ? Ido not
think it is a small one. It is the result of much thought, and
seems to me to contain and sum up a good deal, and to throw
great light upon many hitherto obscure subjects. To me some
of these new thoughts have been like a flood of light.
“ I have long felt that the weak point of Theism lies in the
fact that it affirms a Spiritual world, and yet denies the possi
bility of any intercourse between the inhabitants of that world
and ours. This is the point that even popular Christian writers
see so clearly, and make so much of. I think there is sound
sense in what they say. That is why I asked you why, if we
hoped to see our dead friends some day, we should not see them
occasionally now—asking if it was logical (believing in another
world) to attempt to draw a hard line of demarcation between
that world and this—pointing out what I thought the inconsis
tency of Mazzini’s addressing the brothers Bandiera in prayer,
if at the same time he held positive views about the action of
one world upon another, and their Spirits upon his. Perhaps
you remember what I said. The truth is, that if you once admit
a Spiritual world (as you do, and Mazzini and Parker did), you
cannot, without giving a larger encouragement to Materialism
than any of you three would care to do, get out of the possibility
of that world’s sometimes trenching upon ours. . . .
“ I want now to clear your mind of the misconceptions which
probably fill it (as they filled mine up till very lately) on the
subject of Spiritualism.
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
13
“You no doubt thought (judging from ‘Sludge the Medium’
and representations of that sort) that Spiritualism was a mere
mass of charlatanism, imposture, ignorance, and vulgarity. Now,
I find on examination that it is not so. Simply not so. I was
very much startled by discovering that there is a clear scientific
tone about a good deal of Spiritualistic writing, and that some
Spiritualistic oratory is not unworthy of Parker. There is a Mrs.
Cora Tappan in particular, an American Spiritualistic oratoress,
who is possessed of real genius, and whose addresses are in every
way remarkable.
*
Some time I will send you out some Spirit
ualistic papers, and you shall judge for yourself. I was sur
prised and pleased to find a great deal of sound criticism and
healthy thought in their work. I think at present that (for me)
Spiritualism supplies the wanting factor—the unknown quan
tity ; it seems to fill the gap of which I have long been conscious
in Theism, and which has driven me back to Christianity, only
to be expelled again by the want of reason in its advocates.
But Spiritualism professes to work upon scientific bases. I
thought it was a modern reproduction of the superstitious side
of Christianity. I dare say you are thinking the same. It is
not so. I find that it is, on the contrary, a genuine product of
the age in which we live—that Spiritualists profess advanced
philosophical opinions (not unlike those of Parker)—that they
consider the Christian dogma of the Trinity as a worn-out fable,
and worship Parker’s Father and Mother of the Universe. Some
of Mrs. Tappan’s prayers are quite as beautiful as those of Parker,
and very much in the same style. All this was new and sur
prising to me, and, I think, will be new to you. It is encour
aging and reassuring, for I had fancied that Spiritualism went
in for patching and bolstering up Christianity. I find, for
instance, that Spiritualists talk about the superstitions of Chris
tianity, and that, far from shunning, they court scientific and
honest investigation.
“ I do not place much reliance upon séances or casual pheno
mena ; my main argument is, as usual, an a priori one, and lies
higher up. The more I think and read, the more firmly am I
convinced that there are only two great divisions of opinion in
the world, which have struggled together (like Shelley’s snake
and eagle in ‘ The Revolt of Islam’) through all time, and have
taken ever-varying forms and phases—the Materialistic and the
Spiritualistic. Between these two the empires of time and
* This was written, as above stated, in 1873. I regret to have to add that
further experience of Mrs. Tappan teaches me that she sometimes talks and
writes the most egregious nonsense. Nevertheless, she is a remarkable woman,
and her principal book of poems, “Hesperia,” has true genius in it, though
mixed and overlaid with much that is tawdry, weak, and superficial.
�14
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
thought are divided. Christianity and Theism, and Spiritism
and Comtism and Spinozism, and so forth, are only minor forms
of these enormous Creeds—chips torn from the parent rocks.
They can always be classified (like stones and fossils in the
hand of an experienced geologist) as having originally belonged
to one or the other rock-stratum. Theism has hitherto been
giving her right hand to Materialism, and all I want to do is to
spin the good lady round and give her right hand to Spiritual
ism, and bestow upon Materialism only the graces of her left.
“ Questions like that of Christ’s Resurrection are really utterly
unimportant by the side of the question—Is there a Spiritual
World at all ? Are we to believe in anything besides matter ?
And the only way to answer this question is to fall back upon
the intuition. It cannot be answered (on the one hand) by
scientific induction—nor can it be proved (on the other) by his
torical evidence, though it may be very largely confirmed by
this. To this point, I think, men of all creeds and opinions are
coming very fast. I find the same feeling among Theists—among
Spiritualists—among the modern Christian apologists. They all,
with hardly an exception, are falling back upon the intuition,
and preaching that Christianity ought to be approached by the
intuitional or a priori route. To this basis some of them add
miracles, and some do not. Once grant the intuition, and this
becomes quite a secondary question, and it is coming to be con
sidered so on all sides. But, as a secondary question, it is of
great importance. I find that the abler Spiritualists themselves
are not for pressing the more marvellous appliances of their
trade—they, too, preach immortality and the existence of God
from the intuition, and only appeal to their modern miracles in
confirmation of an intuition and a faith previously existent in
the mind. (In some instances, no doubt, it may be—and always
has been—the other way; startling external occurrences may
awake a spirit of enquiry and produce conviction ; but the ulti
mate appeal must always be to the intuition residing in each
one’s consciousness ; else how are you to “ try the spirits,”
according to the New Testament ?) Herein they are in perfect
union with the Zeit-Geist, and move in harmonious ranks with
the other advocates of progressive thought. The truth is, that
though we are “ under the dawn,” we are very far from being
under the noonday, and for a good deal we shall have to wait.
I doubt whether either of us will see in our lifetime a complete
‘System of Science’ or a complete ‘ System of Religion’—and
the utmost that our modern aspiring philosophico-artistic writers
can really hope to do is to lay (perhaps) the stones of a few steps
which shall ultimately form a basis for a complete ‘ System of
Art.’ Now, this fact of our being so far from the noonday bears
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
15
upon the question of miracles in this way—that we have not
yet got to the end of our destructive criticism, and therefore it is
impossible to tell what will be left when that criticism has com
pleted its work and done its duty—namely, its worst. If I may
venture to prophesy, I think that the result will be somewhat as
follows. A large portion of the results of the destructive criti
cism will have to be accepted; the mythical theory will account
for many of the Biblical legends quite satisfactorily (perhaps, for
Christ’s being born of a Virgin, among others ; a prominent Eng
lish clergyman told me, not long since, that he would be glad
not to believe this, and that he thought the time, had come for a
frank consideration of the question); the naturalistic theoiy will
account for others ; but will they account for all ? I do not feel
sure that they will; and I think it likely that a residue of nar
ratives will be left, both in our Bible and the Bibles of other re
ligions, which will never be rightly understood except by
admitting the interposition in these rare instances for rare
reasons of supernatural (but perfectly harmonious—perfectly
positive) agency. I really think that the ultimate choice lies
between this and sheer Materialism. The Resurrection may be
one such instance; the Conversion of Paul may be another; but
I would never press this upon any one as a matter of faith—-it
is Aberglaube. But where I do not agree with M. Arnold is,
that I think the tenets of Aberglaube may sometimes be founded
on facts. But I do agree with him in feeling that Aberglaube
is not of equal force with the Intuition; and this G. MacDonald
saw long ago.
“ As an example of what I call the Theistic inconsistency, I
will quote the following. M. Arnold, talking about the stoning
of Stephen, implies that the passage about Stephen’s seeing the
Lord Jesus sitting at the right hand of God is not to be taken
literally. It is to be interpreted, rather, upon the principles of
what is called Ideology. Stephen did not behold at that supreme
juncture an objective Christ; but he underwent a transfiguration
of soul, which he expressed (or which has been expressed for
him, by what M. Arnold calls ‘reporters’) in those words. Now
I am not concerned to prove that Stephen did see an objective
Christ—that is a question of importance, but not of primary im
portance ; but what I do say—and I think that I have not only
true logical argument, but sound English common sense on my
side in saying it—is this, that such an objective vision would
not be one whit more wonderful than the realisation of the
issues which are implied in M. Arnold’s own affirmation ; for he
does (practically) affirm immortality—he affirms “ the power of
an endless life;” if the feeling of this eternal life never rises in
us to a sense of its being inextinguishable, it is, he says, proba
�15
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
bly because we fall so very far short of Christ’s moral standard
that our intuitions are weak, and we feel that we dare not trust
them and cast our whole souls upon them as Christ did. The
affirmation of the human intuition at all supreme moments is
There is no death. This affirmation forms the appropriate text
and motto of Spiritualism, and stands in precise contraposition
to the text engraved upon the banner of Materialism—Nothing
exists but matter. Now, all that M. Arnold has shown is, that
this broad human intuition, which reached its personal height (we
may say) in Christ of Nazareth, is the ultimate thing to be
relied upon—the primary basis, the ultimate test—and that we
are never safe in basing any religion upon miracles. He has not
shown more than this ; he has hardly attempted to show more;
and I think that, as far as he has gone, he is on safe ground, and
right. His weak point would be, if he ever attempted to deny
that the intuition which he affirms may sometimes be confirmed
and established (for previous believers in it) by supernatural
proofs ; at this point you will find (I expect), if you ever read
any reviews of his book, that his opponents will get hold of him.
They will say (with reason), you affirm a life which transcends
this visible life of ours; you assert that Christ possessed in a
surpassing degree the intuition of that life, and that we all
possess it in our measure, and that it may be largely increased
by faithfulness to light or (in your own words) by a rigid
attention to conduct — why, therefore, should the Resurrec
tion not be a manifestation—one, probably, among many other
manifestations, but the chief one of hitherto accomplished human
history—why should it not be a manifestation of that life in
which you say that you believe ? * Why believe in the life if
it is never to manifest itself ? Why believe in immortality if
you are never to be clothed with it ? The immortal life must
have a beginning. (Turn those four words—must have a begin
ning—over in your mind carefully; I cannot tell you what a
force they have to me.) If the immortal life is to begin, it is
only a subtle form of Materialism to endeavour to lay down the
law as to when it shall first manifest itself (that is the weak
point of Parker and what is called pure Theism). This seems
to me unspeakably important. You will find if you take the
assertion of pure Theism that there was no Resurrection,^ and
that the eternal life never impinges upon ours, but that this life
necessarily begins at the given point of death, and not till then,
* See an article in the Edinburgh Review for October, 1873, in which this
point is well brought out.
+ See for a confirmation of my statement that this is the creed of pure
Theism—the view as to the Resurrection held by the most advanced Theists
—Miss Cobbe’s “Hopes of the Human Race,” about “Jewish ghost-stories.”
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
17
you will find, if you patiently follow this thought to its. ultimate
analysis and proceed to disintegrate it, that you have in reality
left no scope for that eternal lite or its manifestation at all.
« The real difficulty is not to conceive of a spiritual or eternal
life manifesting itself in surprising and unusual ways, which to
the material eye appear abnormal and monstrous; the real diffi
culty is to believe in such a lite at all. Those who have no
spiritual vision by nature, or who have lost it for a time through
wrong-doing, cannot believe in a supra-mundane life ; once be
lieve in such a life as a matter of absolute truth, and endeavour
to live up to the faith in it, and special convictions as to the
truth of the assertions concerning certain ways in which that
life is said to have manifested itself upon the earth may well be
left to come of themselves—gradually. Here we begin to under
stand the meaning of ‘ the natural man understandeth not the
things of the spirit—they are foolishness unto him—because
they°are spiritually discerned,’ and the whole mass of evangelical
metaphor about the carnal man being like a man who is blind
fold in the midst of a bright room, and similar expressions
venerated by the seers and sages of all religions through all
time.”
And again, in another letter written in March, 1874:—“The
literature of Spiritualism (of which I have read a. great deal
lately) abounds with well-attested instances of revelations which
you would call ‘special’ and ‘inharmonious.’ It makes mir
acles common, and explains them. This brings me round to the
view of Spiritualism which I took at Brighton (when I thought
the matter out pretty ultimately); I do not know whether it will
be my final view. I was attracted towards the subject by my
own curious experience; I found that Spiritualists, far from
mocking and laughing at such things like the vulgar herd,
believed fully in them; nay, dealt almost exclusively in the
obscurer phenomena of mind and spirit. I found narratives of
experiences not unlike my own. Thus I was led to look further
into the subject.
‘‘Next I found accounts of intelligent disembodied agency
(you confuse the argument by talking about ‘ spirit’ and ‘ matter’
in that rigid way; we do not know what spirit and matter are;
what we call spirit may be some exceedingly attenuated form of
matter; or, spirits may be clothed in some exceedingly thin
tissue of matter—we do not know) ; I found accounts of intelli
gent agency acting upon mortals from the outside. I found
these accounts confirmed by hosts of able and honest witnesses.
So I was led to ask myself what would be the effect of this new
belief {if I found myself compelled to believe it) upon my faith
in Christianity.
�18
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
“ Now we have got to an interesting point. I saw two ways of
regarding Spiritualism (assvm ing its essential truth) in Connec
tion with Christianity. The first way was to regard the creed of
modern miracles as confirming the old creed. Miracles are per
formed now ; therefore they were performed then. Christ, the
incarnate Logos, performed in that capacity the greatest miracles
of all—those of raising the dead. This is one view; and it is
the view of a large body of men in England and America who
call themselves Christian Spiritualists. A medium called Harris
may perhaps be regarded as their leader.
“ This view did not satisfy me, as I then should have had to
give up my Theism, with all its attendant liberty and beauty of
thought, and regard Christ as an exceptional person, with all the
ugliness and bondage of thought attendant upon that conception.
Therefore, I sought for another method of reconciling Spiritualism
with Christianity. I came to the conclusion that Spiritualism
—(I always mean ‘modern Spiritualism’ when I use the word
in this letter—the modern Science of the Miraculous, dating
from Hydesville, in the State of New York, where the rappings
began in the Fox family in 1848 ; I cannot further maintain in
writing the distinction between ‘Spiritism’ and ‘Spiritualism’)
—that°Spiritualism must be regarded simply as an expansion of
Theism—simply as its magnetic or thaumaturgic side. It seemed
to me to fill up a gap which Parker and Mazzini had left un
closed. I do not think Parker and Renan ever fairly explained
the origin of Christianity; nor do I think that Arnold has done
so in ‘Literature and Dogma.’ Something more is needed ; and
that ‘unknown quantity’ is supplied oy modern Spiritualism,
which takes up the work where Parker relinquished it. The
miracles of Christ and of the apostolic era have never become
really plain in the light of modern criticism. It is this fact
which has given their strength to Westcott and the defenders of
Christianity. As long as they brought strong evidence to show
that certain wonderful works were wrought at that time which
are not performed now, and have never been performed at
any other era, it was impossible to dislodge them from their
earth-works; but once show that such miracles are common
things of almost daily occurrence, that every religion has had
them, and that they are going on now, and the whole strength
of Christianity, as gained from its exclusiveness, totters and
stumbles to the ground. This is the true significance of modern
Spiritualism, and this is the view which I finally took of it at
Brighton. It is the one thing which was wanting to make the
fortresses of Theism impregnable. It is the one thing which
*
* It should be understood that, throughout this article, I use the word
“Theism” in the sense of the advanced Theism professed and proclaimed by
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
19
was needed to make the gateways of the new creed secure. It
is the missing factor which I have been looking foi so long,
which explains the Resurrection, and all books based, like
Westcott's, upon the Resurrection. Christ did rise; he appeared
to his friends; he made his spirit-form visible to them (as many
other spirit-forms have been visible in history); but he was not
the Son of God in any exclusive sense for all that (here Spirit
ualistic Theism triumphs over Westcott, and. maintains the
integrity of mem, while admitting his facts; it is at this point
that I claim some originality of conception). Other risen spirits
have made themselves manifest to their friends; they are doing
so now; they are doing so in London!
“ If they are doing so in London, why. should one man not
have done so at Jerusalem ? and if they are doing so in London,
why should the solitary man who did so at Jerusalem be dubbed
the Incarnate Word and the Visible Jehovah for so doing ? [I
cannot resist the conclusion that many of our higher poets, in
those most exalted moments of which they have left to us a
record—(as, for example, Byron during the thunderstorm on the
Jura mountains, his feelings on which occasion he describes so
wonderfully in the famous passage in Childe Harold; and
Tennvson on the night when, as he says—
‘ Word by word, and line by line,
The dead man touch’d me from the past,
And all at once it seem’d at last
His living soul was Hash’d on mine,
‘ And mine in his was wound, and whirl’d
About empyreal heights of thought,
And came on that which is, and caught
The deep pulsations of the world ’ * —
)
knew something of what the resurrection-life meant.
No
theories of a swift resurrection and reappearance of Christ could
have seemed strange or far-fetched to Byron, after his wonderful
experience of the passion of eternal life, as excited and roused
into conscious, active being within him in that instance by the
marvels of the mountains and the storm; nor to Tennyson, after
Parker in America, by Mazzini in Italy and on the Continent generally, and by
writers like Miss Cobbe and Francis Newman in England. But my own faith
has to some extent, veered round lately towards that Religion of Humanity
sketched out at the beginning and conclusion of this paper. When I wrote the
above letters, “Theism” expressed tn me an advanced reasonable creed which
should gather into itself all the fruits of the past, and all the young springing
blossoms of present thought as well. I now doubt whether “Theism” is a fit
name for such a creed. But 1 thought it best to retain, in the letters, the old
expression, while indicating elsewhere the qualifications which I now perceive to
be necessary.
* In Memoriam, p. 140. I have been informed, upon good authority, that
the brother, and also the sister, of the Laureate are Spiritualists.
�20
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
his wondrous sense of sudden spiritual union -with his dead
friend Arthur Hallam upon that memorable night; nor to others
who have felt, in their measure, similar hints and intuitions of
immortality. I myself had, in early youth, a strange spiritual
experience, after which the faith in an immortal life can never
seem to me anything absurd or unreal—rather the most natural
and obvious thing in the world. The truth is that the Resurrec
tion is not an isolated fact at all. It is confirmed and led up to
by multitudes of spiritual experiences in all ages, felt and
enounced by those ‘magnetic men’ of whom Mr. Haweis speaks
in his recent volume.
]
*
“I am as jealous to define and defend the boundaries of our
beloved Theism as ever Athanasius or Origen or Clement were to
guard their Christian creeds. Therefore, I say that a man shall
not be called the Living God because he happens, casually, to
have risen from the dead, or has had any other abnormal Spiritual
experience ;. and here I encounter Westcott with mutual shock
of inwoven breastplates, face from face. But I differ from
Comte and Arnold in that I accept the chief of Westcott’s pre
misses. Only that I deduce from those premisses very different
conclusions. I only establish Theism on a firmer basis, and
overthrow Westcott more profoundly, in that I am able to accept
his Christian Resurrection and add twenty Theistic Resurrec
tions to it. “ Let those laugh who win.” The great love wins
in the issue, and so does the broad thought. Theism has now
finally conquered Christianity; its final victory was to inaugu
rate a code of miracles of its own, grander and more human
than any which preceded it.
Andrew Jackson Davis, the
Poughkeepsie Seer, is the prophet of this new revelation of
unchristian, superchristian miracles; he is your ‘ coming man,’
and he comes from America, as you predicted. Of his works
and thoughts more anon.
“ I argue as to Christ’s Resurrection from my own experience,
from the experience of others, from well-attested facts of history
and of modern Spiritualism. It certainly seems to me a grand
idea that Theism should have its miracles as well as Christianity.
If the light that be in Christianity turns out to be darkness,
truly ‘ great is that darkness.’ Gerald Massey, ‘ the people’s
poet,’ is a devoted and uncompromising Spiritualist. They say
that Tennyson and Walt Whitman are Spiritualists, and Tenny
son certainly ought to be, judging from his intercourse with the
spirit of Arthur Hallam, in ‘In Memoriam.’ He must have
been very near to the spirit of his dead friend at one point in
the poem. If Theism can perform even the wonders of Chris
“ Speech in Season.”
Reviewed at length in the Westminster for July
�21
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
tianity (its inferior material phenomena) better than the Chris
tians themselves, it is truly a sign that the power of God has
passed over to the New Creed, and that the Ark is no longe^ in
the Churches. It adds the colour that was wanting to Moncure
Conway’s buok, and wrings the last lingering supernatural dyes
*
out of the Christian flag.
“ The great movement of the age (as you have yourself said)
is towards decentralisation; towards republicanism of thought.
Now, modern Spiritualism is simply the most republican creed
in its tendency that can possibly be found; for it refuses to
recognise any excess of personality—any imperialism of religion
—affirming that nascent Mediumship exists in nearly every one,
and that each, in his measure, can hold intercourse with the
Spiritual world. In all this it is at one with the age. And in
all this it is at deadly feud with the orthodox Churches and with
Christianity, because it takes even the golden handle of their
esoteric thaumaturgic weapon out of their grasp. Therefore,
the Churches hate this new movement even more than the
simple Theistic movement (which is of a more abstract and
philosophical character), and accuse its preachers of holding
communion with evil spirits, and being instigated by Satan, and
so on—the old story. But some Christians, like Mr. Haweis,
have had the sense to see that they cannot maintain their own
series of miracles intact, and exclude these modern miracles, and
all others,—and they recognise, and even preach, Spiritualism.
“ In communications alleged to be from spirits, great stress is
laid upon the fact that no one person is to be the centre of this
movement. This was the mistake the spirits made—so they
say—in inaugurating and furthering the Christian movement;
and that mistake must not be made twice. Now when one finds
thoughts of this kind emanating from the obscure brains of
illiterate American Mediums, it makes one pause—and think.
There is nothing more remarkable in the history of this move
ment than the way in which the foremost thoughts of the fore
most thinkers of the age have been repeated by ignorant and
uneducated men under alleged spirit-influence. It certainly
looks as if the Zeit-Gcist of Matthew Arnold were something
more than a mere abstraction. Thoughts are in the air, we all
know. But the idea that they are not only in the air, but in
the hearts and minds of devoted, earnest, disembodied spirits,
intent upon educating us upon earth, and inaugurating era after
era, is one of the loveliest announcements of modern Spiritualism,
and it is quite as philosophical as the conception of an abstract
Zeit-Geist. Of course, the idea, in its essence, is as old as the
* “ The Earthward Pilgrimage.” London: J. C. Hotten.
1870.
�22
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY-.
hills ; Paul had it (compare his ‘ Cloud of Witnesses ’); Sweden
borg ’had it; Christ had it; but some of its developments are new.
“"i have now made plain the second view which may be taken
of Spiritualism when regarded in close connection with Chris
tianity. It may be called Theistic or advanced' or progressive
Spiritualism. I thought this view out for myself at Brighton,
and, subsequently, upon an examination of the best Spiritualistic
literature, could not but be gratified to discover that a similar
solution had presented itself to the most advanced among the
Spiritualists. There are two parties in their ranks as everywhere
else: the negative and the positive party; the obstructive and
the progressive; the conservative and the liberal. The acknow
ledged leader of the Liberal Spiritualistic party is the extraor
dinary man I spoke of above—Andrew Jackson Davis. He is the
author of a vast number of philosophical and metaphysical
works, some of which I have been reading lately. He is a man
of very real and massive genius—a sort of intuitive Spiritual
Comte of the west—and it is an astonishing thing to find this
American shoemaker’s apprentice (for such he was, I believe),
propounding intuitively even in his early days the very same
critical Theistic truths, which it has taken M. Arnold a life’s
perusal of ‘ the best that has been thought and written in the
world’ to reach. This, I say, is extremely astonishing; and it
is a phenomenon which one encounters constantly in examin
ing the records of Spiritualism.”
I have now shown what I conceive to be the relation between
Spiritualism, assuming that some of its phenomena shall even
tually be proved to be genuine, and modern thought. In con
clusion I will briefly recur to the other main purpose of this
article, which is to show that if the belief in a personal loving
God, constructed after the sanguine fashion of the Christian
Church, has to be abandoned, we need not therefore necessarily
give up our faith in a personal immortality.
The things, though they may at first sight (naturally) seem
similar, yet are in fact totally dissimilar, and have a totally dis
similar bearing. They are based upon different grounds. If it
is probable, as maintained at the commencement of this article,
that we have ourselves thrown the conception of a giant god
made in man’s image upon the vacant sky of our own thought;
if we have evolved from our own experience of love and tender
ness, and the overmastering conviction which we, as a race, have
now reached that unselfishness is the one thing superior to all
things else —the one thing passionately to strive after—the one
*
* Dean Stanley, in a recent remarkable speech delivered at the distribution of
prizes to the students of St. Thomas’s Hospital, said:—“Whatever course
physical science might take, nothing could ever destroy r shake in the least de-
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
23
thing wholly divine;—if, from this intense conviction (Mr.
Arnold’s “ Intuition”}, we have evolved the further belief (Mr.
Arnold’s “ Abcrglaube”') in a righteous God who inspires us with
the love of righteousness—who wishes to make us like himself,
“ pure even as he is pure ”—and who has sent his Son into the
world to redeem us from our sins and to prepare us for the
heavenly kingdom—if all this be Abcrglaube, and only the con
viction—the conviction that “ righteousness makes for happi
ness ”—based upon experience the one thing sure :—if all this
be so, our hope of immortality, based upon that inextinguishable
sense of life and eternal permanency which the practice of
righteousness invariably gives, remains much as. it was before.
It°is not really shaken in the least. It cannot be shaken. And
if Spiritualism can indeed help to explain the Resurrection of
Christ upon sober scientific grounds—grounds other than that
he was the Eternal Son, the only-begotten of the Father, and
therefore could not “see corruption,” nor be “holden of death,”
on account of his aboriginal kingly quality—if Spiritualism can
lift us out of the difficulty and clear up, without having recourse
to all this Abcrglaube, the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection in a
simple human way—as I have through a great part of this
article been attempting to show that there is strong hope of its
doing—if this, with all its valuable concomitants, shall turn out
to be the truth, our hope of immortality will approach an experi
mental certainty, and we shall be greatly indebted to the muchdespised much-calumniated Spiritualism !
In this connexion it is well to say that we do not really know,
much as has been made of it in priestly argument, that Jesus
Christ believed in a personal God at all. Poor Jesus! Centuries
of councils and boisterous churches have put so many words into
his mouth—so many strange opinions into his heart—that it
is becoming a matter of almost hopeless difficulty to know
what he really did believe or feel. But this much we may say
without fear— that his God was a very different Being from that
complex Divinity of the Churches whose body passes into con
secrated wafers, and who sustains the lurid dominions of hell
with his red right hand!
Christ believed in God as Father—he addressed him as Father,
and thought of him as Father, we are told; and it is likely that
in this particular we are informed correctly, as the unusual man
ner of loving and trustful utterance would have rivetted itself in
gree the glory of goodness, the excellence of purity, charity, courage—the im
mense prominence of the moral nature of man above everything else in the world.
. . . The moral being of man and the moral excellence which exists in man
are beyond everything else.’’ With this I heartily agree, maintaining as I do
that our moral intuitions are the causes and creators of our creeds, instead of our
creeds creating and nourishing them (sec Lit. and Dogma, pp. 290, 291).
�24
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY-.
the minds of the hearers, and probably have been reported accu
rately—without additions or misapprehensions of their own.
But even then it remains to inquire, what did Jesus mean by
Father—did he use the word as we speak of God the Father, the
First Person of the Holy Trinity—did he use the word as the
Churches have used it, and are using it—or as Mil ton used it—
or as John Knox,—did he use it out of consideration for popular
ignorance and superstition (much the same in all ages), as likely
to convey the truest idea to the popular mind—did he not, in his
inmost heart, mean by it something very like that impersonal
absolute power which modern science presents to us as at the.
root of all things, and which we may call father, or brother, or
mother, not because it is indeed as a conscious father, or brother,
or mother, but because it (by the final results of the working of
its originally unconscious attributes) produces fatherhood and
motherhood, and all the tender grace of brotherliness—produces
and sustains these in us, so that we naturally call this power
father, though it heeds not nor hearkens to our voice ? Was
not (to take a very excellent instance) all that loving-kindness
and unceasing pity and tenderness which the late Frederick
Maurice used to speak about as residing in the Godhead, and
eternally manifested to us by God the Son—was not that prin
ciple of eternal, boundless, endless love, which he was never
tired of expatiating upon, really resident in the man himself,
Frederick Maurice1 and did he not unconsciously cast his own
?
grand shadow on the sky, and hear his own true voice calling
unto him as if from the fairest heights of heaven—more voluble
now, being as the fancied tongue of God ?
These questions are not intended to be irreverent. They are
being reverently, but bravely and persistently, asked on all sides
now—they will be asked more persistently and much less
reverently as time goes on, if mankind is to be drugged in reply
with superstitious fallacies, and put off with petulant half
answers. Meantime, pending the full discovery in the depths of
man’s own nature of the answers to these and similar questions,
let us remember, in removal, or at least in mitigation of that
principal dread which overwhelms him just now—lest in losing
the personal God of his own creation, he has also parted with
his own immortality—that all the analogy of nature goes to
show that from lesser to greater, from simple to increasingly
complex, is her constant plan of procedure—and that there is
really little reason to fear that that mingling with the eternal
elements, of which all the poets speak in such rapturous terms,
means anything like what we can only express as the loss of
individuality or of personality. We are not likely to return,
unconscious, to that unconscious universe from which, by ages
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
25
of upward agony, we have slowly emerged. We are, or have
become, immeasurably greater than our prolific mother, and we
have no desire to return to the unconscious folds of her embrace.
Devoted Pantheists, when they talk about mingling with the
universe, continually forget how much greater that thought and
moral sense which have been slowly evolved are than the forces
which evolved and produced them; they continually, without
knowing or noticing it, advocate an immense retrogression—a
vast passing from the greater to the less great, from the hetero
geneous to the homogeneous—when they preach their belief in
the annihilation of man’s conscious personality—the very thing
which all the strenuous ages have been struggling triumphantly
to produce. Do not fear, we shall not lose this. Far more
likely is it that further evolution, as yet unseen and unex
perienced, will increase and intensify it. The powers of air
and earth and ocean shall be ours; but we shall not be theirs.
We shall rejoice with the winds and the happy tumult of the
breezes; but they shall not exult and triumph over us. We
shall hold lordship over them—they shall pass into us and
become a part of us—we shall not passively pass into them; the
universe may be absorbed, in some strange, sweet fashion, into
the human spirit, as it has already in some measure been
absorbed into the souls of poets like Shelley and Keats—but it
will, must,, re-issue thence in the victorious utterance of human
personality, made greater, not smaller, by the electric human
touch. It will not absorb us, but we shall, in the end, enclose
and absorb all the blossoms of its manifold and enigmatic beauty.
We shall pass onward to become greater and more complex in
our powers of thought and love and ecstasy; we shall not flee
backward into Pantheistic viewless breezes, or Pantheistic fiery
star-dust. We have been these things—yea, all of them, or
latent in all of them—but we shall be these no more. We have
climbed above them to the conscious, glorious height of man;
and our superb self-consciousness shall only widen and deepen
and increase; it shall become world-consciousness, and even
*
the sense of many worlds, without the loss of the central govern
ing self—the central human spirit.
G e;*’’er powers of love in especial shall be ours—strange
1
lcvely xorms of passion unseen and undreamed of as yet—but
* “ I do not doubt but the majesty and beauty of the world are latent in any
iota of the world;
I do not doubt I am limitless, and that the universes are limitless—in
vain I try to think how limitless;
I do not doubt that the orbs, and the systems of orbs, play their swift sports
through the air on gmrpose—and that I shall one day be eligible to do as
much as they, and more than they.”
Walt Whitman—“ Whispers of Heavenly Death.”
�26
THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
no loss of passion; no absorption into passionless nature; no
eternal mingling with the serene but loveless stars. We pass
upward. We win nature; we are not won and conquered of
her. It may be that the passions of all planets, or experienced
on all planets, shall unite in us, but it will be only to increase
and sweetly amplify, as with the sound of many voices, or the
scent of many flowers, or the breath of many and lordly moun
tain winds,the fragrant central yearning and the pure innate desire
of each. We shall gain everything by expansion—nothing is to be
gained by lingering within the dusty precincts of ourselves. By
widening out we gain the universe, but we lose no jot nor tittle
of our true eternal selves thereby. These true endless selves
abide alway, and they shall not be diminished. Death cannot
narrow them; they are unchangeable for all the shocks and per
turbations of creeds. The forces of nature must in the end
become our servants; they are never (had not Ezekiel the vision
of a man upon the central throne ?) to be our masters and lords.
The sea and thunder will not win us, but we may win the
passion and the pleasure of thunder, and stars, and sea. When
Byron said—
“ And this is in the night:—Most glorious night!
Thou wcrt not sent for slumber! let me be
A sharer in thy fierce and far delight,—
A portion of the tempest and of thee ! ”
he had a vision of a great ecstatic joy—a voluptuous spiritual
rapture in which, too, all the quivering and throbbing senses took
*
part —beyond the reach of words; and as what he had (and all
true poets have had) a prophetic foreglimpse of was not the loss
of consciousness, but the splendid presence of a consciousness
which, while it grew (and even in proportion as it grew) wider
and less embodied, became also more personal and more intense,
so shall the loss of life bring to each soul in the end a deeper
and wider life ; more pregnant with sweet and masterly issues;
more safely and nobly lifted above all ultimate arrows of adverse
fate>
George Barlow.
NOTE.
Since the above was written, an article on “Theism” has appeared in
the Westminster Review, from which the following is an extract:—
“ Religions are not made; they grow. Their progress is not from the
enlightened to the vulgar, but from the vulgar to the enlightened. They are
not'products of the intellect, but manifest themselves .as physical forces too.
The religion of the future is in our midst already, working like potent yeast in
the minds of the people. It is in our midst to-day with signs^and wonders
uprising like a swollen tide, and scorning the barriers of Nature’s laws. But
however irresistible its effects they are not declared on the surface. It comes
* See Swinburne’s “Essay on Byron.”
�THE GOSPEL OF HUMANITY.
27
veiling its destined splendours beneath an exterior that invites contempt. Hidden
from the prudent, its truths are revealed to babes. Once more the weak will
confound the mighty, the foolish the wise, and base things and things despised, it
may be even things that are not, bring to nought things that are, for it seems
certain that whether truly or whether falsely Spiritualism will re-establish, on
what professes to be ground of positive evidence, the fading belief in a future liie
—not such a future as is dear to the reigning theology, but a future developed
from the present, a continuation under improved conditions of the scheme of
things around us. Further than this it is impossible to predict the precise
development which Spiritualism may take in the future, just as it would have
been impossible at the birth of Christianity to have predicted its actual subsequent
development: but from the unexampled power possessed by this new
religious force of fusing with other creeds, it seems likely in the end to bring
about a greater uniformity of belief than has ever yet been known.”—West
minster lieview, Oct., 1875.
It will be seen that the writer is here pursuing a new line of thought,
which runs curiously parallel to that indicated in my own treatise.—Gr. B..
Oct. 23, 1875.
In preparation, by the same Author,
WALT WHITMAN;
OR,
THE RELIGION OF ART.
The Religion of Art will redeem the world, not by producing
world-wide pangs of remorse and repentance (this is the mission of
Morality or the Moral Law; whose giver is Jesus)—not by expounding
the external truths of natural things (this is the mission of Science;
whose prophets are the patient experimentalists of all ages)—but by
exhibiting the world as it is. The prophets and preachers of this,
the final and only successful Religion, are the poets and artists of
every age: they are higher than Love, higher than Pity, higher than
Purity, higher than Repentance, higher than Truth : they pursue the
absolute Beauty of things, and this they announce and sing. Their
pitiless pitifid beautiful Song will redeem the world.
�POEMS AND SONNETS.
By GEORGE BARLOW.
7n Three Parts, price 7s. 67. each.
Crown 8ro., cloth.
JOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN, 74 and 75 Piccadilly.
1871.
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
Part I.—11 Mr. George Barlow’s ‘ Sonnets ’ is, in several respects, a
clever and remarkable book. . . . Mr. Barlow has a peculiar gift for
quaint and captivating titles. The ‘ Ecstasy of the Hair,’ ‘ My Own
Dart,’ ‘'Blue Weather,’ ‘Death’s Lips and Palms,’ ‘To have Beheld,’
are felicitous and suggestive fancies. . . . This would scarcely have
been remarked, did it arise from lack of power to perfect. From the
evidence of his better work, we are convinced that the author has
all that is needful of such power, to make of the many eidola of good
things that sprinkle his volume, real embodiments of genius. Such
evidences are not rare. . . . Mr. Barlow has, however, sterling
qualities that compensate even these crudities; and if we have been
particular in the enumeration of his faults, it is that these qualities
are great enough to merit care in their culture—care in their libera
tion from the occasional clumsiness that obscures them. If Mr.
Barlow be a young man, his career is, to a great measure, in his own
hanus.”—Blanchard Jerrold, in Lloyd's News, Feb. 26, 1871.
“ To the Rossetti subdivision, we think, the volume before us
belongs. It has the loving yearning after loveliness which charac
terises the writers referred to, but it has no obscurity, and it has a
fine human sentiment of its own. There is, also, a sympathy with
nature which evidently is not assumed, not accepted at second-hand,
but which bursts forth from the inner personality of the writer. The
verse, if not great, is uniformly sweet, and (which is a virtue) we can
all follow its meaning.”—Weekly Dispatch, March 26, 1871.
“ A new singer to us is Mr. Barlow, but one who unquestionably
fingers the chords of his harp with a delicate, reverential, and, withal,
somewhat masterly touch. His theme is love, with variations : and
charmingly and archly he discourses upon that ancient but ever new
topic, owning apparently inexhaustible resources within himself of
heart-melody. His laudations of beauty have nothing in them that
is sickening or sensual; on the contrary, they are moderate and
graceful. His sentiment is not less tender than true and pure; his
thoughts of beauty are refining and elevating. He has less mannerism
than most of the young writers in the present day, and shows a
generous appreciation of others, which is, to a certain extent, some
proof of merit in himself.”—Public Opinion, April 1, 1871.
�OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
“ The author expresses his admiration of American Society for
being free from the ‘ pruning of Convention’s hand,’ but it is much to
be regretted that he has forborne to apply more of such pruning to
his own work......................... There are grace and melody in the pieces
entitled, ‘ Reminiscence ’ and ‘ The Discovery of Love,’ and another
called ‘ The Waking of Beauty ’ shows a genuine worship, which
ought some time to bear worthier fruit.”—Spectator, April 8, 1871.
“ This is the first part only of a collection which, thus far, reveals
so many graces that a reader of taste may well wait impatiently for
the second.”—Illustrated London News, April 22, 1871.
Speaking of Part III., The Westminster Review, for April, 1874,
says:—
“ Mr- Barlow has probably, without knowing it, been influenced
by the feeling of the day. And a man may resemble another in his
style without having read him. Influences are, as it were, in the air.
The series of poems ‘ Under the Gaslight,’ appears to us to represent
much of the spirit of the rising generation of poets. Mr. Barlow
writes not merely fluently, but with a command of both language
and thought. His ideas are thoroughly under his control. Again,
the series of poems ‘ Christ is not Risen,’ well represent much of the
spiritual unrest—for we. have no better title—of the day. It would
be utterly impossible, judging by the present volume, to say what
Mr. Barlow may do. His verse is full of promise.”
“ The quality of Mr. Barlow’s work is by no means out of propor
tion to the quantity. He has not only a fluent pen, but an indubi
table gift of beautiful and harmonious, if not commonly powerful,
expression. He is no careless workman, trusting to the force of
genius alone, and neglecting the strictness of method and the grace of
form. Indeed, grace and finish are the conspicuous and prevailing
qualities of his poetry, and the number of awkward lines and words
put in to save the credit of a rhyme is so small as to be almost
unnoticeable.”—Literary World, June 19, 1874.
Parts I., II., III.—“Mr. Barlow is a poet of no mean capacity,
whose muse is specially devoted to the somewhat unthankful task of
producing sonnets..................... In Part II. Mr. Barlow is at his
best, and his success in poems of less strict metre than is required
for the sonnet is such as to induce us to wish he had avoided the
more laborious task. As one of many excellent short pieces we may
instance £A Dream of Roses.’ .... We have read Mr.
Barlow’s three volumes with interest and pleasure, which is more
than can be said of much of the poetry of the day.”—Weekly Dis
patch, Aug. 17, 1873.
“ Mr. Barlow has read poetry, and it is probable that he under
stands it. There is no evidence in his more serious work of mis
directed energies or ill-chosen subjects..................... His sonnets are
of a subject and intention which does not forbid comparison with
Petrarch himself.”—Illustrated Review, Aug. 28, 1873.
�Ey the same Author.
A LIFE’S LOVE.
Square 8ro., cloth, price 6s.
JOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN, 74 and 75 Piccadilly.
1873.
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
“ ‘ A Life’s Love’ is a volume of short poems from the pen of one
who evidently derives much of his inspiration from Mr. Swinburne.
As far as we have glanced at them, the poems are the reverse of
ci.mmonplace.”—Examiner, July 26, 1873.
“ Mr. Barlow’s muse has much original power and culture, but it
is a little too exuberant in the power of imitation......................... His
chief excellence is the way in which he weaves the world of nature
external to him with the fancies of imagination and the feelings of
the human heart; hence it is that his poetry, which we can cordially
commend to all lovers of the muse, is full of similes drawn from the
world of external nature.”—Standard, July 31, 1873.
“ Mr. Barlow’s book of sonnets, entitled ‘ A Life’s Love,’ reveals
earnestness of feeling, refinement of taste, and some aspiration. . . .
The endeavour after an elevated artistic ideal is apparent, but the
poems are less remarkable for what they are in themselves than
suggestive of what their author, with his idealistic tendency and
tenderness, and charm of sentiment, may one day produce.
Much of the mystic element is perceptible in Mr. Barlow’s verse.
. . . It is impossible not to wish well to a young poet whose faults
are evidently those of youth and inexperience. When the early
subjectiveness of intellect and feeling have progressed into a more
objective stage, these slight inartistic blemishes will doubtless dis
appear. . . Time is the test to show what real creative power may
be behind the downy shoots of the first growth. We shall, how
ever, look forward to Mr. Barlow’s further efforts in the hope that
his role of poet may not have been undertaken lightly to be aban
doned.”—Antiquary, Auj. 23, 1873.
“ The perfect English Sonneteer has not yet presented himself to
the public. Mr. George Barlow has, perhaps, more than any other
modern writer devoted himself to the making of sonnets.....................
From the quantity of sonnets he has written, we should say that he
lias faith in the style he has adopted, and in himself as the exponent
of the style. Whether, however, he is the long-expected perfect
sonneteer we doubt, although some of the stanzas in ‘ A Life’s Love’
contain some of the most charming and delightful poetry we have
read for some time. Mr. Barlow is Petrarchan in manner. We have
Petrarchan subtleties and Petrarchan conceits. Petrarch’s sonnets
immortalise his love for Laura; George Barlow’s ‘Life’s Love’ is
not mentioned by name, but the love is evidently genuine and the
lady human. . . . The sonnet entitled ‘ The Pearl Necklace’ is,
in our opinion, the brightest and most valuable gem in Mr. Barlow’s
rich collection. If it be not true poetry we are greatly deceived.”—
Civil Service Review, Sept. 13, 1873.
�By the same Author.
UNDER THE DAWN.
Crown 8ro., cloth extra, price 7s. 6d.
CHATTO & WINDUS, 74 and 75 Piccadilly.
1875.
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
“Mr. Barlow’s former works—‘Poemsand Sonnets’ and a Life’s
Love’—attracted some attention. If they did not show him to be a
great poet, they certainly afforded ample proof that he is a fearless
thinker, and possesses a facility—we had almost said a dangerous
facility—for versification.................... The main object of the author
of ‘ Under the Dawn’ is at once political and religious. In harmony
with the prevailing spirit of our age, he hates everything in the shape
of creeds with an utter hatred, and longs to see his mind set free
from the galling bondage in which they hold their slaves. Also in
unison with the time in its desire and determination—despite tempo
rary reactions—to effect great and necessary political reforms, our
poet was as indignant in expressing the wrongs from which men
suffer, and at times eloquent in the assertion of man’s inalienable
rights. Mr. Barlow, indeed, is both republican and free-thinker.
. . . . The wearers of strait jackets of orthodoxy, therefore, had
better—indeed, they are certain, to give ‘Under the Dawn’ a wide
berth.—Birmingham Morning News, Dec. 22, 1874.
“ ‘ Christ’s Sermon in the City’ is the most brilliant and most
original of a series of poems which point Mr. Barlow out as a singer
of the most choice gifts and graces of minstrelsy.”—Evening Standard,
Dec. 24, 1874.
“ The ‘ Dedication’ is a singularly beautiful one..............................
In reading these last-named poems, we have regretted that Mr.
Barlow has not given us more of a similar description, for they show
that he is a careful observer of nature, and that he is able to stand alone
onground of his own choosing.”—Civil Service Gazette, Dec. 26, 1874.
“ The writer has a very fei-tile fancy. His powei- of illustrating
an apparently barren subject is really surprising. He has a great
mastery over verse, and his diction is rich and artistic.........................
‘ Under the Dawn’ is in many respects so meritorious as an intellec
tual production as to make us regret deeply that the author is so
widely separated from the religious feeling of his country and gene
ration.”—Irish Times, Dec. 26, 1874.
“ The opening poem of this book is liable to the charge of being
too highly coloured, but it is withal a daring and vigorous effort.
When time has a little dimmed the over bright flame of Mr.
Barlow’s fancy, and chastened the fervour of his style, we may
expect from his pen poems which will leave more than a mere passing
mark upon the poetic literature of the age.”—Newcastle Chronicle,
Jan. 2, 1875.
“ Should command a large circle of renders.”—Perthshire Adver
tiser, Jan. 4, 1875.
�OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
“Mr. Barlow lias a great deal of ideality, and also a very definite
mode of thinking; so that he is clear even in his impassioned pieces,
and delicate in his most masculine.”—Ncotewian, Jan. 5, 1875.
“ Mr. Barlow has been charged with being a copyist—an echo of
Swinburne; but we must say, after a careful perusual of his poems,
that the charge is not to be sustained.”—London Sun, Jan. 30, 1875.
“ The present work will extend the poet’s reputation; anything
more daring has not been printed since Shelley’s day.”—Sussex Daily
News, March 4, 1875.
“ Mr. Barlow, being asked by his admirers, of whom he has not a
few, to write a poem worthy of his undoubted powers, has .given
them a long preface, in which he defends himself against various
foolish charges. Some time ago, when noticing his ‘ Poems and
Sonnets,’ we made some remarks on the general style and tendency of
Mr. Barlow’s poetry. We thought, and we still think, that it repro
duces, in a very remarkable way, many of the thoughts and per
plexities which are agitating the minds of the younger generation.
To accuse Mr. Barlow of plagiarism is the height of folly. We think
that it would have been far better for Mr. Barlow to have left his
critics unanswered. Time will decide between him and them. His
duty is to be true to his Muse, and not to engage in controversy.”—
Westminster Review, April, 1875.
“ Mr. Barlow has considerable command of language, a lively
fancy, and vigorous thought ■ but we commend to him the study of
loftier masters, and a selection of purer models. His verbal harmony
should express elevated ideas and wholesome morality, and many of
his poems attest his full capacity as a poetic teacher well worthy of
an audience.”—Morning Post, May 19, 1875.
“ Under the Dawn’ is decidedly not the echo of ‘ Songs before
Sunrise,’ a few have decried it as ; but neither is it a revolt against
the pantheistic creed. Rather, it may be termed, the offspring of a
union between Theism and the worship of Nature—the production of
a mind wherein materialistic and purely spiritual ideas are blended-—
perhaps in a manner not far divergent from the truth.........................
Looking at the sonnet called ‘ Italy to England,’ and similar composi
tions, we should say that Mr. Barlow is better calculated to succeed
in the lyric than the epic.................... We like the whole tone of the
‘ Ode to Mazzini Triumphant ’—a composition which we think dis
putes with ‘ Christ’s Sermon in the City’ the praise of being the
finest poem in the volume.—Human Nature, Sept., 1875.
“ I am happy to see that we have a new ‘ birth of time’ and spark
of Promethian fire in another poet of most excellent promise, and
very considerable performance—Mr. George Barlow, who names his
volume of poems ‘ Under the Dawn,’ and whose charming verse
conveys much sound philosophy, and most beautiful and varied senti
ment, with a wholesome scorn for worn-out follies and superstitions.”
—National Reformer, Oct. 3, 1875.
�
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Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Pamphlet
Dublin Core
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The gospel of humanity; or, the connection between spiritualism and modern thought
Creator
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Barlow, George [1847-1913 or 1914.]
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: London
Collation: 27, [5] p. ; 22 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Inscription on front cover: 'With the Author's Compliments'. Printed by H. Nisbet, Glasgow. Includes bibliographical references. Extracts from reviews of works by the same author listed on unnumbered pages at the end.
Publisher
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James Burns
Date
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1876
Identifier
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G5333
Subject
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Spiritualism
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (The gospel of humanity; or, the connection between spiritualism and modern thought), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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application/pdf
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Text
Language
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English
Conway Tracts
Spiritualism
-
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Cjs6^
i •
LONDON
DIALECTICAL
SOCIETY,
32A, GEORGE STREET, HANOVER SQUARE, W.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WERTHEIMER, LEA AND CO.,
CIRCUS PLACE, FINSBURY CIRCUS.
1866—67.
��PROSPECTUS.
--------------00-------------
That Truth is of all things the most to be desired,
and that it is best elicited by the conflict of op
posing opinions, are propositions on which all
philosophers are agreed, and which need only be
enunciated to command universal assent.
Influenced by these considerations, and actuated
by the desire of giving them effect, several gentle
men of various tastes, literary, scientific, and phi
losophical, thought that a Society instituted for
the purpose of interchange of opinion on all sub
jects of interest, would be to a certain extent a
novelty, and would meet with favorable support.
They were aware that there already existed nume
rous Debating Societies, where mere surface-ques
tions were argued, (chiefly for the purpose of ob
taining practice in speaking,) and where subjects
held to be of the highest importance were prohi
bited from being discussed at all; but there did
not appear to be a Society for the philosophical
�6
treatment of all questions, especially those which
lie at the root of the differences of opinion which
divide mankind,—such questions, for instance, as
are comprised in the domain of Ethics, Meta
physics, and Theology.
It was designed, therefore, to establish not a
mere Debating Society, or Discussion Class, but
an Association with higher and more philosophical
aims.
It appeared to the Founders, that for a Society
of this kind to be successful, Sectarianism of every
description must be rigidly excluded,—all distinc
tion founded upon social condition, occupation,
and the like, disregarded—and the only recognised
qualifications for Membership be an unstained
character, and a genuine desire for the promotion
of the objects of the Society.
It was manifest, too, as an essential condition of
success—being, indeed, the fundamental principle
of the Society, that the most absolute freedom of
debate should be permitted ;—that no subject
whatever should be excluded on any ground save
that of its triviality, and that the restrictions and
reservations which obtain in ordinary Debating
Societies should have no place here.
�1
A meeting of the Founders was subsequentlyheld, at which, after due deliberation, the follow
ing Resolution was unanimously carried : — “ That
“ in the opinion of this meeting, it is desirable that
“ a Philosophical Association be formed for the
“ discovery and elucidation of truth, upon all sub“ jects, by means of argument and discussion.”
The first question to be considered was the name
by which the Society should be known; and with
reference to the title adopted, the following re
marks by Professor Bain, in his essay on Early
Philosophy, may not be out of place :—
“ The essence of the Dialectic Method is to place
“ side by side, with every doctrine and its reasons,
<£ all opposing doctrines and their reasons, allow“ ing these to be stated in full by the persons
“ holding them. No doctrine is to be held as ex“ pounded, far less proved, unless it stands in
“ parallel array to every other counter-theory, with
££ all that can be said for each. For a short time
“ this system was actually, maintained and prac“ tised but the execution of Sokrates gave it its
“ first check, and the natural intolerance of man“ kind rendered its continuance impossible. Since
“ the Reformation, struggles have been made to
�“ regain for the discussion of questions generally,
“ —philosophical, political, moral, and religious,
“ the two-sided procedure of the law-courts, and
“ perhaps never more strenuously than now.”
Let the London Dialectical Society, then, encou
rage and practise the method of teaching implied
by its title : let us remember that
“ Through mutual intercourse and mutual aid,
“ Great deeds are done, and great discoveries made,
“ The wise new wisdom on the wise bestow,
“ Whilst the lone thinker’s thoughts come slight and slow.”
Let us emulate the example of the great Athe
nian philosopher of antiquity, the aim of whose
existence was the demonstration of Reasoned
Truth, and the exposure of the errors and fallacies
of his age,—who, absolutely regardless of all con
sequences, passed his life in the bold enunciation
of the truth, and voluntarily and cheerfully forfeited
it in its defence, — whose virtue, courage, and
wisdom have earned for him the veneration of
posterity.
The Founders of the Society are aware of the
difficulties to be encountered. They know that a
Society of individuals proposing to discuss every
subject, without the slightest reserve, will neces
sarily incur considerable obloquy, and be the ob
�9
ject of much depreciatory remark and prophetic
denunciation. It will rest with the Members to
prove by their conduct in debate, that these un
favorable comments and gloomy forebodings were
based upon an erroneous conception of the prin
ciples upon which the proceedings of the Associa
tion are to be conducted.
In a Society where such full liberty of debate is
granted, where matters on which men have deeplycherished opinions are openly and boldly dis
cussed, some little self-restraint must be exercised
on the one hand, and too great sensitiveness must
not be exhibited on the other. Debate must be
conducted without any undue warmth of feeling,—
arguments, and not individuals, must be attacked,
—imputation of motives must be avoided,—and
the Chairman must exercise his authority with
promptitude, impartiality, and rigor.
It is hardly necessary to express a hope that
* Members will not consume the time of both them
selves and others by the consideration of questions
of frivolous import or vexatious triviality. It was
proposed, indeed, to meet the difficulty by a Law,
empowering the Council to exercise some kind of
censorship ; but it was thought better to leave the
�IO
matter to the good sense of the whole body of
Members, in the full confidence that any attempt at
trifling would be promptly and efficiently checked.
To conclude : the London Dialectical Society
will have effected much good, if, by its means, per
sons are made to feel that to profess a belief on a
disputed question with regard to which they refuse
to examine the evidence, is an act altogether un
worthy of a rational being; and that the only
method of arriving at truth is by submitting one’s
opinions to the test of unsparing and adverse
criticism. Freedom of speech and thought are, not
less than personal freedom, the natural birthright of
all mankind. To refrain from uttering opinions be
cause they are unpopular, betokens a certain amount
of moral cowardice, — engendered by long-con
tinued persecution. To state fearlessly the truth,
or what we believe to be the truth, even though it
be held only by a few, is the act of all who con
sider the exercise of private judgment a right, and *
the extension of human knowledge a duty. But
society generally has not yet reached such a stage
of progress, as to allow individuals to give expres
sion to their honest and deliberate convictions,
without inflicting upon them penalties more or less
�II
severe. The effect of this is to deter men from
expressing opinions, which might be corrected if
erroneous, and accepted if true. In the London
Dialectical Society, however, not only will no per
son suffer obloquy on account of any opinion he
may entertain or express, but he will be encouraged
to lay before his fellow-members the fullest expo
sition of his views. Even if this were not so, it is
to be hoped that Members of the Society will
possess sufficient moral courage to disregard, in the
interests of Truth, that social tyranny—the weapon
of Ignorance and Intolerance.
“ They are Slaves who will not choose
“ Hatred, scoffing, and abuse,
“ Rather than in silence shrink
“ From the truth they needs must think.
‘ ‘ They are Slaves who dare not be
“ In the right with two or three.”
Let us be mindful of the fact, that throughout the
whole history of the world, the voice of Authority
has constantly opposed new truths; and, with an
earnest desire both to learn and teach, let us zea
lously follow the practice of Dialectics, unaffected
by the praises of some, undeterred by the denun
ciations of others, but conscious of honesty and
purity of motive, and desirous for the wisdom and
happiness of Man.
�RULES.
I. —That the Society be called “ The London
Dialectical Society.”
II. —That the object of the Society be the philo
sophical consideration of all subjects, with a view
to the discovery and elucidation of truth.
III. —That the Society consist of a President,
Vice-Presidents, and Members.
IV. —That the government of the Society be
vested in a council of nine, consisting of the Secre
tary, the Treasurer, and seven other Members ;
three to be a quorum.
V. —That the Council be elected by Ballot
annually.
VI. —That vacancies occurring in the Council
be provisionally filled up by the remaining Mem
bers of the Council.
�VII. —That the President and Vice-Presidents
be elected by the Council, and that they enjoy all
the privileges of ordinary Members.
VIII. —That on and after the ist of January,
1867, persons desirous of becoming Members of
the Society, having filled up a form of applica
tion, to be obtained of the Secretary (of which the
annexed is a copy,) be proposed and seconded at
an ordinary Meeting, and balloted for at the fol
lowing Meeting, one black ball in six to exclude;
and that any one thus excluded be not again pro
posed for a period of three months.
FORM OF APPLICATION.
Having read the Prospectus and Rules of the London
Dialectical Society, I beg to express my cordial approval
of its object and the principles on which it is founded, as
therein set forth ; and being desirous of becoming a Member,
request that my name be placed on the List of Candidates for
admission.
Signed________________________________
Address_______________________________
Date_______________________
Proposed by________________________ ________
Seconded by_________________________________
�i4
E IX.—That two ordinary Meetings of the Society
be held in each month, except the months of August
and September; but that the Council have the
power to appoint any additional Meeting, and fix
the day for an adjourned ordinary Meeting.
X. —That Members be entitled to introduce per
sonally a friend each at the ordinary Meetings, whose
names shall be entered, together with the names of
the Members introducing them, in a book kept for
that purpose; such Visitors not to take part in the
discussion, without permission of the Chairman.
XI. —That on the written requisition of twelve
Members, the Council call a Special General Meet
ing to consider any question with reference to the
affairs of the Society, and that at such Meeting no
other business but that stated in the requisition be
considered.
XII. —That no Rule be made or altered without
the consent of three-fourths of the Members pre
sent at the Special General Meeting called to con
sider the proposed alteration.
XIII. —That the Secretary send to each Member
of the Council due notice of each Council Meet-
�i5
ing; and to each Member of the Society due notice
of the Annual, and of every Special Meeting; in
each case stating the object for which the Meeting
has been called.
XIV. —That a Balance-sheet and Report be
drawn up by the Council, and presented at the
Annual General Meeting.
XV. —That at the ordinary Meetings, no vote
be taken with reference to the subject of the Paper
read, or discussion which may have taken place.
XVI. —That the Secretary keep Minutes of each
Meeting; such Minutes to consist of a short sum
mary of the Paper read, together with the Debate
thereon, and also any other proceedings which may
have taken place.
XVII. —That the Papers read before the So
ciety, or a copy of them, be delivered to the Secre
tary, and become the property of the Society ■ but
that no Paper be published without the consent of
its Author.
XVIII.—That the subjects proposed for discus
�sion be received, and the order in which they are
to be taken arranged, by the Council.
XIX. —That if the conduct of any Member be
such as to cast discredit on the Society, or to be
detrimental to its interests, a Special General
Meeting shall be called by the Council, according
to the provisions of Rule XI., at which Meeting
the expulsion of such Member may be resolved
upon, the conditions of Rule XII. being complied
with, and the Vote being taken by Ballot.
XX. —That except where otherwise stated, open
Voting be practised.
XXI. —That in the absence of the President,
each Meeting elect its own Chairman, whose de
cision on all matters of order shall be final.
XXII. —That the Annual Subscription be ten
shillings and sixpence, payable in advance.
XXIII.—That the Council have the power to
make such Bye-laws and other Regulations as from
time to time they may deem necessary; but that
no Bye-law or Regulation be made inconsistent
with the constitution of the Society, as set forth
in the Prospectus and fundamental Rules.
�17
XXIV. —That the Council have the power to in
vite persons of celebrity to read papers, or deliver
addresses before the Society.
XXV. —That at the conclusion of each Meet
ing, the subject to be considered at the following
Ordinary Meeting be announced, and that the
Secretary make known the subjects, if possible, not
less than three months in advance.
�BYE-LAWS.
I. —That the Session, commence on the ist of
October, and terminate on the 31st of July.
II. —That the ordinary Meetings be held at the
Rooms of the Society, 3 2a, George Street, Han
over Square, on the evenings of the first and third
Wednesday in each month during the session, and
that the proceedings commence at eight o’clock
precisely.
III. —That any ordinary Meeting held in the
first week of any month, maybe adjourned to the
night of ordinary Meeting in the third week of that
month; such adjourned Meeting to take prece
dence of all ordinary business of that night.
IV. —That no ordinary Meeting held in the
third week of any month be adjourned without
special leave previously obtained of the Council.
V. —That no adjourned ordinary Meeting be
held in the first week of any month.
�19
Papers and Discussions during the Session
. 1866—67.
1867.
Jan. 29.—Inaugural Meeting.
Feb. 5.-—“ On the Causes of Poverty and Low Wages.”
Dr. Drysdale.
19. —Adjourned Debate on Dr. Drysdale’s paper.
Mar. 5.—“On the Laws relating to the Tenure of Land.”
Dr. Chapman.
13.—“On the Medical Education of Women.”
Dr. Edmunds.
20. -—Adjourned Debate on Dr. Drysdale’s Paper.
April 3.—“ On the Political Philosophy of Thomas Carlyle.”
Mr. Smith.
17.—11 On Utilitarianism, as compared with Theological
or Dogmatic Standards of Morality.”
Dr. Drysdale.
May 1.—“ On the Influence of the Inquisition upon Spanish
Literature.”
Mr. Chidley.
15.—“ On Aggressive War : what are the circumstances
(if any) which justify it ?”
Mr. Smith.
June 5.—“ On Utility,—the ultimate Test of Morality.”
Mr. Shields.
19. — “On Waste, politico-economically considered.”
Dr. Edmunds.
July 3.—“ On Marriage-Contracts.”
Dr. Chapman.
17.—“ On the Credibility of Miracles.”
Mr. Warington.
�20
MEMBERS.
Philip Abraham, Esq., 147, Gower Street, W.C.
L. B. Abrahams, Esq., B. A., Jews’ Free School, Bell Lane,
N.E.
Roger Acton, Esq.,
Crescent, N.W.
n, Crescent Place, Mornington
Isidore G. Ascher, Esq., B.C.L., 6, Guildhall Chambers,
Basinghall Street, E.C.
Wynne E. Baxter, Esq., Bedford Park, Croydon, S.
Herman Beigel, Esq., M.D., 3, Finsbury Square, E.C.
H. R. Fox Bourne, Esq., 29, Brixton Place, S.
Thomas Bourne, Esq., 25, Somerset Street, Portman
Square, W.
H. Evans Broad, Esq., 5, Stratheden Villas, Hammer
smith, W.
F. Gordon Brown, Esq., M.R.C.S., 16, Finsbury Circus,
E.C.
N. J. Canstatt, Esq., M.R.C.S., 12, South Place, Fins
bury, E.C.
The Rev. John Chapman, Jews’ College, Finsbury Square,
E.C.
John Chapman, Esq., M.D., 25, Somerset Street, Portman
Square, W.
Sydney Chidley, Esq., 25, Old Jewry, E.C.
Andrew Clark, Esq., M.D., 23, Montague Place, Russell
Square, W.C.
�21
Frank Crisp, Esq., B.A., LL.B., 6, Old Jewry, E.C.
John Crowther, Esq., 94, Holborn Hill, W.C.
Charles R. Drysdale, Esq., M.D., 99, Southampton
Row, W.C.
R. William Dunn, Esq., M.R.C.S., 13, Surrey Street,
Strand, W.C.
Arthur E. Durham, Esq., F.R.C.S., F.S.S., 30, Brook
Street, Grosvenor Square, W.
D. H. Dyte, Esq., M.R.C.S., 15, Bury Street, E.C.
John Dyte, Esq., 32, Moorgate Street, E.C.
James Edmunds, Esq., M.D., 4, Fitzroy Square, W.
Mrs. Edmunds, 4, Fitzroy Square, W.
Pierce Egan, jun., Esq., Middle Temple, E.C.
James Ellis, Esq., M.D., St. Luke’s Hospital, Old Street,
E.C.
James H. Gough, Esq., B.A., Thames Conservancy Office,
Trinity Square, E.C.
Jacob Guedalla, Esq., 10, Clarendon Gardens, Maida
Vale, W.
Joseph Guedalla, Esq., 10, Clarendon Gardens, Maida
Vale, W.
William Hardwicke, Esq., M.D., 70, Momington Road,
N.W.
Ephraim Harris, Esq., B.A., Jews’ Free School, Bell
Lane, N. E.
Morris Harris, Esq., 8, Great Prescott Street, E.
A. Hartog, Esq., 15, Belsize Square, N.W.
George H. Haydon, Esq., Bethlem Hospital, Lambeth, S.
N. Heckford, Esq.,M.R.C.S., 5, Broad Street Buildings, E.C.
�22
Samuel Jackson, Esq., Guy’s Hospital, Borough, S.
H. L. Kempthorne, Esq., M.D., Bethlem Hospital, Lam
beth, S.
G. W. King, Esq., Eagle Wharf Road, N.
Albert Kisch, Esq., M.R.C.S., 2, Circus Place, Finsbury,
E.C.
James Knight, Esq., 71, Cheapside, E.C.
Joseph Knight, Esq., 8, Warden Road, Haverstock Hill,
N.W.
J. Baxter Langley, Esq., M.R.C.S., F.L.S., 50, Lincoln’s
Inn Fields, W.C.
J. S. Laurie, Esq., Hall Staircase, Inner Temple, E.C.
Gerald Levi, Esq., 8, Coleman Street, E.C.
Maurice H. Levirton, Esq., 2, Fen Court, Fenchurch
Street, E.C.
J. H. Levy, Esq., Education Department, Privy Council
Office, Downing Street, S.W.
The Rev. M. B. Levy, Synagogue, St. Alban’s Place, S.W.
Morell Mackenzie, Esq., M.D., 13, Weymouth Street,
Portland Place, W.
The Rev. P. Magnus, B.A., B. Sc., 29, Blandford Square,
N.W.
Frank R. Malleson, Camp Cottage, Wimbledon, S.W.
Mrs. Malleson, Camp Cottage, Wimbledon, S.W.
Henry Maudsley, Esq., M.D., 38, Queen Anne Street,
Cavendish Square, W.
J. Maurice, Esq., 3, Langham Place, Regent Street, W.
Bentley McLeod, Esq., 32, Moorgate Street, E.C.
B. M. Moss, Esq., 25, Store Street, Bedford Square, W.C.
�LONDON
DIALECTICAL
SOCIETY.
PRESIDENT.
Sir JOHN LUBBOCK, Bart., F.R.S.
VICE-PRESIDENTS.
ANDREW CLARK, Esq., M.D.
Prof. HUXLEY, F.R.S.
COUNCIL.
L. B. Abrahams, Esq., B.A.
John Chapman, Esq., M.D.
William Hardwicke, Esq., M.D.
James Knight, Esq.
J. H. Levy, Esq.
Henry Maudsley, Esq., M.D.
J. Rigby Smith, Esq.
TREASURER.
C. R. Drysdale, Esq., M.D.
HON. SECRETARY.
D. H. Dyte, Esq., M.R.C.S.
HON. SOLICITOR.
Sydney Chidley, Esq.
A UDITORS.
James H. Gough, Esq., B.A.
Bentley McLeod, Esq., (Messrs. Dyte, McLeod and
Leader, 32, Moorgate Street, E.C.)
�INDEX.
Prospectus
........
3
Rules................................................................................. 12
Bye-Laws-............................................
Papers for
List
of
the
Session 1866-67
.
18
...
19
Members.....................................
20
�23
E. J. Moss, Esq., 48, Edmund Terrace, Kensington, W.
H. Raymond, Esq., 8, York Grove, Peckham, S.E.
Alfred T. Rees, Esq., 13, Rydon Crescent, St. John
Street Road, E.C.
Walter Rivington, Esq., B.A.,M.S., 22, Finsbury Square,
E.C.
W. H. Mosse Robinson, Esq., Birdhirst. Croydon.
Henry Sewill, Esq., M.R.C.S.,20, Clifton Gardens, Maida
Vale, W.
W. A. Shields, Esq., Birkbeck Schools, Peckham, S.E.
James L. Shuter, Esq., 33, Farringdon Street, E.C.
A. Simons, Esq., B.A., Jews’ Free School, Bell Lane, N.E.
J. Rigby Smith, Esq., Education Department, Privy Council
Office, Downing Street, S.W.
James Spear, Esq., 6, Bishop’s Road, Bayswater, W.
P. Spiers, Esq., Jews’ Free School, Bell Lane, N.E.
H. C. Stephens, Esq., Grove House, Finchley, N.
William Taylor, Esq., 145, New Bond Street, W.
Arthur Waller, Esq., B.A., B.Sc., St. Thomas’s Hos
pital, Walworth, S.
George Warington, Esq., F.C.S., Apothecaries’ Hall,
Blackfriars, E.C.
William Rhys Williams, Esq., M.D., Bethlem Hospital,
Lambeth, S.
W. H. Witherby, Esq., M.A., M.D., Coombe, Croydon, S.
H. S. Yeomans, Esq, 35, . Upper East Smithfield, E.
G. G. Zerffi, Esq., Ph. D., 3, Warrington Gardens, Maida
Hill, W.
��y
^rosycdusi atul
OF THE
LONDON DIALECTICAL
SOCIETY.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY S. MELDOLA, 9, CRANE COURT,
FLEET STREET, E.C.
1866.
��PROSPECTUS,
That Truth is of all things the most to be desired,
and that it is best elicited by the conflict of opposing
opinions, are propositions on which all philosophers
are agreed, and which need only be enunciated to command universal assent.
Influenced by these considerations, and actuated
by the desire of giving them effect, several gentlemen
of various tastes, literary, scientific, and philosophical,
thought that a Society instituted for the purpose of
interchange of opinion on all subjects of interest,
would be to a certain extent a novelty, and would
favorable support.
They were aware that there already existed numerous Debating Societies, where mere surface-questions were argued, chiefly for the purpose of obtainKgMRe.tice in speaking, and where subjects held to
be of the highest importance were prohibited from
being discussed at all; but there did not appear to be
�4
a Society for the philosophical treatment of all ques
tions, especially those which lie at the root of the
differences of opinion which divide mankind,—such
questions, for instance, as are comprised in the domain
of Ethics, Metaphysics, and Theology.
It was designed, therefore, to establish not a mere
Debating Society, or Discussion Class, but an Asso
ciation with higher and more philosophical aims.
It appeared to the Founders, that for a Society
of this kind to be successful, Sectarianism of every
description must be rigidly excluded,—all distinc
tion founded upon social condition, occupation,
and the like, disregarded—and the only recognised
qualifications for Membership be an unstained cha
racter, and a genuine desire for the promotion of the
objects of the Society.
It was manifest, too, as an essential condition of
success—being indeed the fundamental principle of
the Society, that the most absolute freedom of de
bate should be permitted;—that no subject whatever
should be excluded on any ground save that of its
triviality, and that the restrictions and reservations
which obtain in ordinary Debating Societies should
have no place here.
A meeting of the Founders was subsequently held,
at which, after due deliberation, the following Reso
�lution was unanimously carried: “ That in the
“ opinion of this Meeting, it is desirable that a Philo“ sophical Association be formed for the discovery and
“ elMjgi of truth, upon all subjects, by means of
“argument and discussion.”
The first question to be considered was the name
by which the Society should be known; and with
reference to the title adopted, the following remarks
by Professor Bain, in his essay on Early Philosophy,
may not be out of place :
“The Essence of the Dialectic Method is to place
“ side by side, with every doctrine and its reasons, all
■ 4Ep8?sin£jdoctrines and their reasons, allowing these
“ to be stated in full by the persons holding them.
■ No doctrine is to be held as expounded, far less
“ proved, unless it stands in parallel array to every
“ other counter-theory, with all that can be said for
“each. For a short time this system was actually
‘MEinaained and practised; but the execution of
“ Sokrates gave it its first check, and the natural
“intolerance of mankind rendered its continuance
“impossible. Since the Reformation, struggles have
“been made to regain for the discussion of questions
^EfetUrally.—philosophical, political, moral, and
“religious, the two-sided procedure of the law-courts,
“ and perhaps never more strenuously than now.”
�6
Let the London Dialectical Society then, encoa*
rage and practise the method of teaching implied by
its title: let us remember that
“ Through mutual intercourse and mutual aid,
“ Great deeds are done, and great discoveries made,
“The wise new wisdom on the wise bestow,
“ Whilst the lone thinker’s thoughts come slight and slow.”
Let us emulate the example of the great Athenian
philosopher of antiquity, the aim of whose existence
was the demonstration of Reasoned Truth, and the
exposure of the errors and fallacies of his age,—who^
absolutely regardless of all consequences, passed his
life in the bold enunciation of the truth, and volung
tarily and cheerfully forfeited it in its defence,—
whose virtue, courage, and wisdom have earned for
him the veneration of posterity.
The Founders of the Society are aware of the diflL
culties to be encountered. They know that a Society
of individuals proposing to discuss every subject,
without the slightest reserve, will necessarily incur
considerable obloquy, and be the object of much
depreciatory remark and prophetic denunciation.
It will rest with the Members to prove by their
conduct in debate, that these unfavorable comments
and gloomy forebodings were based upon an
�1
erroneous conception of the principles upon which
the proceedings of the Association are to be conducted.
Ill a Society where such full liberty of debate is
granted, where matters on which men have deeplycherished opinions are openly and boldly discussed,
some little self-restraint must be exercised on the
one hand, and too great sensitiveness must not be exE^^d on the other. Debate must be conducted without any undue warmth of feeling,—arguments, and
not individuals, must be attacked,—imputation of motives must be avoided,—and the Chairman must exercise his authority with promptitude, impartiality,
rigor.
It is hardly necessary to express a hope that gentlemen will not consume the time of both themselves
and others by the consideration of questions of frivolous import or vexatious triviality. It was proposed indeed, to meet this difficulty by a Law, empowering the Council to exercise some kind of censorship; but it was thought better to leave the matter
to the good sense of the whole body of Members, in
the full confidence that any attempt at trifling
would be promptly and efficiently checked.
To conclude : the London Dialectical Society will
have effected much good, if by its means, persons are
�8
made to feel that to profess a belief on a disputed
question with regard to which they refuse to examine
the evidence, is an act altogether unworthy of a
rational being j and that the only method of arriving
at truth is by submitting one’s opinions to the test of
unsparing and adverse criticism.
Freedom of speech and thought are, not less than
personal freedom, the natural birthright of all Man
kind. To refrain from uttering opinions because
they are unpopular, betokens a certain amount of
moral cowardice,—engendered by long-continued paw
secution. To state fearlessly the truth, or what we
believe to be the truth, even though it be held only
by a few, is the act of all who consider the exercise
of private judgment a right, and the extension of
human knowledge a duty. But society generally has
not yet reached such a stage of progress, as to allow
individuals to give expression to their honest and
deliberate convictions, without inflicting upon them
penalties more or less severe. The effect of this is to
deter men from expressing opinions, which might, fee
corrected if erroneous, and accepted if true. In the
London Dialectical Society, however, not only will
no person suffer obloquy on account of any opinion
he may entertain or express, but he will be encou
raged to lay before his fellow-members, the fullest
�9
^•positron of his views. Even if this were not so, it
is to be hoped that Members of the Society will
possess sufficient moral courage to disregard, in the
interests of Truth, that social tyranny—the weapon
of Ignorance and Intolerance.
They are Slaves who will not choose
“ Hatred, scoffing, and abuse,
“Rather than in silence shrink
From the truth they needs must think.
“They are slaves who dare not be
In the right with two or three.”
Let us be mindful of the fact, that throughout the
whBpi&istory of the world, the voice of Authority has
EojgraaMy opposed new truths ; and, with an earnest
desire both to learn and teach, let us zealously follow
the practice of Dialectics, unaffected by the praises of
some, undeterred by the denunciations of others, but
conscious of honesty and purity of motive, and desirous for the wisdom and happiness of Man.
��RULES.
I. —That the Society be called “ The London DiaSociety.’ ’
lectical
II. —That the object of the Society be the philosoph^^^Ensideration of all subjects, with a view to the
discovery and elucidation of truth.
III. —That the Society consist of a President, VicePresidents and Members.
IV. —That the government of the Society be vested
in a ^Sfacil of nine, consisting of the Secretary, the
and seven other Members; three to be a
quorum.
V. —That the Council be elected by Ballot annually.
VI. —That vacancies occurring in the Council be
provisionally filled up by the remaining Members of the
Council.
VII. —That the President and Vice-Presidents be
elected by the Council, and that they enjoy all the privileges of ordinary Members.
�VIII.—That on and after the 1st of October 1866,
gentlemen desirous of becoming Members of the Society,
having filled up a form of application to be obtained,
of the Secretary (of which the annexed is a, copy)
be proposed and seconded at an ordinary Meeting, and
balloted for at the following Meeting, one black ball in
six to exclude; and that a person thus excluded be M)t
again proposed for a period of three months.
FORM OF APPLICATION.
Saving read the Prospectus and Pules of the Londo®
Dialectical Society, and cordially approving of its object, I
am desirous of becoming a Member, and request that my Name
be placed on the List of Candidates for Admission.
Signed ________________
Address_____________________
Date___________________
Proposed by_____________________
Seconded by_____________________
IX.—That the ordinary Meetings of the Society be
held on the evenings of the first and third Tuesday in
each month, except the months of August and Septem
ber ; but that the Council have the power to appoint
any additional Meeting, and fix the day for an adjourned
ordinary meeting.
�13
each Member be entitled to introduce perKnOI® a friend at the ordinary Meetings, whose name
shall be announced to the Meeting, and entered, toge
ther with the name of the Member introducing him, in
a book kept for that purpose; such Visitor not to take
part in the discussion.
XI. —That on the written requisition of twelve Mem
bers, the Council call a special general Meeting to consic^Pwnypiestion with reference to the affairs of the
Society, and that at such Meeting no other business but
that stated in the requisition be considered.
XII. —That no Rule be made or altered without the
consent of three-fourths of the Members present at the
special general Meeting called to consider the proposed
alteration—at which Meeting not less than one-half of
the members of the Society must be present.
XIII. —That the Secretary send to each Member of
the Council due notice of each Council Meeting; and to
each member of the Society due notice of the Annual.,
and of every Special Meeting ; in each case stating the
object for which the Meeting has been called.
XIV. —That a Balance-sheet and Report be drawn
up by the Council, and presented at the annual general
Meeting.
�u
XV. —That at the ordinary Meetings, no Vote be
taken with reference to the subject of the Paper read, or
Discussion which may have taken place.
XVI. —That the Secretary keep Minutes of each
Meeting; such minutes to consist of a short summary
of the Paper read together with the Debate thereon,
and also any other proceedings which may have taken
place.
XVII. —That the Papers read before the Society, or
a copy of them, be delivered to the Secretary, and be
come the property of the Society; but that no Paper
be published without the consent of its Author.
XVIII.—That at a general Meeting specially con-?
vened, the subjects proposed for discussion be received^
and that if there be more subjects than opportunities!
for meeting, the subjects for consideration be decided by
the Meeting, and the order in which they are to be
taken arranged by the Council.
XIX.—That if the conduct of any Member be such
as to cast discredit on the Society, or to be detrimental
to its interests, a special genera] Meeting shall be called
by the Council, according to the provisions of Pule Xl?
at which Meeting the expulsion of such Member may be
resolved, the conditions of Rule XII. being complied
with.
�15
XX. —That except where otherwise stated the Voting be conducted by Ballot.
XXI. —That open Voting be practised at Council
Meetings, election of Chairman at ordinary Meetings,
and under Rule XVIII.
XXII. —That in the absence of the President, each
general Meeting elect its own Chairman, whose decision
on all matters of order shall be final.
XXIII.—That the Annual Subscription be ten shillings and sixpence, payable in advance, on or before the
first Tuesday in October.
XXIV. That the Council have the power to make
such Bye-laws and other Regulations as from timo to
time they may deem necessary : but that no Bye-law or
Regulation be made inconsistent wjth the constitution
of the Society, as set forth in the Prospectus and fundamental Rules.
XXV. —That the Council have the power to invite
persons of celebiity to read papers, or deliver addresses
before the Society.
XXVI. —That at the conclusion of each Meeting,
the subject to be considered at the following ordinary
Meeting be announced, and that the Secretary make
known the subjects, if possible, not less than three
months in advance.
��
Dublin Core
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Title
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Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
Creator
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
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2018
Publisher
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
Text
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Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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London Dialectical Society
Creator
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London Dialectical Society
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: London
Collation: 23 p. ; 19 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway.
Publisher
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[s.n.]
Date
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1867
Identifier
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G5687
Subject
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Spiritualism
Rights
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<img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /><br /><span>This work (London Dialectical Society), identified by </span><span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a></span><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Format
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application/pdf
Type
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Text
Language
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English
Conway Tracts
London Dialectical Society
Spiritualism