{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_43237/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_43237","id":"gutenberg_43237","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43237","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Archaeology & Anthropology","Category: History - Other","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Occultism -- Early works to 1900","Spiritualism"],"text":"Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this\n      file which includes the original illustration.\n      See 43237-h.htm or 43237-h.zip:\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/43237/pg43237-images.html)\n      or\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43237/43237-h.zip)\n\n\n      Images of the original pages are available through\n      Internet Archive. See\n      https://archive.org/details/spiritland00emmo\n\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\n      Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).\n\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: THE SPIRIT LAND.]\n\n\nTHE SPIRIT LAND.\n\nby\n\nS. B. EMMONS.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhiladelphia:\nJohn E. Potter and Company.\nNos. 614 and 617 Sansom Street.\n\nEntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by\nL. P. Crown & Co.,\nin the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District\nof Massachusetts\n\n\n\n\nTO THE READER.\n\n\nThis volume is intended as an antidote to a species of errors that have\nbeen rife in every age of the Christian church. Notwithstanding the\ndisclosures the Most High made of himself to his ancient people, they\nwere yet prone to turn aside from the worship of the true God, to\nfollow the lying spirits of the prophets of Baal, and other deceivers,\nfrom the days of Moses till the destruction of Jerusalem. So, likewise,\nunder the Christian dispensation, there has been a succession of\nAntichrists, until their name is _legion_, whose teachings have clouded\nthe understandings and blinded the moral perceptions of men, subverting\nthe faith of many whose mountains stood strong, and who had been\ncounted the chosen people of God.\n\nThe present is viewed as an age of _isms_. Men have run mad, and are\nchasing phantoms. They are roaming round to find some fulcrum to\noverturn the church and the Bible; they are imagining they are\nreceiving utterances from heaven, when nothing is uttered but the\nvain fantasies of their own minds and hearts. It is the grossest\nfanaticism--fanaticism in its most frightful form, leading its unhappy\nvictims, not unfrequently, to flagrant crimes, and to the most horrid\nof all--that of self-destruction.\n\nThese pages are submitted to the public with the counsel of the wisest\nand best of all ages, that, amid the wily arts of the adversary, we\nshould cling to the word of God, the Bible of our fathers, as the only\nsafe and infallible guide of faith and practice.\n\n\n\n\nNOTE.\n\n\nWe would here give credit to the principal works from which valuable\nand important matter has been selected for these pages: Whitman's\nPopular Superstitions; Upham's Lectures upon Witchcraft; Christian\nFreeman and Family Visitor; Abercrombie on the Intellectual Powers;\nInfluence of the Imagination upon the Nervous System, by Rev. Grant\nPowers; Life of Adam Clarke; Hayward's Book of all Religions; Miller\non the Second Coming of Christ; Borrow's Gypsies of Spain; Stone on\nFalse Prophets and Christs; Dickens's Household Words; Capron and\nBarron on the Spirit Knockings; Dick on the Improvement of Society;\nRevelations of A. J. Davis; The Great Harmonia; Rogers on Human and\nMundane Agents; Miss Crowe's Night Side of Nature; Spiritual\nTelegraph, &c.\n\nAs the work embraces a mass of facts of an absorbing and intensely\ninteresting character, we trust that it will commend itself to an\nenlightened and judicious public.\n\nTHE AUTHOR.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\nPART FIRST.\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\nTHE OBJECT OF THIS WORK.\n\n                                                                 PAGE\n\nNursery tales of giants, dwarfs, ghosts, fairies, and witches.--\nTheir effect upon juvenile minds.--A belief in ghosts still\nprevalent.--The excitability of the public mind.--Ghost reported\nas having been seen in Waltham, Massachusetts.                     17\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nORIGIN OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.\n\nIgnorance of correct reasoning.--Conclusions from particular\nfacts.--Water boiled by heat.--Signs.--Breaking a mirror.--Gene\nral conclusions from a few facts.--A victim to superstition in\nNew Hampshire.--How signs may be multiplied.--The design of\nthe Creator in endowing us with reason.                            19\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nINDUCTIVE PHILOSOPHY NOT UNDERSTOOD.\n\nIgnorance of it the cause of many superstitions.--Lights seen in\nmarshy grounds, &c.--Supposed to be supernatural.--Causes of\nthese lights, and phenomena connected with them.--Shrinking and\nswelling of pork in boiling.--Cause.--Supposed influence of the\nmoon in making soap, grafting trees, cutting timber, &c.--Lunar\ninfluence in matters of wedlock.--Love not to be fed on\nmoonshine.                                                         22\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nIGNORANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS.\n\nFruitful source of superstitions.--Opinions of ancient divines.\n--Dreams related in the Scriptures.--Their object.--Principles\nof mental philosophy applied to modern dreams.--Examples of\nsingular dreams.--Dreams occasioned by sickness.--Fulfilment\nof certain dreams.--Causes of the same.--Remarkable case of\na German student.--Case of a member of Congress.--Amusing\ncase concerning a passage of Scripture.--Necessity of a pure\nconscience, and a careful attention to our stomachs.               24\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nEFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.\n\nIgnorance of it has given rise to many superstitions.--Experiments\nof Mesmer and Deslon in Paris.--Singular developments.--Trials at\nDr. Franklin's house.--Children uninfluenced by mesmeric operations.\n--Magnetizing a tree in Dr. Franklin's garden.--Experiments upon\ntwo females.--Effect produced.--Experiment upon a female by Dr.\nSigault.--Practice among the Chinese.--Girl frightened to death by\na Gypsy.--Practice among the New Zealanders.--Killing others by\nincantation.--Intercourse with departed spirits.--An account of\nPerkins's metallic tractors.--Their supposed influence in various\ndiseases.--Suspicions concerning them.--Experiments with wooden\ntractors.--Result of these experiments.--Statements of a modern\nmesmerizer.                                                        29\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nIGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY.\n\nThis ignorance a cause of many superstitions.--Case of a person\nwho slept in a bed room supposed to be haunted.--Skeleton seen by\nmoonlight.--Apparition seen by Dr. Gregory.--Case related by Dr.\nConolly.--Ship's crew frightened by an apparition.--Young lady\nsupposed to have been murdered by pirates.--Cases of impressions\nconnected with bodily disease.--Phantasms in febrile diseases.--A\nfarmer frightened to death by a light in the road.--A figure like\nDeath striking a lady in her side with a dart.--Illusion of sight\nand hearing.--Case of a lady who saw her absent husband standing\nby her side.--Countenance of a friend seen in a mirror.--Tunes\nheard.--Inverted objects.--Visions of the world of spirits.--Case\nof Baron Swedenborg.--Case of a lady in Boston, who saw her\ndeceased grandmother.--The phantom ship seen in New Haven.--The\nscience of optics.--Of nauscopy.--Cases of mirage.                 38\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nIGNORANCE OF TRUE RELIGION.\n\nGod the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.--The natural world governed\nby regular laws.--Sign of the howling of a dog under the window.--\nLucky and unlucky days.--Sir Matthew Hale's opinion.--Early laws of\nConnecticut.--Superstition of sailors.--Timidity of Voltaire.--\nPeace and happiness on all days.--How procured.                    50\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nBELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT.\n\nA witch as regarded by our fathers.--Compact or agreement with the\ndevil.--Carried through the air on brooms and spits.--Anointing their\nbodies with a magical ointment.--How to prepare the same.--Singular\nceremonies at the meetings of witches.--How they afflicted others.\n--The bewitched pins shown to Grace Greenwood.--Mode of examining\nand trying witches.--Witch catcher in England.--How he was arrested\nand condemned.--Singular record on a church book in Scotland.--\nNotice of the Salem witchcraft.--How such superstitions are to be\ndone away.--Witches and wizards of modern times.                   53\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nNECROMANCY AND FORTUNE TELLING.\n\nMoll Pitcher, the queen of the race.--Her place of abode.--Company\nthat visited her.--Member of a church sent to consult her.--Casting\nout evil spirits in Syria.--Account of Lady Hester Stanhope.--The\nastrologer of Hopkinton, Massachusetts.--Chief characteristic of\nfortune seekers.--Effects produced upon them.                      58\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nFAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS, AND GYPSIES.\n\nDescription of fairies, habits, localities, &c.--Subterranean spirits\nin Wales, called _Knockers_.--The _Brownies_ in Scotland.--A farmer\nin Ireland who was tormented by fairies.--Method taken to appease\ntheir anger.--Spenser's poem of the Fairy Queen.--Gypsies and their\nemployments.--Casting the evil eye.--Safeguard against it.--Charm of\nthe Bible and key.--Superstition called the _elf-shot_.--Practice of\npoisoning animals, and the cure.--Superstitions concerning the\nloadstone.--Translation of St. Luke into the Gypsy tongue.--\nSingular notions of the Gypsies concerning it.--Condemned by the\nroyal edict at Madrid.--The Gypsy choirs at Moscow.--Anecdote of\nMadame Catalini.                                                   61\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nOMENS, CHARMS, AND DIVINATION.\n\nBooks published upon these things.--Their injurious tendency.--A\nsample of their contents.--Practice of boxers.--Whistling in a\nstorm at sea.--Setting hens on an _odd_ number of eggs.--Salutes\nof an _odd_ number of guns.--Omen concerning the number _thirteen_.\n--Methods of ascertaining who will be a future husband.--Crossing\nof knives.--Click of insects.--Advent of comets.                   76\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nMODERN MIRACLES.\n\nThey partake of superstition.--Instructions of the Savior concerning\nthem.--Object of Scripture miracles.--Modern miracles not satisfactory.\n--Judge Howe's opinion concerning Christianity.--Times of miracles\nceased.                                                            79\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nFALSE PROPHETS AND CHRISTS.\n\nHistory of the prophet Matthias.--His career in Albany and New York.\n--His deceptions upon conspicuous individuals.--His arrest for\nalleged crimes.--Account of John of Leyden.--Sketch of Cochrane,\nand his impositions.                                               81\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nMORMON SUPERSTITION.\n\nAccount of the golden plates found by Joseph Smith.--Their\ntranslation and publication in a volume.--Peculiar style of the\nwritings.--Attempt at imitation.--Mormon preachers speaking with\nnew tongues.--Increase of the doctrine, and why.--Mormon cities\nnot to be identified.--Strong indications of fabrication.--\nFluency and earnestness of their preachers.--Traits of the\nCochranites.--Effects produced upon their hearers.--An account\nof the _real_ origin of the Mormon Bible, and its author.--Of\nJoseph Smith, Jr., the Mormon prophet.--His early characteristics.\n--Exposure of the indecent ceremonies at Nauvoo; as established\nby Smith and others.                                               96\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nMILLER DELUSION.\n\nProphecies of Mr. Miller.--His computation of time.--Management\nto suit his own particular views.--Keeping the world standing\nthirty years on a simple _if_.--Various blunders and mistakes.\n--Confession of his errors.--False information respecting signs.\n--Disappearance of stars.--Of the Aurora Borealis.--Shooting\nstars.--Sun and moon turning to blood.--Darkness of the sun.--\nIts cause.--Remarkable appearances in various ages of the world.\n--Opinion concerning Halley's comet.--Ignorance of the constitution\nof comets.--The comet of 1770.--Tests of signs that shall indicate\nthe end of time.--Scientific men stationed in various parts of the\nearth.--No such changes as have been spoken of by the second\nadvent preachers, observed by them.                               102\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nINTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS.\n\nSpirits, ghosts, and spectres seen in all ages.--Account of the\nmagic crystals, or divining glasses.--Seeing spirits in Egypt.--\nLady Blessington's crystal in England.--Spirit of Lord Nelson\ndescribed.--The Latin language commonly used by spirits.--An\naccount of spirits that live in the SUN.--Spirits conversing\nwith human beings.--Mode of communication by letters of fire,\nor large printed _capitals_.--Interview with the spirit of\n_Pharaoh_.--His present dwelling in the planet _Jupiter_.--\nInformation gleaned in conversation with him.--Swedenborg's\naccount of Sir John Franklin.--Describes his situation, blocked\nup by _ice_.--Spirits do not understand about _latitude_ and\n_longitude_.--Description of the spirit of Socrates, his dress,\n&c.--Account of the emperor Alexander in the spirit world.--\nDickens's account of fashionable dupes in England.--The sciences\nof astrology and magic.--Practices of high titled ladies in\nLondon.--Account of famous conjurers, or fortune tellers.--\nAccount of the \"rappers,\" or \"knocking spirits.\"--Children\nfrightened by their noises.--Snapping of fingers, and clapping\nof hands, imitated by the spirits.--Mrs. Fox asks questions of a\nspirit.--Answers given by a succession of _raps_.--Account of a\nghost that appeared in Waltham, Massachusetts.--Conversation with\nthe ghost by a gentleman.--Said he had been murdered, and told by\nwhom.--Tones of the ghost, (unearthly,) its mode of walking, &c.\n--Great excitement on account of the ghost.--Mode of communication\nwith the _rapping_ spirits.--Tables and chairs moved, sounds heard,\n&c.--Band of music, beating of the _bass drum_, and roar of artillery.\n--Guitar played by unseen hands.--Ladies' hair taken down and\nbraided by spirits.--People touched by unseen hands.--How spirits\nproduce the sounds of _music_.--How they make the _rapping_ noises.\n--Account of an interview with the spirit of Dr. Franklin.--\nSounds heard like trying the batteries in the telegraph office.--\nOccupation of Franklin in the spirit world.--Getting up a line of\ncommunication between the two worlds.--Dr. Franklin predicts great\nchanges in the nineteenth century.--Connection of _magnetism_ with\nthe _spiritual rappings_.--Clairvoyant interpreters between men\nand spirits.--Spiritual postmasters, letter paper, and envelopes.\n--Letters received from the spiritual worlds.--The _Spirit Journal_,\nin Auburn, New York.--Its pages edited, controlled, and superintended\nby _spirits_.--The _prophets_ and _apostles_ its conductors, acting\nunder the LORD SUPREME.--Blunders and errors of the rapping spirits.\n--Ignorant spirits.--Mischief produced by them.--Swedenborg's account\nof their stupidity.--How to distinguish the sounds made by an\nignorant or an intelligent spirit.--Wonderful precocity of infant\nspirits.--Progression of spirits, both upwards and downwards.--\nThe spirit of Dr. Channing _deteriorated_ in the other world.--\nTheological teachings of the rapping spirits.--Prophecy of\nSwedenborg concerning the year 1852.--Noises of the _rappers_\nindicative of the approach of his prediction.--Are to be considered\nas _omens_ of a new advent.--Compared with the Miller prophecy of\n1843.--Miracles, both of the rappers and the Millerites.--A sick\nman and his bed taken up by spirits.--The body of a Mr. Gordon\ntaken up by spiritual hands.--Miracles wrought in favor of\n_Millerism_.--Miracles wrought in favor of _witchcraft_.--\nMillerites taken up by spiritual hands.--Strange noises made\nby _spirits_ among the Adventists.--Houses shaken, mirrors\nshattered to pieces, furniture broken.--Four women carried\nthrough the air on a _pole_.--Testimony under oath respecting\nit.--Account of a bewitched _ventriloquist_.--Witches in 1850.\n--What the editor of a Boston journal says of them.--Witches,\nghosts, spooks, and hobgoblins, in all ages of the world.--\nAccount of a haunted house in Boston.--Every window illuminated\nat midnight.--A young man frightened by the scene.--Singular\nnotion of the Greenlanders respecting the cause of thunder,\nand of the Aurora Borealis.--Notion of the ancients concerning\nthe foundation of the earth.--Of the mathematician Kepler.--\nPerformance of Signor Blitz.--Effects produced by _ventriloquism_.\n--Singular vibrations of the guitar.--Spirit rappings considered\nas a new science.--Noises heard by the Wesley family, in 1716.\n--Noises heard by Martin Luther.--Empty barrels and hogsheads\ntumbling down stairs.--Information of past, present, and future\nevents.--The fortune tellers in comparison with the spirit rappers.\n--Spirits unwilling or unable to spell their own names.--Spiritual\ncommunications on the decline.--Contrast between the doings of\nancient and modern spirits.--Swedenborg's information concerning\nthe spirit of Melancthon.--A clairvoyant interview with Tom Paine.\n--Account of an interview with Mr. Sunderland.--Dialogue with a\nyoung lady.--Interview with a clairvoyant medium in Lowell.--Facts\nrespecting mesmeric operations.--People deceived by \"sympathetic\nspirits.\"--Judson J. Hutchinson made insane.--Exposure of the\ndeception practised upon him.--Davis's account of Benjamin\nFranklin.--Dr. Phelps concerning the \"spirit rappers.\"--Singular\ndevelopments at his house.--How tables, chairs, &c., are moved by\nspirits.--Exhibitions of \"chin music\" in London.--Singular\ntransactions in England, as related by Dr. Thomas Dick.--Tricks\nperformed by Joe Collins of Oxford.--Spirits seen by the votaries\nof St. Vitus, and the Shakers of later times.                     118\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nEVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.\n\nGreat waste of time.--Ceremonies among the ancients.--Practices\nin Catholic countries.--Injurious practices in Protestant\nlands.--Dreams, visions, signs, tricks, omens, &c.--Great waste\nof human life.--Account of the trial by _ordeal_.--Murder of\ninnocent persons.--Belief in dreams and forewarnings.--Modern\nmiracles, appearances of the dead, &c.--Unfavorable influence of\na belief in dreams.--The death watch, new moon, &c.--Predictions\nof Nanny Scott.--Of the good Mrs. Taylor.--Marriages on a stormy\nday.--Practice of wedded couples.--Moles on the wrong side of the\nbody.--Opening books, tricks, fortune telling.--Practice of a\nlady in a clergyman's family.--Disadvantageous matrimonial\nalliances.--Anticipation of dreadful calamities.--Practice of\nRev. John Wesley.--Temperaments of Melancthon and Luther.--Luck,\nchance, fatality, &c.--Saul and the witch of Endor.--Conjurers\nand impostors.--Injury done to the cause of medicine.--King's\ntouch in scrofula.--The _ninth_ son of a _ninth_ son.--The\n_seventh_ son of a _seventh_ son.--Cure by the cold hands of\na malefactor.--Plaster on a pitchfork; polishing rusty nails.\n--A female heart made into pills for consumption.--Heart taken\nout of a female in Maine, and in Waltham, Massachusetts, and\nmade into pills.--Influence of the imagination.--Account of a\nMr. Austin, in Vermont.--His singular mode of healing the sick.\n--Account of the celebrated _rain-water_ doctor.--Sketch of an\n_astrological_ physician in New York.--Of Valentine Greataks\nand Francisco Bagnone.--Momentary relief obtained, and why.--\nInjury done to the cause of religion.--Account of the Pharisees,\ncompared to vipers and toads, and their numerous progeny.--How\nwe may know a Pharisee.--A young man catechized by our Savior.\n--St. Paul once a Pharisee.--Proof.--Customs among the Catholics.\n--Practices of many Protestants.--Mistaken views upon religion.\n--Views concerning Satan.--Satan _versus_ Cotton Mather.--Professor\nStuart's views concerning the devil.--_Periodical_ revivals\nof religion; the cause.--How to have a constant revival.          165\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nBANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.\n\nHow shall it be effected?--The proper use of our _reasoning\nfaculties_.--The exercise of our understandings.--Persevering\nself-discipline.--Conduct towards believers in ghosts, signs,\n&c.--Misconduct in families; trying tricks, &c.--How we should\nemploy our time.--Belief in an all-wise Providence, as Governor\nand Controller of all events.--Importance of a correct education\nof youth.--Nursery tales and marvellous stories.--Their baneful\ninfluence.--Correct examples before children.--Superstitious\ntales to be avoided.--Attention to the means of education.--\nImmense value and importance of knowledge.--No lack of means\nto educate the young.--Money foolishly wasted in various ways.\n--Perseverance in laudable exertions.--The blessing of Heaven\nto crown our labors.                                              185\n\n\nPART SECOND.\n\nMIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.\n\nMiracle performed by spirits in Springfield, Massachusetts.--Case\nof biological deception.--Case of a \"writing medium.\"--Effects\nproduced by pathetism.--Incident related by Miss Martineau.--\nTravelling to other countries, and to other spheres.--Singular\nfeat by a boy of Dr. Phelps.--Wonderful case of a lady in New\nJersey.--Advice of Hon. Horace Greely.--Testimony of Rev. Dr.\nPhelps.                                                           191\n\n\nPERSONS TRAINED BY A LECTURER ON MAGNETISM.                       199\n\n\nSCENE AT EAST BOSTON.\n\n\"Circle\" at the house of Mr. Hoyt, at East Boston.--Effects of\nvital electricity.--Imitating handwritings, writing poetry, music,\n&c.                                                               200\n\n\nEXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER.\n\nFacts related by a gentleman of Maine.--Renunciation of a spirit\nrapper.--Murder committed at the instigation of \"spirits.\"--\nConflicting testimony concerning John Thompson.--Experiments\nof Mr. Kellogg, the table lifter.--Discovery by Dr. Taylor,\nthe writing medium.--Renunciation of Mr. Cooley, of Springfield,\nMassachusetts.--Attempt to murder a family in Barre, Massachusetts.\n--Sacrifice of the innocent in heathen countries.--Great danger\nin civilized communities.--Reports concerning the burning of\nthe Lunatic Asylum in Maine.--Testimony of Professor Stowe.--\nReply of Bingham to Professor Pond.--Singular confessions of the\nreviewer.--Intelligence said to be communicated by \"spirits.\"--\nVital electricity of embodied and disembodied spirits.            203\n\n\nEXTRACT FROM THE HOME JOURNAL.\n\nStar singers, concerts, parties, and lectures in the other\nspheres.--Studies of French, Italian, geology, chemistry, drawing,\n&c.--Semi-clergymen, outsiders, or come-outers.                   215\n\n\nFORETELLING FUTURE EVENTS.\n\nPrediction concerning the ship Staffordshire.--General Pierce's\nelection foretold by Professor Anderson's glass bell.--False\npredictions of the \"spirits.\"--Error committed by Professor\nLester.--Suggestion of a lady to a sick friend.--Sentiments of\nAlexander Pope.                                                   218\n\n\nVISIONS, MIRACLES, AND WONDERS.\n\nSights, sounds, signs, miracles, maps, drawings, hieroglyphics.\n--Talking cow in Maine.--Her prophecy.--Proposition for _another_\n\"NEW CHURCH.\"--Predictions concerning all other churches.--\nOpinions three hundred years ago.--Fate of Galileo.               220\n\n\nCLAIRVOYANT PHYSICIANS.\n\nPrescriptions from the dead.--Power of the imagination.--Wonderful\nefficacy of brown bread pills.--Singular cure of palsy, by Sir\nHumphrey Davy.                                                    221\n\n\nSTYLE OF \"SUPERNAL\" COMPOSITIONS.\n\nFishbough's new work.--Fancy-captivating publications.--Refined\natheism.--Transcendental nonsense.--False communications relating\nto patriots, statesmen, orators, and divines.--Mountebank scenes\nof \"psychology.\"--Testimony of A. J. Davis, upon the tricks of\nthe spirit demonstrators.--Concealments, misstatements, and\nexaggerations.                                                    223\n\n\nMYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES.\n\nThumping noises in New Jersey.--Door opened as if struck by a\nmallet.--Great excitement.--Glass broken, &c.--Knockings heard in\nNew Hackensack.--Pile of lumber shaken; tables, chairs, stand,\nand candlestick thrown about.--Bags of salt, tin ware, and\ncooking utensils thrown in a heap.--An English officer haunted by\nnoises in the night.--Heavy marble top tables poising themselves\non two legs.--Brass door knockers bewitched.--Commotion among\ncrockery, tin ware, &c.--Firing a gun at noises in the walls.\n--Tearing up floor to get at the noises.--Suit brought for\ndamages.--Bed of a sick girl raised.--Trembling of the house\nwalls.--Singular pranks in a factory.--Jerking of the frames,\nand cylinder thrown at a distance.--Alarm and flight of the\noperatives.--A chest with three men, and a man on a tub, taken\nup by an invisible power.--A chair broken between two men's\nhands.--An image seated on a stool, clad in white.--Visions of\nbeings like spirits.--Knockings on the walls, and noises in the\nair.--A lady suspended by the tips of the fingers, as a magnet\nsuspends a piece of iron.--Electrical flashes from a lady's\nbody.--Knockings made to be heard at a distance.--Quotation from\na work by Rev. T. Hill, of Waltham.--Singular developments in New\nYork.--Freaks of a knob of a door bell.--Fiery flashes, and fiery\nsmacks, on kissing.--Blows in the mouth from a speaking tube.--\nAccount of two girls that could move tables without touching them.\n--Effects of storms on raising tables.--Electrical circles in\nCincinnati.--Case of a lady in Strasburg.--Power of giving\nelectrical shocks to persons at a distance.--Singular effects\nof the northern lights on a lady.                                 224\n\n\nEXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY.\n\nChairs, tables, and persons moved.--Biological table-liftings in\nEast Boston.--\"Mediums,\" as visible human operators.--Resolve of\nthe \"rappers\" at Poughkeepsie.--The unseen agent that moves\ntables, beds, &c.--Dancing plates, knives and forks, &c.          264\n\n\nFACULTY OF IMITATION.\n\nDelivering speeches; imitating orators.--Case related by Walter\nScott.--Case of a man haunted by the devil.--Effects of wine and\nheavy eating.--Voice heard by Judge Edmonds.--Lady in Providence\nwho writes music by \"spirits.\"--Diagram of the spheres, by a lady\nin a magnetic state.                                              268\n\n\nUNSEEN LETTERS AND SIGNATURES.\n\nImitating unseen letters, signatures, and languages.--Suspicions\nconcerning Professor Bush.--Singular feat attributed to spirits.\n--No difficulty in raising chairs or tables.--Spirits shown by\nEgyptian boys.--Unbelief of practising \"mediums.\"--School\nchildren forbidden to move tables, &c.                            273\n\n\nA DANCING LIGHT.\n\nDancing light seen in Southboro', Massachusetts.--_Ignis\nfatuus_ seen by Dr. Derham.--Corpusants seen by mariners.--\nDampier's account of them.                                        274\n\n\nSAILORS' OMENS.\n\nSailors' omens and superstitions.--Devil's power in stirring up\nwinds.--Losing a cat overboard, a bucket, or a mop.               276\n\n\nLOVE CHARMS.\n\nOthello winning Desdemona by conjuration.--Execution of a young\nlady for giving a love powder.--Her dying confession.--A charm or\nan allay for love.                                                277\n\n\nEFFECTS OF A BELIEF IN A GHOST.\n\nEffects of a belief in the reality of ghosts.--Case at the\nUniversity at Cambridge.--A student frightened to death.          279\n\n\nTHE INVISIBLE LADY.\n\nThe invisible lady in Boston.--The invisible girl in London.--\nJoice Heth, the India rubber woman.--Professor Grimes's\ndiscovery among the \"rappers.\"--Mrs. Culver respecting the\nRochester rappers.                                                280\n\n\nSORCERERS IN THE EAST.\n\nPersons killed by the enemy's fires.--Singular custom in Java.    281\n\n\nSINGULAR METAMORPHOSES.\n\nMen turned into tigers by eating a certain root, and turned back\nagain by eating another.--A tiger-man shot in the woods and\nrecognized, after having devoured some of his neighbors.--Account\nof the wolf mania in Egypt and in Brittany.--A husband that lived\nand died a wolf.                                                  282\n\n\nPERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH.\n\nAstrology.--Vegetable oil of swallows, &c.--Cleanliness, diet,\n&c.--Ablution.--Ventilation.--Food.--Quality of meats.            284\n\n\n\n\nTHE SPIRIT LAND.\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nThe object of this treatise upon some of the various errors of the past\nand present ages is to explain their nature--investigate their\norigin--describe their injurious effects--and to offer and recommend\nthe necessary measures for their banishment. Most persons, even those\nwho have been well educated, can call to mind the avidity with which,\nin their days of childhood, they listened to the nursery tales of\ngiants, dwarfs, ghosts, fairies, and witches. The effects of these\njuvenile impressions are not easily effaced from the mind, and the\nimpressions themselves are but rarely, if ever, forgotten.\n\nTo doubt, in former times, the power of charms, and the veracity of\nomens, and ghost stories, was deemed little less than atheism. The\nterror caused by them imbittered the lives of persons of all ages. It\neither served to shut them out of their own houses, or deterred them\nfrom going abroad after it was dark. The room in which the head of a\nfamily died was for a long time untenanted; particularly if he died\nwithout a will, or was supposed to have entertained any peculiar\nreligious opinions. If any disconsolate maiden, or love-crossed\nbachelor, became the instrument of their own death, the room where the\nfatal deed was committed was rendered forever uninhabitable, and not\nunfrequently nailed up. If a drunken farmer, returning from market,\nfell from his horse, and by the fall broke his own neck, that spot,\never after, was haunted and impassable. In truth, there was scarcely a\nby-lane or cross-way but had its ghost, which appeared in the shape of\na headless cow or horse. Ghosts of a higher degree rode in coaches,\ndrawn by six headless horses, and driven by a headless coachman. As for\nthe churchyards, the legitimate habitations of spectres, clothed all in\nwhite, the numbers who swarmed there equalled the living parishioners;\nand to pass such a place in the night was more perilous than the\nstorming of Badajos.\n\nConfuted and ridiculed as these opinions have been, in later days, the\nseeds of them are still widely diffused, and at times attempt to spring\nup in all their earlier excess. In the year 1832, crowds of men, women,\nand children flocked to the village of Waltham, a few miles from\nBoston, to see a ghost which was said to make its appearance towards\nmidnight, walking to and fro in a turf meadow, declaring itself, in\nunearthly tones, to be the spirit of a murdered man, whose bones lay in\na mud hole near by. The excitement spread many miles around, and\nhundreds from the city and neighboring towns hied to the spot, with\neyes agape, to behold the solemn visitor from the spirit world. And\nsuch was the credulity inspired in the minds of the people, that a\nclergyman in the vicinity declared from his pulpit, on the following\nSabbath, that the awful crime of murder had been revealed by the spirit\nwhich had appeared in Waltham! Such is the _excitability_ of the\nmind, and its tendency (notwithstanding the light that has been\nscattered abroad) to give credence to all the vagaries and nonsense of\nthe darker ages.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.\n\n\nIgnorance of correct reasoning has undoubtedly given rise to many\nsuperstitions. Inductive reasoning teaches us to infer general\nconclusions from particular facts which have come under our\nobservation. This definition may be illustrated by an example. You know\nthat water boils on the application of a certain degree of heat. You\nhave seen this experiment tried many times without a single failure.\nYou therefore conclude that water will always boil on the application\nof this degree of heat, although you have seen it applied but to a\nsmall portion of the water in creation. Thus you draw this _general_\nconclusion from the few _particular_ facts which you have witnessed.\nBut had you noticed several failures in the trial, your conclusions\nwould have been doubtful. And if the experiment had failed ninety-nine\ncases out of a hundred, you would have adopted an opposite conclusion.\nYou would have said that the application of the specified degree of\nheat would not boil water. In this way, logical reasoning leads to the\ndiscovery of truth. Now, apply this principle of sound reasoning to the\nwhole mass of pretended _signs_. Let me select one to show you the\nabsurdity of believing in any. It is commonly reported that the\nbreaking of a looking glass betokens death to some member of the\nfamily. This sign probably originated in the following manner: A death\nhappened to follow the breaking of a mirror. Some ignorant person\nimmediately concluded that the breaking of the glass was a sure sign of\ndeath. The story soon spread among credulous people, and at length was\nhanded down from generation to generation as an established truth. But\nyou readily perceive the absurdity of forming this _general_ conclusion\nfrom _one_ or a _few_ particular facts. We all know that death does not\nfollow the supposed sign oftener than once in a hundred times; and\ntherefore the breaking of the glass is almost a sure sign that no death\nwill immediately take place in the family. But as mirrors are always\nbreaking, and people are always dying, it is not strange that the\nlatter event should sometimes follow the former. It would be a miracle\nif it did not. But the events have no connection whatever with each\nother. The coincidence in any case is altogether accidental. We might\nwith the same reason affirm that the breaking of a teakettle is the\nsign of death, or any thing else, as the breaking of a mirror. But the\ntruth is, there is no sign in the case. It first originated in\nignorance of correct reasoning, and has been perpetuated by the\ncredulous. It is but a short time ago that a girl in Exeter, N.H.,\nbroke a mirror. She believed that ill luck always followed such an\nevent and therefore became seriously affected in her mind. Finally, her\nstrength failed, and she died a victim to her superstition. Hence we\nperceive the great importance of a just conception and well-informed\njudgment upon such apparently trifling, yet oftentimes serious events,\nin their effects upon social and individual happiness.\n\nWe have only to apply this principle of correct reasoning to every sign\nin existence, to find them to be superstitious. We shall find, upon\ninvestigation, that they are based upon no rational evidence, and\nconsequently are not entitled to our belief or confidence. If they\nindicate any thing, it is something directly opposite to what is\ngenerally supposed, for they do not come to pass more than once in a\nhundred times, and therefore warrant a different conclusion. Not only\nso. If you believe in the present pretended signs, you may make a\nmillion more equally good. A man quarrels after drinking a glass of\nwine; you may therefore say that taking a glass of wine is the sign of\na quarrel. A man draws a prize in a lottery; you may say therefore that\nthe purchase of a ticket is the sign of a fortune. A man dies after\nsupper; you may say therefore that eating supper is the sign of death.\nIn this you may multiply signs to infinity, and they will prove just as\ntrue as any now in existence. But our Creator has endowed us with\nunderstanding. He has given us reason to regulate our belief by\nsatisfactory evidence. And if we do this, we cannot believe in\n_any_ of the pretended signs. We must conclude that they have all\noriginated in ignorance of correct reasoning, and are kept in\nremembrance by those who will not use their intellectual powers as\ntheir Maker designed.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nINDUCTIVE PHILOSOPHY NOT UNDERSTOOD.\n\n\nIgnorance of inductive philosophy has given rise to many superstitions.\nBy the means of inductive philosophy, we are enabled to trace effects\nto their true causes. For example: Lights have frequently been seen\ndancing over marshy grounds, near tan-yards, and burying-places, and\nalong the sea shore. Credulous people have believed them to be the\nspirits of the uneasy dead. This belief must be considered\nsuperstitious, not having any foundation on rational evidence.\nPhilosophy teaches that these lights are occasioned by an inflammable\ngas, which arises from decayed animal and vegetable substances, and\ntakes fire on coming in contact with atmospheric air. Thus we may trace\nall effects to their true causes.\n\nMany persons have supposed that pork killed in the increase of the moon\nwould swell in boiling, while that killed in her wane would shrink.\nThis opinion probably originated in the following manner: Some person\nkilled, at different periods of the moon, two hogs which had been born\nand fattened together. That killed in her increase swelled in boiling;\nwhile the other, killed in her wane, shrunk. He could conceive of no\nway to account for the facts but on the supposition of lunar influence.\nThis conclusion was accordingly adopted, and at length became an\nestablished truth. Yet there was no philosophy in forming this opinion\nfrom a few such facts. More experiments should have been tried; and\nthey results would have shown that the real cause of the swelling and\nshrinking existed in the constitution of the animals. It would have\nbeen discovered that pork of fine and solid texture would commonly\nswell, whenever killed; while that of loose and coarse grain would as\ngenerally shrink. And the person would no more have thought of\nattributing the difference in his pork to the moon than to the spirit\nof Bonaparte.\n\nLet this philosophic principle be applied to this whole class of\nsuperstitions, and we shall arrive at similar results. There is the\nsupposed influence of the moon on making soap, grafting trees, cutting\ntimber, and also upon the fortunes of love-sick swains and maidens. The\nlatter are directed to go out in the evening and stand over the bars of\na gate, and, looking on the moon, repeat the following lines:--\n\n    \"All hail to the moon! all hail to thee!\n    I pray thee, good moon, reveal to me,\n    This night, who my husband shall be.\"\n\nThey must then go directly to bed, and will dream of their future\nhusband. Upon trial of the experiment, they will probably be inclined\nto consider it a dreamy notion altogether; for love is of too serious a\nnature to be fed upon mere _moonshine_.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nIGNORANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS.\n\n\nIgnorance of the causes of our dreams has given rise to many\nsuperstitions. Ancient divines have told us that some of our dreams\nproceed from ourselves, others from the Deity, and others again from\nthe devil. We know, to be sure, from experience, that dreams proceed\nfrom ourselves in _some_, if not in all cases. We admit, however,\nthat God has spoken to some of his dependent creatures by dreams; for\nwe learn this from the Holy Scriptures. But such dreams were direct\nrevelations for the accomplishment of some divine purpose. The volume\nof revelation was long since closed, and all that is essential to the\npresent and eternal happiness of mankind is plainly revealed. There is\ntherefore no necessity for any further communications from Heaven; and\nthe gospel does not authorize us to expect any. Dreams may sometimes\nstrike a conviction upon the mind, which our waking thoughts may fail\nto do. And they may sometimes have the appearance of being fulfilled;\nand yet there may be no necessity of supposing that God has made us the\nspecial organ of divine communications. Our dreams, in such cases, may\nbe explained upon the principles of mental philosophy, without\nresorting to the miraculous interposition of Deity for an explanation.\n\nTo say that the devil is the author of all our disagreeable dreams that\nhappen generally when we are in some trouble of body, mind, or estate,\nis too absurd to believe. And it is specially unbecoming the followers\nof Jesus to harbor an opinion so unbecoming in itself, so pernicious in\nits consequences, and so derogatory to the supreme Ruler of the\nuniverse. The true doctrine is, that our dreams originate from\nourselves. Some are influenced by our bodily sensations. A person with\na bottle of hot water at his feet dreams of ascending \u00c6tna; and he\nfinds the heat of the ground almost insupportable. Another kicks the\nbed clothes from his feet, and dreams of walking through snow banks,\neven in the summer season. Some dreams are influenced by the state of\nour stomach and bowels. The hungry prisoner dreams of well-furnished\ntables and the pleasures of eating. The glutton dreams of a surfeit and\nits attendant unpleasant sensations. Some dreams are influenced by our\ndispositions. The person of amiable temper and cheerful spirits is\nfrequently refreshed with delightful scenes and visions of bliss; while\nthose of morose, gloomy, irritable, and melancholy habits are generally\nharassed with those of a disagreeable and oppressive character. Some\ndreams are influenced by the state of our health. Sickness is usually\nproductive of those of an unpleasant nature; while health secures those\nof an opposite description. A gentleman, mentioned by Locke, was not\nsensible of dreaming till he had a fever, at the age of twenty-six or\nseven. Some dreams are influenced by our waking thoughts. The\nmathematician solves difficult problems. The poet roves in Elysian\ngroves. The miser makes great bargains. The sensualist riots in the\nhaunts of dissipation. The criminal sees the dungeon or the gallows.\nThe awakened sinner beholds the flames of hell, or looks upon the\nsceptre of pardon; and the Christian anticipates heavenly joy.\n\nStrong mental emotions are sometimes embodied into a dream, which, by\nsome natural coincidence, is fulfilled. A murderer, mentioned by Mr.\nCombe, dreamed of committing murder some years before the event took\nplace. A clergyman on a visit to the city of Edinburgh, from a distance\nin the country, was sleeping at an inn, when he dreamed of seeing a\nfire, and one of his children in the midst of it. He awoke with the\nimpression, and instantly started for home. When he arrived within\nsight of his house, he found it on fire, and got there in time to\nassist in saving one of his children, who, in the alarm and confusion,\nhad been left in a situation of danger. Without calling in question the\npossibility of supernatural communications in such cases, this striking\noccurrence may perhaps be accounted for on simple and natural\nprinciples. Let us suppose that the gentleman had a servant who had\nshown great carelessness in regard to fire, which had often given rise\nin his mind to a strong apprehension that he might set fire to the\nhouse. His anxiety might be increased by being from home, and the same\ncircumstances might make the servant still more careless. Let us\nfurther suppose that the gentleman, before going to bed, had, in\naddition to this anxiety, suddenly recollected that there was on that\nday, in the neighborhood of his house, some fair or periodical merry\nmaking, from which the servant was likely to return home in a state of\nintoxication. It was most natural that these impressions should be\nembodied into a dream of his house being on fire, and that the same\ncircumstances might lead to the dream being fulfilled.\n\nThe cause of a dream may sometimes be the cause of its fulfilment. A\nclergyman dreamed of preaching a sermon on a particular subject. In a\nfew weeks, he delivered the discourse. His dream was therefore\nfulfilled. But his waking thoughts caused the dream, for he had\nmeditated on this very subject; and they also caused its fulfilment,\nfor he proceeded to write and deliver the result of his meditations.\n\nA belief in the supernatural origin of dreams sometimes leads to their\nfulfilment. A person dreams of approaching sickness. His fears and his\nimagination hasten on the calamity. A general, on the eve of battle,\ndreamed of a defeat. His belief in dreams deprived him of courage, and,\nof course, the enemy conquered. We have on record the case of a German\nstudent, who dreamed that he was to die at a certain hour on the next\nday. His friends found him in the morning making his will and arranging\nhis affairs. As the time drew near, he had every appearance of a person\nnear his end. Every argument was used to shake his belief in the\nsupernatural origin of his dream, but all to no effect. At last, the\nphysician contrived to place the hands of the clock beyond the\nspecified hour, and by this means saved the student's life. There are\ninstances on record where death has actually ensued in consequence of\nsuch a belief. It has been produced by the wonderful power the mind\npossesses over the body. And there can be no doubt that believers in\ndreams often take the most direct means to hasten their fulfilment.\n\nThe apparent fulfilment of dreams is sometimes merely accidental. The\ndream happens, and the event dreamed of soon follows; but the\ncoincidence is altogether fortuitous. A member of Congress informed a\nfriend that he frequently dreamed of the death of some one of his\nchildren, while residing at Washington. The whole scene would appear\nbefore him--the sickness, the death, and the burial; and this too\nseveral times the same night, and on successive nights. His anxiety for\nhis family caused his dreams. Now, it would have been nothing strange\nif a member of his family had died. But in this particular instance it\nwas not the case. In this way, however, we are always dreaming of our\nabsent relatives, and it would be singular if a death did not sometimes\noccur at the time of the dream. So on all other subjects. One event may\nfollow the other, and yet the coincidence be perfectly accidental.\nThere are occasionally some amusing cases of this kind. A person\ndreamed three times in one night that he must turn to the seventh verse\nof the fifth chapter of Ecclesiastes, and he would find important\ninstruction. He arose in the morning, and, referring to the specified\npassage, found these words: \"_In the multitude of dreams there are\ndivers vanities._\"\n\nFinally, the occasion of some dreams seems as yet inexplicable. But as\nwe can account for so large a portion of them, it is rational to\nbelieve that the causes of the few mysterious ones will be hereafter\nsatisfactorily explained. We think we are safe in believing that all\nour dreams are caused by some principle of our intellectual or animal\nnature. Let us then pay no further regard to them than to aim by a pure\nconscience before God, and a careful attention to our stomachs and\nhealth, to have them refreshing and agreeable.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nEFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.\n\n\nIgnorance of the influence of the imagination upon the nervous system\nhas given rise to many superstitions. We will give a few statements of\nfacts to establish and illustrate this position. Some time previous to\n1784, a gentleman in Paris, by the name of Mesmer, professed to have\ndiscovered a universal remedy for all diseases; and this remedy\nconsisted in being _magnetized_ under peculiar forms and circumstances.\nM. Mesmer became so noted for his discovery, and he performed such\nextraordinary cures, that, in 1784, the French king appointed a\ncommittee, consisting of four physicians and five members of the Royal\nAcademy of Sciences, to investigate this matter. The committee, as soon\nas they had examined the whole apparatus employed in magnetizing, and\ntaken cognizance of the manoeuvres of Mesmer, and his partner, Deslon,\nproceeded to notice the symptoms of the patients while under the\ninfluence of magnetism. These were various in different individuals.\nSome were calm and tranquil, and felt nothing; others were affected\nwith coughing and spitting, with pains, heats, and perspirations; and\nsome were agitated and tortured with convulsions. These convulsions\nwere sometimes continued for three hours, accompanied with\nexpectoration of a viscid phlegm, ejected by violent efforts, and\nsometimes streaked with blood. They had involuntary motions of the\nlimbs, of the whole body, and spasms of the throat. Their eyes wandered\nin wild motions; they uttered piercing shrieks, wept, laughed, and\nhiccoughed. The commissioners observed that the great majority of those\nthus effected were females, and that these exhibitions did not begin\nuntil they had been under the operation of magnetism one or two hours,\nand that, when one became affected, the rest were soon seen in the same\nsituation. In order to give the magnetizer the fairest opportunity to\nexhibit the power of his invention, and to give the most satisfactory\nevidence to the public, the commissioners all submitted to be operated\nupon themselves, and sat under the operation two hours and a half, but\nwithout the least effect upon them, except the fatigue of sitting so\nlong in one position. They were magnetized three days in succession,\nbut without any sensible effect being produced. The magnetizing\ninstruments were then removed to Dr. Franklin's house, away from public\nview, parade, and high expectation, and fourteen persons were then\nmagnetized, all of them invalids. Nine of them experienced nothing,\nfive appeared slightly affected, and the commissioners were surprised\nto learn, in every instance, that the poor and ignorant alone were\naffected. After this eight men and two women were magnetized, but\nwithout the least effect. At length a female servant submitted to the\nsame operation, and she affirmed that she felt a heat in every part\nwhere the magnetized finger was pointed at her; that she experienced a\npain in her head; and, during a continuation of the operation, she\nbecame faint, and swooned. When she had fully recovered, they ordered\nher eyes to be bandaged, and the operator was removed at a distance,\nwhen they made her believe that she was still under the operation, and\nthe effects were the same, although no one operated, either near her or\nat a distance. She could tell the very place where she was magnetized;\nshe felt the same heat in her back and loins, and the same pain in her\neyes and ears. At the end of one quarter of an hour, a sign was made\nfor her to be magnetized, but she felt nothing. On the following day, a\nman and woman were magnetized in a similar manner, and the result was\nthe same. It was found that to direct the _imagination_ to the parts\nwhere the sensations were to be felt, was all that was necessary to\nproduce these wonderful effects. But _children_, who had not arrived at\nsufficient maturity of age to be excited by these imposing forms,\nexperienced nothing from the operation.\n\nMesmer and Deslon asserted that they could magnetize a tree, and every\nperson approaching the tree, in a given time, would be magnetized, and\neither fall into a swoon or in convulsions, provided the magnetizer was\npermitted to stand at a distance and direct his look and his cane\ntowards the tree. Accordingly, an apricot tree was selected in Dr.\nFranklin's garden, at Vassy, for the experiment, and M. Deslon came and\nmagnetized the tree while the patient was retained in the house. The\npatient was then brought out, with a bandage over his eyes, and\nsuccessively lead to four trees, which were not magnetized, and was\ndirected to embrace each tree two minutes, while M. Deslon, at a\ndistance, stood pointing his cane to the tree actually magnetized. At\nthe first tree, which was about twenty-seven feet from the magnetized\ntree, the patient sweat profusely, coughed, expectorated, and said he\nfelt a pain in his head. At the second tree, now thirty feet from the\nmagnetized tree, he found himself giddy, attended with headache, as\nbefore. At the third tree, his giddiness and headache were much\nincreased, and he said he believed he was approaching the magnetized\ntree, although he was still twenty-eight feet from it. At length, when\nbrought to the fourth tree, _not magnetized_, and at the distance\nof twenty-four feet from that which was, the young man fell down in a\nstate of perfect insensibility; his limbs became rigid, and he was\ncarried to a grass plot, where M. Deslon went to his assistance and\nrecovered him. And yet, in no instance had he approached within a less\ndistance than twenty-four feet of the magnetized tree.\n\nA similar experiment was soon afterwards made on two poor females, at\nDr. Franklin's house. These women were separated from each other. Three\nof the commissioners remained with one of them in one chamber, and two\nof them with the other, in an adjoining chamber. The first had a\nbandage over her eyes, and was then made to believe that M. Deslon came\nin and commenced magnetizing her, although he never entered the room.\nIn three minutes the woman began to shiver. She felt, in succession, a\npain in her head, and a pricking in her hands. She became stiff, struck\nher hands together, got up, stamped, &c., but nothing had been done to\nher. The woman in the adjoining chamber was requested to take her seat\nby the door, which was shut, with her sight at liberty. She was then\nmade to believe that M. Deslon would magnetize the door on the opposite\nside, while the commissioners would wait to witness the result. She had\nscarcely been seated a minute before she began to shiver. Her breathing\nbecame hurried; she stretched out her arms behind her back, writhing\nthem strongly, and bending her body forwards; a general tremor of the\nwhole body came on. The chattering of the teeth was so loud as to be\nheard out of the room; and she bit her hand so as to leave the marks of\nher teeth in it; but M. Deslon was not near the door, nor in either\nchamber, nor was either of the women touched, not even their pulse\nexamined. We perceive, then, that these effects were produced solely by\nthe imagination, and the above facts exhibit very satisfactorily the\npower which the mind has over the body. The symptoms were not feigned,\nbut, in the peculiar state of mind of these persons, they were\ninvoluntary and irresistible. They believed they should be effected in\nthis manner; the idea was formed in their imaginations, and the nerves\nwere acted upon precisely as though what they conceived was real, and\nthe muscular effects followed. And as the patients themselves could not\nexplain the causes of these effects, they very naturally attributed the\nwhole to magnetism. When the commissioners explained the matter,\nmagnetism ceased to produce these wonderful effects. The minds of\npersons were enlightened upon the subject, and they no longer expected\nto be influenced in this manner, and accordingly they were not.\n\nDr. Sigault, an eminent physician of Paris, professed to be an adept in\nthe art of Mesmer. Being at a great assembly one day, he caused it to\nbe announced that he could magnetize. The voice and serious air he\nassumed had a very sensible effect upon a lady present, although she\nendeavored at first to conceal the fact. But having carried his hand to\nthe region of the heart, he found it palpitating. She soon experienced\ndifficulty in respiration. The muscles of her face were affected with\nconvulsive twitches; her eyes rolled; she shortly fell down in a\nfainting fit, vomited her dinner, and experienced incredible weakness\nand languor. This seemed to corroborate the remarks of Burton, in his\n_Anatomy of Melancholy_, where he says, \"If, by some soothsayer,\nwise man, fortune teller, or physician, men be told they shall have\nsuch a disease, they will so seriously apprehend it that they will\ninstantly labor of it--a thing familiar in China, (saith Riccius, the\nJesuit.) If they be told they shall be sick on such a day, when that\nday comes they will surely be sick, and will be so terribly affected\nthat sometimes they die upon it.\"\n\nA late English paper states that a young woman, named Winfield, who had\nbeen on a visit to Derby, returned home to Radborn, taking a little dog\nwith her by a string. On arriving there, she informed her friends she\nhad seen a gypsy on the road, who told her, that if she led her dog by\nthe string into the house, she would soon be a corpse. Singular to\nrelate, the young woman expired on the following morning! It was\nthought she died from the effect of imagination, aided by a debilitated\nconstitution.\n\nA missionary among the New Zealanders says, \"There is a class of people\nin New Zealand, called by the natives _Areekee_, and whom we very\nimproperly call _Priests_. These men pretend to have intercourse with\ndeparted spirits, by which they are able to kill, by incantation, any\nperson on whom their anger may fall. And it is a fact, that numbers\nfall a prey to their confidence in the efficacy of the curses of these\nmen, and pine under the influence of despair, and die.\"\n\nIn less than fifteen years after the trial of the pretensions of Mesmer\nand his coadjutors, in regard to magnetism, there was originated in\nAmerica, by a Mr. Perkins, a cause of delusion of precisely the same\nnature. It prevailed in all the United States, in Great Britain,\nScotland, and Ireland, and to considerable extent on the continent of\nEurope. Mr. Perkins prepared two small pieces of different kinds of\nmetal drew them to a point, and polished them. These _Metallic\nTractors_, as they were denominated, were said to have, in their joint\noperation, great power over the electric fluid; and by moving these\npoints gently over the surface of an inflamed part, the heat was\nextracted, the swelling subsided, and, in a short time, the patient was\nrelieved. After a while, thousands and tens of thousands were ready to\ncertify to the happy influence of these _Tractors_. Mr. Perkins went\nto England and obtained the royal letters patent, for the purpose of\nsecuring to him the advantages of his discovery; and it has been\nasserted by the best authority, that he returned from England possessed\nof ten thousand pounds sterling, which he received for the use of his\nTractors.\n\nBut Dr. Haggarth, an eminent physician and philosopher, recollecting\nthe development of animal magnetism at Paris, wrote to Dr. Falconer,\nsurgeon of the General Hospital at Bath, (England,) and stated his\nsuspicion concerning the Tractors; that their efficacy depended wholly\non the imagination of the patient; and recommended the experiment of\n_wooden_ Tractors in the place of the _metallic_.\n\nAccordingly, five persons were selected for the experiment, who were\nlaboring under chronic rheumatism in the ankle, knee, wrist, and hip.\nWooden Tractors were prepared and painted in such a manner that the\npatients could not discover but that they were metal; and on the 7th of\nJanuary, 1799, these _wooden_ Tractors were employed for the first\ntime. All the patients except one, were relieved. Three were very much\nbenefited. One felt his knee warmer, and he could walk much better, as\nhe showed the medical gentlemen present. One was easier for nine hours,\ntill he went to bed, and then his pain returned. The next day, January\n8th, the metallic Tractors were employed with the same effect as that\nof the preceding day. This led to further experiments of a similar\nkind, and they were continued, until the physicians became fully\nsatisfied that the wooden Tractors were of the same utility with the\nmetallic, provided the patients _supposed_ them metallic. Similar\nexperiments were soon after made at Edinburgh, and the result was the\nsame. A servant girl, afflicted with a most acute headache, which had\nrendered her nights altogether restless for a fortnight, readily\nsubmitted to be pointed at with these _wooden_ Tractors. The operator\nmoved them about her head, but did not touch her. In four minutes she\nfelt a chilliness in the head. In a minute or two more, she felt as\nthough cold water was running down her temples, and the pain was\ndiminished. In ten minutes more, she declared that the headache was\nentirely gone; and the next day she returned to express her thanks to\nher benefactors for the good sleep she enjoyed through the night. By\nsimilar experiments, the intelligent citizens in America soon\nascertained the true cause of the deception, and when these facts came\nto be developed, the Tractors lost all their influence on the human\nsystem, and have since been spoken of only in derision.\n\nHere, again, we behold the astonishing power of the imagination over\nthe human system, and witness the miracles that have been performed on\nthe ignorant and unsuspecting. Even in the _modern_ practice of the\nmesmeric art, a great deal of the success depends upon this tendency of\nthe mind. A very respectable operator assures us, that he cannot\nmagnetize persons unless he can first impress them with the belief that\nthey are actually to become magnetized. They must have _faith_ in order\nthat the effect may be produced. A public lecturer may hang up his\nwatch before his auditors, and tell them to look upon that watch, and\nthey will become magnetized. Those who expect to be affected are thrown\ninto the magnetic state. Those who have little faith and expectation\nare seldom, if ever, influenced by such experiments. We, however, do\nnot mean to avow a disbelief in the science of magnetism. On the\ncontrary, we look forward with much interest to its perfection,\nunencumbered with the false pretensions of its zealous and mistaken\nfriends.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nIGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY.\n\n\nIgnorance of mental philosophy has given rise to many superstitions.\nMany persons have believed in the real, visible appearance of ghosts,\nspirits, or apparitions. Yet these things are clearly and\nsatisfactorily explained on the established principles of mental\nphilosophy. And from this source we learn that they exist alone in\nthe _mind_, in the same manner as do other ideas and images, except\nin the instances recorded in Scripture. They are caused by some\nmisconception, mental operation, or bodily disorder. We will give a\nfew examples to substantiate this position.\n\nDr. Ferriar relates the case of a gentleman travelling in the Highlands\nof Scotland, who was conducted to a bed room which was reported to be\nhaunted by the spirit of a man who had there committed suicide. In the\nnight, he awoke under the influence of a frightful dream, and found\nhimself sitting up in bed with a pistol grasped in his right hand. On\nlooking around the room, he now discovered, by the moonlight, a corpse,\ndressed in a shroud, reared against the wall, close by the window, the\nfeatures of the body and every part of the funeral apparel being\ndistinctly perceived. On recovering from the first impulse of terror,\nso far as to investigate the source of the phantom, it was found to be\nproduced by the moonbeams forming a long, bright image through the\nbroken window.\n\n\"Two esteemed friends of mine,\" says Dr. Abercrombie, \"while travelling\nin the Highlands, had occasion to sleep in separate beds, in one\napartment. One of them, having awoke in the night, saw, by the\nmoonlight, a skeleton hanging from the head of his friend's bed, every\npart of it being perceived in the most distinct manner. He got up to\ninvestigate the source of the appearance, and found it to be produced\nby the moonbeams falling back upon the drapery of the bed, which had\nbeen thrown back in some unusual manner, on account of the heat of the\nweather. He returned to bed, and soon fell asleep. But having awoke\nagain some time after, the skeleton was so distinctly before him, that\nhe could not sleep without again getting up to trace the origin of the\nphantom. Determined not to be disturbed a third time, he now brought\ndown the curtain to its usual state, and the skeleton appeared no\nmore.\"\n\nDr. Dewar relates the case of a lady who was quite blind, and who never\nwalked out without seeing a little old woman, with a crutch and a red\ncloak, apparently walking before her. She had no illusion when within\ndoors. Dr. Gregory once took passage in a vessel to a neighboring\ncountry, to visit a lady who was in an advanced stage of consumption.\nOn his return, he had taken a moderate dose of laudanum, with the view\nof preventing seasickness, and was lying on a couch, in the cabin, when\nthe figure of a lady appeared before him in so distinct a manner, that\nher actual presence could not have been more vivid. He was quite awake,\nand fully sensible that it was a phantom produced by the opiate, in\nconnection with his intense mental feeling; but he was unable by any\neffort to banish the vision.\n\nA gentleman, mentioned by Dr. Conolly, when in great danger of being\nwrecked in a boat, on the Eddystone rocks, said he actually saw his\nfamily at the moment. In similar circumstances of great danger, others\nhave described the history of their past lives, being represented to\nthem in such a vivid manner, that, at a single glance, the whole was\nbefore them, without the power of banishing the impression. We have\nread the account of a whole ship's company being thrown into the utmost\nconsternation by the apparition of a cook, who had died a few days\nbefore. He was distinctly seen walking ahead of the ship, with a\npeculiar gait, by which he was distinguished when alive, from having\none leg shorter than the other. On steering the ship towards the\nobject, it was found to be a piece of floating wreck!\n\nThere is a story on record, of a piratical cruiser having captured a\nSpanish vessel, during the seventeenth century, and brought her into\nMarblehead harbor, which was then the site of a few humble dwellings.\nThe male inhabitants were all absent on their fishing voyages. The\npirates brought their prisoners ashore, carried them at the dead of\nnight into a solitary glen, and there murdered them. Among the captives\nwas an English female passenger. The women who belonged to the place\nheard her dying outcries, as they rose through the midnight air, and\nreverberated far and wide along the silent shores. She was heard to\nexclaim, \"O, mercy, mercy! Lord Jesus Christ, save me! save me!\" Her\nbody was buried by the pirates on the spot. The same piercing voice is\nbelieved to be heard at intervals, more or less often, almost every\nyear, in the stillness of a calm starlight, or clear moonlight night.\nThere is something, it is said, so wild, mysterious, and evidently\nsuperhuman in the sound, as to strike a chill of dread into the hearts\nof all who listen to it. A writer in the Marblehead Register, of April\n3, 1830, declares that \"there are not persons wanting at the present\nday, persons of unimpeachable veracity and known respectability, who\nstill continue to believe the tradition, and to assert that they\nthemselves have been auditors of the sounds described, which they\ndeclare were of such an unearthly nature as to preclude the idea of\nimposition or deception.\" When \"the silver moon holds her way,\" or when\nthe stars are glistening in the clear, cold sky, and the dark forms of\nthe moored vessels are at rest upon the sleeping bosom of the\nharbor,--when no natural sound comes forth from the animate or\ninanimate creation but the dull and melancholy note of the winding\nshore, how often, at midnight, is the watcher startled from the\nreveries of an excited imagination by the piteous, dismal, and terrific\nscreams of the unlaid _ghost_ of the murdered lady!\n\nErroneous impressions are often connected with some bodily disease,\nmore especially disease in the brain. Dr. Gregory mentions the case of\na gentleman liable to epileptic fits, in whom the paroxysm was\ngenerally preceded by the appearance of an old woman in a red cloak,\nwho seemed to come up to him, and strike him on the head with her\ncrutch. At that instant he fell down in the fit. Another is mentioned\nby Dr. Alderston, of a man who kept a dram shop, and who would often\nsee a soldier endeavoring to force himself into his house in a menacing\nmanner; and in rushing forward to prevent him, would find it a mere\nphantom. This man was cured by bleeding and purgatives; and the source\nof this vision was traced to a quarrel which he had had some time\nbefore with a drunken soldier. In _delirium tremens_ such visions\nare common, and assume a variety of forms.\n\nSimilar phantasms occur in various forms in febrile diseases. A lady\nwas attended by Dr. Abercrombie, having an affection of the chest. She\nawoke her husband one night, at the commencement of her disorder, and\nbegged him to get up instantly, saying that she had distinctly seen a\nman enter the apartment, pass the foot of her bed, and go into a closet\nthat entered from the opposite side of the room. She was quite awake,\nand fully convinced of the reality of the appearance. But, upon\nexamining the closet, it was found to be a delusion, although it was\nalmost impossible to convince the lady it was not a reality.\n\nA writer in the Christian Observer mentions a lady, who, during a\nsevere illness, repeatedly saw her father, who resided at the distance\nof many hundred miles, come to her bedside, withdraw the curtain, and\ntalk to her in his usual voice and manner. A farmer, mentioned by the\nsame writer, on returning from market, was deeply affected by an\nextraordinarily brilliant light, which he saw upon the road, and by an\nappearance in the light, which he supposed to be our Savior. He was\ngreatly alarmed, and, spurring his horse, galloped home; remained\nagitated during the evening; was seized with typhus fever, then\nprevailing in the vicinity, and died in about ten days. It was\nafterwards ascertained, that on the morning of the same day, before he\nleft home, he had complained of headache and languor; and there can be\nno doubt, says this writer, that the spectral appearance was connected\nwith the commencement of the fever.\n\nAnalogous to this is the very striking case related by a physician, of\na relative of his, a lady about fifty. On returning home one evening\nfrom a party, she went into a dark room to lay aside some part of her\ndress, when she saw distinctly before her the figure of death, as a\nskeleton, with his arm uplifted, and a dart in his hand. He instantly\naimed a blow at her with the dart, which seemed to strike her on the\nleft side. The same night she was seized with a fever, accompanied with\nsymptoms of inflammation in the left side, but recovered after a severe\nillness.\n\nWe have read the account of a lady who had an illusion affecting both\nher sight and hearing. She repeatedly heard her husband's voice calling\nto her by name, as if from an adjoining room. On one occasion, she saw\nhis figure most distinctly, standing before the fire in the drawing\nroom, when he had left the house half an hour before. She went and sat\ndown within two feet of the figure, supposing it to be her husband, and\nwas greatly astonished that he did not answer her when she spoke to\nhim. The figure continued visible several minutes, then moved towards a\nwindow at the farther end of the room, and there disappeared. On\nanother occasion, while adjusting her hair before a mirror, late at\nnight, she saw the countenance of a friend, dressed in a shroud,\nreflected from the mirror, as if looking over her shoulder. This lady\nhad been for some time in bad health, being affected with a lung\ncomplaint, and much nervous debility.\n\nAnother case of an illusion of hearing is reported of a clergyman, who\nwas accustomed to full living, and was suddenly seized with vomiting,\nvertigo, and ringing in his ears, and continued in an alarming\ncondition for several days. During this time he heard tunes most\ndistinctly played, and in accurate succession. This patient had, at the\nsame time, a remarkable condition of vision, all objects appearing to\nhim inverted. This peculiarity continued about three days, and ceased\ngradually; the objects by degrees changing their position, first to the\nhorizontal, and then to the erect.\n\nSome profess to have visions or sights relative to the world of\nspirits. This was the case with Swedenborg. He relates some of them in\nthe following language: \"I dined very late at my lodgings at London,\nand ate with great appetite, till, at the close of my repast, I\nperceived a kind of mist about my eyes, and the floor of my chamber was\ncovered with hideous reptiles. They soon disappeared, the darkness was\ndissipated, and I saw clearly, in the midst of a brilliant light, a man\nseated in the corner of my chamber, who said to me, in a terrible\nvoice, _Eat not so much_. At these words, my sight became obscured;\nafterwards it became clear by degrees, and I found myself alone. The\nnight following, the same man, radiant with light, appeared to me, and\nsaid, I am God the Lord, Creator and Redeemer. I have chosen you to\nunfold to men the internal and spiritual sense of the sacred writings,\nand will dictate to you what you ought to write. At that time, I was\nnot terrified, and the light, although very brilliant, made no\nunpleasant impression upon my eyes. The Lord was clothed in purple, and\nthe vision lasted a quarter of an hour. The same night, the eyes of my\ninternal man were opened, and fitted to see things in heaven, in the\nworld of spirits, and in hell; in which places I have found many\npersons of my acquaintance, some of them long since dead, and others\nlately deceased.\" In another place, he observes, \"I have conversed with\napostles, departed popes, emperors, and kings; with the late reformers\nof the church, Luther, Calvin, and Melancthon, and with others from\ndifferent countries.\" In conversing with Melancthon, he wished to know\nhis state in the spirit world, but Melancthon did not see fit to inform\nhim; \"wherefore,\" says Swedenborg, \"I was instructed by others\nconcerning his lot, viz., that he is sometimes in an excavated stone\nchamber, and at other times in hell; and that when in the chamber, he\nappears to be clothed in a bear's skin by reason of the cold; and that\non account of the filth in his chamber, he does not admit strangers\nfrom the world, who are desirous of visiting him from the reputation of\nhis name.\"\n\nThe apparitions of Swedenborg were probably caused by his studies,\nhabits, and pursuits. They bear the marks of earthly origin, although\nhe firmly believed they were from heaven. Overloading his stomach at\nlate meals, no doubt, caused some of them. He was in the habit of\n_eating too much_, as he himself admits. Hence his brain may have\nbeen disturbed. We have all heard of the case of an elderly lady, who,\nbeing ill, called upon her physician one day for advice. She told him,\namong other things, that on the preceding night her sleep had been\ndisturbed--that she had seen her grandmother in her dreams. Being\ninterrogated whether she ate any thing the preceding evening, she told\nthe doctor she ate half a mince pie just before going to bed. \"Well,\nmadam,\" said he, \"if you had eaten the other half, you might have seen\nyour grandfather also.\"\n\nThe slightest examination of the accounts which remain of occurrences\nthat were deemed supernatural by our ancestors will satisfy any one, at\nthe present day, that they were brought about by causes entirely\n_natural_, although unknown to them. We will close this part of\nour investigation by relating the following circumstances, attested by\nthe Rev. James Pierpont, pastor of a church in New Haven:--\n\n\"In the year 1647, a new ship of about one hundred and fifty tons,\ncontaining a valuable cargo, and several distinguished persons as\npassengers, put to sea from New Haven in the month of January, bound to\nEngland. The vessels that came over the ensuing spring brought no\ntidings of her arrival in the mother country. The pious colonists were\nearnest and instant in their prayers that intelligence might be\nreceived of the missing vessel. In the course of the following June, a\ngreat thunder storm arose out of the north-west; after which, (the\nhemisphere being serene,) about an hour before sunset, a ship of like\ndimensions of the aforesaid, with her canvas and colors abroad,\n(although the wind was northerly,) appeared in the air, coming up from\nthe harbor's mouth, which lies southward from the town, seemingly with\nher sails filled, under a fresh gale, holding her course north, and\ncontinuing under observation, sailing against the wind, for the space\nof half an hour. The phantom ship was borne along, until, to the\nexcited imaginations of the spectators, she seemed to have approached\nso near that they could throw a stone into her. Her main topmast then\ndisappeared, then her mizzen topmast, then her masts were entirely\ncarried away, and finally her hull fell off, and vanished from sight,\nleaving a dull and smoke-colored cloud, which soon dissolved, and the\nwhole atmosphere became clear. All affirmed that the airy vision was a\nprecise copy of the missing vessel, and that it was sent to announce\nand describe her fate. They considered it the spectre of the lost ship,\nand the Rev. Mr. Davenport declared in public 'that God had\ncondescended, for the quieting of their afflicted spirits, this\nextraordinary account of his sovereign disposal of those for whom so\nmany fervent prayers were made continually.'\"\n\nThe results of modern science enable us to explain the mysterious\nappearance. It is probable that some Dutch vessel, proceeding slowly,\nquietly, and unconsciously on her voyage from Amsterdam to the New\nNetherlands, happened at the time to be passing through the Sound. At\nthe moment the apparition was seen in the sky, she was so near, that\nher image was painted or delineated to the eyes of the observers, on\nthe clouds, by the laws of optics, now generally well known, before her\nactual outlines could be discerned by them on the horizon. As the sun\nsunk behind the western hills, and his rays were gradually withdrawn,\nthe visionary ship slowly disappeared, and the approach of the night,\nwhile it dispelled the vapors from the atmosphere, effectually\nconcealed the vessel as she continued her course along the Sound.\n\nThe optical illusions that present themselves, on the sea shore, by\nwhich distant objects are raised to view, the opposite islands and\ncapes made to loom up, lifted above the line of the apparent\ncircumference of the earth, and thrown into every variety of shape\nwhich the imagination can conceive, are among the most beautiful\nphenomena of nature, and they impress the mind with the idea of\nenchantment and mystery, more perhaps than any others. But they have\nreceived a complete solution from modern discovery.\n\nIt should be observed that the optical principles that explain these\nphenomena have recently afforded a foundation for the science, or\nrather the _art_, of _nauscopy_. There are persons, it is said, in some\nplaces in the Isle of France, whose calling and profession it is to\nascertain and predict the approach of vessels by their reflection in\nthe atmosphere and on the clouds, long before they are visible to the\neye or through the glass.\n\nOur vision is at all times liable to be disturbed by atmospheric\nconditions. So long as the atmosphere between our person and the object\nwe are looking at is of the same density, we may be said to see in a\nstraight line to the object. But if, by any cause, a portion of that\natmosphere is rendered less or more dense, the line of vision is bent,\nor refracted, from its course. A thorough comprehension of this truth\nin science has banished a mass of superstition. It has been found that,\nby means of powerful refraction, objects at great distances, and round\nthe back of a hill, or considerably beneath the horizon, are brought\ninto sight. In some countries this phenomenon is called _mirage_. The\nfollowing is one of the most interesting and best-authenticated cases\nof the kind. In a voyage performed by Captain Scoresby, in 1822, he was\nable to recognize his father's ship, when below the horizon, from the\ninverted image of it which appeared in the air. \"It was,\" says he, \"so\nwell defined, that I could distinguish, by a telescope, every sail, the\ngeneral rig of the ship, and its particular character, insomuch that I\nconfidently pronounced it to be my father's ship, the Fame,--which it\nafterwards proved to be--though on comparing notes with my father, I\nfound that our relative position, at the time, gave our distance from\none another very nearly thirty miles, being about seventeen miles\nbeyond the horizon, and some leagues beyond the limit of direct\nvision!\"\n\nDr. Vince, an English philosopher, was once looking through a telescope\nat a ship which was so far off that he could only see the upper part of\nthe masts. The hull was entirely hidden by the bending of the water;\nbut, between himself and the ship, he saw two perfect images of it in\nthe air. These were of the same form and color as the real ship; but\none of them was turned completely upside down.\n\nIn the sandy plains of Egypt, the mirage is seen to great advantage.\nThese plains are often interrupted by small eminences, upon which the\ninhabitants have built their villages in order to escape the\ninundations of the Nile. In the morning and evening, objects are seen\nin their natural form and position; but when the surface of the sandy\nground is heated by the sun, the land seems terminated, at a particular\ndistance, by a general inundation; the villages which are beyond it\nappear like so many islands in a great lake; and an inverted image of a\nvillage appears between the hills.\n\nThe Swedish sailors long searched for a supposed magic island, which,\nfrom time to time, could be descried between the Island of Aland and\nthe coast of Upland. It proved to be a rock, the image of which was\npresented in the air by mirage. At one time, the English saw, with\nterror, the coast of Calais and Boulogne, in France, rising up on the\nopposite side of the Channel, and apparently approaching their island.\nBut the most celebrated example of mirage is exhibited in the Straits\nof Messina. The inhabitants of the Calabrian shore behold images of\npalaces, embattled ramparts, houses, and ships, and all the varied\nobjects of towns and landscapes, in the air--being refracted images\nfrom the Sicilian coast. This wonderful phenomenon is superstitiously\nregarded by the common people as the work of fairies.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nIGNORANCE OF TRUE RELIGION.\n\n\nIgnorance of true religion has given rise to many prevailing\nsuperstitions. The Savior has taught us that the Father of spirits\nregulates the minutest events of this world, and that he alone is the\nSupreme Ruler of the universe. Our experience and observation must\nconvince us that this infinite work is accomplished by regular laws,\nand that Infinite Wisdom sees fit so to govern all events without the\nintervention of miracles, or through the agency of any instrumentality\nbut his own. And by examination, we shall find that these truths are in\ndirect opposition to the general mass of popular superstitions.\n\nThere are many who believe in signs. They believe that the howling of a\ndog under a window betokens death to some member of the family. But how\ndoes the dog obtain this foreknowledge? Who sends him on this solemn\nerrand? If you say that his appearance at the house is accidental, then\nyou would have us trust to _chance_ for information upon this most\nimportant subject. If you say that his knowledge of the approaching\nevent is intuitive, then you would have us believe that the irrational\nbrute knows more than his intelligent master. If you say that he is\ninstigated by some wicked spirit, then you would have us admit that an\nenemy of mankind is more attentive to their welfare than God; for it\ncertainly betokens the greatest kindness to notify us of our near\ndissolution. If you say the animal is sent by God, how will you explain\nthe fact that the sign so often fails? not actually taking place\noftener, at most, than once in a hundred times. Certainly we are not to\naccuse the omniscient and merciful Jehovah either of ignorance\nconcerning future events, or of trifling with the feelings of his\ndependent creatures. We must therefore consider the sign to be\naltogether superstitious, and contrary to all rational evidence.\n\nSome persons profess to believe in lucky and unlucky days. They say,\nfor instance, that Friday is an unlucky day. And why so? Does God part\nwith the reins of his government, and employ wicked spirits to torment\nhis creatures on this day? Does he make this day more unpropitious to\nhuman affairs than others? Do facts go to show that more disasters\noccur on this day than on any other? Paul instructs us that all days\nare alike, and that God rules the universe with infinite wisdom and\nbenevolence. Then why should we account Friday to be an unlucky day?\nWhence came such an opinion? From heathenism. The heathen were much\ninfluenced by this superstition; and when converted to Christianity,\nthey incorporated this among some other absurdities into their\nreligious belief. Because our Savior was crucified on Friday, they\nplaced this at the head of their unlucky days. But why they did so, we\ncannot conceive; for the death of Christ was absolutely necessary for\nthe deliverance of mankind from sin and death. And for this reason\nalone, Friday was the most propitious day that ever dawned upon a dying\nworld. But the heathen converts did not consider this circumstance.\nThey pronounced Sunday, the day of his resurrection, to be the most\nfortunate. Later Christians, in a certain sense, have thought\ndifferently. Sir Matthew Hale has remarked, that he never knew any\nundertaking to prosper that was commenced on the Sabbath. And the early\nlaws of Connecticut prohibited any vessel from either leaving a port,\nor entering a port, or passing by a village on Sunday. But such\nprohibitions are not agreeable to the notions of seamen, who, as a\nclass, are inclined to be somewhat superstitious. We frequently meet\nwith dissipated, unbelieving sailors, who could not be induced to put\nto sea on Friday on any consideration; but who would rather labor seven\nsuccessive nights than not sail on the Sabbath. It is rather singular\nthat sceptics should be so afraid of the day of our Savior's\ncrucifixion, and so fond of that of his resurrection. Such\ninconsistency, however, is not uncommon. Those who rail most at the\ncredulity of others are frequently the most superstitious. Those who\nlay the greatest claims to bravery are, for the most part, the greatest\ncowards. Voltaire could ridicule religion in fair weather, but the\nmoment a thunder cloud appeared, he was thrown into extreme\nconsternation, and must have a priest to pray during its continuance\nfor his preservation. If we would avoid the influence of this heathen\nsuperstition, we must regard _actions_ rather than _days_. If our\nengagements are _proper_, we have nothing to fear from the day on which\nthey are commenced. If we feel the evidence within that God is indeed\n_our_ Father, we shall not be prevented, by any belief in lucky or\nunlucky days, from doing our duty on every day, and enjoying peace and\nhappiness on all days.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nBELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT.\n\n\nA witch was regarded by our fathers as a person who had made an actual,\ndeliberate, and formal contract with Satan, by which contract it was\nagreed that the party should become his faithful subject, and do\nwhatever should be required in promoting his cause. And in\nconsideration of this allegiance and service, he, on his part, agreed\nto exercise his supernatural powers in the person's behalf. It was\nconsidered as a transfer of allegiance from God to the devil. The\nagreement being concluded, Satan bestows some trifling sum of money to\nbind the bargain; then, cutting or pricking a finger causes the\nindividual to sign his or her name, or make the mark of a cross, with\ntheir own blood, on a piece of parchment. In addition to this\nsignature, in some places, the devil made the witches put one hand to\nthe crown of their head, and the other to the sole of the foot,\nsignifying they were entirely his. Before the devil quits his new\nsubject, he delivers to her or him an imp or familiar, and sometimes\ntwo or three. They are of different shapes and forms, some resembling a\ncat, others a mole, a miller fly, spider, or some other insect or\nanimal. These are to come at bidding, to do such mischief as the witch\nmay command, and, at stated times of the day, suck the blood of the\nwitch, through teats, on different parts of the body. Feeding,\nsuckling, or rewarding these imps was, by law, declared _felony_.\n\nSometimes a witch, in company with others of the fraternity, is carried\nthrough the air on brooms or spits, to distant meetings or Sabbaths of\nwitches. But for this they must anoint themselves with a certain\nmagical ointment given them by the devil. Lord Bacon, in his\nphilosophical works, gives a recipe for the manufacture of an ointment\nthat enabled witches to fly in the air. It was composed of the fat of\nchildren, digged out of their graves, and of the juices of smaltage,\ncinquefoil, and wolfsbane, mixed with meal of fine wheat. After\ngreasing themselves with this preparation, the witches flew up chimney,\nand repaired to the spot in some graveyard or dismal forest, where they\nwere to hold their meetings with the evil one. At these meetings they\nhave feasting and dancing, the devil himself sometimes condescending to\nplay on the great fiddle, pipe, or harp. When the meeting breaks up,\nthey all have the honor of kissing his majesty, who for that ceremony\nusually assumes the form of a he goat.\n\nWitches showed their spite by causing the object of it to waste away in\na long and painful disease, with a sensation of thorns stuck in the\nflesh. Sometimes they caused their victims to swallow pins, old nails,\ndirt, and trash of all sorts, invisibly conveyed to them by their imps.\nFrequently they showed their hate by drying up the milk of cows, or by\nkilling oxen. For slight offences they would prevent butter from coming\nin the churn, or beer from working. Grace Greenwood says, that, on a\nvisit to Salem in the fall of 1850, she \"was shown a vial of the\nveritable bewitched pins with which divers persons were sorely pricked\nby the wicked spite of certain witches and wizards.\"\n\nIt was believed that Satan affixed his mark or seal to the bodies of\nthose in allegiance with him, and that the spot where this mark was\nmade became callous and dead. In examining a witch upon trial, they\nwould pierce the body with pins, and if any spot was found insensible\nto the torture, it was looked upon as ocular demonstration of guilt.\nAnother method to detect a witch, was to weigh her against the church\nBible. If she was guilty, the Bible would preponderate. Another was by\nmaking her say the Lord's prayer, which no one actually possessed could\ndo correctly. A witch could not weep but three tears, and that only out\nof the left eye; and this was considered by many an decisive proof of\nguilt. But swimming was the most infallible ordeal. They were stripped\nnaked, and bound the right thumb to the left toe, and the left thumb to\nthe right toe. Being thus prepared, they were thrown into a pond or\nriver. If guilty, they could not sink; for having, by their compact\nwith the devil, renounced the water of baptism, that element renounces\nthem, and refuses to receive them into its bosom.\n\nIn 1664, a man by the name of Matthew Hopkins, in England, was\npermitted to explore the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Huntingdon,\nwith a commission to discover witches, receiving twenty shillings from\neach town he visited. Many persons were pitched upon, and through his\nmeans convicted. At length, some gentlemen, out of indignation at his\nbarbarity, tied him in the same manner he had bound others, thumbs and\ntoes together, in which state, putting him in the water, he swam!\nStanding condemned on his own principles, the country was rescued from\nthe power of his malicious imposition.\n\nThe subsequent illustration of the condition of religion less than two\nhundred years ago will excite a few humbling thoughts. In the parish\nregister of Glammis, Scotland, June, 1676, is recorded--\"Nae preaching\nhere this Lord's day, the minister being at Gortachy, burning a witch.\"\nForty thousand persons, it is said, were put to death for witchcraft in\nEngland during the seventeenth century, and a much greater number in\nScotland, in proportion to its population.\n\nIn 1692, the whole population of Salem and vicinity were under the\ninfluence of a terrible delusion concerning witchcraft. By yielding to\nthe sway of their credulous fancies, allowing their passions to be\nworked up to a tremendous pitch of excitement, and running into\nexcesses of folly and violence, they have left a dark stain upon their\nmemory, that will awaken a sense of shame, pity, and amazement in the\nminds of their latest posterity. The principal causes that led to their\ndelusion, and to the proceedings connected with it, were, a proneness\nto superstition, owing in a great degree to an ignorance of natural\nscience, too great a dependence upon the imagination, and the power of\nsympathy. In contemplating the errors and sufferings which ignorance of\nphilosophy and science brought upon our fathers, we should be led to\nappreciate more gratefully, and to improve with more faithfulness, our\nown opportunities to acquire wisdom and knowledge. But we would not be\nunderstood as saying, that mere intellectual cultivation is sufficient\nto banish every superstition. No. For who were ever better educated\nthan the ancient Greeks and Romans? And yet, who were ever more\ninfluenced by a belief in signs, omens, spectres, and witches? We\nbelieve that, when the gospel, in its purity and simplicity, shall shed\nits divine light abroad, and pervade the hearts of men, superstition,\nin all its dark and hideous forms, will recede, and vanish from the\nworld.\n\nIn concluding our remarks under this head, we would add that, in a\ndictionary before us, a witch is designated as a woman, and _wizard_ as\na man, that pretends to some power whereby he or she can foretell\nfuture events, cure diseases, call up or drive away spirits. The art\nitself is called _witchcraft_. If this is a correct definition, witches\nand wizards are quite a numerous class of people in society at the\npresent day; for there are many among us who presume to practise these\nthings.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nNECROMANCY AND FORTUNE TELLING.\n\n\nAlthough the belief in witchcraft has nearly passed away, the civilized\nworld is yet full of necromancers and fortune tellers. The mystic\nscience of \"palmistry\" is still practised by many a haggard and\nmuttering vagrant.\n\nThe most celebrated fortune teller, perhaps, that ever lived, resided\nin Lynn, Mass. The character of \"Moll Pitcher\" is familiarly known in\nall parts of the commercial world. She died in 1813. Her place of abode\nwas beneath the projecting and elevated summit of High Rock, in Lynn,\nand commanded a view of the wild and indented coast of Marblehead, of\nthe extended and resounding beaches of Lynn and Chelsea, of Nahant\nRocks, of the vessels and islands, of Boston's beautiful bay, and of\nits remote southern shore. She derived her mysterious gifts by\ninheritance, her grandfather having practised them before, in\nMarblehead. Sailors, merchants, and adventurers of every kind visited\nher residence, and placed great confidence in her predictions. People\ncame from great distances to learn the fate of missing friends or\nrecover the possession of lost goods. The young, of both sexes,\nimpatient at the tardy pace of time, and burning with curiosity to\ndiscern their future lot, especially as it regarded matters of wedlock,\navailed themselves of every opportunity to visit her lowly dwelling,\nand hear from her prophetic lips the revelations of these most tender\nincidents and important events of their coming lives. She read the\nfuture, and traced what, to mere mortal eyes, were the mysteries of the\npresent or the past, in the arrangement and aspect of the grounds or\nsettlings of a cup of tea or coffee. Her name has every where become\nthe generic title of fortune tellers, and occupies a conspicuous place\nin the legends and ballads of popular superstition.\n\nA man was suddenly missed by his friends from a certain town in this\ncommonwealth. The church immediately sent a member to consult the\nfar-famed fortune-telling Molly Pitcher. After making the necessary\ninquiries, she intimated that the absent person had been murdered by a\nfamily of negroes, and his body sunk in the deep waters behind their\ndwelling. Upon this evidence, the accused were forthwith imprisoned,\nand the pond raked in vain, from shore to shore. A few days previous to\nthe trial, the missing man returned to his friends, safe and sound;\nthus proving that the fortune teller, instead of having received from\nSatan certain information of distant and unknown events, actually\nplayed off a piece of the grossest deception upon her credulous\nvisitors.\n\nWe are told by travellers that there is scarcely a village in Syria in\nwhich there is not some one who has the credit of being able to cast\nout evil spirits. About eight miles from the ancient Sidon, Lady Hester\nStanhope, the granddaughter of the immortal Chatham, and niece of the\nequally immortal Pitt, recently lived in a style of Eastern splendor\nand magnificence. She spent her time in gazing at the extended canopy\nof heaven, as it shed its sparkling light upon the ancient hills and\nsacred groves of Palestine--her soul absorbed in the fathomless\nmysteries of her loved astrology, and holding fancied communion with\nsupernatural powers and spirits of the departed.\n\nThere recently died in Hopkinton, Mass., an individual by the name of\nSheffield, who had long followed the art of fortune telling by\nastrology. He professed to unfold almost every secret, or mystery, even\nto foretelling the precise day and hour any person would die. In case\nof lost or stolen goods, it was only necessary to enclose a small fee\nin a letter, containing also a statement of your name, age, and place\nof residence, and forward the same by mail to his address. In two or\nthree weeks, the information you sought, as to the person who stole the\nproperty, &c., would be forwarded to you, leaving you to judge of the\ncase for yourself. He did quite a business in his line, and made\nsomething of a fortune out of a long-exploded science.\n\nThere are many who trust to the declarations of such persons, and are\noften made unhappy thereby. In fact, it is doubtful if a more unhappy\nclass can be found than those who are in the habit of consulting\nfortune tellers of any character. It is _discontent_, chiefly,\nthat leads them to pry into futurity. And after having had their\n_fortunes told_, as it is termed, they are no better satisfied\nthan before; for the best of fortune tellers are famous for their\nerrors and mistakes, although it would be strange if they did not\nblunder upon some facts in the whole routine of their business. But we\npity those who rely upon their prognostications. If told they will die\nat such or such a time, or if they are to meet with some dreadful\naccident, misfortune, or disappointment, their imaginations will lead\nthem to anticipate and dread the event, which will be the surest way to\nproduce its fulfilment. If a husband or wife is told that he or she\nwill marry again, it will lead them to be dissatisfied with the partner\nwith whom they are at present associated. And look at this subject as\nwe will, we shall find it productive of a vast amount of evil, and\ntherefore deserving of our entire disapprobation.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nFAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS.\n\n\nFairies, says a certain author, are a sort of intermediate beings,\nbetween men and women, having bodies, yet with the power of rendering\nthem _invisible_, and of passing through all sorts of enclosures. They\nare remarkably small of stature, with fair complexions, whence they\nderive their name, _fairies_. Both male and female are generally\nclothed in green, and frequent mountains, the sunny side of hills,\ngroves, and green meadows, where they amuse themselves with dancing,\nhand in hand, in a circle, by moonlight. The traces of their feet are\nsaid to be visible, next morning, on the grass, and are commonly called\n_fairy rings_, or _circles_.\n\nFairies have all the passions and wants of men, and are great lovers of\ncleanliness and propriety; for the observance of which, they frequently\nreward servants, by dropping money in their shoes. They likewise punish\nsluts and slovens by pinching them black and blue. They often change\ntheir weak and starveling elves, or children, for the more robust\noffspring of men. But this can only be done before baptism; for which\nreason it is still the custom, in the Highlands, to watch by the cradle\nof infants till they are christened. The word _changeling_, now\napplied to one almost an idiot, attests the current belief of these\nsuperstitious mutations.\n\nSome fairies dwell in mines, and in Wales nothing is more common than\nthese subterranean spirits, called _knockers_, who very good naturedly\npoint out where there is a rich vein of lead or silver. In Scotland\nthere was a sort of domestic fairies, from their sun-burnt complexions,\ncalled _brownies_. These were extremely useful, performing all sorts of\ndomestic drudgery.\n\nIn the Life of Dr. Adam Clarke, we have the following account of a\ncircumstance that took place in the town of Freshford, county of\nKilkenny, Ireland, showing the superstition prevailing in that country\nconcerning the influence of these fairy beings: \"A farmer built himself\na house of three apartments, the kitchen in the middle, and a room for\nsleeping, &c., on either end. Some time after it was finished, a cow of\nhis died--then a horse; to these succeeded other smaller animals, and\nlast of all his _wife_ died. Full of alarm and distress, supposing\nhimself to be an object of _fairy indignation_, he went to the\n_fairy man_, that is, one who pretends to know _fairy_ customs, haunts,\npathways, antipathies, caprices, benevolences, &c., and he asked his\nadvice and counsel on the subject of his losses. The wise man, after\nhaving considered all things, and cast his eye upon the house, said,\n'The fairies, in their night walks from _Knockshegowny_ Hill, in county\n_Tipperary_, to the county of _Kilkenny_, were accustomed to pass over\nthe very spot where one of your rooms is now built; you have blocked up\ntheir way, and they were very angry with you, and have slain your\ncattle, and killed your wife, and, if not appeased, may yet do worse\nharm to you.' The poor fellow, sadly alarmed, went, and with his own\nhands, deliberately pulled down the timbers, demolished the walls, and\nleft not one stone upon another, but razed the very foundation, and\nleft the path of these capricious gentry as open and as clear as it was\nbefore. How strong must have been this man's belief in the existence of\nthese demi-natural and semi-supernatural beings, to have induced him\nthus to destroy the work of his own hands!\"\n\nIn Spenser's epic poem, called the Fairy Queen, the imagination of the\nreader is entertained with the characters of fairies, witches,\nmagicians, demons, and departed spirits. A kind of pleasing horror is\nraised in the mind, and one is amused with the strangeness and novelty\nof the persons who are represented in it; but to be affected by such\npoetry requires an odd turn of thought, a peculiar cast of fancy, with\nan imagination naturally fruitful and superstitious.\n\nThe Gypsies are a class of strolling beggars, cheats, and fortune\ntellers. They have been quite numerous in all the older countries, and\nare so still in some of them; but in the United States there are but\nfew, some one or two tribes in the west, and a small party of them in\nNew York state. They are probably called Gypsies from the ancient\nEgyptians, who had the character of great cheats, whence the name might\nafterwards pass proverbially into other languages, as it did into the\nGreek and Latin; or else the ancient Egyptians being much versed in\nastronomy, or rather astrology, the name was afterwards assumed by\nthese modern fortune tellers. In Latin they are called _Egyptii_; the\nItalians called them _Cinari_, or _Cingani_; the Russians, _Zigani_;\nthe Turks and Persians, _Zingarri_; the Germans, _Ziguenor_; the\nSpaniards, _Git\u00e1nos_; the French, _Bohemians_, from the circumstance\nthat Bohemia was the first civilized country where they made their\nappearance.\n\nIn most countries they live in the woods and forests; but in England,\nwhere every inch of land is cultivated, the covered cart and little\ntent are their houses, and they seldom remain more than three days in\nthe same place.\n\nDabbling in sorcery is in some degree the province of the female Gypsy.\nShe affects to tell the future, and to prepare philters, by means of\nwhich love can be awakened in any individual towards any particular\nobject; and such is the credulity of the human race, even in the most\nenlightened countries, that the profits arising from these practices\nare great. The following is a case in point: Two females, neighbors and\nfriends, were tried, some years since, for the murder of their\nhusbands. It appeared that they were in love for the same individual,\nand had conjointly, at various times, paid sums of money to a Gypsy\nwoman to work charms to captivate his affections. Whatever little\neffect the charms might produce, they were successful in their\nprincipal object, for the person in question carried on for some time a\ncriminal intercourse with both. The matter came to the knowledge of the\nhusbands, who, taking means to break off this connection, were both\npoisoned by their wives. Till the moment of conviction, these wretched\nfemales betrayed neither emotion nor fear; but at this juncture their\nconsternation was indescribable. They afterwards confessed that the\nGypsy, who had visited them in prison, had promised to shield them from\nconviction by means of her art. It is therefore not surprising that in\nthe fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when a belief in sorcery was\nsupported by the laws of all Europe, these people were regarded as\npractisers of sorcery, and punished as such, when, even in the\nnineteenth, they still find people weak enough to place confidence in\ntheir claims to supernatural power.\n\nIn telling fortunes, the first demand of the Gypsy, in England, is\ninvariably a sixpence, in order that she may cross her hands with\nsilver; and here the same promises are made, and as easily believed, as\nin other countries, leading to the conclusion that mental illumination,\namongst the generality of mankind, has made no progress whatever; as we\nobserve in the nineteenth century the same gross credulity manifested\nas in the seventeenth, and the inhabitants of one of the countries most\ncelebrated for the arts of civilization imposed upon by the same stale\ntricks which served to deceive, two centuries before, in Spain, a\ncountry whose name has long and justly been considered as synonymous\nwith every species of ignorance and barbarity.\n\nIn telling fortunes, promises are the only capital requisite, and the\nwhole art consists in properly adapting these promises to the age and\ncondition of the parties who seek for information. The Git\u00e1nos are\nclever enough in the accomplishment of this, and generally give perfect\nsatisfaction. Their practice lies chiefly amongst females, the portion\nof the human race most given to curiosity and credulity. To the young\nmaidens they promise lovers, handsome invariably, and oftentimes rich;\nto wives, children, and perhaps another husband; for their eyes are so\npenetrating, that occasionally they will develop your most secret\nthoughts and wishes; to the old, riches, and nothing but riches--for\nthey have sufficient knowledge of the human heart to be aware that\navarice is the last passion that becomes extinct within it. These\nriches are to proceed either from the discovery of hidden treasure, or\nfrom across the water. The Git\u00e1nos, in the exercise of this practice,\nfind dupes almost as readily amongst the superior classes, as the\nveriest dregs of the population.\n\nThey are also expert in chiromancy, which is the determining, from\ncertain lines upon the hand, the quality of the physical and\nintellectual powers of the possessor, to which lines they give\nparticular and appropriate names, the principal of which is called the\n\"line of life.\" An ancient writer, in speaking of this art, says, \"Such\nchiromancy is not only reprobated by theologians, but by men of law and\nphysic, as a foolish, vain, scandalous, futile, superstitious practice,\nsmelling much of divinery and a pact with the devil.\"\n\nThe Git\u00e1nos in the olden time appear to have not unfrequently been\nsubjected to punishment as sorceresses, and with great justice, as the\nabominable trade which they have always driven in philters and\ndecoctions certainly entitled them to that appellation, and to the\npains and penalties reserved for those who practised what is generally\ntermed \"witchcraft.\"\n\nAmongst the crimes laid to their charge, connected with the exercise of\noccult powers, there is one of a purely imaginary character, which if\nthey were ever punished for, they had assuredly but little right to\ncomplain, as the chastisement they met with was fully merited by\npractices equally malefic as the one imputed to them, provided that\nwere possible. _It was the casting the evil eye._\n\nIn the Git\u00e1no language, casting the evil eye is called _zuerelar\nnasula_, which simply means making sick, and which, according to the\ncommon superstition, is accomplished by casting an evil look at people,\nespecially children, who, from the tenderness of their constitution,\nare supposed to be more easily blighted than those of a more mature\nage. After receiving the evil glance, they fall sick, and die in a few\nhours.\n\nIn Andalusia, a belief in the evil eye is very prevalent among the\nlower orders. A stag's horn is considered a good safeguard, and on that\naccount, a small horn, tipped with silver, is frequently attached to\nthe children's necks, by means of a cord braided from the hair of a\nblack mare's tail. Should the evil glance be cast, it is imagined that\nthe horn receives it, and instantly snaps asunder. Such horns may be\npurchased at the silversmiths' shops at Seville.\n\nThe Gypsies sell remedies for the evil eye, which consist of any drugs\nwhich they happen to possess, or are acquainted with. They have been\nknown to offer to cure the glanders in a horse, (an incurable\ndisorder,) with the very same powders which they offer as a specific\nfor the evil eye.\n\nThe same superstition is current among all Oriental people, whether\nTurks, Arabs, or Hindoos; but perhaps there is no nation in the world\nwith whom the belief is so firmly rooted as the Jews; it being a\nsubject treated of in all the old rabbinical writings, which induces\nthe conclusion that the superstition of the evil eye is of an antiquity\nalmost as remote as the origin of the Hebrew race.\n\nThe evil eye is mentioned in Scripture, but not in the false and\nsuperstitious sense we have spoken of. Evil in the eye, which occurs in\nProv. xxiii. 5, 6, merely denotes niggardness and illiberality. The\nHebrew words are _ain ra_, and stand in contradistinction to _ain\ntoub_, or the benignant in eye, which denotes an inclination to bounty\nand liberality.\n\nThe rabbins have said, \"For one person who dies of sickness, there are\nten who die by the evil eye.\" And as the Jews, especially those of the\nEast, and of Barbary, place implicit confidence in all that the rabbins\nhave written, we can scarcely wonder if, at the present day, they dread\nthis visitation more than the cholera or the plague. \"The leech,\" they\nsay, \"can cure those disorders; but who is capable of curing the evil\neye?\"\n\nIt is imagined that this blight is most easily inflicted when a person\nis enjoying himself, with little or no care for the future, when he is\nreclining in the sun before his door, or when he is full of health and\nspirits, but principally when he is eating and drinking, on which\naccount the Jews and Moors are jealous of strangers when they are\ntaking their meals.\n\n\"I was acquainted,\" says a late writer, \"with a very handsome Jewess,\nof Fez; she had but one eye, but that one was particularly brilliant.\nOn asking her how she lost its fellow, she informed me that she was\nonce standing in the street, at nightfall, when she was a little girl;\na Moor, that was passing by, suddenly stopped, and said, 'Towac Ullah,\n(blessed be God,) how beautiful are your eyes, my child!' Whereupon she\nwent into the house, but was presently seized with a dreadful pain in\nthe left eye, which continued during the night, and the next day the\npupil came out of the socket. She added, that she did not believe the\nMoor had any intention of hurting her, as he gazed on her so kindly;\nbut that it was very thoughtless in him to utter words which are sure\nto convey evil luck.\" It is said to be particularly dangerous to eat in\nthe presence of a woman; for the evil eye, if cast by a woman, is far\nmore fatal and difficult to cure than if cast by a man.\n\nWhen any one falls sick of the evil eye, he must instantly call to his\nassistance the man cunning in such cases. The man, on coming, takes\neither a girdle or a handkerchief from off his own person, and ties a\nknot at either end; then he measures three spans with his left hand,\nand at the end of these three he fastens a knot, and folds it three\ntimes round his head, pronouncing this _beraka_, or blessing: \"_Ben\nporat Josef, ben porat ali ain_,\" (Joseph is a fruitful bough, a\nfruitful bough by a well;) he then recommences measuring the girdle or\nhandkerchief, and if he finds three spans and a half, instead of the\nthree which he formerly measured, he is enabled to tell the name of the\nperson who cast the evil eye, whether male or female.\n\nThe above very much resembles the charm of the Bible and key, by which\nmany persons in England still pretend to be able to discover the thief,\nwhen an article is missed. A key is placed in a Bible, in the part\ncalled Solomon's Song; the Bible and key are then fastened strongly\ntogether, by means of a ribbon, which is wound round the Bible, and\npassed several times through the handle of the key, which projects from\nthe top of the book. The diviner then causes the person robbed to name\nthe name of any person or persons whom he may suspect. The two parties,\nthe robbed and the diviner, then standing up, support the book between\nthem, the ends of the handle of the key resting on the tips of the fore\nfingers of the right hand. The diviner then inquires of the Bible,\nwhether such a one committed the theft, and commences repeating the\nsixth and seventh verses of the eighth chapter of the Song; and if the\nBible and key turn round in the mean time, the person named is\nconsidered guilty. This charm has been, and still is, the source of\ninfinite mischief, innocent individuals having irretrievably lost their\ncharacter among their neighbors from recourse being had to the Bible\nand key. The slightest motion of the finger, or rather of the nail,\nwill cause the key to revolve, so that the people named are quite at\nthe mercy of the diviner, who is generally a cheat, or professed\nconjurer, and not unfrequently a Gypsy. In like manner, the Barbary\ncunning man, by a slight contraction of his hand, measures three and a\nhalf spans, where he first measured three, and then pretends to know\nthe person who has cast the evil eye, having, of course, first\nascertained the names of those with whom his patient has lately been in\ncompany.\n\nWhen the person who has cast the evil eye has been discovered, by means\nof the magical process already described, the mother, or wife, or\nsister of the sufferer walks forth, pronouncing the name of the latter\nwith a loud voice, and, making the best of her way to the house of the\nperson guilty, takes a little of the earth from before the door of his\nor her sleeping apartment. Some of the saliva of the culprit is then\ndemanded, which must be given early in the morning, before breakfast;\nthen the mother, or the wife, or the sister goes to the oven, and takes\nfrom thence seven burning coals, which are slaked in water from the\nbath in which the women bathe. The four ingredients, earth, saliva,\ncoals, and water, are then mixed together in a dish, and the patient is\nmade to take three sips, and what remains is taken to a private place\nand buried, the person who buries it making three paces backward,\nexclaiming, \"May the evil eye be buried beneath the earth.\" Many people\ncarry papers about with them, scrawled with hieroglyphics, which are\nprepared by the hacumim, or sages, and sold. These papers, placed in a\nlittle bag and hung about the person, are deemed infallible\npreservatives from the \"ain ara.\"\n\nLike many other superstitions, the above may be founded on a physical\nreality. In hot countries, where the sun and moon are particularly\ndazzling, the belief in the evil eye is most prevalent. If we turn to\nthe Scripture, we shall probably come to the solution of the belief.\n\"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.\" Ps. cxxi.\n5, 6. To those who loiter in the sunshine, before the king of day has\nnearly reached his bourn in the west, the sun has an evil eye, and his\nglance produces brain fevers; and to those who sleep uncovered, beneath\nthe smile of the moon, her glance is poisonous, producing insupportable\nitching in the eye and not unfrequently total blindness: all the\ncharms, scrawls, and rabbinical antidotes have no power to avert these\neffects.\n\nThe northern nations have a superstition which bears some resemblance\nto the evil eye. They have no brilliant sun and moon to addle the brain\nand poison the eye, but the gray north has its marshes, and fenny\nground, and fetid mists, which produce agues, low fevers, and moping\nmadness, and are as fatal to cattle as to man. Such disorders are\nattributed to elves and fairies. This superstition still lingers in\nsome parts of England, under the name of _elf-shot_, whilst, throughout\nthe north, it is called _elle-skiod_, and _elle-vild_, (fairy wild.) It\nis particularly prevalent amongst shepherds and cowherds, who, from\ntheir manner of life, are most exposed to the effects of the so called\nelf-shot.\n\nThe Git\u00e1nos had a venomous preparation called _drao_, or _drow_, which\nthey were in the habit of flinging into the mangers of the cattle, for\nthe purpose of causing sickness and death. It was the province of the\nwomen to compound the ingredients of this poison, which answered many\nwicked purposes. The stalls and stables were visited secretly, and the\nprovender of the animals being poisoned, they at once fell sick;\nspeedily there appeared the Git\u00e1nos, offering their services on the\ncondition of no cure no pay, and when these were accepted, the malady\nwas speedily removed. They used no medicines, or pretended not to, but\ncharms only, which consisted of small variegated beans, called, in\ntheir language, _bobis_, coming from a Russian word signifying _beans_.\nThese beans they dropped into the mangers, though they doubtless\nadministered privately a real and efficacious remedy. By these means\nthey fostered the idea, already prevalent, that they were people\npossessed of supernatural gifts and powers. By means of drao, they\nlikewise procured themselves food; poisoning swine, as their brethren\nin England still do, and then feasting on the flesh, the poison only\naffecting the head of the animal, which was abandoned as worthless;\nwitness one of their own songs:--\n\n    \"By Gypsy drow the porker died;\n    I saw him stiff at evening tide;\n    But I saw him not when morning shone,\n    For the Gypsies ate him, flesh and bone.\"\n\nBy drao, also, they could avenge themselves on their enemies by\ndestroying their cattle, without incurring a shadow of suspicion.\nRevenge for injuries, real or imaginary, is sweet to all unconverted\nminds--to no one more than the Gypsy, who, in all parts of the world,\nis, perhaps, the most revengeful of human beings.\n\nBut if the Git\u00e1nos are addicted to any one superstition above others,\nit is in respect to the _loadstone_, to which they attribute all kinds\nof miraculous powers. They believe that he who is in possession of it\nhas nothing to fear from steel or lead, from fire or water, and that\ndeath itself has no power over him. The Gypsy contrabandists are\nparticularly anxious to procure this stone, which they carry upon their\npersons in their expeditions. They say, that in the event of their\nbeing pursued by the revenue officers, whirlwinds of dust will arise\nand conceal them from the view of their enemies; the horse stealers say\nmuch the same thing, and assert that they are uniformly successful when\nthey bear about them the precious stone. But it is said by them to\neffect much more. It is extraordinary in exciting the amorous\npropensities, and on this account it is in great request among the\nGypsy hags. All these women are procuresses, and find persons of both\nsexes weak and wicked enough to make use of their pretended knowledge\nin the composition of love draughts and decoctions.\n\nIn the Museum of Natural Curiosities at Madrid, there is a large piece\nof loadstone, originally extracted from the American mines. There is\nscarcely a Git\u00e1na in Madrid who is not acquainted with this\ncircumstance, and who does not long to obtain the stone, or a part of\nit. Several attempts have been made to steal it, all of which, however,\nhave been unsuccessful.\n\nA translation of the Gospel of St. Luke was printed in the Gypsy\nlanguage, at Madrid, in 1838. The chapters were read over and explained\nto some of these strange people, by the late agent of the British and\nForeign Bible Society, in Spain. They said it was _lacho_, and _jucal_,\nand _misto_, all of which words express approval of the quality of\na thing; and they purchased copies of the Gypsy Luke freely. The women\nwere particularly anxious to obtain copies, though unable to read; but\neach wished to have one in her pocket, especially when engaged in\nthieving expeditions, for they all looked upon it in the light of a\ncharm, which would preserve them from all danger and mischance; some\neven went so far as to say, that in this respect it was equally as\nefficacious as the Bar Lachi, or loadstone, which they are generally so\neager to possess. Of this Gospel, five hundred copies were printed, the\ngreatest part of which were circulated among the Gypsies; but it was\nspeedily prohibited by a royal ordinance, which appeared in the Gazette\nof Madrid, in August, 1838.\n\nBefore closing, under this head, we will remark that, although the\nGypsies in general are a kind of wandering outcasts, incapable of\nappreciating the blessings of a settled and civilized life, yet among\nthe Gypsies of Moscow there are not a few who inhabit stately houses,\ngo abroad in elegant equipages, and are not a whit behind the higher\norder of Russians in appearance, nor in mental acquirements. To the\nfemale part of the Gypsy colony of Moscow is to be attributed the merit\nof this partial rise from abjectness and degradation, having from time\nimmemorial so successfully cultivated the vocal art, that, though in\nthe midst of a nation by whom song is more cherished and cultivated,\nand its principles better understood, than by any other of the\ncivilized globe, the Gypsy choirs of Moscow are, by the general voice\nof the Russian public, admitted to be unrivalled in that most amiable\nof all accomplishments. It is a fact, notorious in Russia, that the\ncelebrated Catalini was so enchanted with the voice of one of these\nGypsy songsters, who, after the former had displayed her noble Italian\ntalent before a splendid audience at Moscow, stepped forward, and with\nan astonishing burst of almost angelic melody, so enraptured every ear,\nthat even applause forgot its duty, and the noble Catalini immediately\ntore from her own shoulders a shawl of Cashmere, which had been\npresented to her by the Father of Rome, and embracing the Gypsy,\ninsisted on her acceptance of the splendid gift, saying, that it had\nbeen intended for the matchless songster which she now perceived she\nherself was not.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nOMENS, CHARMS, AND DIVINATION.\n\n\nMany books have been published, having a tendency to deceive the\ncredulous, who suffer themselves to be guided by any thing but reason\nand experience. Hence the encouragement bestowed on works of\nenchantment, dreams, omens, and fate. Mankind have always discovered a\npropensity to peep behind the veil of futurity, and have been lavish of\nmoney in consulting persons and books that make a pretension of\nunravelling the decrees of Fate, which lie hidden in the labyrinths of\ndarkness. From these sources have arisen the following superstitions,\nas a sample of the many that have disturbed the peace of individuals,\nfamilies, and sometimes of whole communities.\n\n\"A coal in the shape of a coffin, flying out of the fire to any\nparticular person, denotes his death is not far off. A collection of\ntallow rising up against the wick of a candle is called a\nwinding-sheet, and deemed an omen of mortality. If, in eating, you miss\nyour mouth, and the food falls, it is very unlucky, and denotes\nsickness. To dream you are dressed in black is an unlucky omen. Some\nquarrel is about to happen between you and a friend or relative.\nSickness is about to attend your family. Death will deprive you of some\nfriend or relation. Lawsuits will perplex and harass you. If you\nundertake a journey, it will be unsuccessful. If you are in love, it\ndenotes that your sweetheart is very unhappy, and that sickness will\nattend her. If you are a farmer, your crops will fail, the murrain will\nattack your cattle, and some dreadful accident will happen by the\noverturning of one of your wagons. If you are in business, some one\nwill arrest you, and you will have great difficulty in settling the\nmatter. To dream of hen and chickens is the forerunner of ill luck.\nYour sweetheart will betray you and marry another. If you go to law,\nthe case will be decided against you. If you go to sea, you will lose\nyour goods, and narrowly escape shipwreck. To dream of coals denotes\nmuch affliction and trouble. If you are in love, your sweetheart will\nprove false, and do every thing to injure you. To dream you see the\ncoals extinguished, and reduced to cinders, denotes the death of\nyourself, or some near friend or relation. It also indicates great\nlosses, and forewarns you of beggary and a prison. To dream you are\nmarried is ominous of death. It also denotes poverty, a prison, and\nmisfortunes. To dream of lying with your newly-married husband or wife\ndenotes danger and sudden misfortunes.\"\n\n_Popular charms_ are equally absurd and nonsensical. For example, a\nring made of the hinge of a coffin is good for the cramp. A halter with\nwhich a man has been hanged, if tied about the head, will cure the\nheadache. A drop of blood of a black cat cures convulsions in children.\nIf a tree of any kind be split, and weak, rickety, or ruptured children\nare drawn through it, and afterwards the tree is bound together, so as\nto make it unite--as the tree heals and grows together, so will the\nchild acquire strength. If in a family the youngest daughter be married\nbefore her older sisters, they must all dance at her wedding without\nshoes, to counteract their ill luck, and procure themselves husbands.\nAnd to procure luck when a person goes out to transact business, you\nmust throw an old shoe after him. To spit on the first money received\nfor the price of goods sold on any day will procure luck. And that\nboxers must spit in their hands before they set to, for luck's sake.\n\nSeamen have a superstition that if they whistle in a storm, the storm\nwill be increased. And in time of a calm, they practise whistling to\n_call the wind_, as they term it. Among farmers, in setting a hen, it\nis deemed lucky to use an odd number of eggs. Among soldiers, salutes\nwith cannon must be of an odd number. A royal salute is thrice seven,\nor twenty-one guns. Healths are drank odd. Yet the number _thirteen_ is\nsometimes deemed ominous; it being supposed that when thirteen persons\nmeet in a room, one of them will die within the year. To know whether a\nwoman shall have the man she desires, it is directed to get two lemon\npeels, and wear them all day, one in each pocket, and at night rub the\nfour posts of the bedstead with them. If she is to succeed, the person\nwill appear to her in her sleep, and present her with a couple of\nlemons. If not, there is no room for hope. And again the fair ones are\ndirected to take a piece of wedding cake, draw it thrice through the\nwedding ring, lay it under their pillow, and they will certainly dream\nof their future husbands. A thousand other equally successful methods\nhave been proposed to solve the mysteries of future fortune; and yet\nthe magical stone, that will turn all our schemes into wished-for\nrealities, remains to be discovered. As time advances, and knowledge\npervades the abodes of darkness and ignorance, all this trumpery of\nghosts, witches, fairies, tricks, and omens will go down to the \"tomb\nof the Capulets.\" People will be able to pass through the churchyard,\nsleep in an old house, though the wind whistle ever so shrill, without\nencountering any supernatural visitations. They will become wise enough\nto trace private and public calamities to other causes than the\ncrossing of knives, the click of an insect, or even the portentous\nadvent of a comet. Thanks to the illustrious names recorded in the\nannals of science and letters, who have contributed towards so happy a\nconsummation.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nMODERN MIRACLES.\n\n\nThere are some who profess to believe in modern miracles. But such\nbelief necessarily partakes of superstition. The Savior gave no\nintimation that miracles should continue after the establishment of\nChristianity. He promised to be with his apostles even unto the end of\nthat age. He declared that all who believed their instructions should\nalso have power to cast out devils, heal diseases, speak with new\ntongues, and withstand any deadly thing. But his promise did not extend\nbeyond the immediate converts of the apostles. And we have no\nsatisfactory evidence that miracles were wrought by any but these;\nwhile we have abundant testimony that our Savior's promise was\nliterally fulfilled. In fact, there was no necessity for miracles after\nthe establishment of Christianity. They were first wrought as so many\ntestimonies that Jesus was the sent of God; and at the same time, were\nso many significant emblems of his designs, so many types and figures,\naptly representing the benefits to be conferred upon the human race.\nBut they were not designed to be perpetuated; for a history of divine\nrevelation was committed to writing, and translated into the prevailing\nlanguages of the civilized world. If any could be so obstinate as not\nto be convinced of its divine origin by the mass of evidence with which\nit was accompanied, neither would they believe, though one should rise\nfrom the dead.\n\nPretended modern miracles admit of an easy explanation on natural\nprinciples. Diseases have been suddenly healed; but imagination\neffected the cure. Visions, ghosts, and apparitions have been seen; but\nthey existed only in the minds of the observers, and were caused by\nsome mental or bodily operation. But nothing of this kind can be said\nof the miracles of Christ. His cannot be accounted for on any natural\nprinciples, but must have been caused by divine miraculous agency.\n\nModern miracles are not supported by satisfactory evidence. They have\nbeen mostly wrought in secret. No witnesses can be produced but the\nmost interested. This was not the case with those of our Savior. They\nwere performed openly, and in the presence of friends and enemies. They\ncould not be deceptions; for the resurrection of a dead person could be\ntested by the evidence of the senses. The remark of Judge Howe may be\nappropriately introduced in this connection. He had thoroughly and\nimpartially studied the evidences of Christianity, and a firm belief in\nits divine origin was the result. He observed that no jury could be\nfound that would give a verdict against Christianity, if the evidences\non both sides could be fairly presented before them, and they were\ngoverned in forming their opinion by the common rules of belief. The\ntruth of this observation is confirmed by the fact, that candid\ninquirers after truth have uniformly risen from an examination of the\nevidences of Christianity believers in its divine origin. The same\ncannot be said of modern miracles. No jury could be obtained of\ndisinterested persons, who would give a verdict in their favor.\nTherefore we have no satisfactory evidence of their reality. Our safest\ncourse is to admit the conclusion of eminent writers of all\ndenominations, namely, that miracles ceased with the first converts of\nChristianity.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nPRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS.\n\n\nMany have professed a belief in the divine inspiration of some one of\nthe many false prophets or Christs that have appeared in different ages\nof the church. In the year 1830, there was a man in this country,\ncalling himself Matthias, who declared that he was the very Christ, and\npretended that he had come to judge the world. And strange as it may\nseem, he was attended by some individuals of quite respectable\nstanding, who worshipped him as God! He appeared in pontifical robes,\nwith his rule in his right hand, and his two-edged sword in the left.\nUnderneath a rich olive broadcloth cloak, lined and faced with silk and\nvelvet, he wore a brown frock coat, with several stars on each breast,\nand a splendid golden star on his left breast. His belt was of white\ncloth fastened by a golden clasp, surmounted by an eagle. He\noccasionally put on a cocked hat, of black beaver, trimmed with green,\nthe rear angle being surmounted by the golden symbol of glory.\n\nOn being asked where his residence was, and what was his occupation, he\nreplied, \"I am a traveller, and my legal residence is Zion Hill,\nWestchester county, New York; I am a Jewish teacher and priest of the\nMost High, saying and doing all that I do, under oath, by virtue of my\nhaving subscribed to all the covenants that God hath made with man from\nthe beginning up to this time. I am chief high priest of the Jews of\nthe order of Melchizedec, being the last chosen of the twelve apostles,\nand the first in the resurrection which is at the end of 2300 years\nfrom the birth of Mahomet, which terminated in 1830, that being the\nsummit of the power of the false prophets. I am now denouncing judgment\non the Gentiles, and that judgment is to be executed in this age. All\nthe blood from Zacharias till the death of the last witness is required\nof this generation. Before this generation passeth away, this judgment\nshall be executed and declared. The hour of God's judgment is come.\"\n\nMatthias commenced his public career in Albany; but not making many\nconverts there, he soon removed to the city of New York. Here he met\nwith but little success for some time; but it appears that in the\nautumn of 1832, he had succeeded in ingratiating himself into the favor\nof a number of individuals, among whom were three of the most wealthy\nand respectable merchants of Pearl Street. He represented himself to\nthem to be the Spirit of Truth, which had disappeared from the earth at\nthe death of Matthias mentioned in the New Testament, and that the\nspirit of Jesus Christ entered into that Matthias whom he now\nrepresented, having risen again from the dead. This blasphemous\nimpostor pretended to possess the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth, and that\nhe now, at his second appearance of the spirit, was the Father, and had\npower to do all things, forgiving sins, and communicating the Holy\nGhost to such as believed on him. And what was most astonishing and\nunparalleled, these men, who were before professors of the Christian\nreligion, were blind enough to believe and confide in all he imposed on\nthem.\n\nSo completely did he succeed in deluding these men, and in impressing\nthem with the belief that he was actually a high priest of the order of\nthe mysterious Melchizedec, upon a divine mission to establish the\nkingdom of God upon the earth, that he obtained entire control over\nthem and their estates. \"I know the end of all things,\" he would\nassert, illustrating it by placing a piece of paper in a drawer,\nleaving one end upon the outside, and saying, \"You can see but one end\nof the paper, and so the world sees; but I see the whole length of\nit--I see the end.\"\n\nWhenever he saw fit to call upon his dupes to contribute of their\nsubstance for his support and the promotion of the kingdom he was about\nto establish, he did so; and if they refused to provide him whatever\nmoney he desired, he threatened to visit upon them (which he declared\nhe had the power to do) the wrath of the Almighty. But if they believed\nin him and obeyed him in all things, he promised them that they should\nbe called into the kingdom, and he would forgive all their sins, and\nthey should enjoy eternal happiness. Impudent and blasphemous as such\nlanguage and pretensions truly were, the intended effect was produced,\nand the prophet received new encouragement by the gratification of\npecuniary abundance. This object gained, he was enabled to adorn his\nperson with costly apparel, and to obtain other appurtenances and\nfurniture which he thought were necessary, that all things might\ncorrespond to the nature and dignity of the office which he had\nassumed.\n\nIn August, 1833, two of his friends and proselytes, Messrs. Pierson and\nFolger, were residing at Sing Sing, Westchester county. Thither, about\nthat time, Matthias repaired, and took up his residence with Mr. Folger\nand family. In a week or two, Matthias came to the conclusion that\ntheir dwelling-place did not correspond with his character, and\naccordingly suggested to Folger and Pierson that it was their duty to\nhire, for his use, a house which he might consecrate wholly to himself.\nIn this he was accommodated, not only without any hesitation, but with\nthe acknowledgment that the request was reasonable. Soon after this, it\nappeared to Matthias's mind, that his habitation should not be subject\nto worldly interests or infidel intrusion; and he accordingly presumed\nto require of his two obedient followers the purchase of a house to be\nexclusively his own. With this request they agreed to comply. Before it\nwas accomplished, however, Matthias manifested some new attribute of\nhis character, and accompanied the revelation by an effort to make\nFolger believe that the house in which he then resided at Sing Sing,\nand had purchased some time previous for the use of himself and family,\nwas purchased at the instigation of the Spirit of Truth, for him,\nMatthias--Folger having been the instrument under the influence of that\nSpirit for that purpose! So complete was Matthias's control, that\nFolger believed even this! And having resided with Messrs. Folger and\nPierson about two months, he took _this_ house, thus miraculously\npurchased, into his own especial charge. Matthias then required these\ngentlemen to give him an account of their property, and having obtained\nthis statement, which exhibited their easy circumstances, he required\nboth of them to enter into an agreement to support him, assuring them\nthey should receive the blessing of God by so doing. This agreement was\naccordingly entered into, and Matthias enjoyed the full benefits of it\nfor several months, when Mr. Folger became bankrupt. His wants were\nafterwards supplied by Pierson, until the death of Mr. P., which took\nplace under very suspicious circumstances. It seems that a short time\nprevious to this melancholy event, and while Mr. Pierson was yet in\nhealth, Matthias prevailed upon him to assign him his whole estate. And\nit seemed, by Matthias's account on his examination, that Messrs.\nFolger, Pierson, and Mills frequently declared to him that they\nbelieved him to be the _Father_, and that he was qualified to establish\nGod's kingdom on earth, and that Zion Hill, which was the place\nmiraculously purchased at Sing Sing, was transferred to him for that\npurpose, together with horses, carriages, and furniture of a house in\nThird Street, New York--that it was also agreed that the house and lot\nin Third Street should be conveyed to him, and that Mr. Pierson\ndirected a deed to be made out accordingly, but died before it was\ncompleted. He still considered the property as his own for the original\npurpose, and considered it the beginning of the establishment of the\nkingdom. It is certain that Mr. Pierson was suddenly taken sick, and it\nwas believed to be immediately after this contract was made. He fell\nunder the care of Matthias, who would neither allow his friends to\nvisit him, nor to call medical aid, declaring himself to \"_have power\nof life and death_.\" Mr. Pierson's body having been removed to New\nJersey for interment, a post mortem examination was held by four\nrespectable physicians, all of whom certified that they found in the\nstomach a \"_large quantity of an unwholesome and deadly substance_.\"\nMatthias was therefore arrested with the charge of having poisoned Mr.\nPierson, on which he gave bail for appearance at court.\n\nSoon after this, he went to the city of New York, and entering the\nfamily of Mr. Folger, resided with them for several months; but the\nmysterious death of Mr. Pierson, and the attending circumstances,\nhaving shaken the confidence of Mr. Folger and his family, they began\nto be conscious of their delusion, and resolved to abandon Matthias and\nhis principles. On announcing their determination to him, he resorted\nto his old practice of threats and promises, and told them they must\nnot throw him destitute on the world; that, if they did so, the\nblessing of God would depart from them, and sickness and perhaps death\nwould follow; but if they gave him money to support him, the blessing\nof God should continue to them. Mr. Folger having become bankrupt,\nMatthias perhaps was willing to leave him--not, however, without having\nfirst insisted on a supply of money, which he obtained to the amount of\nsix hundred and thirty dollars, and immediately left the city. On the\nmorning of that day, Matthias partook of a very little breakfast, and\nscarcely tasted of the coffee, alleging, as an excuse, that he was ill.\nImmediately after breakfast, Mr. Folger, his wife, and children were\ntaken sick. Mr. Folger did not suspect the cause of their illness,\nuntil after Matthias had left the city, when, upon examination, he\nlearned that the black woman who did the cooking for the family had\nalso abstained from the use of coffee that morning; and from other\ncircumstances he became confirmed that the woman was bribed by Matthias\nto poison the family. The effort was unsuccessful, the poison producing\nbut a temporary effect. This nefarious transaction induced Mr. Folger\nto procure the arrest of Matthias, firmly convinced, at this melancholy\nstage, that he was a _base impostor_.\n\nThe third gentleman named as one of the dupes of Matthias became a\nlunatic under the unfortunate delusion. But on a removal to the\ncountry, and from the influence of the \"prophet,\" he recovered, and\nbecame convinced of his lamentable error.\n\nIn the sequel, it appeared that Matthias had received in the aggregate,\nfrom these gentlemen, about ten thousand dollars in money, and\nnegotiable paper, which he appropriated in furnishing the establishment\nat Zion Hill and in Third Street. And by whatever means he obtained\nmoney, it is evident he used it for the wildest and most extravagant\npurposes. His wardrobe was most bountifully supplied with new boots,\nshoes, and pumps; linen shirts of the most exquisite fineness, the\nwristbands fringed with delicate lace; silk stockings, handkerchiefs,\nand gloves; coats embroidered with gold; merino morning dresses; and\ntwo caps made of linen cambric, folded in the form of a mitre, richly\nembroidered, one with the names of the twelve apostles written around\nit, and \"Jesus Matthias\" adorning the front in prominent characters,\nthe other surrounded with the names of the twelve tribes, the front\nlike the other. With his two-edged sword (with gold chain and\nmountings) he was to destroy the Gentiles, as Gideon did the\nMidianites. With his six feet rule he was to measure the New Jerusalem,\n\"the gates thereof, and the walls thereof,\" and divide it into lots for\nthose who believed on him, and obeyed the Spirit of Truth, as it came\nfrom him, the trumpet. With the golden key which he possessed, he was\nto unlock the gates of paradise.\n\nSomewhat versed in the rites and antiquities of the Jews, this impostor\nunited with a quick and active mind a considerable cunning, a fluent\nspeech, and a vast amount of persevering impudence, and endeavored to\nimpress his dogmas by assuming a sanctified and uncompromising air, and\nby invariably fixing upon his victim his remarkably fierce and\npenetrating eyes. He reasoned plausibly and ingeniously, and was\nexceedingly subtle at evasion. Although he never could have obtained an\nextensive and permanent influence, even if his knavery had not been\ndetected, since his schemes were too wild and incoherent, and his\ndemands too absurd to produce an effect that would endure beyond his\nactual and immediate presence, yet that his blasphemous pretensions\nshould have gained any credence among intelligent minds is to be\ngreatly lamented. The whole history of these transactions will form a\ndark page in the records of modern fanaticism, and will present an\nenduring but melancholy evidence of the weakness of human nature.\n\nAs an excuse for the conduct of Matthias, or Matthews, which was his\nreal name, he was supposed by some to be laboring under monomania,\npartly hereditary and partly superinduced by religious fanaticism and\nfrenzy. Still, he was not without \"method in his madness;\" and it seems\nevident that, with a tinge of insanity, he was also much of a knave,\nand probably a dupe in part to his own imposture. During his\nconfinement in jail, awaiting his trial for the alleged murder of Mr.\nPierson, Matthias issued a decree, commanding all the farmers to lay\naside their ploughs, declaring, \"As I live, there shall be no more\nsowing in the earth until I, the twelfth and last of the apostles, am\ndelivered out of the house of bondage.\" He also prophesied that if he\nwere convicted, White Plains should be destroyed by an earthquake, and\nnot an inhabitant be left to tell the tale of its destruction; and\nstrange to say, men were not found wanting who believed in his absurd\nand blasphemous predictions. On trial, the physicians who had examined\nthe stomach of the deceased were led to suspect poison, but could not\nsay positively that poison had been administered; whereupon the\nprisoner was discharged, on the ground that no evidence had been\nproduced to convict him either of murder or manslaughter. In the case\nof his arrest at the instigation of Mr. Folger, that gentleman\nafterwards wrote to the district attorney, requesting him to dismiss\nthe case, it not appearing to be an indictable one, and declaring, that\nthe day--\"so far as passing himself for a _pure_ and _upright_\nman--has passed, and there is no danger of his imposing upon any one\nhere or elsewhere.\" In a letter written by Mr. Folger, dated New York,\nNov. 8, 1834, and published in the Commercial Advertiser, Mr. Folger\nsays, \"My object is now to rid myself of him and all connected with\nhim, with as little trouble as possible. Mr. Pierson, myself, and\nfamily have been deeply, very deeply deluded, deceived, and imposed\nupon; and I regret exceedingly that the former could not have been\nspared to witness the deep deception. We are sensible of our error--we\nrepent it sincerely; and although we cannot expect to recover, at\npresent, the situation which we held in society previous to our\nacquaintance with this vile creature, yet in time we shall be able to\nshow that we are enemies to him, and all who undertake to sustain him\nin his wickedness and plans to destroy us.\"\n\nFor closeness of resemblance, in many striking features, to the case of\nMatthias, was that of the Anabaptists of Munster, in Germany, which\nexcited the wonder of Europe during the early part of the seventeenth\ncentury, and of which such strange accounts are to be found in the\nhistories of that epoch. The similarity between the principal of this\nsect, known as John of Leyden, and Matthews, not only in doctrine, but\nin worldly observance, in the passion for magnificence of apparel and\nluxurious living, and in the rites and ceremonies exacted by each, is\nso remarkable as almost to lead to the conclusion that the latter had\nformed himself and his creed upon the model of his ancient prototype.\nThe number of deluded proselytes who blindly followed the dictates of\nthe Anabaptist leader was at one time so great, and their power so\nformidable, that several princes of Germany united against them; and it\nwas not until after a vigorous siege, and an obstinate resistance, that\nthe city of Munster, of which the fanatics had obtained complete\npossession, was taken and their power broken down.\n\nThis John of Leyden wore upon his head a triple crown of gold, richly\nadorned with gems. Around his neck he wore, suspended by a golden\nchain, an ornament of gold, representing the terrestrial globe, with a\ncross, and two swords, one of gold, the other of silver, with the\ninscription, \"King of Righteousness over the whole world.\" He also\nassumed the title of \"the Father,\" and he required all his followers to\npledge themselves to do his will, and, if necessary, to suffer death at\nhis command, or in his defence and service. He enjoined and enforced a\ncommunity of goods, a surrender of all possessions, land, money, arms,\nand merchandise to him, as the Father and Lord of all, to be employed\nby him in the universal establishment of his kingdom; and he denounced\nthe vengeance of Heaven and eternal damnation on all such as refused to\nbelieve in him and do his will. All churches and convents he commanded\nto be destroyed, the priests denounced as children of darkness, and all\nsovereigns he would put to death. He proclaimed the nullity of all\nmarriages, except such as were solemnized by himself or his own\nprophets, but enjoined polygamy, himself setting the example. Each of\nhis principal followers had from six to eight wives, and both men and\nwomen were compelled to marry. He taught that no man understood the\nScriptures but himself, or those whom he enlightened with his spirit,\nand all the prophecies in the Old Testament, relating to the Savior, he\napplied to himself, and proclaimed their fulfilment in the\nestablishment of his kingdom.\n\nIn our own country, the most surprising instance of imposture and\ndelusion, perhaps, that has occurred, was that of the Cochranites,\nwhose enormities in licentiousness made so much stir in Maine and New\nHampshire a few years since. Cochrane was an officer in the army,\nthrown out of commission by the reduction of the military establishment\nof the United States, after the conclusion of the last war with\nEngland. Having become poor and penniless, he left Portland, and struck\noff into the country, seeking his fortune, and caring not whither he\nwent. One day, as night drew on, he found himself near a farm house,\nweary and hungry, and without a penny to purchase a mouthful of food or\nthe use of a pillow for the night. The thought struck him suddenly of\nthrowing himself upon the hospitality of the farmer, for the occasion,\nin the character of a minister. Introducing himself as such to the\nfamily, he was cordially received, and as the country was new and\ndestitute of clergymen, the good people forthwith despatched messengers\nto the neighbors, that a minister had come among them, and invited them\nin to attend a meeting. The impostor had not anticipated so speedy a\ntrial of his clerical character; but having assumed it, there was no\nescape--he must act the part, for the time being, in the best way he\ncould. Being neither ignorant nor destitute of talents, he succeeded in\nacquitting himself much better than he had anticipated, and gave so\nmuch satisfaction to his audience as to induce him to persevere in the\nimposture he had commenced. As he acquired skill and confidence by\npractice in his new vocation, his popularity increased, and he soon\nfound it a profitable occupation. He was followed by multitudes, and it\nwas not long before he announced himself as some great one, and founded\na new sect of religionists. His command over the audiences which he\naddressed is said to have been wonderful, and his influence over his\nfollowers unbounded. It seemed as though he was enabled to hold the\nvictims of his impostures in a state of enchantment. A professor in an\neastern college having heard of the wonderful sway which Cochrane held\nover his disciples, and of the impressions he made upon casual hearers,\ndetermined one evening to go and witness his performances. While\npresent, although a very cool and grave personage, he said he felt some\nstrange, undefinable, mysterious influence creeping over him to such a\ndegree, that he was obliged actually to tear himself away, in\napprehension of the consequences. This gentleman, however, was a\nbeliever in animal magnetism, and was therefore inclined to attribute\nit to that cause. It was said that if the impostor did but touch the\nhand or neck of a female, his power over her person and reason was\ncomplete. Consequently it led to the most open and loathsome\nsensuality. So atrocious was his conduct, that he seduced great numbers\nof females, married and unmarried, under the pretext of raising up a\nholy race of men. The peace of many families was broken up, and the\nvillage kept an establishment like a seraglio--a disgusting and\nmelancholy commentary upon the weakness of human nature. His career,\nhowever, was but of short duration.\n\nA history of religious impostures would form a library of itself. The\nhuman mind, in all ages and countries, and under all forms of\ngovernment and religion, seems to have been wonderfully susceptible of\ndelusion and imposition upon that subject, which, of all others, is the\nmost important for time and eternity. The court of Egypt was deluded by\nthe impostors who undertook to contend with Moses. And the chosen\npeople themselves, notwithstanding the direct disclosures which the\nMost High had made of himself, in all their wonderful history, were\nprone to turn aside from the worship of the true God, to follow the\nlying spirits of the prophets of Baal and other deceivers, from the\ndays of Moses till the destruction of Jerusalem. So, likewise, under\nthe Christian dispensation, from the defection of Simon Magus to the\nwild delirium of Edward Irving, there have been a succession of\nAntichrists, until their name is legion--pretenders to divine missions,\nthe power of working miracles, the gift of tongues--perverting the\nScriptures, leading astray silly men and women--destroying the peace of\nfamilies, throwing communities into confusion, and firebrands into the\nchurch--clouding the understandings, and blinding the moral perceptions\nof men, and subverting the faith of these even whose mountains stood\nstrong, and who had been counted among the chosen people of God. \"In\nthe last days,\" says the apostle Peter, \"there shall come scoffers,\nwalking after their own lusts,\"--\"chiefly them which walk after the\nflesh, in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government; presumptuous\nare they, self-willed; they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities;\nsporting themselves in their own deceivings, having eyes full of\nadultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls; for\nwhen they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the\nflesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them\nwho live in error; while they promise them liberty, they themselves are\nthe servants of corruption.\" Jude also admonishes us \"to remember that\nthey were foretold as mockers, who should be in the last time, who\nshould walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate\nthemselves, sensual, not having the Spirit.\"\n\nIt is wonderful to observe with what precision these prophecies have\nbeen fulfilled by the clouds of impostors who have appeared--\"spoken\ngreat swollen words of vanity,\" and fallen--since the inspired\nsentences were uttered. And it may be regarded as one of the evidences\nof the truth of inspiration, that, had the long array of apostates and\ndeceivers actually stood before the sacred penmen, at the time of their\nwriting, their characters all naked before them, the likenesses, from\nthe first Christian apostate to the sensual Mormons, could not have\nbeen drawn with greater fidelity. The \"TRUTH OF GOD,\" distinctly\nset forth in the book of Revelation, is an infallible criterion\nby which to test the true character of any religious opinion or\npractice; nor can any radical or fundamental error long escape\ndetection, when subjected to this plain and unerring standard.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nMORMON SUPERSTITION.\n\n\nA certain Joseph Smith, Jr., pretended, a few years ago, to have been\ndirected by the Spirit of God to dig, in a hill, in the township of\nManchester, Ontario county, New York, for a set of golden plates which\nwere there concealed, and upon which were inscribed sacred records by\nthe hands of Mormon. He obeyed the direction and found the plates. The\ninscriptions upon them were in an unknown tongue. But, by the special\npower of the Spirit, Smith was enabled to translate them. A volume\ncontaining these writings was soon after published, constituting, in\nthe whole, fifteen books, purporting to have been written at different\ntimes, and by the different authors whose names they respectively bear.\nIn these writings there seems to be a bungling attempt to imitate the\nstyle of the sacred Scriptures. But the attempt is manifestly\nunsuccessful. Nearly two thirds of the paragraphs are introduced with\nthe phrase, \"And it came to pass.\" In endeavoring to preserve the\nsolemn style of the Scriptures, there is great disregard of grammatical\npropriety. We read, \"The Lord _sayeth_ unto me, and I _sayeth_ unto the\nLord.\" Perhaps a few extracts, selected at chance, will give the reader\na more correct idea of the general style of the book than any remarks\nwe might offer.\n\n\"And it came to pass that when they had _arriven_ in the borders of the\nland of the Lamanites.\"\n\n\"And it came to pass that I Nephi did make _bellowses_ wherewith to\nblow the fire.\"\n\n\"And it came to pass that Limhi and many of his people _was_ desirous\nto be baptized.\"\n\nThe Mormon preachers claim for themselves and the members of their\nchurch the power of working miracles, and of speaking with new tongues.\nThey jabber with some strange sounds, and call this the speaking with\ntongues. They assert it as a fact, that among them the dead have been\nraised, and the sick healed, as in the days of Christ and his apostles.\nFrom these _facts_, as they call them, they draw the conclusion that\n_they_ are the members of the true church of Christ. The doctrine\nincreases among men; and well it may, for there are circumstances in\nthe condition and views of those who embrace it which are calculated to\nsecure its success. In a large portion of the community there is a\ngreat degree of ignorance in regard to the geography of the sacred\nScriptures, the manners and customs of the Jews, and the natural\nhistory of the Bible. There are many who read their Bibles daily, and\nwith true devotional feelings, it may be, who have no idea that the\nplaces mentioned in sacred history, like those mentioned in any other\nhistory, can be traced on the map, can be found and visited at the\npresent day, although disguised under modern names. It makes no part of\ntheir study of the Bible to ascertain where the places mentioned are to\nbe found, and what they are now called. They have no idea that the\nallusions to manners and customs, found in the Bible, can be\nunderstood, through an acquaintance with the practices and habits of\nthe people described; and, consequently, the study of Jewish manners\nand customs makes no part of their preparation for understanding the\nScriptures. They have no idea that the allusion in Scripture to facts\nin natural history can be verified by an acquaintance with that\nscience, and therefore they make no exertions to understand the natural\nhistory of the Bible. They do not take up the Bible and read it with\nthe expectation of being able to understand it, in regard to these\nparticulars, as they would understand any other book. All such are\nprepared, by their ignorance on these subjects, to become the dupes of\nthe Mormon delusion; or, at least, they are not prepared to withstand\nthis delusion. They open the Book of Mormon, claiming to be a kind of\nappendix to the Bible. The paragraphs begin with the phrase, \"And\nbehold it came to pass.\" They read of the cities of Zarahemla, Gid,\nMulek, Corianton, and a multitude of others. They read of prophets and\npreachers, of faith, repentance, and obedience; and having been\naccustomed, in reading the Scriptures, to take all such things just as\nthey are presented, without careful examination, they can see no reason\nwhy all this is not as much entitled to belief as are the records of\nthe Old and New Testaments. But if, on the contrary, they were\nacquainted with the geography and the natural history of the Bible, and\nwith the manners and customs of the nations there mentioned, and\nespecially if, in their reading of the Scriptures, they were accustomed\nto examine carefully into these points, they would at once perceive the\nutter impossibility of identifying the cities mentioned in the Book of\nMormon with any geographical traces which they can now make. They would\nthus perceive the deception, and be put on their guard. And then, too,\nupon further examination, they would discover that the manners and\ncustoms of the people, the sentiments and disputes, are not such as\nbelong to the period of the world in which the people are represented\nto have lived; that they take their coloring from modern customs, from\nmodern opinions and controversies; and, upon these discoveries, they\nwould be led to reject the whole as a fabrication.\n\nMany are deceived in consequence of the fluency of the preachers in\nwarning sinners. They pray with fervor; the people are affected; and\nthe Spirit of God is declared to be present, owning and blessing the\nwork. But there is deception here. It is but a few years since the\nCochrane delusion, as it is called, prevailed in and around the village\nof Saco, Maine. What gave that delusion so much success? It was because\nCochrane spoke with great fluency, warned sinners with great\nearnestness, and poured forth his prayers with zealous fervor. The\npeople became affected; many were in tears; many sobbed aloud, cried\nfor mercy, and some became prostrate on the floor. \"Surely,\" it was\nremarked, \"the doctrines advanced by Cochrane must be true, the\npreaching of them being so signally owned and blessed of God.\" In this\nway, men of sound judgment in other respects are carried away by false\nviews and appearances, and become the dupes of the most extravagant\nsentiments and delusions. They become \"zealously affected,\" but it is\nnot, as the apostle says, \"in a good thing.\" A correct knowledge of the\nsacred Scriptures, and of proper principles in regard to the study of\nthe Bible, with sound and rational views of the nature of religion, and\nof the influences of the Holy Spirit, will serve to correct all such\ntendencies to error and deception.\n\nFrom the best account that has been published respecting the _origin_\nof the Mormon Bible, it appears that it was written by an individual\nnamed Solomon Spaulding, some twenty-five years ago; but without the\nleast intention, on the part of the author, of framing a system of\ndelusion for his fellow-men. This Spaulding was a native of Ashford, in\nConnecticut, where he was distinguished, at an early age, for his\ndevotion to study, and for the superiority of his success over that of\nhis schoolmates. He received an academic education, and commenced the\nstudy of law at Windham; but his mind inclining to religious subjects,\nhe abandoned the law, went to Dartmouth College, prepared himself for\nthe ministry, and was regularly ordained. For some reasons unknown he\nsoon abandoned that profession, and established himself as a merchant\nat Cherry Valley, New York. Failing in trade, he removed to Conneaut,\nin Ohio, where he built a forge; but again failed, and was reduced to\ngreat poverty. While in this condition, he endeavored to turn his\neducation to account, by writing a book, the sale of which he hoped\nwould enable him to pay his debts and support his family. The subject\nselected by him was one well suited to his religious education. It was\nan historical novel, containing an account of the aborigines of\nAmerica, who were supposed by some to have descended from the ten\ntribes of Israel. The work was entitled the \"Manuscript Found,\" and the\nhistory commenced with one Lehi, who lived in the reign of Zedekiah,\nking of Judea, six hundred years before the Christian era. Lehi, being\nwarned of Heaven of the dreadful calamities that were impending over\nJerusalem, abandoned his possessions, and fled with his family to the\nwilderness. After wandering for some time, they arrived at the Red Sea,\nand embarked on board a vessel. In this, after floating about for a\nlong time, they reached America, and landed at the Isthmus of Darien.\nFrom the different branches of this family were made to spring all the\nIndian nations of this continent. From time to time they rose to high\ndegrees of civilization and refinement; but desolating wars among\nthemselves scattered and degraded them. The Manuscript was written in\nthe style of the Bible, the old English style of James the First. When\nthe work was ready for the press, Spaulding endeavored to obtain the\npecuniary assistance necessary for its publication, but his affairs\nwere in so low a condition that he could not succeed. He then removed\nto Pittsburg, and afterwards to Amity, in Pennsylvania, where he died.\nBy some means or other, the Manuscript fell into the hands of Joseph\nSmith, Jr., who afterwards published it under the name of the \"Golden\nBible.\" Smith was the son of very poor and superstitious parents, and\nwas for a long time engaged in digging for Kidd's money, and other\nfeats of like description. Possessing considerable shrewdness, he\nbecame somewhat skilled in feats of necromancy and juggling. He had the\naddress to collect about him a gang of idle and credulous young men,\nwhom he employed in digging for hidden treasures. It is pretended that,\nin one of the excavations they made, the mysterious plates from which\nthe Golden Bible was copied were found. Such, briefly is the origin of\nthe Mormon faith--a humbug to which not a few, otherwise sensible men,\nhave pinned their hopes of happiness here and hereafter.\n\nAfter the death of Joseph Smith, and shortly before the Mormons were\ndriven out from Illinois, many of the disciples of the great impostor\nseceded and refused to acknowledge the leadership of the knowing twelve\nwho became his successors. Among them were a very pious Mormon named\nMcGhee Vanduzen, and his wife Maria. They soon gave to the world an\nexposition of the shameful manoeuvres attendant upon Mormonism as a\nreligion; of the absurd and indecent ceremonies which the unprincipled\nleaders of that wicked imposture enforced upon their infatuated\ndisciples. Smith, and his associate leaders at Nauvoo, evidently\nestablished these ceremonies for the base purpose of enticing the more\nbeautiful females among his disciples to their ruin and disgrace. The\nshameful character of the mysteries developed could lead to no other\nconclusion.\n\nSays the Boston Traveller, of April 21, 1852, \"The rapid spread of\nMormonism is one of the mysteries of the age. A more barefaced\ndelusion, except that of the spiritual rappings, was never imposed on\nthe all-swallowing credulity of mankind. Yet it has gained adherents by\nthousands in Europe as well as in the United States.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nMILLER DELUSION.\n\n\nA man by the name of William Miller published a book in the year 1836,\nin which he undertook to show that this earth would be destroyed in the\nyear 1843. His calculation, as to the transpiration of such an event\nduring the said year, is founded upon the prophecy of Daniel, that the\n_sanctuary should be cleansed!_ in two thousand three hundred days. He\ntook the days to mean years, and began his reckoning from the going\nforth of the commandment to restore Jerusalem, mentioned in a\nsubsequent vision. Why did he not begin the reckoning from the date of\nthe vision itself? Because this would not answer Mr. Miller's turn. To\ntell the people that the earth was to be burned up in 1747, would\nproduce little or no excitement. He must hit upon a time for the\nbeginning which would make the end yet future, in order to gratify his\nlove for the marvellous.\n\nThat Mr. Miller intended to manage his reckoning of time to suit his\nown scheme, is obvious from his different computations of time, to\n_make_ his interpretations of other prophecies comport with his\napplication of the two thousand three hundred days. Daniel says, \"And\nfrom the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the\nabomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two\nhundred and ninety days.\" \"Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to\nthe thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.\" Taking the\nthousand three hundred and thirty-five days to reach from the taking\naway of the daily sacrifice, and setting up the abomination that maketh\ndesolate, to the resurrection, he subtracts the thousand three hundred\nand thirty-five from it, and finds the remainder to be five hundred and\neight, which must, to suit his calculation, be the year of our Lord in\nwhich the daily sacrifice should be taken away, &c. Then, to get at the\ntaking away of a daily sacrifice, and the setting up of an abomination\nthat maketh desolate, which should come any where in the neighborhood\nof this date, he makes the taking away of the daily sacrifice to be the\ndoing away of the pagan worship in Rome, and the setting up the\nabomination spoken of to be the commencement of the Papal authority.\nThis he sets at A.D. 508, without reference to fact, because his\nreckoning of prophetic time brings it so. The truth is, that the pagan\ncharacter of Rome ceased soon after the conversion of the Emperor\nConstantine to Christianity, which was about A.D. 313. This makes\nabout 195 years' difference in the age of the world, and brings it to\nan end in 1648, over 200 years ago!\n\nBut let us examine a little farther. Having come, as we have shown, at\nA.D. 508, which, having taken from the years of Christ's life 33,\nleaves 475 from the death of Christ, he proceeds to add up: The 70\nweeks, or 490 years, to the crucifixion of Christ, 490; from the\ncrucifixion of Christ to the taking away the daily sacrifice, 475. And\nhere are his time, times, and half, which he takes to be the duration\nof the pagan reign, i.e., three years and a half, which, taking a day\nfor a year, makes 1260.\n\nHere, then, he has his whole time, down to the end of his second or\nPapal transgression of desolation, which he has all along held to be\nthe end of the world. But these several numbers added amount to but\n2225, 75 short of the 2300, reckoning from the going forth of the\ndecree to rebuild Jerusalem. And what now shall be done? How shall the\n75 years be made up to bring the end of the world to 1843? Why, he\nsucceeds in finding two different numbers in the 12th of Daniel, viz.,\n1290 and 1335. And nothing is easier, when you have two different\nnumbers, to substract the less from the greater. This he does in the\npresent case, and finds the difference to be just 45. Well, what of\nthat? Why, he says this is the time which was to elapse between the\ndestruction of the great beast in his second or Papal character, and\nthe resurrection! He does not pretend that the vision mentions this,\nbut so he fixes it. He is like a country schoolmaster, who, not always\nfinding it easy to manage by rules, when a scholar would carry him a\nsum which he could not work, he would look at the answer in the book,\nand get the difference between that and his own, and then he would slip\nin the ascertained difference, somewhere in the operation, to be added\nor substracted, as the case might require, to bring the answer as he\nwished it.\n\nBut although he succeeded in finding 45 years, he is still minus 30,\nfor it brings out the end in 1813. And how shall the other 30 years be\nfound? It must be gotten somehow, for who will believe it as it now\nstands? Yet this extraordinary man meets with no difficulty in finding\nthe 30 years. In his parade of parts, of factors, to make up the great\nwhole, he sets down for the space between the putting down of the Pagan\npower, to the setting up the same power, 30 years! And how he gets this\nnumber there, no mortal can tell. Yes, he tells us himself.\n\nConsidering himself so great a prophet, he seems to think that his own\nsuppositions will certainly pass among others as good authority. He\ntherefore unblushingly tells us that he _supposes_ this 30 years. Hear\nhim, (page 96.) \"Therefore, to reconcile these two statements, _we must\nconclude_ there were 30 years from A.D. 508, when paganism ceased,\nbefore the image beast, or Papal Rome, would begin her reign. _If_ this\nis correct, then,\" &c.\n\nHere, then, the foundation on which he keeps the world standing from\n1813 to 1843, is a simple _if_. And to get in these supposititious\n30 years, between the death of the pagan and the life of the Papal\nbeast, he involves himself in a maze of absurdity. He makes the taking\naway of the daily sacrifice to be the putting an end to the Papal\nbeast, that did daily sacrifice to idol abominations. The little horn,\nby whom the daily sacrifice was taken away, Mr. Miller takes to be the\nPapal beast, or Catholic church. This beast takes away the daily\nsacrifice, i.e., puts an end to the pagan beast, and yet does not\nexist until 30 years after the pagan beast is dead. This is truly an\nunheard of strait for a schemer to come to, to be obliged, in order to\nbring out his reckoning, to get 30 years between the existence of two\nbeasts, one of which kills the other. The second beast slays the first,\nand performs many wonderful works, 30 years before he has any\nexistence! No marvel that the man who could see into such mysteries\nshould imagine that he could see the end of the world in 1843!\n\nMr. Miller commits various other errors in his calculations and dates,\nas, for instance, he states that pagan Rome commenced 148 years before\nChrist, whereas Rome was founded by Romulus, as an independent\ngovernment, 752 years before Christ, being pagan from its beginning. He\ndates the erection of the Papal authority at A.D. 538. By the Papal\npower he means, of course,--not the Papal doctrine, for that existed\nmuch earlier than 538,--but the establishment of the civil authority.\nAnd this was not until about A.D. 750.\n\nIndeed, Mr. Miller is palpably wrong in nearly all his positions; and\nthe reason is, he is not looking for facts, but for reckonings to fill\nout his own scheme. And even in this, too, he fails. On page 109 of his\nCourse of Lectures, first published in 1836, speaking of events to\nhappen in 1839, he holds the following language: \"He that is filthy\nwill be filthy still. Mankind will, for a short season, give loose to\nall the corrupt passions of the human heart. No laws, human or divine,\nwill be regarded; all authority will be trampled under foot; anarchy\nwill be the order of government, and confusion _fill the world with\nhorror and despair_. Murder, treason, and crime will be _common law_,\nand division and disunion _the only bond of fellowship_. Christians\nwill be persecuted unto death, and dens and caves of the earth will be\ntheir retreat. _All things_ which are not _eternal_ will be _shaken to\npieces_, that which cannot be shaken may remain. And this, if I am\nright in my calculations, will begin _on or before_ A.D. 1839. 'And at\n_that time_ (1839) thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall\nbe found written in the book.' _Now_ is come salvation indeed. The\npeople of God are _now_ to be delivered from outward foes and inbred\nlusts, from the corruptions of the grave and the vileness of the flesh.\nEvery one, the poor and despised child of God, will _then_ (in 1839) be\ndelivered when he makes up his jewels.'\"\n\nMr. Miller, in finding that things did not take place as he prophesied,\nput a note in the end of his book, on the last page, stating that he\nhad made a _mistake of one year_ in some of his computations, and hence\nthese things which he _supposed_ would take place in 1839, according to\nthe first computation, will not be realized until the year 1840! And\nyet 1840 passed over our heads, and these things did not take place. On\npage 296 of his Lectures, he says the sixth vial was poured out in\n1822, when the Ottoman power began to be dried up. This he considered\nto be a very important sign, indicating that we were on the very brink\nof the _judgment day_. Here he introduces Rev. xvi. 12. \"And the sixth\nangel poured out his vial upon the great River Euphrates; and the\nwaters thereof were dried up, that the way of the kings of the earth\nmight be prepared.\" This preparation, Mr. M. says, is for the last\ngreat battle, which will take place at the pouring out of the seventh\nvial, in the year 1839 or 1840. \"At the pouring out of the seventh\nvial, a voice from the throne will pronounce the words, _It is done_.\nThe kingdoms of the earth and the governments of the world will be\ncarried away, and their places be known no more.\" But these kingdoms\nstill remain.\n\nMr. Miller's last assumption was, that Christ would come in the spring\nof 1844, at the date corresponding with the ending of the Jewish year\nfor 43. Mr. M. says, in his preface to his book, \"If I have erred in my\nexposition of the prophecies, _the time, being so near at hand_, will\nsoon expose my folly.\" He had already seen the folly of some of his\ncomputations, and he seemed to fear lest it might prove the same in the\nfinal result also. And this he soon experienced, as may be seen by\nreading his _confession_, made at the Tabernacle in Boston, on the\nevening of May 28, 1844. He there stated that what he had preached and\npublished respecting the coming of the Lord in 1843 was done honestly;\n(!) that he fully believed it; but that the time had now _passed_, and\nhe was _proved to be mistaken_; that when the time arrived and the\nevent did not take place, he felt bad--felt lonely--thought he should\nnever have any more to say in public; that he felt worse on the account\nof others than he did for himself. He said there was an error somewhere\nin his calculations, but he could not tell where. He had now no\ndefinite time--he should wait God's time: it might come in a day, it\nmight not come in fifty years; he could not say exactly when; he was\nwaiting. Thus the whole affair exploded--came to nought; although much\nevil in regard to Mr. Miller's prophecies may yet be experienced in the\ncommunity. Some will yet cling most obstinately to the system, and\nstill maintain that Christ may be expected every day, hour, or minute,\nwhile others will fix upon some other date within a short period of\ntime. They will still refer us to certain signs in the starry heavens,\nendeavoring to persuade the people to believe that the whole machinery\nof nature is out of joint, and that this is a certain precursor to the\nspeedy dissolution of the world.\n\nOne of the second advent preachers gave the startling intelligence that\n\"_fifteen hundred_ stars had _recently_ faded from the vault of\nheaven.\" But what are the facts? Not more than _thirteen_ stars are\nrecorded in the annals of astronomy as having been lost; and so far\nfrom having faded _recently_, some of them disappeared many ages\nsince. It is not even certain that any stars have been blotted out.\nThere are nearly one hundred variable stars which have periods of\nunusual brilliancy, and then gradually fade till nearly invisible, and\nafter a time revive again. The thirteen missing stars may be of this\ndescription. These changes were observed many centuries ago. The bright\nstar which appeared suddenly, with unusual splendor and brilliancy, in\nCassiopeia, in 1572, is supposed to be the same star which suddenly\nappeared in the same place, with great lustre, about the year 900, and\nalso about 600 years before, during the intervals of which it was\ninvisible.\n\nThe same preacher adduced the Aurora Borealis as another sign of the\nlast days. \"Is it not remarkable,\" says he, \"that no record of them\nappears till _quite recently_?\" But what are the facts? It was indeed\nsupposed by many, who had not investigated the subject, that the Aurora\nwas first seen in England in 1716; but on examination we find it spoken\nof in 1560, in a scientific work, entitled A Description of Meteors,\npublished soon after the invention of printing, subsequent to which,\nand before 1716, there are many accounts of the same phenomenon.\n\nMany have supposed that nothing has ever before appeared, similar to\nthe remarkable _red Aurora_, which was witnessed on the evening of\nJanuary 25, 1837. Yet such spectacles have often been witnessed in the\nnorthern parts of Sweden, Lapland, and Siberia, and in remote and\ndifferent periods. The Aurora is a great blessing in those high\nnorthern latitudes, where the sun is absent for many weeks, furnishing\nthe inhabitants with a splendid light, in the midst of their dreary\nwinter nights. Gmelin describes the Aurora Borealis of those regions as\ndiffering in color according to the states of the atmosphere,\n\"sometimes assuming the appearance of blood.\" He observes that \"they\nfrequently begin with single bright pillars rising in the north, and\nalmost at the same time in the north-east, which, gradually increasing,\ncomprehend a large space in the heavens, rush about, with incredible\nvelocity, from place to place, and finally almost cover the whole sky\nto the zenith, producing an appearance as if a vast tent was expanded\nin the heavens, glittering with gold, rubies, and sapphire. A more\nbeautiful spectacle cannot be painted.\" These lights occasionally come\nso far south as to illuminate the sky in our latitude. Sometimes they\nhave not appeared for many years. In 1716, these lights were seen in\nEngland, though never witnessed before by the oldest inhabitants\nliving; and, as might be expected, they were alarmed, and actually\nsupposed the day of judgment had come. From Barber's History of New\nEngland, we learn that the first appearance of the northern lights in\nthis country, after the period of its first settlement, was on December\n11, 1719, \"when they were remarkably bright; and, as people in general\nhad never heard of such a phenomenon, they were extremely alarmed with\nthe apprehension of the final judgment. All amusements, all business,\nand even sleep was interrupted, for want of a little knowledge of\nhistory.\" We were told by some of the advent preachers that meteors and\nshooting stars, falling to the earth, were never seen until 1799. But\nthis is a great mistake. As early as the year 472, Theophanes relates,\n\"The sky appeared to be on fire, with the coruscations of flying\nmeteors.\" Virgil, in his book of Georgics, speaks as follows:--\n\n    \"And oft, before tempestuous winds arise,\n    The seeming _stars fall headlong_ from the skies,\n    And, _shooting_ through the darkness, gild the night\n    With sweeping glories and _long trails of light_.\"\n\nIn 553, under the reign of Justinian, were seen showers of falling\nstars in extraordinary numbers. In 763, under that of Constantine\nCapronymus, the same spectacle was witnessed. In 1099, in the month of\nNovember, it is said, in Vogel's Leipzig Chronicles, that there was\nseen an unheard-of number of falling stars, burning torches, and fiery\ndarts in the sky. In 1464, on the 7th of November, the great meteoric\nstone fell at Ensisheim, in Alsace. On the 8th of August, 1723,\nnumerous falling stars appeared in many parts of the heavens, like\nfireflies.\n\nBut we are told of the sun and moon appearing like blood, and that this\nsign of our Lord's second coming was never witnessed, since the\nresurrection, till the year 1780. Yet this is likewise a mistake; for\nin the Basle Chronicle of Urtisus, under the year 1566, mention is made\nof the fact, that on the 28th and 29th of July, the sun and moon became\n_blood red_; and on the 7th of August, this striking phenomenon was\nagain repeated. And, according to the Frankfort Chronicle of Lersner,\nunder the year 1575, on the 29th of July, a _remarkable redness of the\nsun_ occurred.\n\nIt has been said that the _darkness_ of the sun, that occurred in\n1780, was a sign given to portend the speedy destruction of the world.\nWhy was it not then witnessed simultaneously in all parts of the earth?\nIt was confined principally to New England and witnessed only by the\ngeneration preceding the present. To be sure, thousands were appalled\nby the event, and a feeling that the judgment day had actually come\nrested upon many minds. But yet they were in a mistake. This darkness\ncommenced on the 19th of May, between the hours of 10 and 11 A.M., and\ncontinued until the middle of the next night. Persons were unable to\nread common print, determine the time of day by their clocks or\nwatches, dine, or manage their business, without additional light.\nCandles were lighted in their houses. The birds sang their evening\nsongs, disappeared, and became silent. The fowls retired to roost. The\ncocks were crowing all around, as at break of day. Objects could be\ndistinguished but at a very little distance, and every thing bore the\nappearance and gloom of night. The legislature of Connecticut was in\nsession at this time, in Hartford city. A very general opinion\nprevailed that the judgment day was at hand. The House of\nRepresentatives, being unable to transact business, adjourned. A\nproposal to adjourn the council was under consideration. When the\nopinion of Colonel Davenport was asked, he answered, \"I am against an\nadjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not.\nIf it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I choose\nto be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be\nbrought.\"\n\nA similar darkness has sometimes gathered over the city of London, in\nconsequence of a vast accumulation of smoke, so as to make it necessary\nfor passengers in the streets to use lighted torches at midday. In\n1783, a great part of Europe was for weeks overspread with a haziness\nof atmosphere which caused great consternation. The churches were\ncrowded with supplicants. The astronomer Lalande attempted to allay the\nfright by endeavoring to account for the appearance, which he ascribed\nto an uncommon exhalation of watery particles from the great rain of\nthe preceding year. But at last it was ascertained to be owing to\nsmoke, occasioned by the great eruption of the volcano Hecla, which\ncovered more than three thousand square miles with burning lava, in\nsome places to the depth of forty feet. Dr. Franklin was in Europe at\nthe time, and afterwards gave an account of the circumstances relating\nto this uncommon eruption. In fact, immense issues of smoke, from fires\nand volcanoes, have, from time immemorial, produced similar effects in\ndifferent countries.\n\nWe will subjoin a few remarkable appearances that have taken place in\nthe heavens, that the reader may at once perceive that in scarcely any\nage of the world have its inhabitants been destitute of some _sign_,\nthat might, to the timid and uninformed, be considered as the\nprognostication of some awful catastrophe about to happen.\n\nIn 1574, on the 15th of November, _large and terrific beams of fiery\nlight_ were seen during the night. And similar appearances are noted in\nVogel's Chronicles, as having occurred in November, 1637, and 1661. In\nthe old Breslau Collections, there is mention made of a large _moonlike\nmeteor_, which passed off with an explosion, on the 10th of November,\n1721; and of a great _fire-flash_, or _flame-emitting comet_, on the\n12th day. According to Vogel's Chronicles, there appeared on the 30th\nNovember, 1663, _a large cross_, and other signs in the skies. On the\n11th of August, 1561, there was seen, in the forenoon, _a very\nremarkable red meteor_, emitting frequent _flashes of light_. In 1717,\n_numerous meteors_ were seen at Fryeburg; and at Utchland, in August,\n1715. On the 10th of August, 1717, _a large fire-ball_ was seen in\nLusace, Silesia, Poland, and Hungary. In the Frankfort Chronicle of\nJuly 29, 1694, it is mentioned that _the heavens were full of fiery\nflames!_ as also again on the 9th of August. On February 22, 1719, _a\nlarge fire-ball_ was seen in several places. On the 22d, 1720, _an\nimmense red cross_ was seen at Novogorod and Kiew; and on the 19th,\n1722, _a huge fire-ball_!\n\nWhat would the Millerites think, if they should now see \"an immense red\ncross in the heavens,\" \"a remarkable red meteor, emitting flashes of\nlight during the night,\" or \"a blood-red appearance of the sun and\nmoon,\" and \"showers of falling stars in extraordinary numbers\"? These\nthings are as likely to happen at the present day as they were a\nhundred years ago, and still the world remains as it has remained.\n\nJust before the last return of Halley's comet, an article was published\nin a religious paper in this state, going to show that the world would\nprobably be struck and set on fire by a comet, and that, most likely,\nHalley's would be the one to do it, as it was coming much nearer the\nearth than it had ever been before. The editor seemed to be ignorant\nthat the quantity of matter that enters into the constitution of a\ncomet is exceedingly small, and that the comet of 1770, which was quite\nlarge and bright, passed through the midst of Jupiter's satellites\nwithout deranging their motions in the least perceptible degree.\nComets, it is believed, consist of exceedingly rare vapor; indeed, so\nmuch so, that some philosophers say that our thinnest clouds are dense\nin comparison. And yet this exceedingly thin vapor was to dash the\nworld to atoms, or set it on fire, it was not fully determined which.\n\nWhether comets, or any unusual appearances in the sky, are to be\nconsidered as _signs_ prognosticating the final dissolution of all\nthings, as being near at hand, is for each to determine for himself.\nAnd in forming a judgment upon the subject, we may surely be permitted\nto exercise the common sense which God has given us. To lay this aside,\nand judge only by _feeling_ or _fancy_, is to criminally reject a light\nwhich we are _sure_ is from God, and follow one which _may_ prove an\n_ignis fatuus_, and land us in the quagmire of infidelity. If the\nScripture signs are to receive a _literal_ fulfilment, we may\nreasonably expect that they will conform to the four following tests:--\n\n1. They will appear _near_ the event of which they are intended as the\nharbinger; probably within the generation of those who will be living\nat the end of the world.\n\n2. They will be witnessed in all parts of the earth, because all are\nalike interested.\n\n3. They may _all_ be expected to appear, and not a single class of\nphenomena without the other.\n\n4. They will be such as will impress intelligent minds with their\nstrangeness and peculiarity.\n\nThe Aurora Borealis conforms not to any of these tests. It has been\nseen for centuries, and is confined to the northern portions of the\nglobe; having rarely, if ever, been seen so far north as the thirtieth\ndegree of north latitude. And, as we have before remarked, the darkness\nof 1780 was confined principally to New England. And from a careful\nexamination of all the accounts we have been able to collect of\nmeteoric showers of the last and present century, the whole of them\ntogether have occupied a space on the globe less than one eighth of its\nsurface. The shower of 1799 was probably the most extensive. Its centre\nwas near the middle of the Atlantic; its edges touched the northern\nparts of South America, the coast of Labrador and Greenland, and the\nwestern shores of Europe and Africa. That of 1833 may be represented on\na six-inch globe by the space occupied by a dollar. Such magnificent\nscenes are calculated to impress the mind with awe; yet it is\nsurprising that many intelligent persons should suppose them to be the\nprecursors of the final conflagration. If the simple but reasonable\ntests we have given be correct, they are disarmed of their character as\nominous of the destruction of the world.\n\nWith regard to any changes in the order or succession of the heavenly\nbodies, it is only necessary to observe, that hundreds of scientific\nmen, in Europe and America, have for many years been employed in\nexploring the material heavens with the most powerful telescopes. Many\nare employed, by the governments of Europe, in astronomical\nobservations, scattered over the earth, for the express purpose of\nmaking new discoveries, if possible, and of furthering the interests of\nscience. No phenomenon escapes their notice; and should any thing\nextraordinary occur, it would appear before the public, vouched by\nnames that would command universal credence. It may be unnecessary to\nadd, that no such changes in the planets and fixed stars, as have been\nproclaimed to the world by some of the second advent preachers, have\nbeen observed by learned astronomers and men of science.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nINTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS.\n\n\nIn no age, says a popular writer, has the world been destitute of those\nwho professed, by some instrumentality or other, to hold intercourse\nwith departed spirits. Neither has any age been without its reputed\nspectres, ghosts, or apparitions. The high priest of the Buddhist and\nHindoo temples, in former times, when arrayed in the consecrated\ngarments for the festivals, wore a round knob, about the size of a\nlarge pendent drop of a chandelier, suspended from his neck by a chain\nof great value and of dazzling brilliancy. It was through the agency of\nthis crystal that he was supposed to hold communion with the spirit or\nspirits to whom he and his followers accorded devotion and made\nintercessions; and the glass, acting as did the famed oracle of Delphi,\ngave orders and commands, and settled all great questions that might be\nsubmitted to its spiritual master. The priest, although he might be a\npattern of purity, and the quintessence of all that was good, having,\nhowever, the sin of being in years, and not able, perhaps, to hide from\nthe spirit inhabiting the crystal all the transactions of his youth,\ncould not hold a direct communication with it. To arrange this, a\ncertain number of boys, and sometimes, in some of the temples, young\ndamsels, were retained, who, having never mixed with the world, could\nnot be supposed to be in any way contaminated by its vices. These alone\nwere said to be capable of beholding the spirit when he chose to make\nhis appearance in the divining glass, and interpreting to and fro the\nquestions put and answers received. Although it was not every boy or\n_seer_ to whom was permitted the gift of spiritual vision, yet in\nlatter times, when divining crystals multiplied, little ragged boys\nwould run after the passers in the streets, and offer to _see_ any\nthing that might be required of them, for a trifling gift, even a cake\nor sweetmeat. In Egypt, the divining glass is superseded by putting a\nblot of thick black fluid into the palm of a boy's hand, and commanding\nhim to see various people and things; of which practice Lane, in his\nModern Egyptians, gives some curious disclosures.\n\nDivining mirrors were not confined to the East. Dr. Dee was the first\nEnglish impostor who vaunted the possession of one of these priceless\ntreasures. He had for the _seer_ one Keily, an Irishman; and to this,\ndoubtless, was attributable the impression that prevailed among the\nastrologers and amateur spirit hunters, that when the spirits\ncondescended to speak, they always gave speech with a very strong spice\nof the brogue. This \"beryl,\" as it is called, was preserved among the\nStrawberry Hill curiosities, and fell under the hammer of George\nRobbins at the memorable sale. It proved to be a globe of _cannel\ncoal_. In Aubrey's Miscellany there is an engraving of another\nlarger crystal, and there are with it many wonderful stories. Yet,\nnotwithstanding the magic capabilities of these mirrors, they went out\nof fashion until the beginning of the year 1850.\n\nThis revival and its consequences are like a page out of a silly\nromance. The story, if told by a disinterested historian, would require\nauthentication as belonging to 1850. We therefore turn, by way of\nvoucher, to a publication called Zadkiel's Almanac for 1851. At page\n46, after referring to the existence of magic crystals at the present\nday, the writer, says, \"One of large size was a few years ago brought\nover to England by a friend of Lady Blessington, after the sale of\nwhose effects, it recently fell into the hands of a friend of mine;\nand, having tested its powers, I have resolved on giving my readers an\naccount of this wonderful mode of communicating with the spirits of the\ndead. The crystal is spherical, and has been turned from a large mass\nof pure rock crystal. I have been shown some few others, but, with the\nexception of one shown me by Lord S., they are all much smaller. These\nsmaller ones are said to be consecrated to angels of the planets, and\nare, therefore, far less powerful than Lady Blessington's crystal,\nwhich, being consecrated to the Archangel of the Sun, Michael, may be\nconsulted during four hours each day, whereas the others can generally\nbe used only for a very brief space of time; nor can very potent\nspirits be called into them, or made to render themselves visible. In\nthis larger crystal is given most important information of the actual\nexistence of the soul after death, and of the state in which it exists\nand will exist until the judgment.\"\n\n\"The first intimation we received,\" says Dickens, in his Household\nWords, \"of the revival of this notable practice of divination, was\nabout six months ago, when we were casually informed that the son of a\ndistinguished officer of the royal navy was, at that time, frequently\nengaged in developing, before a few privileged friends, the\nextraordinary faculty of being able to hold intercourse with the world\nof spirits. It was added that the revelations made through the medium\nof this youth were of so wonderful a nature, and carried such\nconviction to the minds of those who listened, that they were declared\nto be the result of more than human power.\"\n\nThe conjurer was asked, on one occasion, to describe Lord Nelson. And,\naccordingly, the spirit, with an accuracy that was quite astonishing,\nconsidering that no portrait, bust, or statue of Nelson is known to\nexist, gave a full, true, and particular account of England's hero,\ndescribing him as a very thin man, in a cocked hat, with only one eye,\none arm, &c.; and the truth of the description was declared to be\nsomething truly marvellous.\n\nA demand was made that the spirit of a deceased brother of one of the\nquerists should be summoned to appear. Presently he said, \"I see him;\nhe has curly hair, and stoops a good deal. I can't exactly see his\nfeatures, but I think he squints.\" This account of her late brother's\npersonal appearance, though not very flattering, satisfied the lady as\nfar as it went; but being, like Macbeth,--\n\n          \"... bent to know,\n    By the worst means, the worst,\"\n\nshe required further proof of his identity. There was a pause for a\nminute or two, and then the spirit seer spoke again--\"He has got a\nscroll in his hand, which he unfolds; there is this inscription on it,\nin _letters of fire_:--\n\n    'I AM TOM!'\"\n\nThis sublime revelation was received with a degree of solemn awe, and\nwith suppressed throes of well-bred laughter.\n\nOther cases not a whit less marvellous have been described by the\nnarrators, who could not be reasoned out of their absurdity, insisting\nthat there could be no deception in the matter, on account of the means\nemployed, and the evident sincerity of the _employ\u00e9s_! These means,\nthey said, required that the person who looked into the crystal should\nbe perfectly _pure_; that is to say, a child free from sin, and by no\nmeans given to lying, and that the form of adjuration used was, \"_In\nnomine Domini_,\" &c.; Latin being, as is well known, the language which\nspirits of all denominations are most accustomed to. When interrogated\nafter this fashion, the spirit, if evil, fled away howling; if good, it\ncame, when called, unless particularly engaged _in the sun_; for it\nappears that it is to that planet almost all spirits go when their term\nof purgatory is over. It seems that the spirits would sometimes get out\nof breath, travelling so far, and talking so much; and they then had\nrecourse to the expedient of _letters of fire_, which seemed to be\n_written_ in various ways in the crystal; sometimes on flags, which the\nspirits hold up, but sometimes they are in _print_. In these letters of\nfire, the querist was counselled something like the following: \"Be\nmerry. Quarrel not. Keep your temper, and your children too. You are a\ngood man, but try to be better. I am wanted. Let me go.\"\n\nWe subjoin the following as specimens of conversations heard by large\nparties of amazed, titled, and believing listeners: \"Are you Pharaoh,\nthat was king of Egypt?\" \"Yes.\" \"Where do you dwell now?\" \"In Jupiter.\"\n\"How long have you been there?\" \"About thirty years.\" \"Where did you\ndwell till then?\" \"In the atmosphere, and was undergoing punishment\ntill then.\" \"Were you king of Egypt when Moses was there?\" \"Yes, _and\nAaron too_.\" \"Did you build the pyramids?\" \"_Some._\" \"Were any built\nbefore your time?\" \"Yes.\" \"Do you know how long the first was built\nbefore Christ?\" \"About three hundred years after Adam; it was built\nthen.\" \"Do you mean that it was built before the flood?\" \"No, it was\nnot finished; the flood destroyed them.\" \"What was the principal object\nof them?\" \"To hold the kings of Egypt.\" \"Were there kings of Egypt so\nsoon after the creation?\" \"Yes; that was the first country kings were\nin.\" \"Were you drowned in the Red Sea?\" \"_Yes._\"\n\nAt one time Swedenborg volunteered to give information about Sir John\nFranklin, when the following dialogue took place: \"What is the best way\nto communicate with him?\" \"By the natives; they speak to him\nsometimes.\" \"Will he be home next summer?\" \"No.\" \"Why?\" \"Because he\ncannot help himself; he is stopped by ice; but his heart does not fail\nhim; he wants to explore.\" \"How will he do for provisions?\" \"He will\nfind _bears_, _dogs_, and _wolves_.\" \"Will he find the passage?\" \"No;\nthere is a continent there.\" \"But there is also a passage.\" \"There is\none, but he will not find it.\" \"What latitude does he lie in chiefly?\"\n\"I do not know: _good by_.\" It appears strange that Swedenborg, who\nknew so much, did not know this. But we learn in another place that\n\"spirits do not _well_ understand about latitude and longitude.\"\nSocrates's appearance is described as follows: \"A tall, middle-aged\nman, rather bald, dressed with striped coarse trousers, very loose at\nthe top, and tight at the bottom; a kind of frock, open in the front,\nand without sleeves. He is generally employed in singing praises, but\nwas not quite happy.\" Alexander the Great appeared on horseback, in\narmor, the horse also in armor; deeply regrets killing Clitus, and all\nthe murders he perpetrated; amuses himself in fighting his battles over\nagain.\n\nTo give these things a sort of _\u00e9clat_ and popularity with the public,\nZadkiel sums up the whole in the following language: \"In concluding\nthis account, I may remark that _numerous children_ have seen these\nvisions, some of them the sons and daughters of persons of high rank;\nand that _several adults_ have also seen visions, one of them a lady of\ntitle, and another a member of one of the highest families in England.\nIt will be seen that delicacy prevents my naming individuals; but I can\nassure my readers that _above one hundred of the nobility_, and several\nhundreds of other highly respectable ladies and gentlemen, have\nexamined this wonderful phenomenon, and have expressed the highest\ngratification and astonishment.\"\n\nDickens declares it to be \"the fashion, especially among people of\nfashion, to point with pity to a tale of modern witchcraft, to an\nadvertisement of a child's caul, or to the _bona fide_ certificates of\ncases from the takers of quack medicines, and to deplore the ignorance\nof their inferiors. Delusions, however, of the grossest kind are not\nconfined to the illiterate. A cloud of dupes have ever floated about in\nthe higher regions of society; while it is quite a mistake to suppose\nthat the refinements and discoveries of the nineteenth century have\ndispersed them. The reign of Queen Victoria, like that of Elizabeth and\nAnne, has its Dr. Dees, and Lillys, and Partridges, who are as\nsuccessful as their precursors in gaining proselytes who can pay\nhandsomely. Damsels of high degree, fresh from boarding school, with\nheads more full of sympathy for the heroes and heroines of fashionable\nnovels, and ideas more fixed upon love affairs than on any legitimate\nstudies, can easily find out, through mysteriously-worded\nadvertisements in the Sunday papers, or through the ready agency of\nfriends who have already become victims of the 'science' of astrology\nand magic, the whereabouts of these awful and wonderful beings. There\nare a number of styles and classes of them, all varying in appearance\nand mode of operations. There are the old women, who, consoled by the\nglories of their art, repine not at inhabiting comfortless garrets in\nthe purlieus of the New Cut, Lambeth; and hiding their vocation under\nthe mask of having stay laces or infallible corn plasters to sell,\nreceive more visitors from the fashionable cream of Belgravia than from\nthe dross of Bermondsey. Disguises are sometimes resorted to, and\nparties of titled ladies have been known to meet, and put on the\nhabiliments of 'charwomen,' and to pass themselves off as dress-makers.\nThere is an old man, with unshaven beard and seldom-washed face, who\nlives in more comfortable circumstances, with his son, in Southwark,\n(the favored district of the conjurers,) who, to keep up appearances,\nhas 'Engineer' hugely engraved on a great brass plate over the door,\nwho casts nativities, and foretells events of the future, for three or\nfive shillings, as the appearance of the visitor will warrant him in\ndemanding; receives all his votaries sitting at a terribly littered\ntable of dirty paper, with a well-smoked clay pipe beside him. Passing\nto a higher grade, the 'agent,' or arranger of matters, legal,\npecuniary, or domestic, only practises the black art for the love he\nbears it, and to oblige his friends, but never refuses a few shillings'\nfee, out of respect to the interests of the science. Nearly all his\ncustomers are people of title.\"\n\nWe now come to speak of events in our own country which seem to be\nsomewhat akin to those which have so recently transpired in England. We\nallude to what are familiarly termed \"rappers,\" or \"knocking spirits,\"\nfrom the _noises_ which they are said to make.\n\nFrom a history of these _knockings_, as given in a pamphlet by Capron\nand Barron, of Auburn, New York, we learn that they were first heard in\nthe family of Mr. Michael Weekman, in the town of Arcadia, Wayne\ncounty. He resided in the house where the noises were heard about\neighteen months, and left it some time in the year 1847. He relates\nthat one evening, about bedtime, he heard a rapping on the outside\ndoor, when he stepped to the door and opened it, but, to his surprise,\nfound no one there. He went back, and proceeded to undress, when, just\nbefore getting into bed, he heard another rap at the door loud and\ndistinct. He stepped to the door quickly and opened it, but, as before,\nfound no one there. He stepped out, and looked around, supposing that\nsome one was imposing upon him. He could discover no one, and went back\ninto the house. After a short time he heard the rapping again; he\nstepped (it being often repeated) and held on the latch, so that he\nmight ascertain if any one had taken that means to annoy him. The\nrapping was repeated; the door was instantly opened, but no one was to\nbe seen. He could feel the jar of the door very plainly when the\nrapping was heard. As he opened the door, he sprung out, and went\naround the house, but no one was in sight. His family were fearful to\nhave him go out, lest some one intended to harm him. It always remained\na mystery to him; and finally, as the rapping did not at that time\ncontinue, it passed from his mind, till some time afterwards, when, one\nnight, their little girl, then about eight years of age, was heard to\nscream from fright, so that the family were all alarmed by her cries,\nand went to her assistance. This was about midnight. She told them that\nsomething like a hand had passed over her face and head; that she had\nfelt it on the bed and all over her, but did not feel alarmed until it\ntouched her face.\n\nIt seems that Mr. Weekman soon after moved away from the house, and\nnothing more was heard of the rapping, or other manifestations, till it\nwas occupied by the family of Mr. John D. Fox, who have since become so\nconspicuous with \"the advent of spirits.\" In March, 1848, they, for the\nfirst time, heard the \"mysterious sounds,\" which seemed to be like a\nslight knocking in one of the bed rooms on the floor. It was in the\nevening, just after they had retired. At that time the whole family\noccupied one room, and all distinctly heard the rapping. They arose,\nand searched with a light, but were unable to find the cause of the\nknocking. It continued that night until they all fell asleep, which was\nnot until nearly or quite midnight. From this time the noise continued\nto be heard every night.\n\nAfter having been disturbed and broken of their rest for several nights\nin a vain attempt to discover from whence the sounds proceeded, they\nresolved, on the evening of the 31st of March, that this night they\nwould not be disturbed by it, whatever it might be. But Mr. Fox had not\nyet retired when the usual signs commenced. The girls, who occupied\nanother bed in the same room, heard the sounds, and endeavored to\nimitate them by snapping their fingers. The attempt was made by the\nyoungest girl, then about twelve years old. When she made the noise\nwith her fingers, the sounds were repeated just as she made them. When\nshe stopped snapping her fingers, the sounds stopped for a short time.\nOne of the other girls then said, in _sport_, (for they were getting to\nbe more amused than alarmed,) \"Now do what I do; count one, two, three,\nfour, five, six,\" &c., at the same time striking one hand in the other.\nThe same number of blows or sounds were repeated as in the former case.\nMrs. Fox then spoke, and said, \"Count ten,\" and there were ten distinct\nstrokes or sounds. She then said, \"Will you tell the age of Cathy?\"\n(one of her children;) and it was given by the same number of raps that\nshe was years of age. In like manner the age of her different children\nwas told correctly by this _unseen visitor_.\n\nMrs. Fox then asked, if it was a _human_ being that made the noise, to\nmanifest it by making the same noise. There was no answer to this\nrequest. She then asked if it was a _spirit_, and if so to manifest it\nby making two distinct sounds. Instantly she heard two raps, as she\ndesired. She then proceeded to know or inquire if it was an injured\nspirit, and if so to answer in the same way, and the rapping was\nrepeated. In this way it answered her until she ascertained that it\npurported to be the spirit of a man who was murdered in that house by a\nperson that had occupied it some years before; that he was a _pedler_,\nand that he was murdered for his money. To the question _how old he\nwas_, there were _thirty-one_ distinct raps. By the same means it was\nascertained that he was a married man, and had left a wife and five\nchildren; that his wife had been dead two years.\n\nWe might relate a little different manoeuvre in the case of the _ghost_\nthat appeared in Waltham, Massachusetts, a few years since. A\nsuperstitious old man, by the name of McClarren, a mechanic, purchased\na lot of turf that had been piled up in a meadow about half way between\nhis workshop and place of residence. Upon returning to his work from\nsupper, he used to take a basket with him, and fill it at the turf heap\non his return late in the evening. It was on one of these occasions\nthat the reputed ghost first appeared to him, and caused him some\nalarm, when he dare not linger to reconnoitre this strange and\nunexpected visitor. He resolved, however, to muster courage the next\nevening to accost the figure, should it again appear to him.\nAccordingly, he went with a large Bible open in his hands; and as the\nghost appeared, he followed it till it crossed a ditch, when he was\nrequested by the same to proceed no farther. Thus they stood, facing\neach other, on either side of the ditch, when the following\nconversation took place between them:--\n\n_Ques._ By McClarren. \"I demand of you, in the name of Jesus Christ,\nour once crucified God, whether you are mortal or immortal?\"\n\n_Ans._ \"I am not mortal.\"\n\n_Ques._ \"What, then, are you?\"\n\n_Ans._ \"I am the spirit of a murdered man.\"\n\n_Ques._ \"By whom were you murdered?\"\n\n_Ans._ \"By ----, of Waltham.\"\n\n_Ques._ \"Where does your body lie?\"\n\n_Ans._ \"In yonder pond, behind me.\"\n\nIt is supposed that this affair was got up in an innocent mood, merely\nto test the strength of McClarren's faith in ghosts. But it caused a\nwide-spread excitement; and some, who were thought to be concerned in\nits projection, were prosecuted and brought before a justice for\nexamination, although nothing was proved. McClarren testified under\noath, that he believed it to be a real ghost; \"_its tones_,\" he said,\n\"were so _unearthly_,\" \"and when it moved its motion was not like that\nin walking, but it glided along like a swan, or a boat in the water.\"\nHe was neither to be reasoned nor laughed out of it. He would believe\nit to the day of his death. You might as well tell him he was not a\nliving being, as to tell him he had not seen a living ghost.\n\nThe advocates of the \"influx from the world of spirits into our own\"\nclaim in its behalf many astonishing miracles. Chairs, tables, and beds\nare moved up or down, to and fro, &c. At Auburn, New York, on one\noccasion, sounds on the wall, bureau, table, floor, and other places\nwere heard as loud as the striking with a hammer. The table was moved\nabout the room, and turned over and back. Two men in the company\nundertook to hold a chair down, while, at their request, a spirit moved\nit; and, notwithstanding they exerted all their strength, the chair\ncould not be held still by them--a proof that spirits are far more\nstrong and powerful than men. On another occasion, the sounds proper to\na carpenter's shop were heard, apparently proceeding from the wall and\ntable. Sawing, planing, and pounding with a mallet were imitated, it is\nsaid, _to the life_. Some gentlemen were at the house of the Fox family\nat one time, and were conducted into a _dark room_. They called for the\nsounds to be made like a band of martial music. As they requested, the\nsounds were produced; the playing of the instruments and the heavy\nbeating of the bass drum were perfectly imitated, together with the\nsound of the roar of distant cannon. Shall we not gather from this,\nthat in the spirit world they have their bands of music and companies\nof artillery, the same as in this world? We are also told of the spirit\nor spirits playing on a guitar in a _dark_ room, the guitar being\ntaken from the hands of those who held it and put in tune, and played\nwhile it passed around the room above their heads. On one occasion, as\nit is said, it played an accompaniment, for nearly two hours, to some\npersons engaged in singing, being very exact both in time and tune. On\none occasion, while several ladies were present, some of them requested\nthat the spirits would take their hair down. Accordingly it was done.\nOne of them had her hair taken down and done up in a twist, and one of\nthem had hers braided in four strands. Sometimes persons have felt a\nhand passing over or touching their arms, head, or face, leaving a\nfeeling of electricity upon the part touched; and the hand that thus\ntouches them will, by request, instantly change from a natural warmth\nto the coldness of ice.\n\nIn answer to the question, \"Why do these spirits require a dark room to\nplay upon instruments of music, or to take hold of persons,\" they\nanswer by saying that \"they assume a tangible form in order to do these\nthings, and we are not yet prepared for such a visitation.\"\n\nTo the inquiry how it is they make the rapping noises that generally\naccompany their visits to this world, they answer, that \"they are made\nby the will of the spirits causing a concussion of the atmosphere, and\nmaking the sounds appear in whatever place they please.\"\n\nA Mrs. Draper, of Rochester, New York, had an interview with Dr.\nFranklin, at one time, while she was in a magnetized state. She said he\nappeared to be busily employed in establishing a line of communication\nbetween the two worlds by means of these \"rappings.\" On another\noccasion, while in a clairvoyant state, at her own house, sounds were\nheard in exact imitation of those heard in the telegraph office. These\nsounds were so unusual, that Miss Margaretta Fox, who was present,\nbecame alarmed, and said, \"What does all this mean?\" Mrs. Draper\nreplied, \"_He is trying the batteries_.\" Soon there was a signal for\nthe alphabet, and the following communication was spelled out to the\ncompany present. \"Now I am ready, my friends. There will be great\nchanges in the nineteenth century. Things that now look dark and\nmysterious to you, will be laid plain before your sight. Mysteries are\ngoing to be revealed. The world will be enlightened. I sign my name,\nBenjamin Franklin.\"\n\nIt seems that, in the early history of these rappings, they used to be\nwithout any limitations as to whether persons were in a magnetized\nstate or not. The first we learn of magnetism being employed as a\n_medium_ of communication is in the case of a daughter of Lyman\nGranger, in Rochester, New York. For a long time, answers could be\nobtained by any _two_ (why _two_?) of the family standing near each\nother. And in the freedom of the answers, no preference seemed to be\nmanifested towards any particular members of the family. At length, one\nof his daughters was placed under the influence of magnetism, and\nbecame clairvoyant. From that time none of the family could get\ncommunications unless the daughter who was magnetized was present. Why\nthe communications should leave all the family except the magnetized\ndaughter, after they once had free conversation without her, remains to\nbe explained. The whole business now seems to be pretty much, if not\nwholly, monopolized by the clairvoyants. They seem to be employed as\nagents, or mediums of correspondence, between the two worlds, acting as\ninterpreters between two classes of beings, or beings existing in two\ndifferent states, _natural_ and _spiritual_. They act as a kind of\n_spiritual postmasters_ between the two countries. We find _spiritual\nletter paper_, and _envelopes_ to enclose the same, advertised for\nthose who wish to avail themselves of an opportunity to write to their\ndeceased friends in the other spheres. Letters said to have been\nwritten in the spirit world have been transmitted through the\nestablished mediums to friends in this world, and have been published\nin some of the papers devoted to these subjects. In the New York Daily\nTribune of February 28, 1851, we find the prospectus of a quarto\njournal, to be published in Auburn, \"to be dictated by spirits out of\nthe flesh, and by them edited, superintended, and controlled. Its\nobject is the disclosure of truth from Heaven, guiding mankind into\nopen vision of paradise, and open communication with redeemed spirits.\nThe circle of apostles and prophets are its conductors from the\ninterior, holding control over its columns, and permitting no article\nto find place therein unless originated, dictated, or admitted by them:\nthey acting under direction of the Lord Supreme.\"\n\nWe hope the information coming through its columns will be more\nreliable than the communications from some of the \"rapping spirits.\" No\ndependence whatever can be placed upon them. They are so blundering,\nawkward, and uncertain, and even trickish and deceitful, that they\nspoil all our notions of the dignify and purity--the _spirituality_, in\nfact--of the spiritual world. The advocates of the manifestations\nattribute the fault to _ignorant spirits_, who do not know whether the\nmatter they attempt to speak of be true or not. Swedenborg says, \"There\nare some spirits so ignorant that they do not know but they are the\nones called for, when another is meant. And the only way to detect\nthem, in speaking, is by the difference of sound--that made by\nintelligent spirits being clear and lively, and that of the ignorant\nbeing low and muffled, like the striking of the hand upon a carpet.\"\n\nIt is contended by the authors of the pamphlet from which we quote,\nthat these ignorant spirits will ultimately _progress_ to a state of\n_intelligence_. But this idea of _progression_ seems to be at variance\nwith the observations of a writer in the Boston Post, who was\nastonished at the wonderful precocity of little infants in the spirit\nworld. \"I have known,\" says he, \"the spirit of a child, only eighteen\nmonths old when he died, and only three months in the second sphere,\nshow as much _intelligence_, and as perfect a command of our language,\nas Dr. Channing himself seems to possess.\" On the other hand, when I\nfind that \"the spirit of Dr. Channing cannot express an idea above the\nrudimental conception of a mere child, I am forced to the conclusion\nthat his mental endowments must have greatly deteriorated since he left\nus.\"\n\nIt is said that the theological teachings of these spirits generally\nagree with those of Davis, Swedenborg, and others who have claimed to\nreceive their impressions from spirits. Accordingly, we find them using\nthe term _higher and lower spheres_, instead of _heaven and hell_.\nSwedenborg prophesied that the year 1852 would be the one to decide the\nfate of his church or his doctrines; and Capron and Barron tell us that\n\"the probabilities now seem to be that his general spiritual theory\nwill, not far from that time, be very generally received.\" We presume\nthat the \"mysterious rappings\" are considered by them as so many omens\nof such an event. And we may reasonably conclude that they are as\n_decisive_ tests, as _sure_ prognostications, as were the various\ncelestial signs of the coming of the end of the world in 1843. The\nbelievers in the \"harmonial philosophy\" have their miracles in\nattestation of their theory; and so of the Millerites. On Saturday\nevening, January 18, 1851, we are told by La Roy Sunderland, that Mrs.\nCooper (clairvoyant medium) was taken to Cambridge, by Mr. Fernald and\na friend, for the purpose of visiting a gentleman who had been confined\nby a spinal difficulty some ten years or more. The spirits gave\nbeautiful responses for his consolation, and in the sight of all\npresent, _the sick man and his bed_ were moved by spiritual hands\nalone. The sick man and the \"bed whereon he lay\" were both moved by\nattending angels, without any human power. And more recently, a Mr.\nGordon, it is said, has been taken up and his body moved some distance\nentirely by spiritual hands. Were such miracles ever wrought in favor\nof Millerism? Most assuredly, if we are to believe the Millerites\nthemselves; and even more in favor of witchcraft also. At a meeting of\nthe friends of Millerism, held in Waltham, in 1842, a lady was taken\nfrom her seat by some unseen power, and carried up to the ceiling of\nthe room; and she afterwards declared that it was done without any\neffort on her part. More recently, (1851,) another lady of the same\nplace testifies that she has, in a similar manner, been taken from her\nseat in church and carried up above the tops of the pews. And at times,\nat the advent meetings, strange noises have been heard, houses also\nhave been shaken, mirrors shattered to pieces, and furniture broken,\nand all have been considered by the Adventists as so many auguries or\nsigns of the approaching dissolution of all things, to take place in\n1843.\n\nWe have already made mention of the fact, in another place, that\nbewitched persons used to be carried through the air, on brooms and\nspits, to distant meetings, or Sabbaths, of witches. But we will now\ngive a case to the point.\n\nOn the 8th of September, 1692, Mary Osgood, wife of Captain Osgood, of\nAndover, was taken before John Hawthorne, and other of their majesties'\njustices, when she confessed that, about two years before, she was\ncarried through the air, in company with Deacon Fry's wife, Ebenezer\nBaker's wife, and Goody Tyler, to Five Mile Pond, where she was\nbaptized by the devil, and that she was transported back again through\nthe air, in company with the forenamed persons, in the same manner as\nshe went, and _believes_ they were carried on a _pole_! She was asked\nby one of the justices, how many persons were upon the pole; to which\nshe answered, As I said before, viz., four persons, and no more, but\nwhom she had named above.\n\nAre not these cases to be relied upon as much as those related by Mr.\nSunderland? Could not _four_ respectable ladies tell whether they were\n_actually_ carried through the air on a pole or _not_? _Could_ they be\ndeceived? Possibly, in the days of chloroform, or ether, it might have\nbeen the case; but not at the period in which it actually occurred.\n\nSome of the bewitched persons, as in the case of Elizabeth Knap, of\nGroton, alarmed the people by their _ventriloqual_ powers, in imitating\nsounds and languages. And it would be nothing strange if some of our\nmodern witches were in possession of the same talent. No wonder that\nthe editor of one of the Boston papers should have ventured the\nopinion, that if some of these persons had lived two hundred years ago,\nthey would have been hanged for witchcraft.\n\nIt appears to us, that if we believe in all that is alleged of the\nrapping spirits, and their manifestations, we must be prepared to\nindorse all that has been published of witches and ghosts, spooks and\nhobgoblins, in every age of the world, which, at present, we are not at\nall inclined to do. We do not believe that any of the noises heard, or\nany of the information given, has proceeded from beings out of the\nnormal state. We are rather inclined to adhere to the sentiment\ncontained in the old couplet:--\n\n    \"Where men _believe_ in witches, witches are;\n    But where they don't believe, there are none there.\"\n\nWe once went to stay over night in a house said to be haunted, the\nhouse being empty at the time, the family who had occupied it having\nactually been frightened away by the noises they had heard. But,\nstrange to tell, we did not hear any _noises_, neither did we expect\nto. There was a house in Green Street, Boston, formerly occupied by the\ncelebrated Dr. Conway, which, after his decease, was said to be\nhaunted. A young man of our acquaintance never passed that house late\nat night but every window in it appeared to be illuminated. And\nfinally, he became so alarmed about it, that as soon as he approached\nthe vicinity of the house, he would commence running, and continue to\nrun till it was out of sight. We have frequently known him to cross the\nice on Charles River to avoid passing the house. And still, we often\npassed the same house, at late hours of the night, without seeing any\nthing unusual. And we know of no reason why, unless it was because we\ndid not believe in such things, which our friend actually did. _Faith_\nalone made the difference.\n\nOne of the believers in the \"spirit rappings\" tells us that \"_if_ these\nthings are emanations from the spirit world, we are bound to believe\nthem.\" True, _if_ they are; but this little conjunctive _if_ is a word\nof very _doubtful_ meaning. We have already shown how Mr. Miller kept\nthe whole world standing thirty years on this same little _if_; and\nthen it did not end in 1843, as he supposed it would. We must,\ntherefore, be cautious how we depend upon a simple _if_.\n\nBut we are told that, as honest persons, we are bound to believe what\nwe cannot disprove by actual demonstration. But let us examine this for\na moment. The Greenlanders have an idea that thunder is caused by two\nold women flapping seal skins in the moon. Now, who has ever been up in\nthe moon to ascertain whether it is so or not? Again, they say that the\nAurora Borealis is owing to the spirits of their fathers frisking at\nfootball. Who can say it is not so? And yet _we_ reject such belief on\naccount of its apparent absurdity. Some of the ancients have told us\nthat the earth stands upon the back of a tortoise, or upon that of an\nelephant; and yet, without investigation, a majority of mankind reject\nthe idea as being perfectly ridiculous. We might here remark, that no\nless a scholar than the great mathematician Kepler attempted to prove\nthat the earth is a vast animal, and that the tides are occasioned by\nthe heavings of its prodigious lungs.\n\nMany of the performances of jugglers and ventriloquists puzzle us, and\nyet we do not believe there is any thing supernatural in them. Signor\nBlitz once called upon the ladies in the hall where he was giving an\nexhibition to pass him a handkerchief with their name stamped upon it,\nand he would put it into a pistol and fire it off in their presence,\nand it should be found in the steeple of a church some quarter of a\nmile distant, and yet not a window or a door should be open on the\noccasion. A committee of honest and respectable men were despatched\nfrom the hall to the house of the church sexton, the keys procured,\nwith a lantern, when the belfry was ascended, the handkerchief found\nhanging on the tongue of the bell, and returned to the lady, who\ninstantly recognized it as the identical handkerchief she passed into\nthe hands of the performer. Now, who could prove that the thing alleged\nwas not _actually_ done? and yet who will _believe_ that it was?\n\nWe have heard distant sounds of music, and other imitations of men,\nbirds, and animals, that deceived our sense of hearing, knowing that\nthey were produced by the power of ventriloquism. We have seen things\nmoved from place to place by _magnetic attraction_, and we do not think\nit at all strange that so light an instrument as a guitar could be thus\nattracted to different parts of a room by an _unseen power_, especially\nin a _dark_ room, and its tones be imitated by a being as yet in the\n_normal_ state. A guitar will give vibrations of its tones to the\nconcussions of the air, caused by the conversation of persons present;\nand a stranger to the fact might possibly interpret these vibrations as\nsomething quite mysterious, and suppose the instrument, as it stood\nalone, to be touched by some spirit hand. When people's minds, or their\nimaginations, get wrought up to a certain pitch, the most trifling\nthings are looked upon as wonderful phenomena. Every thing is _new_,\nand _strange_, and _appalling_. We hear of the doings of the spirits at\nRochester, and other places, and which are called the \"ushering in of a\n_new science_.\" \"We know of what we speak,\" says the pamphlet before\nus, \"we _know_ they are _facts, strange, new_, and to many\n_wonderful_!\" (See page 43.) And yet the authors introduce several\npages from a work by Dr. Adam Clarke to show that, as early as 1716,\nthe Wesley family were troubled by noises made by the \"knocking\nspirits,\" and that \"the present manifestations have no claim to the\ncredit of originality.\" The cracking of hazel nuts upon Martin Luther's\nbed posts, and the racket and rumbling upon his chamber stairs, as if\nmany empty barrels and hogs-heads had been tumbling down, claim still\ngreater antiquity, and belong to the same category or chapter of\nwonderful events.\n\nIt is said to be impossible that any mere human being could inform\npersons, with whom they never had any previous knowledge or\nacquaintance, of the past, present, and future events of their\nlives--whether they are married or single, the number of their children\nliving and dead, age, health, business, letters expected, the\nwhereabout of long-absent friends, &c. It is supposed that such\ninformation must indeed emanate from the spirit world. Yet precisely\nsuch things are and always have been told, more or less, by astrologers\nand fortune tellers, without any pretensions to being in league with\nspirits of the other worlds. We have said that fortune tellers do not\nalways tell correctly; but, as poor an opinion as we have of them, we\nwill venture to assert that they are full as correct, if not more so,\nin the information they give, as the members of the Fox family, or any\nof their contemporaries, of the alleged _spiritual_ manifestations.\n\nPersons of sane mind, though ever so ignorant of arithmetic or\northography, can tell at least how many children they have, and are\nusually able to spell their own names; but one who has spent a good\ndeal of time in witnessing the performances of the _spirit rappers_,\nsays, \"They seem to be unwilling or unable to answer purely test\nquestions, like that of answering their own names. I have never known\nthem to do this,\" says he, \"though often solicited.\" He also speaks of\ntheir great deficiency in mathematics, not being able to enumerate the\nnumber of children they have on earth with any thing like accuracy. \"I\nam aware that such questions have sometimes been correctly answered,\nand I have heard them so answered; but I have much more frequently\nknown them to refuse entirely, or to do it very awkwardly, or to fail\nentirely in the attempt. Out of five numbers four were erroneously\nselected as the right one. The fifth was right, of course. This goes to\nshow, at least, that spirits have greatly _deteriorated_, rather than\n_improved_, while inhabiting the celestial spheres.\" But this is not\nall. The facility of communication between the two classes of beings is\nalso on the decline. The time was when ghosts or spirits held free\nconversation with those they visited, without calling in the aid of\nclairvoyancy or electricity. Neither did they resort, like modern\nspirits, to the slow and clumsy mode of communication, through the\nletters of the alphabet. In spelling out a sentence by letters, one of\nthe ladies commences repeating the alphabet; and when the desired\nletter is mentioned, a rap is heard. In this slow and tedious process,\nlong sentences are communicated. No wonder that the slowness of the\nmode of communication should be considered as \"perfectly appalling.\"\nAnd then, too, the substance of these communications is too absurd and\nridiculous to be believed. We might here refer to the information given\nby the prophet Swedenborg himself, in relation to the condition of the\npious Melancthon in the future state, that he was sometimes in an\nexcavated stone chamber, and at other times in hell; and when in the\nchamber, he was covered with bear skins to protect him from the cold;\nand that he refuses to see visitors from this world on account of the\nfilthiness of his apartment. This is about as probable and interesting\nas the account given by a female clairvoyant in Cleveland, Ohio, who\nsays that she has (just) had an interview with Tom Paine, \"who recants\nhis errors, and is at present stopping with General Washington and\nEthan Allen, at a hotel kept by John Bunyan.\"\n\nWe here introduce the following from one of the Boston papers:--\n\n\"_The 'Spiritual Rappings' exploded._--There is a good article under\nthis head, on the first page, to which we invite attention. The\nwriter is an accomplished scholar, an able physician, and one of the\nfirst and best magnetizers in this country. He has investigated the\n'rappings'--tested them theoretically and practically, and 'exploded'\nthem, if our readers have not already done so for themselves. His\ncommunication is entitled to weight, and if circulated, as it should\nbe, among the credulous and unsuspecting, might save some from the\npitiful effects of a mischievous, absurd, and contemptible\nsuperstitious delusion.\"\n\nThe article is as follows:--\n\n\"About the 16th of December last, I called on Mr. Sunderland, in good\nfaith, in order to hear and see manifestations from the spirit world.\nHe received me in a friendly manner, and, with a young lady who was\nwith me, seated me in the spirit room. We had to wait an hour or more,\nand while seated we devoutly invoked the spirits. Finding them silent,\nI put on them some of my most powerful mesmeric electric formula. They\npersevered, however, in preserving profound silence.\n\n\"When, however, the medium, Mrs. Cooper, had arrived, and seven of us,\nfour gentlemen and three ladies, were seated round a square centre\ntable, the responses were made, and came freely. The young lady with\nme, willing to believe, but wishing to know with absolute certainty,\nbefore she assented to the truth of the proposition, that the rappings\nwere made by spirits, and not by the persons engaged in the business,\nhad seated herself about three feet from the table, so that she could\nsee under it. The following dialogue then ensued between Mrs. Cooper,\nher adopted sister, and the young lady:--\n\n\"'Will you sit close to the table, miss?'\n\n\"'If they are spirits, they can rap just as well where I am. I am\nwilling to be convinced, and where I am I can hear perfectly well.'\n\n\"'The rule is, to sit close to the table.'\n\n\"'I will not disturb, but choose to sit where I am.'\n\n\"'If you will not comply with the regulation, you had better go into\nthe other room.'\n\n\"'I came to know, and I shall sit where I am.'\n\n\"She was inflexible, and the work proceeded. When my turn came, I could\nput no test question, and was so told. I saw and felt that there was\ncollusion, and, ashamed of myself as being the dupe of supposed and\nknown imposition, after enduring the hour's sitting, I arose with the\nfull conviction that all was the effect of bones and muscles, and of\nmesmeric action and reaction on the subjects themselves. While we were\nexamining a piano which was used on such occasions, and our backs were\nturned towards the table, standing partly sidewise, I caught a glimpse\nof Mrs. Cooper's foot in the very position and act of commencing a\nspirit somerset on the table. She looked confused. I appeared not to\nhave fully recognized any thing wrong, thanked them for their father's\nkindness and their attention, and left the domicil of the 'spiritual\nphilosopher' under a full, stern, and abiding conviction that _there_\nwas not the abiding place of invisible beings--that all was mechanical\nwhich we heard, and all that any one had heard or seen was mechanical\nor mesmeric.\n\n\"The second opportunity I had of testing the truth or falsity of these\nspirit communications was in the city of Lowell. Every thing was\nfavorable as to place, time, and company. My eyes were every where, and\nraps came seldom and solitary. The medium dropped from between his\nfingers a small black pencil, about two inches long, with which I\nbelieve he made the raps. After it fell, we heard no more. He looked\ndespairingly disappointed, soon went into a trance, arose, locked us\ninto the room, and when the hour had transpired, came out voluntarily.\n\n\"Invited by a friend who was anxious to convince me more fully, and\nespecially to convert the young lady who was with me at Mr.\nSunderland's, he called at my house with the medium, and was received\ninto my office. The young lady requested that we should stand around\nthe table, and no one touch it. We did so. On the first response, she\nexclaimed, indignantly, addressing the medium, 'That, sir, was from\nyour foot; I heard it distinctly!' He looked guilty, and his eyes\nflashed with anger. He asked the spirits if it was not 'nonsense,' and\nreceived the response from the foot, 'yes,' and left, evidently highly\nincensed.\n\n\"I determined to give one more trial to the spirits. In this latter\ncase, there were the three raps, clear and strong, and the answers\nhighly satisfactory, as far as they went. But the difficulty was, that\nthe spirits were capricious, and would respond only to just such as\nthey saw fit; and the medium was pretty well acquainted with me. The\nperfect regularity of the knocks, and the sound, convinced me that, in\nthis instance, it was purely mechanical. I endeavored to get the secret\nfrom the medium, and the answer was, 'If I should tell you, you would\nbe as wise as myself.' She evidently knew how it was done.\n\n\"I will now state a few facts, and conclude. 1. Wood is an excellent\nconductor of sounds. A small worm, called at the south a sawyer, and\nsought for angling, can be heard three yards, as it gnaws between the\nwood and bark of a fallen pine; and the slightest scratch of a pin, on\nthe end of an isolated mast, sixty feet long, can be heard distinctly.\n\n\"2. In mesmeric operations, we well know that individuals _can be\nmade to hear and see things that never occurred or existed_, and yet\nthe subjects remain unconscious that they have been made the\n_subjects of mesmeric hallucination_!\n\n\"3. Persons highly observant and susceptible can, by their eye and\nfeeling, when they put themselves into a semi-abnormal condition, tell,\nin many instances nine times out of ten, who is and who is not a\nbeliever, _and what is in the mind of the inquirer_.\n\n\"4. Mediums are invariably of this character.\n\n\"5. In matters of faith, friendship, love, or the spirit world, many\nare willing to be deceived; and when they fall into the hands of the\nshrewd and designing, who can appear the impersonation of truth,\nvirtue, honesty, and even piety itself, they are emphatically\n_humbugged_, and give their money and their testimony to confirm\nthe fraud.\n\n\"Lastly. Many are so sincere and honest in their intentions, that it is\nnot in their hearts to believe that some of our most respectable men,\neven clergymen, would lend their names to sustain any thing but what\nthey had believed and tested as a reality, and therefore themselves\nbelieve.\n\n\"Now, Mr. Editor, from all that I have seen and know of these spiritual\ncommunications, as 'rappings,' and from all these facts, I am free to\ndeclare, that I believe them an arrant humbug, and one, too, of the\nmost pernicious tendency. They can all be traced to a human agency, as\neither mechanical or mesmeric, alone or combined; and I will give my\nright hand to any medium whose operation and device I cannot fully\ndiscover, trace, and demonstrate, as deducible from either the one or\nboth of these sources, _and from no other_.\"\n\nA correspondent of the Boston Traveller, in a communication dated New\nYork, January 22, 1852, says, \"I look upon the delusion as I do upon a\ncontagious disease. It is a moral epidemic. Any man of peculiar\ndiathesis may be its victim. It spreads by sympathy and by moral\ninfection. Men of standing and intellect gravely and seriously affirm\nthat they have seen a man rise and float about the room like a feather,\ntill some unbelieving wretch approaches and breaks the spell, when the\naerial swimmer falls suddenly to the floor. Franklin, Washington, and\nall the signers of the Declaration of Independence, have visited them,\nand these departed worthies sanction any doctrine which the uninitiated\nmay happen to entertain before consulting them.\" A. J. Davis says,\n\"There is a class of spirits who dwell in divine love more than in\ndivine wisdom, and who are easily influenced to _feel_ precisely what\nthe majority of those who consult them _feel_ and think, and under\npeculiar circumstances will say _precisely_ what the questioning minds\nof the circle may _ardently_ and _positively_ desire. Affectionate\nspirits--those dwelling in the _love circles_--are readily influenced\nto approve the desires of the hearts of those with whom they commune on\nearth; as in our homes, the infant, by virtue of its cries and positive\nentreaties, captivates the affectionate, and perhaps intelligent,\nmother, who, consequently, forthwith coincides with her child's\ndesires, submitting her judgment to its powerful appeals. Thus it is,\nthrough the power of sympathy, spirits of the other world gratify all\nour thoughts and desires.\" This is the _opinion_ of Mr. Davis, which\nmay pass for what it is worth. We never indorse his spiritual notions.\n\nTo give an idea of the conduct exhibited at the circles, or meetings,\nof the \"harmonials,\" we submit the following from the Springfield\nRepublican of January, 1852:--\n\n\"When we entered the hall, the meeting had not commenced, and all\nparties were engaged in a lively chat. Soon there was a spontaneous\ncoming to order, and the ladies formed a circle around a table. The\ngentlemen then formed a larger circle, entirely surrounding the ladies.\nA good hymn was given out and sung. During the singing, we noticed one\nlady growing excessively pale and cadaverous. Then her hands began to\ntwitch, and she commenced pounding upon the table. Directly opposite\nher, a young woman was undergoing the process of being magnetized by\nthe spirits, while she, as we were informed, was resisting them. Her\nhands were drawn under the table by sudden and powerful jerks, and\nevery muscle in her body seemed to be agitated with the most powerful\ncommotion, as if she were acted upon in every part by shocks of\nelectricity. This continued for ten or fifteen minutes, until she was,\nat last, in a state apparently resembling the magnetic sleep.\n\n\"Another lady, with a fine eye and an intellectual cast of countenance,\nwas then moved to write, which she did, while her eyes stared and\nrolled as if in a state of frenzy, and every muscle seemed strained to\nits utmost tension. She wrote absolutely furiously, but no one but the\nspirits could read it, and it was passed over to another medium, who\nannounced it a message of such utter unimportance that we have\nforgotten it. A brawny blacksmith was among the mediums, but he did\nnothing but pound on the table, and write the word 'sing.' The famous\nmedium Gordon was there, too, and he went through various\ncontortions--got down upon his knees, stood upon his seat, and\nstretched up his arms and fingers, trembling all the while, as if in\nthe highest state of nervous excitement. Once he was twitched bodily\nunder the table, uttering a scream as he went. At times, the different\nmediums would rise, spread their arms, slap the table, and throw their\nhands into motions almost inconceivably rapid.\n\n\"One of the mediums, a young woman, arose by the dictation and powerful\nurging of the spirits, and delivered a rambling sermon. It abounded in\nquotations from the Bible and the doctrines of Universalism.\n\n\"But it was when the singing was in progress that the spirits and the\nmediums were in the highest ecstasy. Then the latter would pound, and\nthrow their arms around, and point upwards, in the most fantastic\nmanner possible. And thus, with singing, and pounding, and reading the\nBible, and writing, and preaching, the evening passed away; and while\nOld Hundred was being sung, the spirits gave their good night to the\ncircle.\n\n\"We can give but a faint idea of this scene. It is one we shall never\nforget, and we only wish that the respectable men we saw there, the men\nof age and experience, the young men and young women, could understand\nthe pity with which a man without the circle of their sympathy regarded\nthem. With the light of reason within them, with minds not untaught by\neducation, and with the full and perfect revelation of God's will in\ntheir very hands, it was indeed most pitiable to see them swallowing\nthese fantastic mummeries, and mingling them, in all their wild,\nfurious, and unmeaning features, with the worship of Him who manifests\nhimself in the 'still small voice.'\n\n\"Of the sincerity of the majority of those present we have no doubt;\nbut that there are rank impostors in this town, who are leading astray\nthe credulous, we have as little doubt. The most that we saw on\nSaturday night was mesmerism, and the rest a very transparent attempt\nat deception. At any rate, if it was any thing else, we should\nattribute it to any thing but good spirits. Were we a devil, and should\nwe wish to see how foolish we could make people appear, we should\nchoose this way. O men and women, do have done with such outrageous\nnonsense.\"\n\nSome have been most grossly deceived, and even made insane, by being\nmade to believe that they were magnetized by spirits. This was the case\nwith one of the celebrated Hutchinson singers--Judson J. Hutchinson.\nMr. Sunderland, in the fourth number of the Spiritual Philosopher,\nobserves as follows: \"We shall hear of communications from 'prophets,'\n'apostles,' 'kings,' and 'statesmen,' and of divers 'revelations,' said\nto be made by them. We shall hear of human beings said to be magnetized\nby spirits. But the _good_ and the _true_ will know and understand how\neasy it is for some to become 'magnetized' by their own _ideas_, and to\ntake for 'revelations' _the fancies of their own brains_. The notion\nabout mortals being magnetized by spirits is a mistake, an _error_; and\nit was this error which was the principal cause of all the real\ndifficulty in the case of Judson J. Hutchinson. Mr. H. was made to\nbelieve that he was in company with his deceased brother, and that his\nown deceased children came and sat upon his knees, and put their arms\nabout his neck. When he found himself sinking into an _abnormal state_,\nhe was told to believe that it was _the spirits_, and that there was\nnothing _human_ about it. This, of course, Mr. H. was ready to believe.\nHe had heard of others being magnetized by spirits, and they were\nhappy, very happy. And as this seemed to promise him _approximation_ to\nthe spirit world, for which he was earnestly longing, he readily gave\nhimself entirely to that idea.\" The operator, Mr. Hazard, of Rochester,\nNew York, suggested that Mr. Hutchinson should ask the spirits to move\nhis (Mr. H.'s) hand to the top of his own head, that then he (Mr. H.)\nmight know it was they. \"But the operator should have known,\" says Mr.\nSunderland, \"that his _suggesting_ it to the mind of Mr. Hutchinson, in\nthe manner he did, or, if Mr. Hutchinson's own mind was _directed_ to\nthe movement of his own hand, _that_ was sufficient to cause his hand\nto move, _even if there had been no spirits in existence_. And so, when\nMr. H. went to Cleveland, the difficulty was increased by a repetition\nof the cause. He fell into the same state again, of course, when\nsimilar _associations_ brought it up before his mind; and there he was\nagain told by a clairvoyant lady, that she 'saw the spirits' (his\nbrother Benjamin and Swedenborg) operating upon him. The effect was, to\nrender him _insane_.\" His brother Jesse says, that \"the shock was too\ngreat for Judson, on account of his bodily weakness, and that his\nfeeble nature was too fine strung to bear up against the severe\nattacks, and it was with great difficulty he was brought back to\nMilford, New Hampshire.\" While in this state, Mr. Sunderland was sent\nfor, and staid with him three days and three nights, to render him\nassistance. Mr. S. says, \"He was unfortunate in being told that he was\nmagnetized by spirits, and still more so, perhaps, in the treatment he\nmet with from some _uncongenial spirits_ in Syracuse and in Worcester.\"\nFrom this, as well as from some other unfortunate cases, persons are\nadmonished to be careful to refrain from visiting such impostors.\n\nSome have been told that St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Luke, and Timothy,\nwere present, and answered questions put to them; but Mr. Davis and\nMr. Sunderland declare it to be false. Mr. Davis says, \"This point\nI have been led to investigate carefully; and at no one of the\n_circles_ referred to do I discover, upon the most critical interior\nretrospection, a _single_ communication from the veritable St. Paul,\nnor from any one of his glorious compeers.\"\n\nSo of Benjamin Franklin, who, it is said, has never condescended to\nconverse but a very few times with earthly beings, though his name is\noften quoted in connection with clairvoyancy. The reason he is said to\nassign to Mr. Davis is, that he cannot \"prevent the almost exact human\nimitations of his vibrations; and that they produce so much confusion\nand contradiction, that, he thinks it best to wait until some further\nimprovement can be made in the mode of communication between the two\nworlds.\" Yet how many are told that they have been put in communication\nwith Franklin!\n\nMr. Sunderland says, \"We need the same conditions, or guaranties, for\nbelieving _spirits_, that we do for believing _human_ testimony.\"\nSpeaking of those clairvoyants who are supposed to be exalted into\nthe spirit sphere, so as to see and converse with spirits, he says,\n\"Whether they do, really, see the spirits, whom they think they do,\nmust be determined by other things besides their own testimony. We are\nnot obliged to take their own mere _ipse dixit_ upon this, any more\nthan upon any other subject.\" And as yet, as has been remarked by Dr.\nPhelps, _there is no proof that what purports to be a revelation from\nspirits is the work of spirits at all_. Mr. Sunderland, for all we can\nsee, is liable to be in an error, as well as others; and all the\nevidence he gives us that he has had interviews and holds conversations\nwith spirits is that of his own testimony alone. And so of Mr. Davis.\n\nWe have said that no dependence whatever can be placed upon the rapping\nspirits. Dr. Phelps, of Stratford, Connecticut, once heard a very loud\nrapping under the table while at his breakfast. \"I asked if it was my\nsister. The answer was, 'Yes.' 'Well,' said I, 'if you are the spirit\nof my sister, you can tell me how many children you have in this\nworld.' So the spirit commenced counting, and counted up to\ntwenty-five, when I pronounced it a _lying_ spirit. I asked it,\n'Are you unhappy?' It answered, 'Yes.' 'Can I do you any good?' 'Yes.'\n'How?' The spirit then called for the alphabet, and spelled out, 'Give\nme a glass of fresh gin.' 'What will you do with it,' said I. '_Put\nit to my mouth._' I asked, 'Where is your mouth?' No answer.\"\n\nLetters, and lines written upon scraps of paper, have, it is said, been\nsent from the other world. The following was dropped from the ceiling\nof Mrs. Phelps's parlor when she and others were present.\n\n\"Sir,--Sir Sambo's compliments, and begs the ladies to accept as a\ntoken of his esteem.\" Other papers have been similarly written upon,\nand signed \"Sam Slick,\" \"The Devil,\" \"Beelzebub,\" \"Lorenzo Dow,\" &c.\n\nOn the 15th of March, 1850, a large turnip was thrown against Dr.\nPhelps's parlor window, having several characters carved out upon it,\nsomewhat resembling the Chinese characters. A _fac-simile_ of them\nmay be found in Davis's explanation of Modern Mysteries, page 55.\n\nSome may receive such things as emanations from the spirit world; but\nto us they seem too simple and puerile to be considered as having any\nthing to do with the higher spheres.\n\nDr. Phelps, who has been witness to every species of manoeuvre of the\nalleged spirit rappers, says that he has become fully satisfied that no\nreliance whatever is to be placed on their communications, either as a\nsource of valuable information, or as a means of acquiring truth. \"I am\nsatisfied,\" says he, \"that their communications are _wholly worthless_.\nThey are often contradictory, often prove false, frequently trifling\nand nonsensical, and more in character with what might be expected of a\ncompany of loafers on a spree than from spirits returned from a world\nof retribution to 'tell the secrets of their prison house.'\"\n\nWith regard to moving tables, chairs, beds, &c., Mr. Davis says that,\n\"at a circle of friends in Bridgeport, Connecticut, there was a large\ncongregation of spirits, who, from a distance of eighty miles, or\nthirty above the atmosphere of our earth, directed a mighty column of\nvital electricity and magnetism, which column or current, penetrating\nall intermediate substances, and by a process of infiltration, entered\nthe fine particles of matter which composed the table, and raised it,\nseveral successive times, three or four feet from the floor!\" This we\nare to receive upon his authority, or upon the testimony of those who\nmay say they saw the table moved. But if the operator can _make things\nappear_ that _never occurred or existed_, and can _imagine_ a thing,\nand have that _imagination transferred to others_, then what evidence\nhave we that _spirits_ are concerned in the transaction? Just none\nat all. A while ago, we heard of an Italian, at the Massachusetts\nHospital, who could raise tables from the floor without touching them;\nand the art of so doing, he said, he learned in Italy. And how are we\nto account for the Millerites and others being so raised, as they\nbelieved? Are they not as much to be credited as those who profess a\nbelief in the miracles of the \"harmonial philosophers\"? For ourselves,\nwe are satisfied that such things, for the most part, are but a\ndelusion, whether they are alleged to take place among those supposed\nto be bewitched, the Adventists, or the harmonials.\n\nAs to the _rapping noises_, we are inclined to think they may have\nsomething to do with the knee and toe joints, and that the two\nperformers usually sit together, in order the better to alternate with,\nand _spell_ or relieve each other. Upon a fair trial, it certainly has\nbeen proved that the noises cannot be produced when the joints are\ngrasped firmly by another. But it may be doubted by some whether the\njoints can be made to produce the distinct rappings that are sometimes\nheard. We think they can. A few years ago, a boy in London gave\nexhibitions of what was termed \"_chin music_.\" It was done by striking\nthe fists upon the lower jaw. By this practice he was able to produce\nquite loud and distinct sounds, and play a variety of tunes, to the\namusement of the public. The sounds were made by the finger joints, it\nwas supposed; and perhaps the jaw bone may have contributed its share\nin the performance. The sounds given by the \"rapping spirits\" are by no\nmeans so remarkable as many suppose. They are often quite indistinct,\nand nearly inaudible. Unless a person was possessed of a large share of\ncredulity, he would never consider them as the responses of an\nintelligent spirit. This is the decided conviction of hundreds who have\nwitnessed their performances in various parts of the country. Yet many\nhave been, and others will be, deceived. And, doubtless, many tender\nand sensitive minds may be made insane by the wicked trifling of these\nunprincipled impostors. Certainly we have not the least desire to set\nat nought any thing of a _truly serious_ character. Yet we are\nconstrained to believe that the things of which we have spoken are too\nridiculous and nonsensical, if not actually _sinful_, to be entitled to\nthe least favor from the public. The learned Thomas Dick, in his Essay\non the Improvement of Society, gives an account of far more singular\nand wonderful _phenomena_ produced by _mechanical_ agency, than any\nthat has as yet been attributed to the agency of _spirits_, as affirmed\nby A. J. Davis, or La Roy Sunderland. And we here subjoin the facts of\nthe case, for the benefit of the public:--\n\n\"Soon after the murder of King Charles I., a commission was appointed\nto survey the king's house at Woodstock, with the manor, park, and\nother demesnes belonging to that manor. One _Collins_, under a feigned\nname, hired himself as secretary to the commissioners, who, upon the\n13th October, 1649, met, and took up their residence in the king's own\nrooms. His majesty's bed chamber they made their kitchen, the council\nhall their pantry, and the presence chamber was the place where they\nmet for the despatch of business. Things being thus prepared, they met\non the 16th for business; and in the midst of their first debate, there\nentered a large _black dog_ (as they thought,) which made a dreadful\nhowling, overturned two or three of their chairs, and then crept under\na bed and vanished. This gave them the greater surprise, as the doors\nwere kept constantly locked, so that no real dog could get in or out.\nThe next day their surprise was increased, when, sitting at dinner in a\nlower room, they heard plainly the noise of persons walking over their\nheads, though they well knew the doors were all locked, and there could\nbe nobody there. Presently after, they heard, also, all the wood of the\nKing's Oak brought by parcels from the dining room, and thrown with\ngreat violence into the presence chamber, as also all the chairs,\nstools, tables, and other furniture forcibly hurled about the room;\ntheir papers, containing the minutes of their transactions, were torn,\nand the ink glass broken. When all this noise had ceased, Giles Sharp,\ntheir secretary, proposed first to enter into these rooms; and in\npresence of the commissioners, from whom he received the key, he opened\nthe doors, and found the wood spread about the room, the chairs tossed\nabout and broken, the papers torn, but not the least track of any human\ncreature, nor the least reason to suspect one, as the doors were all\nfast, and the keys in the custody of the commissioners. It was\ntherefore unanimously agreed that the power that did this mischief must\nhave entered at the key-hole. The night following, Sharp, with two of\nthe commissioners' servants, as they were in bed in the same room,\nwhich room was contiguous to that where the commissioners lay, had\ntheir beds' feet lifted up so much higher than their heads, that they\nexpected to have their necks broken, and then they were let fall at\nonce with so much violence as shook the whole house, and more than ever\nterrified the commissioners. On the night of the 19th, as they were all\nin bed in the same room, for greater safety, and lights burning by\nthem, the candles in an instant went out, with a sulphurous smell; and\nthat moment many trenchers of wood were hurled about the room, which\nnext morning were found to be the same their honors had eaten out of\nthe day before, which were all removed from the pantry, though not a\nlock was found opened in the whole house. The next night they fared\nstill worse; the candles went out, as before; the curtains of their\nhonors' beds were rattled to and fro with great violence; they received\nmany cruel blows and bruises by eight great pewter dishes and a number\nof wooden trenchers being thrown on their beds, which, being heaved\noff, were heard rolling about the room, though in the morning none of\nthese were to be seen.\n\n\"The next night the keeper of the king's house and his dog lay in the\ncommissioners' room, and then they had no disturbance. But on the night\nof the 22d, though the dog lay in the room as before, yet the candles\nwent out, a number of brickbats fell from the chimney into the room,\nthe dog howled piteously, their bed clothes were all stripped off, and\ntheir terror increased. On the 24th, they thought all the wood of the\nKing's Oak was violently thrown down by their bedsides; they counted\nsixty-four billets that fell, and some hit and shook the beds in which\nthey lay; but in the morning none was found there, nor had the door\nbeen opened where the billet wood was kept. The next night the candles\nwere put out, the curtains rattled, and a dreadful crack, like thunder,\nwas heard; and one of the servants, running in haste, thinking his\nmaster was killed, found three dozen of trenchers laid smoothly under\nthe quilt by him. But all this was nothing to what succeeded\nafterwards. The 29th, about midnight, the candles went out; something\nwalked majestically through the room, and opened and shut the windows;\ngreat stones were thrown violently into the room, some of which fell on\nthe beds, others on the floor; and at about a quarter after one, a\nnoise was heard as of forty cannon discharged together, and again\nrepeated at about eight minutes' intervals. This alarmed and raised all\nthe neighborhood, who, coming into their honors' room, gathered up the\ngreat stones, fourscore in number, and laid them by in the corner of a\nfield, where they were afterwards to be seen. This noise, like the\ndischarge of cannon, was heard for several miles round. During these\nnoises, the commissioners and their servants gave one another over for\nlost, and cried out for help; and Giles Sharp, snatching up a sword,\nhad well nigh killed one of their honors, mistaking him for the spirit,\nas he came in his shirt from his own room to theirs. While they were\ntogether, the noise was continued, and part of the tiling of the house\nwas stripped off, and all the windows of an upper room were taken away\nwith it. On the 30th, at midnight, something walked into the chamber,\ntreading like a bear; it walked many times about, then threw the\nwarming pan violently on the floor; at the same time, a large quantity\nof broken glass, accompanied with great stones and horse bones, came\npouring into the room with uncommon force. On the 1st of November, the\nmost dreadful scene of all ensued. Candles in every part of the room\nwere lighted up, and a great fire made; at midnight, the candles all\nyet burning, a noise like the bursting of a cannon was heard in the\nroom, and the burning billets were tossed about by it even into their\nhonors' beds, who called Giles and his companions to their relief,\notherwise the house had been burned to the ground; about an hour after,\nthe candles went out as usual, the crack as of many cannon was heard,\nand many pailfuls of green stinking water were thrown upon their\nhonors' beds; great stones were also thrown in as before, the bed\ncurtains and bedsteads torn and broken, the windows shattered, and the\nwhole neighborhood alarmed with the most dreadful noises; nay, the very\nrabbit stealers, that were abroad that night in the warren, were so\nterrified, that they fled for fear, and left their ferrets behind them.\nOne of their honors this night spoke, and, _in the name of God, asked\nwhat it was, and why it disturbed them so_. No answer was given to\nthis; but the noise ceased for a while, when the spirit came again; and\nas they all agreed, _brought with it seven devils worse than itself_.\nOne of the servants now lighted a large candle, and set it in the\ndoorway between the two chambers, to see what passed; and as he watched\nit, he plainly saw a hoof striking the candle and candlestick into the\nmiddle of the room, and afterwards, making three scrapes over the\nsnuff, scraped it out. Upon this the same person was so bold as to\ndraw a sword; but he had scarcely got it out, when he felt another\ninvisible hand holding it too, and pulling it from him, and at length,\nprevailing, struck him so violently on the head with the pommel, that\nhe fell down for dead with the blow. At this instant was heard another\nburst, like the discharge of the broadside of a ship of war, and at the\ninterval of a minute or two between each, no less than nineteen such\ndischarges. These shook the house so violently that they expected every\nmoment it would fall upon their heads. The neighbors, being all\nalarmed, flocked to the house in great numbers, and all joined in\nprayer and psalm singing; during which the noise continued in the other\nrooms, and the discharge of cannons was heard as from without, though\nno visible agent was seen to discharge them. But what was the most\nalarming of all, and put an end to their proceedings effectually,\nhappened the next day, as they were all at dinner, when a paper, in\nwhich they had signed a mutual agreement to reserve a part of the\npremises out of the general survey, and afterwards to share it equally\namong themselves, (which paper they had hid for the present under the\nearth, in a pot in one corner of the room, and in which an orange tree\ngrew,) was consumed in a wonderful manner by the earth's taking fire,\nwith which the pot was filled, and burning violently with a blue flame\nand an intolerable stench, so that they were all driven out of the\nhouse, to which they could never be again prevailed upon to return.\"\n\nThis story has been somewhat abridged from the Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica,\nwhere it is quoted from Dr. Plot's History of Oxfordshire, in which\nthese extraordinary occurrences are ascribed to satanic influence.\nAt the time they happened, they were viewed as the effects of\n_supernatural powers_; and even Dr. Plot seems disposed to ascribe them\nto this cause. \"Though many tricks,\" says the doctor, \"have often been\nplayed in affairs of this kind, yet many of the things above related\nare not reconcilable with juggling; such as the loud noises beyond the\npowers of man to make without such instruments as were not there; the\ntearing and breaking the beds; the throwing about the fire; the hoof\ntreading out the candle; and the striving for the sword; and the blow\nthe man received from the pommel of it.\" It was at length ascertained,\nhowever, that this wonderful contrivance was all the invention of the\nmemorable Joseph Collins, of Oxford, otherwise called _Funny Joe_, who,\nhaving hired himself as secretary under the name of _Giles Sharp_, by\nknowing the private traps belonging to the house, and by the help of\n_pulvis fulminans_, and other chemical preparations, and letting his\nfellow-servants into the scheme, carried on the deceit without\ndiscovery, to the very last.\n\nThe occurrences which are said to have taken place at the house of the\nRev. Dr. Phelps, in Stratford, Connecticut, are not to be compared in\ntheir marvellousness to those we have quoted from Dr. Dick, and which\nthings were the results of the _ingenuity of Joe Collins_. Therefore,\nwhen we hear of such like occurrences in our day, there will be no\nnecessity for us to attribute them to any supernatural influence,\neither good or bad; for it is a well-received maxim, that \"_what man\nhas done man can do_.\" To suppose that the merciful _Father_ of\n_spirits_ would harass and frighten mankind by haunting their houses\nwith strange noises and rappings, ghosts and hobgoblins, and spirits of\nthe uneasy dead, would be derogatory to his paternal character. And\nwho, for a moment, could believe that he would torment little children\nin this way, when our Savior took them in his arms, and blessed them,\nand said, \"Of such is the kingdom of heaven\"? No, we must attribute\nsuch things to any other source than as proceeding from the throne of\nGod.\n\nUp to the present time it may be that many will profess to the world\nthat they have actually seen the spirits of the departed. Yet this is\nno new profession, for the votaries of St. Vitus, and the\nspiritually-minded Shakers of later times, have declared to us that\nthey have seen their departed friends and acquaintances. But even Mr.\nDavis is led to consider a large majority of these cases to be the\nresults of cerebral agitation. \"I can truthfully affirm,\" says he,\n\"that the objects, localities, scenery, and personages, seen by those\nlaboring under monomania, delirium tremens, &c., are of the same class\nof mental delusion, and are absolutely nothing more than the\nunconscious elaborations of the surcharged brain.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nEVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.\n\n\nThe following are some of the evils that result from a belief in\npopular superstitions:--\n\n1. They have caused a great waste of time. Look at the practice of\nheathen nations. Their religious ceremonies are altogether\nsuperstitious. All the time devoted to false gods must be considered as\nwasted. Take a survey, too, of Catholic countries. During the dark\nages, their priests were engaged in nonsensical disputes. Treatise\nafter treatise was composed on such subjects as the following: How many\nangels can stand on the point of a needle? Have spirits any navels? Is\nthe Virgin Mary the mother of God? and a thousand others equally\nsenseless and unprofitable. In their monasteries, multitudes passed\ntheir days in repeating unintelligible prayers, poring over the legends\nof their saints, cutting figures in paper, and tormenting their bodies\nfor the good of their souls. Turn our attention to Protestant lands,\nand here we find, also, that many a folio has been written on foolish\nand unintelligible subjects; that many a day has been occupied in\ntrying and burning witches and heretics; that many a pharasaic custom\nhas been scrupulously observed, and many an absurd opinion advanced and\ndefended. Even in our own times, many hours are occupied in discoursing\nabout dreams and visions, signs and tricks, spectres and apparitions;\nin consulting charms and lots, and fortune tellers; in prying into\nfuture events and occurrences; in borrowing trouble on account of some\nsupposed unfavorable omen; or in various other practices equally vain\nand superstitious. Now, all this is wrong. Time is given for no such\npurposes. We have but a short period allotted to us to remain in this\nworld, and a great work to accomplish. Let us then be always engaged in\nsomething useful and virtuous.\n\n2. Popular superstitions have caused a great waste of human life. Cast\nyour eye over the page of history. You there notice an account of the\ntrial by ordeal. The accused person was required either to hold red-hot\niron balls in his naked hands, or to walk over red-hot plates of iron\nwith bare feet. If he escaped unburned, he was considered innocent; but\nif he was scorched, sentence of death was pronounced. Or he was\ncompelled either to thrust his arm into a caldron of boiling water, or\nbe thrown into a deep pond. If he was either unscalded or drowned, his\ninnocence was proved; but if he was scalded or could swim, the sentence\nof condemnation was passed. In neither case could life be saved, except\nby the interposition of a miracle; and this was not expected on such\noccasions. And through this superstition, thousands perished in the\nmost cruel and unrighteous manner. A distinguished writer computes that\nmore than one hundred thousand persons, of all ages, have suffered\ndeath for witchcraft alone. Only think! one hundred thousand persons\nmurdered for a crime of which no human person was ever guilty!\n\nThere are others who bring upon themselves sickness, and even death, by\ntheir belief in signs, dreams, and forewarnings. But as the gospel\nsheds abroad its divine light, these things are found to recede, and to\ngive place to more rational views of divine wisdom and goodness, in the\ncontrol and arrangement of events having a relation to our being and\nhappiness. The author of the Family Encyclop\u00e6dia says, that \"the\nsuperstitious notions of ghosts, spirits, &c., are rapidly declining;\nand notwithstanding all the solemn tales which have been propagated,\nthere is no reason to believe that any real spirits or celestial agents\nhave held intercourse with man since the establishment of\nChristianity;\" and that \"the history of modern miracles, appearances of\nthe dead, &c., will be always found, when thoroughly examined, merely\nthe phantoms of a disordered imagination.\"\n\n3. Popular superstitions have caused great and unnecessary misery. We\nneed not refer to history for an illustration of this assertion. We\nhave sufficient examples around us. Look into society, and we shall\nfind one class who pay particular attention to all signs and dreams. If\nany thing unfavorable is indicated, their feelings are greatly\ndepressed; and if the contrary, they are as much elated. If a little\ninsect, called the death watch, knocks for its mate on the wall,\nsleepless nights are sure to follow. If they notice the new moon over\nthe wrong shoulder, their comfort is destroyed for a whole month. Nanny\nScott, the old washerwoman, is sure that another death will happen in\nthe family this year, because, when her sister-in-law was taken out to\nbe buried, somebody shut the door before the corpse was under ground,\nand so shut death into the house. And her neighbor, the good Mrs.\nTaylor, suffers the baby to scratch and disfigure its face, because it\nis said to be unlucky to cut the nails of a child under a year old.\nAnother neighbor has seen a single raven fly over the house, or heard a\ncricket chirping upon the hearth, and is greatly alarmed, because such\nthings are said to be a sign of death to some member of the family\nwithin the year. And thus many are found who are silly enough to\nimbitter their own lives and the lives of others by such foolish\nsuperstitions.\n\nThere may be noticed another class, whose belief in the supernatural\norigin of signs, omens, and warnings leads them to adopt measures for\ntheir speedy fulfilment. Many a wedded couple seem to think they must\nquarrel because it happened to storm on the day they were married; and\nwhen some dispute arises between them, they fall to fighting, to prove,\nif possible, the truth of the prediction. And for all this interruption\nof domestic harmony, they blame, not their own tempers and passions,\nbut the decrees of fate. Many a person has concluded he must live in\npoverty all his days, because a few moles have appeared on the wrong\nside of his body. And hence he neglects all industry and economy, and\ndissipates his time, his privileges, and his talents.\n\nWe may notice a third class, who give themselves to tricks, fortune\ntelling, and opening books, to discover the events of futurity. Their\nspirits vary with the supposed indications of good or evil occurrences.\n\"A lady, who moved in the first circles, was once visiting in a\nclergyman's family of my acquaintance,\" says the late Rev. Bernard\nWhitman, \"and it was her regular morning custom to toss up a little box\nof pins, and make her happiness for the day depend upon their\naccidental variation in falling. If they came down more heads than\npoints, she was cheerful and happy; but if more points than heads, she\nwas gloomy and wretched. It seemed she valued her comfort, worth at\nleast a brass pin.\" Many a worthy Christian has not only been deprived\nof his happiness, but betrayed into wild, extravagant, and even sinful\nacts, by attempting to follow the suggestion of the passage which first\nmeets his eye on opening the Bible. Many a poor wight has formed a\ndisadvantageous matrimonial alliance, because some old hag has\ndescribed black eyes and rosy cheeks as the characteristics of his\nfuture bride.\n\nWe may notice, moreover, a fourth class, who are forever anticipating\nsome dreadful calamity. Let any fool solemnly proclaim that war,\nfamine, or pestilence is approaching, and they will give more heed to\nit than to that holy word which assures us that our heavenly Father\nwill never leave nor forsake us. All uncommon appearances in the\nheavens they look upon as indications of the threatened judgments of an\nangry God. Even the beautiful Aurora Borealis, which spans the blue\nconcave above us, was so interpreted. To permit such fears to disturb\nand destroy our happiness is a sin against Heaven. Our heavenly Father\ncreated us for enjoyment. He has furnished us with capacities and means\nof felicity. He has even commanded us to rejoice in the Lord always. He\nhas given us a religion to effect this desirable object. It is as much\na part of this religion to be always cheerful, contented, and happy, as\nto be always temperate, just, and virtuous. And if people would take\none tenth part of the pains to make themselves happy that they do to\nrender themselves miserable, there would be ten times the present\namount of happiness. \"By the grace of God,\" says the Rev. John Wesley,\n\"I never fret. I repine at nothing; I am discontented at nothing. And\nto have persons at my ear fretting and murmuring at every thing is like\ntearing the flesh from off my bones. I see God sitting upon his throne,\nand ruling all things well.\" A companion of Mr. Wesley says that he\nnever saw him low-spirited in his life, nor could he endure to be with\nan unhappy, melancholic person. \"Every believer,\" he often remarked,\n\"should enjoy life.\" \"I dare no more fret,\" said he, \"than curse or\nswear.\" Would that all Christians were as cheerful and consistent as\nMr. Wesley. There would be less of dark and dismal forebodings; less of\ndistrust, and more of solid peace and comfort, in the soul. It seems\nthat Melancthon was somewhat of a melancholic turn of mind, and, when\ngloomy and dejected, would call upon Luther, and relate to him his\ntroubles and afflictions. Luther, being of a more lively and hopeful\nturn, after listening to him a short time, would jump upon his feet,\nand say, \"Come, come, let us sing the forty-sixth psalm;\" and when they\nhad sung that, all was peaceful and happy again.\n\nAs to what is commonly termed good or ill luck, we may be assured that\nthey have no other existence but in the imagination. Luck means chance;\nbut every thing, great and small, is under the wise and gracious\ndirection of God. Nothing can happen without his permission, and he\npermits nothing but what, in his wonderful plans, he designs to work\nfor our good. We are kept in ignorance of the particular events that\nare to befall us, in order to keep alive within us an abiding sense of\nour dependence on God, and a constant obedience to the directions of\nhis word, by which alone we can be prepared to meet the dispensations\nof his providence. The Bible tells us quite enough of futurity to teach\nus to prepare for it, as far as it rests with us to prepare. And it is\nboth vain and wicked to endeavor to obtain any further information from\nany other source, or for any one to pretend that they possess it. Had\nit been necessary for our good that we should know every thing\nbeforehand, the information would have been given us in the Bible, or\nit would have been left so that we could have gathered it from general\ninstruction and observation, as is the case with every kind of\nknowledge that is essential to our present as well as everlasting good.\nIt certainly would not have been left to creaking doors, croaking\nravens, or ill-made tallow candles. Neither would God reveal to weak\nand wicked men or women the designs of his providence, which no human\nwisdom is able to foresee. To consult these false oracles is not only\nfoolish, but sinful. It is foolish, because they themselves are as\nignorant as those whom they pretend to teach; and it is sinful, because\nit is prying into that futurity which God, in mercy, as well as in\nwisdom, hides from man. God indeed orders all things; but when you have\na mind to do a foolish thing, do not fancy that you are _fated_ to\ndo it; this is tempting Providence, not trusting God. It is charging\nhim with folly. Prudence is his gift, and you obey him better when you\nmake use of prudence, under the direction of prayer, than when you\nheedlessly rash into ruin, and think you are only submitting to your\nfate. Fancy never that you are compelled to undo yourself, or to rush\nupon your own destruction, in compliance with any supposed fatality.\nBelieve never that God conceals his will from a sober Christian, who\nobeys his laws, and reveals it to a vagabond, who goes from place to\nplace, breaking the laws both of God and man. King Saul never consulted\nthe witch until he left off serving God. The Bible will direct us best.\nConjurers are impostors; and there are no days unlucky but those we\nmake so by our vanity, folly, and sin.\n\n4. Popular superstitions have greatly injured the cause of medicine.\nThat superstition which leads people to believe in the efficacy of\ncharms is very injurious. We will enumerate a few cases by way of\nexample. The scrofula, for instance, is frequently called the _king's\nevil_. It received this name because it was generally believed that\nthe touch of a king would cure the disorder. For centuries this belief\nwas so prevalent, that any one who should call it in question would\nhave been considered no less than an infidel, and an enemy to his king\nand country. And so great was the demand for the king's touch, from\ninvalids, that one day in seven was set apart for the king to bestow\nhealing mercies on his subjects. Vast numbers flocked to him, from\nWales, Ireland, Scotland, and many parts of the continent. An exact\nregister was kept of the number of persons who came to Charles the\nSecond for relief, from 1660 to 1664, and they amounted to twenty-three\nthousand six hundred and one. From May, 1667, to 1684, the number of\npersons touched amounted to sixty-eight thousand five hundred and six.\nTotal, ninety-two thousand one hundred and seven. The practice was\nbegun in the year 1051, and continued until the reign of the present\nroyal family, who were possessed of too much sense to encourage such an\nidle superstition. But notwithstanding this belief and practice were\nabandoned by the royal family, yet, with some individuals, a belief\nstill prevails that certain persons are endowed with healing power.\n\nIn 1807, a farmer in Devonshire, England, who was the ninth son of a\nninth son, officiated in the cure of the king's evil, and multitudes\nbelieved that they received healing from his touch. In this country, a\n_seventh_ son of a seventh son has officiated in similar cases, and\nperformed incredible cures, as we are told by those who think they have\nreceived signal blessings through his instrumentality.\n\nNot many years since, the cold hands of a convict, who had terminated\nhis life on the gallows, in Liverpool, were drawn over several wens a\nnumber of times to effect a cure. A person in one of our western states\nran a pitchfork into his hand, and he applied a plaster to the cold\niron as well as to the fresh wound. When people run a nail into their\nfoot, they frequently save and polish the rusty iron to facilitate the\nrecovery. Some time since, in the State of Maine, the body of a female\nwas taken from the grave, her heart taken out, dried, and pulverized,\nand given to another member of the family, as a specific against the\nconsumption. And the same thing has more recently been done in the town\nof Waltham, Massachusetts. The heart was reduced to a powder, and made\ninto pills, but they did not cure the patient; while the person who\ntook up the remains from the grave, and removed the heart, came very\nnear losing his life, from the putrefactive state of the corpse at the\ntime.\n\nWe could relate many other cases, equally foolish and disgusting. All\nsuch things should be classed under the general name of charms, and be\nlooked upon as relics of the grossest superstitions. Why not as well\nhave the touch of a slave as a king? Why not as well apply your plaster\nto a tree as to a pitchfork? Why not as well drink the heart of a lamb\nas a woman? You may say that God has determined certain cures shall\nfollow certain applications. No such determination is published in his\nword, and no such conclusions can be inferred from facts. You may\npretend that a special miracle is wrought in such cases. But this is\nincredible; for the object is not compatible with the miraculous\ninterposition of Deity. And the few cures which are reputed to have\ntaken place can be satisfactorily accounted for, on the influence of\nthe imagination, and other natural causes. So that such a belief is not\nonly superstitious, but calculated to lead people to neglect the proper\nmeans of recovery, and thus injure themselves and the medical\nprofession.\n\nIn the years 1808, '9, and '10, a Mr. Austin of Colchester, Vermont,\ngave out that he was a gifted person in the art of healing; and if the\npatient would describe to him, by word of mouth, or by letter, the true\nsymptoms of his malady, he would receive healing at his word, if indeed\nhis disease was curable. In a very little time the obscure retreat of\nAustin was thronged with invalids, coming from almost every section of\nthe country; and Colchester was scarcely less in favor than Ballston or\nSaratoga. The mail carriers groaned under the burden of maladies\ndescribed. Bar rooms at public inns, on roads leading to Colchester,\nwere decorated with letters directed to the \"Prophet of Colchester;\"\nand vagrants were found travelling over the country, collecting of\ninvalids their evil symptoms, to be truly and faithfully delivered to\nthe prophet in a given time, at the moderate price of fifty cents per\nletter. We were soon referred to cases wherein the most inveterate\ndeafness was removed; the blind saw; dropsies and consumptions, in the\nlast stages of them, were cured; and the patient, it is said, in many\ninstances, would tell the day and the hour when their letters were\nreceived by the prophet, although they might be some hundred miles\ndistant from the deliverer, because, at such an hour, they began to\nmend. The prophet, however, did not long enjoy his far-famed celebrity.\nHis house, after a while, was deserted of invalids. The people\ndiscovered their folly, and permitted him to sink into his former\nmerited obscurity. It was just the same with the celebrated\n_rain-water_ doctor, as he was called, who established himself at\none time in Providence, and at another time in the vicinity of Boston.\nMany of those now living can recollect the accounts of marvellous\ncures, and the flocking of invalids of all descriptions to his temple\nof health. But the community at length discovered the imposition of his\npractice, and left him to the undisturbed enjoyment of his rain water\nand his gruel.\n\nThe most recent case of medical imposition practised upon the public,\nthat has come to our knowledge, is that of a practitioner in New York\ncity, who, by receiving a letter from sick or diseased persons, giving\nthe year, day, and hour of their birth, immediately forwards them a\npackage of medicine suited to their case. It seems to be a matter of\nastonishment to many how he arrives at a knowledge of their state of\nhealth, so as to be able to adapt his remedies to their several\nconditions. But it is probably done on the principles of astrology--by\nfinding the planet under which the patient is born, the diseases\nappertaining to that planet, and the _plants_ belonging to the same,\nwhich are supposed to have a special effect upon the relative\n_planetary_ diseases. Culpepper, in his English Herbal, if we mistake\nnot, arranges or classifies all plants and diseases in this way, and\ncontends that astrology is the only true key to medical science.\nFortune telling is practised upon a similar plan, through the agency of\n_astrology_. But the whole is a deception, entirely unworthy the age in\nwhich we live. The fortune teller may hit upon an incident which is\ncorrect, once in a while, and it would be strange if he did not. And\nthe _astrological physician_ may prescribe some little tonic, or\nstimulant, that will raise the drooping spirits for a time, and\nactually lead the hopeful patient to believe that he or she is fast\nrecovering from their long-afflictive maladies. But the sequel too\noften teaches them the lesson of their sad mistake.\n\nThe history of Valentine Greataks, the son of an Irish gentleman, who\nlived in the time of Cromwell, is very similar to what we have related\nof the prophet of Colchester. And about the same time, Francisco\nBagnone, a Capuchin friar, was famous in Italy, having a gift of\nhealing, principally by his hands only. Multitudes of sick people\nattended him wherever he went, to obtain healing mercy. And here,\nperhaps, we may find the true principle on which all the impositions of\nPopery have been maintained for centuries gone by. It cannot be a\nmatter of surprise that, if men, of more information than they, can be\nmade to believe that they are delivered from disease by experiments of\nmagnetism, tractors, or the mere touch of the hand, these should\nbelieve that they are healed by visiting the tombs of saints; by\nstanding before their statues; being touched by nails from their\ncoffins, rings from their fingers, or by the bones of the fingers\nthemselves.\n\nWe are by no means authorized to say that none of these persons were\nrelieved of pains and diseases by seeking relief in this way. So great\nis the influence of the imagination on the nervous, vascular, and\nmuscular systems, as has already been shown, that it would be no more\nthan probable that obstructions, causing pain and sickness, should in\nsome instances be removed, and lay a foundation for recovery. And,\nmoreover, that in a still greater number of instances the power of the\nimagination on the origin of the nerves within the brain should\ncounteract the motion to the brain by disease acting upon the\nextremities of the nerves; and thus the patient for a season might\nexperience relief from pain, and even feel pleasure, as was the case\nwith an artist upon the Pont Royal, mentioned by Dr. Sigault, and in\nthe gambols of the rheumatic patient, as mentioned by Dr. Haygarth. But\nin all these cases, experiment and illustration, like those of the\ncommissioners at Paris, and like that of Dr. Haygarth in England, would\ndisclose the real ground of these effects. The patients would no longer\nattribute them to a supernatural influence. They would learn why, in\nmost cases, the relief supposed to be obtained was only momentary, and\nwhy all those gifted persons, both in Europe and America, have had no\nmore than an ephemeral celebrity, and, in most instances, lived to see\nthemselves neglected, and their pretensions become the subjects of just\nsatire and reproof.\n\n5. Popular superstitions have greatly injured the cause of religion.\nThat superstition which allows any substitute for personal holiness is\nvery pernicious. The Pharisees considered themselves holy, because they\nwere the descendants of faithful Abraham. They fasted twice a week;\npaid tithes of all they possessed; made long prayers in public places;\nand were strict observers of all sacred days and religious ceremonies.\nAt the same time, they neglected the weightier matters of the\nlaw--justice, mercy, faithfulness; devoured widows' houses; were proud,\nbigoted, and self-righteous.\n\nSome people think they lived only in the times of the apostles. \"But we\nshould recollect,\" says the Rev. George Whitefield, \"that vipers and\ntoads have the most eggs, and most numerous progeny. If you were to\nlook at the eggs of a toad through a microscope, you would be surprised\nat the innumerable multitude; and the Pharisees are an increasing\ngeneration of vipers, which hatch and spread all over the world. If\nyou would know a Pharisee, he is one who pretends to endeavor, and\ntalks about keeping the law of God, and does not know its spirituality.\nThere are some of them very great men, in their own estimation, and\nfrequently make the greatest figure in the church. One of them, a\ngentleman's son, because he had not broken the letter of the law,\nthought he was right and without sin. \"O,\" says he, \"if I have nothing\nto do but to keep the commandments, I am safe. I have honored my father\nand mother; I never stole; what need he to steal who has so good an\nestate? I never committed adultery.\" No, no! he loved his character\ntoo well for that: but our Lord opens to him the law--_This one thing\nthou lackest; go, sell all thou hast, and give to the poor_: he loved\nhis money more than his God; Christ brought him back to the first\ncommandment, though he catechized him first in the fifth. So Paul was a\nPharisee. He says, '_I was alive without the law, once; I was, touching\nthe law, blameless_.\" How can that be? Can a man be without the law,\nand yet, touching the law, be blameless? Says he, \"I was without the\nlaw; that is, I was not brought to see its spirituality. I thought\nmyself a very good man.\" No man could say of Paul, Black is his eye.\n\"But,\" says he, \"when God brought the commandment with power upon my\nsoul, then I saw my specks, and beheld my lack of true righteousness.\"\n\nSome Roman Catholics perform tedious pilgrimages; lacerate their own\nbodies; abstain from meats on certain days; and some have paid the pope\nor priests for the pardon of their sins, or purchased indulgences for\nthe commission of wickedness. Some Protestants, too, attend punctually\nupon all religious meetings, subscribe liberally to the charities of\nthe day, observe all gospel ordinances, and profess great attachment to\nthe cause of Christ; and yet are fretful, unkind, and disobliging in\ntheir families; censorious in their conversation; uncharitable in their\njudgment; grasping in their dealings, and unhappy in their\ndispositions. Some have thought that, because Christ died for the sins\nof the whole world they could commit sin with impunity; or, if they\nwere elected, they could do what they pleased, and be sure of heaven at\nlast. But all these things have no foundation in reason, experience, or\nrevelation, and may therefore be considered superstitious. A belief in\nthem is exceedingly injurious to the cause of piety and holiness,\nbecause it leads to the neglect of the one thing needful--a uniformly\nsober, righteous, and godly life. God will certainly render unto every\nman according to his deeds. Be he Pharisee or Sadducee, Catholic or\nProtestant, elect or non-elect, he can escape the punishment of no sin\nbut by repentance and reformation. And no sin is ever removed, no\nvirtue is ever given, by miracle. Our iniquities must be forsaken, and\nour goodness acquired, by our own exertions, aided by the promised\ninfluence of the Holy Spirit. And, until we have accomplished these\nends, we cannot rationally expect pure and permanent happiness.\n\nThere have been opinions respecting the devil, tinctured somewhat with\nsuperstition, that have contributed to bring reproach upon the\nScriptures, which were supposed to teach the existence of just such a\nbeing as many believed him to be. Martin Luther, in speaking of his\nconfinement in the castle of Wartburg, says, \"The people brought me,\namong other things, some hazel nuts, which I put into a box, and\nsometimes I used to crack and eat of them. In the night time, my\ngentleman, the devil, came and got the nuts out of the box, and cracked\nthem against one of the bed posts, making a very great noise and\nrumbling about my bed; but I regarded him nothing at all: when\nafterwards I began to slumber, then he kept such a racket and rumbling\nupon the chamber stairs, as if many empty barrels and hogsheads had\nbeen tumbling down.\"\n\nDr. Cotton Mather, in the time of New England witchcraft, took home one\nof the possessed damsels, to learn the ways and works of Satan. When\nthe doctor called the family to prayers, she would whistle, and sing,\nand yell, to drown his voice, would strike at him with her fist, and\ntry to kick him. But her hand or foot would always recoil when within\nan inch or two of his body; thus giving the idea that there was a sort\nof invisible coat of mail, of heavenly temper, and proof against the\nassaults of the devil, around his sacred person. She seemed to be\ngreatly displeased at the thought of his making public the doings of\nher master, the evil one; and when he attempted to write a sermon\nagainst him, she would disturb and interrupt him all manner of ways.\nFor instance, she once knocked at his study door, and said that there\nwas somebody down stairs that would be glad to see him; he dropped his\npen, and went down: upon entering the room he found no one there but\nhis own family. He afterwards undertook to chide her for having told a\nfalsehood. She denied that she told a falsehood. \"Did not you say that\nthere was somebody down stairs that would be glad to see me?\" \"Well,\"\nshe replied, with great pertness, \"is not Mrs. Mather always glad to\nsee you?\" She even went much further than this in persecuting the good\nman while he was writing his sermon: she threw large books at his head.\nBut he struggled manfully at these buffetings of Satan, as he\nconsidered them to be, finished the sermon, related all these and other\nkindred circumstances in it, preached and published it. Richard Baxter\nwrote the preface to an edition printed in London, in which he declares\nthat \"he who will not be convinced, by the evidence Dr. Mather\npresents, that the child was bewitched, must be a very obdurate\nSadducee.\"\n\nA few years since, a house in Maine was said to be haunted. The\nbuilding and furniture were shaken, dreadful noises were heard, dismal\nsights were seen, and heavy blows were received. The occupant of the\nhouse had lately left a Calvinistic theological seminary. He afterwards\nbecame a settled Universalist preacher. \"A neighboring family informed\nme,\" says the late Bernard Whitman, \"that he now considered it the\nSpirit of God, haunting him to forsake Calvinism, and proclaim\nuniversal salvation.\" His explanation, though satisfactory to himself,\nmay not be equally so to our readers.\n\nThe devil should never be made a packhorse for our sins, nor should our\nthoughts be turned from within, causing us to neglect a watch upon our\nown lusts and passions, in looking for the assaults of some outward\ntempter. The effect sometimes produced upon the minds of children has a\nvery unfavorable influence. A pious mother, not finding it convenient\nto attend her little son to rest, told him to omit his prayers for one\nnight. \"Mother,\" said the child, \"will the devil forgive me if I\nneglect my prayers?\"\n\n\"What shall we say,\" says the late Professor Stuart, \"of the excessive\nuse that has been made of the passages that speak of his influence and\ndominion? Because, in reference to the wide-spread influence of Satan,\nhe is called the 'prince of this world,' and even the 'god of this\nworld,' are we _literally_ to interpret passages of this nature, and\nthus in a clandestine manner introduce effectually the old dualism of\nZoroaster and the Persians? This, indeed, has often, very often, been\nsubstantially done; done, I acknowledge, for the most part without any\ndirect intention of such a nature. Still there is an impression, wide\nspread among the lower classes of people, even in our own country, that\nSatan is a kind of omnipotent being; and he is often represented as the\nsuccessful, or rather the invincible, rival of the great Redeemer.\n\n\"Yet the New Testament is full enough of instruction relative to this\nsubject to correct any erroneous views in relation to it, if it be duly\nexamined. I need only appeal to the large class of passages which\nrepresent Satan as a conquered enemy; as 'falling like lightning from\nheaven;' as being reduced to a state of impotence in respect to that\ndeadly power which he exercises, (Heb. ii. 14;) and all the evil\nprincipalities, and powers, and magistrates (1 Cor. xv. 24, Eph. vi.\n12, Col. ii. 15) as being subdued, or to be subdued and utterly\ndiscomfited, by Christ; for 'the prince of this world is cast out,'\n(John xii. 31;) 'the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy\nthe works of the devil,' (1 John iii. 8;) and Christians are every\nwhere spoken of as being liberated from his dominion and power, (1 John\nv. 18-44.) When the apostle, therefore, calls Satan 'the god of this\nworld,' and the Savior calls him 'the prince of this world,' it is the\nworld of the wicked which is meant; for such is the usual idiom of the\nScriptures. And as to the power of Satan over the wicked, it is every\nwhere presented in the New Testament as something that will wholly\ncease after a time, and the reign of the Prince of Peace become\nuniversal.\n\n\"How deeply these considerations intrench upon the long-practised\nmethods of exhibiting Satan as omnipotent and omnipresent every\nthinking mind will easily perceive. Especially has the Romish church\nerred here beyond all bounds of reason or moderation. According to\nthe doctrines which they sedulously inculcate, Satan has not only\nirresistible power over the world of the wicked, but, next to such a\npower, even over Christians. Nothing but exorcisms, and holy chrisms,\nand lustrations with holy water, and incantations, and the like, can\nkeep off evil spirits, or disarm them of their fatal power. And as the\nconsummation and chief end of all the doctrine, nothing short of the\ninterposition of the priesthood can secure any one against destruction,\neither in this world or the next--an interposition, however, which is\nnot _freely given_, as the Savior commanded the disciples to impart the\nblessings of the gospel, but to be purchased at whatever price the\nchurch may fix upon it.\"--_Bibliotheca Sacra_, February, 1843.\n\nLanguage sometimes used in times of excitement is prejudicial to the\ncause of religion. It is sometimes said that the Almighty is visiting\nsuch a town; that he is coming this way; that he has taken up his abode\nin a certain village; that he will remain but a few days; that he has\nbeen driven away by unbelievers, and that he cannot be expected again\nfor some months or years. Now, it should be remembered that God is\nevery where present, and that his spirit is always striving within the\nsoul; and its voice is drowned only by the strife and tumult of our own\ndiscordant passions. The Spirit is ever ready to assist us, whenever we\nresolve to use our own efforts in hearty co\u00f6peration. And if revivals\nof religion seem to be of a _periodical_ nature, it is because our own\nzeal or engagedness is too fitful. The church can enjoy a constant\nseason of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, only let its\nmembers be ever active, ever diligent, ever devoted and persevering.\nGod works not by miracle, but through the agency of common means or\nefforts. We must not, therefore, defer attention to the duties of\nreligion, in expectation of some special interposition of Heaven. We\nshould remember that a sober, righteous, and godly life is the best\nevidence of true conversion; and that we are called upon _to work out\nour own salvation_ with fear and trembling, God himself having\nvouchsafed to work within us both to will and to do of his good\npleasure.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nBANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.\n\n\nSeeing the evils of popular superstitions, what course shall we adopt\nfor their banishment? Or, in other words, how shall we best lend a\nhelping hand to hasten the downfall of ignorance, error, and sin?\n\n1. We must deliver ourselves from their domination; for we are all more\nor less under their influence. When any of the common signs of good or\nevil fortune appear before us, our thoughts involuntarily recur to the\nthing supposed to be signified. Sometimes a momentary shudder is\ncommunicated to the whole system; unpleasant sensations are often\nexcited; and frequently a depression of spirits is produced. And how\ncan we free ourselves from this thraldom? By the exercise of our\nreason. A proper use of our reasoning faculties will enable us to\naccomplish this undertaking. We must endeavor to convince ourselves\nthat all these things are the offspring of ignorance; that they have no\nfoundation in reason, philosophy, or religion; and that they are\nexceedingly pernicious in their consequences. When fully persuaded of\nthese truths, we must strive to make our feelings coincide with the\ndictates of our understandings. And this we can effect by persevering\nself-discipline. Such exertions, with the blessing of Heaven, will\neventually deliver us from the inconvenience, vexation, and slavery of\npopular superstitions. And as such a consummation is most ardently to\nbe desired, we must enter upon the duty with a zeal and earnestness\ncommensurate with its importance.\n\n2. We must also assist our fellow-men in the performance of this great\nand good work. When we meet with those who believe in ghosts, in signs,\nenchantments, and divination, we must try to persuade them that no\ndependence whatever can be placed on any of these vanities--that they\nare all fictions, absurdities, and abominations. And perhaps, in some\ncases, if we cannot produce conviction by sober sense and sound\nargument, we may be justified in resorting to ridicule.\n\nIt is a lamentable consideration that so much time should be criminally\nwasted in many families in explaining tricks, relating and expounding\ndreams, telling fortunes, and in detailing stories of haunted houses,\nhobgoblins, and spirits of the supposed uneasy dead. In this way, the\nevil is cherished, and transmitted from generation to generation. But\nif we can succeed in giving an opposite direction to conversation; if\nwe can induce people to reason upon these things, and inquire into\ntheir origin, causes, and effects, and investigate the evidence on\nwhich they are imagined to rest, and adopt rational conclusions, we\nshall be usefully employed. A course like this would eventually lead to\nthe banishment of popular superstitions, with their baneful effects\nupon our peace and happiness; especially if we labor to impress upon\nthe minds of others the existence of an all-wise Providence, that\ncontrols and governs all things for the highest good of all, calling\nupon us to place our trust in Him, without whose notice not even a\nsparrow falleth to the ground.\n\n3. We must likewise attend to the early education of our children. It\nis during infancy and childhood that our heads are filled with \"nursery\ntales\" and marvellous stories. They are told us by those to whose care\nwe are early intrusted, either to frighten us into obedience, to\ngratify our thirst for the new and wonderful, or to while away a\ntedious evening. They sink into our confiding hearts, and leave\nimpressions the most pernicious and the most lasting. Could a child be\neducated without any knowledge of such things, he would never be\ntroubled with their baneful influence. Our duty is therefore plain. In\ntaking the principal care of our children at home, we should not permit\nthem to learn any such things from our own lips; and we should evince,\ntoo, by our daily conduct, that they exert no influence on our own\nfeelings, character, or happiness. In intrusting our offspring in early\nlife to the care of other persons, we must charge them, as faithful\nguardians of the young, to conceal every thing of the kind from their\nknowledge. And after our children become of sufficient age to associate\nwith others, we must caution them to avoid believing or relating any\nsuperstitious tales as they would shun known falsehoods. By persevering\nin this course, we shall save them from the degrading influence of\npopular superstitions.\n\n4. We must, moreover, endeavor to increase the means of public\neducation. We generally find that the most enlightened are the most\nfree from superstition; and it therefore follows that a high degree of\nmental cultivation will effect a general deliverance. And how shall\nthis great object be accomplished? We must reason with them upon the\nimmense value and importance of knowledge. We must show them, by an\nappeal to facts, that all our civil, social, domestic, and religious\nblessings depend on the intelligence and virtue of the people. But\nperhaps many will complain of the scarcity of money and the want of\nmeans. If so, we must also show them, by an appeal to incontrovertible\nfacts, that more money is annually wasted, in all our towns, in\nextravagant living, dress, furniture, and equipage; squandered in\nshows, amusements, balls, and parties; in gaming, dissipation, public\nparades, and intoxicating liquors, than is expended for the\ninstruction of the rising generation. No, there is not a lack of\nfunds. Where there is a will there is also a way. The value and\nimportance of the subject is not generally understood; or, if\nunderstood, is not properly appreciated. Almost every thing else seems\nof more consequence than learning and wisdom. Yet this will never\nanswer. The world is growing wiser. Those who will not employ the\nrequisite means must rest contented with comparative ignorance. Let\n_us_ not be of this unworthy number. If we feel the importance of the\nchange in these respects, let us persevere in our laudable exertions,\nleaving no objections unanswered, no measures untried, until we\nsucceed in giving our children a high degree of education. And if the\nFather of spirits shall see fit to prolong our lives to witness the\nresults, we shall look upon the almost universal banishment of popular\nsuperstitions.\n\n5. Finally, we must labor for the diffusion of pure and undefiled\nreligion, adhering alone to the teachings of Jesus. We shall then\nbelieve in one perfect, all-pervading Spirit, who regulates all the\nevents of this world which are above our control, and that all his\nvarious dispensations originate in perfect wisdom and goodness. We\nshall believe that we have no worse enemies than our own sinful lusts\nand passions, and that power is given us through faith to conquer\nthese, even in this state of existence. We shall believe that it is as\nmuch our duty to be always happy as it is to be always honest and\nvirtuous. We shall have the assurance that our heavenly Father has\ncommissioned no fate nor chance, spectres nor devils, to torment us.\nAnd if we live up to this belief, we shall secure a large share of\ntemporal enjoyment, and be prepared for the increased and increasing\nfelicity of the spiritual world. If we produce this state of faith and\npractice in ourselves and in those around us, we shall have done much\nfor the banishment of popular superstitions and the downfall of\nignorance, error, and sin.\n\n\n\n\nPART SECOND.\n\n\n\n\nMIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.\n\n\nFour gentlemen in Springfield, not long since, publicly attested to a\n\"miracle,\" performed, as they believed, by spirits, at a \"circle\" where\nthey were present. It consisted in moving a table, and a number of\nchairs in the room, and in shocks, resembling distant thunder, or\ncannon at a distance, causing the persons and the chairs and tables to\ntremble in such a manner that the effects were both seen and felt, the\nroom being well lighted at the time, and an opportunity afforded for\nthe closest inspection, so that the company unitedly declare that\n_they know they were not imposed upon nor deceived_.\n\nNow, there is nothing very remarkable in this affair, for all might\nhave been done by the medium himself, by first pathetizing the persons\npresent, as it might be done without their knowledge, and while in\nthat state could be made to see and hear any thing imagined by the\noperator. We are assured, by one who knows, that it is impossible for\nthose who are fit subjects to be present at a circle without being\nmore or less under the mesmeric influence. And, in such cases, they\ncan be _willed_ to remember or forget what they have seen or heard. We\ndo not consider such persons as competent witnesses in such a case as\nthey have testified to. It may all have been induced, or it may all\nhave been real. And if real, there was no need to refer it to the\nagency of spirits, since such things have been done without spirits,\nas in the case of Joe Collins, or others which we shall refer to, in\nthis part of our volume. But here we may be told, that a thousand\ndollars has been offered to any one who will prove that such things\nare produced by any other power than that of _spirits_. But the same\nsum has been offered to any one who will prove that _spirits_ move\ntables, chairs, and the like, or that _spirits_ produce the noises and\nother manifestations ascribed to them.\n\nWe have heard the case of a person who went to a medium and wished to\nknow if he could be put in communication with his father, who had died\nseveral years before. He was answered in the affirmative. But the\ninquirer desired, as proof that it would actually be the spirit of his\nfather that would be introduced to him, that a pencil and paper should\nbe laid upon a table, and that the spirit of the father should come and\nwrite his own name upon the paper, the son feeling assured that, if\nthis were done, he should at once recognize both the name and the\nwriting. Accordingly, the spirit in question came, and did as was\ndesired, and the son declared it to be the real name and handwriting of\nhis father. Now, the philosophy of the case is this: The inquirer was\nfirst pathetized, although ignorant of the fact at the time--a thing\nvery common, though not generally understood. Thus the medium became\nacquainted with the name of the father as it existed in the mind of the\nson; but did the pencil actually write the name upon the paper? No. It\nwas only made to _appear_ so to the mind of the inquirer. As to the\nhandwriting, the inquirer's mind was directed to a piece of paper, and\nto look at the writing. Of course, he saw his father's name, and the\nhandwriting, for he could see nothing else for the time being, his\nmind being impressed with that one idea or object, and closed to every\nthing else. It was in fact, to him, his father's name and chirography,\nand no one's else. It could not be otherwise while his mind was under\nthe control of the operator.\n\nWe have been told of a lady, who, in a magnetized state, sits at a\ntable and writes down information that is imparted to her, as is said,\nfrom the world of spirits. Her hand and pen glide over the paper with\nastonishing speed and velocity, far more rapid than the most expert\npenman in a normal state. And what astonishes many is, that she cannot\nstop writing when she wishes to, and sometimes becomes so exceedingly\nfatigued as to beg of the spirit or spirits to grant her a little\nrepose from the wearisome task. But the whole matter is easily\naccounted for, without referring it to the supposed agency of spirits.\nThe lady's arm is first paralyzed--deprived of motion by the will of\nthe medium or operator, so that her own mind or will has not the least\ncontrol over it. She thus becomes a mere machine, under the will and\ncontrol of another, whose will directs the movements of the arm and\npen, and dictates what is written in answer to inquiries made of things\nappertaining to the spirit world, just as Miss Martineau declares, in\nher letters on magnetism, that \"the volitions of the mesmerist may\nactuate the movements of the patient's limbs, and suggest the material\nof his ideas.\" Many singular effects are produced upon the minds and\nfeelings of subjects in a sleep-waking state, by Professor Williams,\nDr. Cutter, and others, such as being made drunk with water, eating\ncayenne as sugar, exercising complete control over their mental as well\nas physical condition.\n\nWe have been assured by a pathetist, who is a thorough adept in the\nprofession, that he _can_ and often _has_ put persons in communication\n_apparently_ with a deceased father, mother, brother, sister, or\nfriend. The individual is first _pathetized_ (another name for\nmesmerism) by him in a wakeful state, though unconscious, it may be,\nthat he is under such an influence. His mind being in the possession\nand under the control of the operator, a person is now either actually\nor mentally (for it makes no difference) presented before him, and he\nis told of the fact, and asked, _Do you not see your father?_ The idea\nof _father_ is so presented to the mind, through the organ of _form_,\nthat the organ can take cognizance of none other than the father. The\n_person_, if an actual person is employed for the occasion, is then\nshifted or changed for another person; yet the subject perceives no\ndifference, even if changed successively for a dozen others; it is all\nthe same; it is _father_, and no one else, through the whole\nexhibition. The father speaks, the son recognizes his voice, and they\nconverse together. The subject can be willed to hear any sound, as\nthat of music, artillery, thunder, and the like, though no sounds\nwhatever are in reality made. A niece of ours was operated on in this\nway, and she was told to look abroad and behold the majestic waves of\nthe ocean, the pageantry of a military procession; and she saw and was\ndelighted with the scenes that were _willed_ to pass before her.\nApples were oranges to her, and she sucked their juice with a\ndelightful zest. An apple paring held before her was a beautiful bird,\nthen a squirrel, a rabbit, or whatever the operator _willed_ it to\nbecome. The mind of the operator and the subject, in such cases,\nbecome as one, and they then hear, see, taste, and feel the same thing\nat the same moment. Miss Martineau says that, while in a mesmeric\nstate, she saw \"things out of other worlds--not the things themselves,\nbut _impressions_ of them.\" \"They come,\" says she, \"from my brain. The\ninfluence does not separate soul and body, but it sets the body at\nrest, while it exalts and elevates the thinking powers.\"\n\n\"A striking incident,\" says Miss M., \"occurred in one of my earliest\nwalks after recovery from a protracted illness. My mesmerist and I had\nreached a headland nearly half a mile from home, and were resting\nthere, when she proposed to mesmerize me a little--partly to refresh me\nfor our return, and partly to see if any effect would be produced in a\nnew place, and while a fresh breeze was blowing. She merely laid her\nhand upon my forehead, and in a minute or two the usual appearances\ncame, assuming a strange air of novelty from the scene in which I was.\nAfter the blurring of the outlines, which made all objects more dim\nthan the dull gray day had already made them, the phosphoric lights\nappeared, glorifying every rock and headland, the horizon, and all the\nvessels in sight. One of the dirtiest and meanest of the steam tugs in\nthe port was passing at the time, and it was all dressed in heavenly\nradiance--the last object that my imagination would select as an\nelement of a vision. Then, and often before and since, did it occur to\nme, that if I had been a pious and very ignorant Catholic, I could not\nhave escaped the persuasion that I had seen heavenly visions. Every\nglorified object before my eyes would have been a revelation; and my\nmesmerist, with the white halo around her head, and the illumined\nprofile, would have been a saint or an angel.\"\n\nWe know not whether, in this instance, the mesmerist _willed_ her\nsubject to behold things as she did, yet as to the general truth _that\nthe will of the operator can produce in the subject mesmerized those\nstates of mind and body which he wills him or her to experience_,\nthere is abundant evidence. O. S. Fowler, editor of the Phrenological\nJournal, says he \"can bear ample testimony to the fact, as he has\nseen, experienced, and _induced_ similar states by the thousand.\" And\nmany others testify to the same effect.\n\nPersons can be made to travel to other countries, and even to other\nspheres, and come back and tell what they have seen. And as persons\nvary in the talent of description and observation, in the normal\nstate, so do they vary in a semi-abnormal condition. Some are found\nto be _better travellers_, and will see more than others, and in\nspiritual things will differ in their descriptions as they differ in\nreligious creeds and sentiments. Thus a Swedenborg, or a Fishbough,\nsees a hell in the future state, where sinners suffer the penalty of\ntheir earthly sins; while an Ambler, or a Davis, discovers that all\nmen are alike joyful and happy. Mr. Davis has seen fit to caution\nthe public not to believe too quickly or too fully the things\nexcitable persons relate; \"because some minds are naturally inclined\nto exaggerate or enlarge upon every thing which they may feel, see,\nor hear.\" The _state_ alluded to is merely _induced_. It is not\nreal.\n\nPersons are frequently made to do what they believe is done by others,\nas in the case of a son of Dr. Phelps, of Stratford, Connecticut. The\nboy, on one occasion, was found (with a rope passed under his arms)\nsuspended to the limb of a tree, having been taken, as was supposed,\nfrom his bed in the evening by spirits, and thus treated by them. The\nboy declared that when it was done, he \"screamed at the top of his\nvoice;\" but it was ascertained that he made no noise at all, for if he\nhad, the domestics, who were in the kitchen when he passed through it,\nmust have heard him, which they did not. We have the testimony of A. J.\nDavis, himself, that the boy \"really supposed that he had called aloud;\nand so far from having been tied to the tree _by spirits, he had been\nmade unconsciously instrumental in tying himself to the tree_!\" \"I\nhave heard,\" says Mr. Davis, \"instances of mischief cited, as occurring\nin Dr. Phelps's house, in evidence of _satanic agency_, which I now\ndiscover to have been caused or accomplished by one of the children in\nsport, sometimes by electrical discharges and magnetic attractions,\nand sometimes by the almost unpardonable mischievousness of persons\nunknown to the family. The wanton destruction of property alleged to\nhave taken place on this gentleman's premises is referable, in most\ncases, to emanations of vital electricity, seeking its equilibrium in\nthe atmosphere. In this manner window panes were broken and furniture\ninjured. In Woodbridge, New York, some few years ago, a young lady\nwas affected with a disease which gave rise to similar phenomena.\nMysterious sounds were heard in her presence; window panes were\nfrequently broken in her vicinity; and, in like manner, door panels\nwere burst out, sometimes falling _towards_ her, sometimes _from_ her,\nand quick, concussive, and very loud sounds were heard under her feet\nas she ascended a flight of stairs. Ultimately, the mysterious\nphenomena frightened her into an illness which cured the malady.\"\n\n\"People cannot be too cautious how they receive the doings of those who\nprofess to be in connection with spirits of the other spheres; and to\nthose who wish to inquire into the matter, we would say, Go and hear,\nbut try to keep your wits about you, and not swallow bodily either the\npreachers or their strange affirmations.\"--_Horace Greely._\n\n\"Under an impression that whatever is communicated by a spirit must, of\ncourse, be true, many persons are receiving these communications as the\ntruth of God--as a new revelation from the spirit world. But if these\ncommunications are from spirits, we have no proof that they are good\nspirits. The presumption is, that they are bad spirits--lying spirits.\nAt my house they often accused each other of lying--contradicted at one\ntime what they affirmed at another; inflicted injury upon property in\nthe most wanton manner; and have given conclusive evidence throughout\nthat the discipline of hell, which they profess to have experienced\nfor several years, has not been wholly effectual in improving their\ncharacters, and qualifying them for the 'higher spheres' for which\nmany suppose that the discipline after death is a preparation.\"--_Dr.\nPhelps._\n\n\"Many of the doings of the rapping spirits are too nonsensical and\nabsurd to be believed. They spoil all our notions of the dignity, the\n_spirituality_, of the spiritual world. That a messenger should come\nfrom the spirit land to tell an old woman that her black cat did eat\nanother old woman's white rabbit, is not in accordance with the ideas\nmost people have of the doings and missions of beings in the enjoyment\nof an immortal state.\"--_Puritan Recorder._\n\n\n\n\nPERSONS TRAINED BY A LECTURER.\n\n\nWe have been informed, by a certain mesmerizer, that a distinguished\nlecturer upon magnetism frequently trains persons to enact certain\nparts in his public exhibitions. He first puts them under mesmeric\ninfluence, and while in that state they are instructed to say certain\nthings, or to perform certain acts, which he wishes to exhibit at some\nsubsequent lecture. To this they severally agree, and thus a regular\nprogramme, or series of performances, is made out. They are then\nbrought out of the mesmeric state, having been previously willed by the\noperator to forget all that has passed while in that state. At the next\nmeeting appointed, these persons are present, and are again put into\nthe same state as before, when they immediately perceive, and are ready\nto perform, the several parts assigned to them. In fact, they are so\ncompletely under the will and control of the lecturer, that they\n_must_ do or say _what he wills them to do or say_, and they cannot\nhelp it, neither can they have the least recollection of what has\ntranspired, after being restored to the normal state.\n\n\n\n\nSCENE AT EAST BOSTON.\n\n\nWe were present at a \"circle,\" at the house of a _medium_ in East\nBoston, on the 30th of April, 1852. Instead of that decorum and\nseriousness that might be expected while holding intercourse with\ndeparted spirits, we were surprised at the levity and sport indulged\non the occasion. The spirits were laughed at, and scolded, because\nthey made so many blunders in spelling out names, and were urged and\ncoaxed to do better. A lady, who had buried a friend, was told that\nthe name of the deceased was _Hannah_. But she informed the medium\nthat it was a _brother_ she had buried, and that she had never lost a\n_sister_. But the medium said it made no difference, as the spirits\noften gave the name of a sister for a brother, and sometimes a cousin\nfor either, as they were all in the family connection, and all such\ndwelt together in the Love Circles.\n\nIn spelling out the name of any deceased friend, you are presented with\na card containing the alphabet, and are required to commence with the\nletter A, and go through the alphabet some one, two, or three times,\ntouching each letter with a pencil as you pass over it. On touching\nsome particular letter, a rap is given, indicating that it is the first\nletter of the name of your departed friend. And so of the other letters\ncomprising the name. The spirits often made mistakes in rapping at the\nwrong letter, and were required to try again till they got the spelling\nright. We were very particular to observe that the spirit was sure to\nrap whenever the inquirer stopped or hesitated in passing over any\nletter. Five or six would be eagerly watching the movement of your\nhand, and the least possible hesitation upon any one letter was sure to\nbe accompanied with simultaneous raps. And as the inquirer was\nfrequently cautioned to proceed slow, it was natural enough to hesitate\non those letters comprising the name as it was spelled in their own\nmind. In this way the alphabet became an interpreter to the supposed\nspirits.\n\nWe requested that some demonstrations should be given in the art of\ntable lifting, but were told that the gentleman through whose agency\nthe feat is performed was not present this evening. We inquired if it\nwas necessary that any particular gentleman should be present that\ntables or chairs might be raised, and were told it was, and that the\ngentleman in question seemed to carry a large amount of electricity in\na circle about his person.\n\nWe have been informed by another person, who says he has, and often\ndoes, raise tables and other articles, by request of others, that he\ndoes it by controlling the vital electricity of individuals present\nat the time. He says he \"_steals_\" their vital electricity, and\nappropriates it to his own use, although those from whom he thus takes\nit are not conscious of the fact. The more persons there are in the\nroom, the larger the amount of electricity obtained, and the greater\nthe effects produced by it. There is nothing as yet performed by those\nalleged to be in connection with spirits but what he can successfully\nimitate, such as producing effects upon persons at a distance,\nimitating the handwriting of absent or deceased persons unknown to him\ncausing persons to write music, poetry, &c., who, in a normal state,\nare incapable of doing either, as well as many other exploits, at the\noption or desire of those who are present; inquirers, oftentimes,\nin such cases, becoming the operators, transferring their own\nimpressions, ideas, sentiments, and knowledge to the acting medium,\nand yet entirely ignorant of the fact, and astonished at the results\nproduced. The gentleman referred to discards the agency of spirits in\nthese transactions, and declares that the whole is done by the power\nof his own will in using and controlling the amount of electricity\npresent at the time; thus proving that the mind or spirit in the body\nhas as much power and control over electricity as the mind or spirit\nhas _out_ of, or separate from, the body. And he is of the opinion\nthat if scientific men would investigate the powers of electricity,\nand the laws by which it is controlled, they would no more think of\nattributing the phenomena of the times to the agency of _spirits_,\nthan to the Pope of Rome. Many engaged in producing these phenomena\nare themselves ignorant of the power or means by which they are\nproduced, and therefore attribute them to _spiritual_ agency, which\nis, in fact, transferring the whole matter to a point beyond human\ninvestigation, where no mortal being can possibly explore.\n\nSome seem to think that these modern developments must be the work of\nspirits, because, amid all the opposition arraigned against them, they\nstill continue to progress, and are becoming more and more wonderful\nevery day. Yet the same argument is as conclusive and convincing in\nfavor of Mormonism, and other foolish and wicked extravagances, as it\nis in favor of the alleged spiritual manifestations. But while\nhundreds, and perhaps thousands, are marvelling at the strangeness of\nthese developments, we find that several who have been engaged in them\nfor months or years, and believed them to be emanations from the spirit\nworld, now declare their convictions to the contrary, as will be seen\nby the following account from the pen of a distinguished writer,\nProfessor Pond, of Maine.\n\n\n\n\nEXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER.\n\n\n\"The feats of the ancient jugglers were many of them mere acts of\ndeception. They were known to be such by those who performed them. And\nthe same is true of many who practise the like things now. Their\nrappings and writings, and other strange performances, are secretly,\nartfully got up by themselves. I do not say that this is true in all\ncases; but in some cases we _know_ it is true; because the matter\nhas been fully investigated, and public confession has been made. For\nexample: A young woman, who had been instructed by the Rochester\nrappers, and practised the art with them for a time, afterwards\nrenounced it, and exposed the delusion to the world. 'All who saw her\nand heard her,' says my informant, 'were entirely satisfied of the\ntruth of her statements, and that she had revealed the actual method in\nwhich the deception was effected and the deluded were blinded. Another\nyoung woman in Providence, Almira Beazely, who was noted for her\nrappings and revelations, and who murdered her brother to accomplish\none of her own predictions, confessed, on her trial, that she made the\nnoises herself, and explained the manner in which they were produced.\nShe also confessed to the removal of certain articles in the house\nwhich had strangely disappeared, and which she pretended had been\n_taken away by spirits_. Drs. Lee and Flint, of Buffalo, assisted\nby two gentlemen by the name of Burr, have very thoroughly investigated\nthe matter, and explained the manner in which the mysterious noises are\nmade. Mr. Burr has himself made the rappings, and made them so loud as\nto be heard by a congregation of fifteen hundred people.\n\n\"These instances are sufficient to prove that the spiritual\nmanifestations of our times, like those of ancient times, are in many\ninstances a sheer deception--a vile trick, palmed off upon a wondering\nand credulous community, for the sake of money, or for other sinister\nand selfish ends. If there is any thing more than trick in these\nspiritual manifestations,--and I am inclined to think that, in some\ninstances, there may be,--I should refer it, as in case of the ancient\nwizards, to the influence of _occult natural causes_--perhaps\nelectricity, or animal magnetism, or something else, operating upon a\nnervous system of peculiar sensibility. I incline to this opinion for\nseveral reasons.\n\n\"In the first place, if the noises and other manifestations were really\nthe work of spirits, why should they not be made through one person, as\nwell as another? Why should not all mediums be alike? Whereas it is\nconfessed that only persons of a peculiar nervous temperament are\ncapable of becoming mediums.\n\n\"Again: if the disclosures which are made are really from the spirit\nworld, it might be expected that they would, at least, be _consistent\nwith themselves_. Whereas it is well known that they vary endlessly.\nIn numerous instances, they are directly self-contradictory. 'Some of\nthe communications,' says one who had been a medium, 'were orthodox;\nothers were infidel. Some would acknowledge the truth of the Bible;\nothers would condemn it. Some would be in favor of virtue; others would\nencourage the grossest crimes.'\n\n\"Another man, who had been a noted medium, but who was beginning to get\nhis eyes opened as to the character of the proceedings, told his\naudience one night, 'Now, any one present ask a series of questions,\nand I pledge myself that the answer shall be, every time, yes.' Some\none in the company asked, 'Is John Thompson alive?' The answer was,\n'Yes.' 'Is John Thompson dead?' 'Yes.' 'Does John Thompson live in\nVermont?' 'Yes.' 'Does he live in Massachusetts?' 'Yes.' And so the\nspirits went on contradicting themselves times without number. After\nthis, a like series of questions were answered in the negative,\nexhibiting the most glaring contradictions, just as the operator\npleased.\n\n\"But this brings me to another reason for supposing that the answers\nare not from departed spirits, but rather from the _mind of the\noperator_, or from _some other mind in communication with his_, under\nthe influence of an electric or magnetic cause. It is an admitted fact\nthat these answers coincide very generally with the opinions or wishes\nof the medium, or of some one present in consultation with him. I knew\na very respectable man, who discovered that he was a medium, and who\npractised various experiments upon himself. Upon being asked what he\nthought of it, he replied, 'If the answers are from the spirits, they\nmust be _very silly spirits_; for they always answer just as I wish to\nhave them.' Another medium informs us that he can obtain any answer he\npleases, by fixing his mind strongly upon it at the time. Now, does\nthis look as though the answer came from spirits? If the spirits of\nthe dead spoke, they would be likely to speak out independently; to\nspeak just what _they_ thought, and not what those thought with whom\nthey were consulting.\n\n\"There is another circumstance to be noted in this connection. When the\nrequisite preparation is made, there is no need of consulting the\nspirits at all, in order to secure answers. You may consult with the\nchairs or the table just as well. This experiment was tried, not long\nsince, at Wilmington, Vermont. A Mr. Kellogg was the medium, and he had\nsucceeded in consulting the spirits to the satisfaction of all\nconcerned. At length he remarked that he was about to let the company\ninto an important secret. 'We will interrogate the _table_,' said\nhe, 'and have nothing more to do with spirits.' He did so; and the\n_table talked and answered, just as the spirits had done before_.\nAt the same time the table was made to stand on one leg, and to move\nabout, as is usual in such cases. This experiment demonstrated, to the\nsatisfaction of all present, that the strange appearances could be\nproduced just as well without the spirits as with them. 'The calling\nfor spirits,' to use the language of my informant, 'is mere garnish and\nfog, by which the real agency in the case is concealed.'\n\n\"On the point now under consideration, viz., the possibly _electric_\ncharacter of these manifestations, I am happy to introduce the\ntestimony of Dr. Samuel Taylor, a respectable physician of Petersham,\nMassachusetts, whose article on the subject may be found in a late\nnumber of the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. Dr. Taylor\ndiscovered accidentally that he was a medium, and he proceeded to make\nexperiments upon himself. The manifestation, in his case, was not by\nrapping, but by writing--a much more convenient mode of communicating\nwith the spirit world. On taking his pen, and holding himself in a\npeculiar attitude, and proposing mentally some question to the\nspirits, his pen would begin to oscillate in his fingers, and very\nsoon would write out an answer; and this without any voluntary effort\nof his own. And what is particularly to be noticed is, the pen would\nalways write an answer which accorded with his own opinion or wishes,\nthat is, if he had any wish on the subject. For example: Dr. Taylor\ninquired of one of the spirits about the different forms of religion.\n'I asked which was the best religion, at the same time fixing my mind\nsternly on the word _Protestant_. My hand immediately wrote\n_Protestant_. In the same manner, and _by direction of the same\nspirit_, my hand wrote successively, _Methodist_, _Unitarian_, and I\nbelieve one or two others. While in this state,' Dr. Taylor says, '_I\nfelt a sensation like that of a light galvanic current passing through\nme_. Sometimes it appeared to be a steady thrill, and sometimes it was\nintermittent, resembling light shocks of electricity.'\n\n\"After numerous experiments, Dr. Taylor comes to the conclusion, that\nthe strange phenomena of which he was the subject were not tricks of\nhis own, neither did they come from the spirit world, but were the\nresult of what he calls _detached vitalized electricity_. When this\nconclusion had been formed in his own mind, it occurred to him that he\nwould put it to the test of the spirits themselves. 'Accordingly I\nasked them,' says he, 'if this was the work of departed spirits. The\nanswer was, \"No.\" I asked if it was the work of the devil. Again the\nanswer was, \"No.\" I asked if it was the effect of _detached vitalized\nelectricity_. The answer was, \"Yes.\"' So the spirits _confirmed_ the\nconclusion to which the doctor had come, as they did, in fact, all his\nconclusions.\n\n\"We have the testimony of another medium, of the same import with that\nof Dr. Taylor. Mr. Benjamin F. Cooley, who had long been a believer and\noperator in the spiritual rappings, states that his mind is now\nentirely changed. This change was brought about in consequence of 'a\ndeep and earnest study of the nature, power, and application of\nelectricity, and of the susceptibility of the mind to electrical or\npsychological changes.' These things, he says, will produce the same\nmysterious and startling phenomena which have been produced throughout\nthe country, and attributed to the operations of departed spirits. (Mr.\nCooley has recently published a work entitled An Exposition of\nSpiritual Manifestations, to which we would refer the reader.)\n\n\"A part of what is done by those who claim to have familiar spirits,\nmay be the result of unknown _natural causes_. This is the most\nplausible and excusable view which can possibly be taken of these\npractices; and yet, even in this view, they are frightfully evil. The\npersons who alone are susceptible to the influence of these natural\ncauses are generally those of a diseased or delicate nervous\ntemperament; and the effect of experimenting upon their nervous system\nis usually to shatter it the more. They become excitable, fantastic,\nand often insane. Diseases are engendered, both of body and mind, which\nlead on to the most fearful consequences. But a short time ago, the\npapers gave an account of a man in Barre, Massachusetts, who had been\nmuch given to the rappings and other spiritual manifestations, who\nbecame, in consequence, a raving maniac, threatening the life of his\nfamily, and was committed to the Lunatic Asylum at Worcester. Other\nlike instances are occurring frequently, from the same cause. Almira\nBeazely, the Providence rapper, who murdered her brother in fulfilment\nof one of her own predictions, was cleared on the ground of her\ninsanity.\n\n\"But this is not the only evil of the practices in question, when\nviewed as the result of natural causes. For the truth is, that, in\nmost cases, they are _not so viewed_ by those who engage in them.\n_They_ regard them as the work of spirits. They are, therefore,\ndeceived; and those who follow them are deceived. Both suppose they\nare receiving utterances from the other world, when nothing is uttered\nbut vain fantasies from their own minds and hearts. Such a deception\nis, manifestly, a hurtful one. It is full of danger to all concerned.\nTo mistake one's own fancies for divine revelation, and feel\nconscience-bound to obey them as such, is the very essence of\n_fanaticism_. It is fanaticism in its most frightful form. Under the\ninfluence of such an impression, persons may be led to perpetrate the\ngreatest cruelties, and the most horrid crimes, and vainly think that\nthey are doing God service. The wretched man in Barre was led to\nattempt the life of his family, in obedience to a supposed revelation\nfrom the spirit world.\n\n\"The practices which have been considered are of heathen origin. They\noriginated with the ancient heathen; they were spread over a greater\npart of the heathen world; and they continue to pervade and curse it to\nthe present time. Among numerous heathen tribes at the present day,\nscarcely a calamity occurs--a death, a flood, a fit of sickness, or an\ninstance of death--but some poor creature (and often more than one) is\naccused and put to death, as being the cause of it. 'The sick man is\nbewitched: who has bewitched him? His death (if he chance to die) has\nbeen brought about by evil spirits: who has sent the spirits upon him?'\nTo get an answer to these questions, some old hag or conjurer is\nconsulted; the cause of the mischief is quickly discovered, and an\ninnocent person is put to death. Probably hundreds die every year after\nthis manner, among the heathen, _even in this nineteenth century_!\nAnd the case would soon be no better among ourselves, if we were to go,\nextensively and _confidently_, into the practice of consulting with\nfamiliar spirits. The spirits would unravel all mysteries for us; they\nwould reveal all secrets; and not a man, woman, or child would long be\nsafe from their malicious accusations.\n\n\"Something more than a year ago, the Lunatic Asylum in Maine took fire,\nand a portion of its inmates were smothered and consumed. And there are\nhundreds of persons now in the state, who affirm that the building was\nset on fire by the keepers, with a view to cover up and conceal their\nown wickedness. These persons _know_ it was so; they have not the\nshadow of a doubt on the subject. Why? Not that they have a particle of\nevidence to this effect from our world, but because the spirits have so\ninformed them. Now, let these utterances become common, and be commonly\nreceived, and in three months' time those keepers might every one of\nthem be dragged to the gallows, or the stake, while they were as\ninnocent of the charge laid against them as a child unborn.\n\n\"I refer to this instance just to show the sin, the evil, the exceeding\nperil, of indulging in those practices which have been exposed. Let all\nthose who read these things, then, beware of them and shun them. If any\nof us are capable of becoming _mediums_, as they are called, we had\nbetter not know it; or, if we know it, we had better refrain from all\nexperiments. To tamper with such a power is to tamper with an already\nshattered nervous system, the only effect of which will be to shatter\nit the more.\n\n\"There is nothing more striking than the difference between those\nrepresentations of the future world which are made known in the Bible,\nand which we know are true, and those which are put forth by the\nrevealers of our own times. The former are solemn, exciting,\nimpressive, some of them awfully so, others gloriously. While the\nlatter, as Professor Stowe says, are 'so uniformly and monotonously\nsilly, that we are compelled to think, if these are really the spirits\nof the dead, in dying they must have lost what little of common sense\nthey ever possessed. If these are actual specimens of the spiritual\nworld, then this world, hard and imperfect as it is, is altogether the\nmost respectable part of God's creation.'\n\n\"In the Bible, we have frequent accounts of persons who were raised\nfrom the dead--who actually returned from the spirit world to this. But\nthey returned uniformly with sealed lips. In not a single instance did\nthey make any disclosures. But our modern revealers pursue a very\ndifferent course. They practise no reserve. They go into the minutest\nparticulars,--sometimes into the most disgusting details,--and publish,\nas one expresses it, 'a penny magazine of the spiritual world.'\"\n\nIn the language of the Puritan Recorder, \"The worst of the evil is the\nsoul-hardening familiarity they produce with the most awful subjects\never offered for human contemplation. We know of nothing in human\nexperience so fatally destructive of all that reverence for the\nspiritual, that awe of the unseen, that tender emotion, as well as\nsolemn interest, which connect themselves with the idea of the other\nlife. Who, that has a Christian heart, would not prefer the silence of\nthe grave to the thought of the dear departed one in the midst of such\nimaginings, and such scenic associations as are usually connected with\nthe performances of the spirit rappers? 'They are not dead, but\n_sleep_.' 'They enter into _peace_,' says the prophet. And then the\nprecious and consoling addition--'They sleep in Jesus;' meaning,\nbeyond all doubt, a state of rest, of calmness, of security, of\nundisturbed and beatific vision--far removed from all resemblance to\nthis bustling life--a state in all respects the opposite of that\nwhich fancy pictures as belonging to the scenes presented in the\nmanifestations of spiritual rappings, and spiritual table liftings and\nall those spiritual pantomimes, which seem to be becoming more and\nmore extravagant and grotesque in proportion to the infidel credulity\nwith which they are received.\"\n\nShould any think, by reading what we have offered upon this subject in\nthe preceding pages, that we have imputed guilt and deception to\nmediums, who are believed to be, many of them, above such trickery, we\nwould merely refer such to page 29 of the Reply of Veriphilos Credens\nto the communications supposed to have been written by Dr. Enoch Pond,\nprofessor in the Bangor Seminary, as published in the columns of the\nPuritan Recorder. The reviewer says, \"To suppose that mediums could\npractise deception on men of shrewdness and caution implies a greater\ncredulity than does a faith in the most startling of their\nperformances.\" \"There is not the slightest degree of evidence,\" says\nthis writer, \"that such a case has ever occurred;\" and yet on the\nselfsame page he says, \"_There is no doubt that some mediums, when\nthe sounds and motions have failed to come in the usual mysterious way,\nhave counterfeited them by some sly motions of their feet and hands. I\nhave seen such things done, in some instances!_\"\n\nThe same author says, page 63, \"I have not attempted to justify any\nreliance on disclosures made to us in the way of rappings. I think it\n_altogether_ unsafe to do so, for the declaration has already come\nto us, from what purports to be the spirits themselves, that _all\nthese manifestations are of a low order_, and are produced by the\n_lowest grade of spirits_.\"\n\nAs to the plea that \"spirits _must_ make the sounds,\" to account for\nthe _intelligence_ communicated, it being impossible for mere\n\"_electricity_ to originate facts,\" we reply by affirming that there is\nno intelligence given beyond a certain limit; i.e., the mind of some\none or ones in connection, either present or absent, for it makes no\ndifference. For available purposes, a person a thousand or ten thousand\nmiles distant may yield all the amount of intelligence required in a\ngiven case. Distance is no obstacle whatever. Electricity counts\nneither time nor space. For instance, the transmission of electricity\nthrough a conducting substance is instantaneous. A wire, or other\nconductor, may have motion communicated to its whole length at the\nsame moment, whatever that length may be; and it is stated that an\nelectro-magnetic impulse may be transmitted at the rate of one hundred\nand eighty thousand miles in a second, thus outstripping the sun in its\nmarch!\n\nA large number of intelligent individuals, who, for a year or two\npast, have instituted a series of experiments upon this matter of\n\"intelligence,\" have found that in no case has information been\nimparted beyond what existed in their own minds or that of some kindred\nor friend. Finding this to be the case, they have wisely come to the\nconclusion that spirits have never originated a solitary idea; that is,\n_disembodied spirits_; and as to the spirit within a man, in his\ncorporeal state, why cannot it command as much influence over vital\nelectricity as in its disembodied existence? Since both parties claim\nto perform by the same agent, and both claim this agent to be that of\n_vital electricity_, we have also come to the same conclusion, with\na host of others, that the \"calling for spirits is mere garnish and\nfog, by which the real agency in the case is concealed.\"\n\n\n\n\nEXTRACT FROM THE HOME JOURNAL.\n\n\n\"A considerable heap of books, pamphlets, and periodicals, some\nagainst, but most of them for, the 'spiritual phenomena,' has been\naccumulating upon our table, and now looms up large before us,\ndemanding notice. That departed spirits have any thing to do with them\nis an explanation that we have never been able to accept for one\nmoment. We should as soon think of asserting that an apple, rolling\nsuddenly at our feet, must necessarily have fallen out of heaven,\nbecause we could not see the tree it had blown from. To bring such an\nastounding theory to explain such trivial phenomena is like sending a\nfrigate to pick up a champagne bottle that might be floating down the\nbay.\n\n\"By some of the works before us we are informed, among many other\nthings, that in the other world every man has his name upon his front\ndoor; that Swedenborg is a great man, delivers lectures, and _has a\nstreet named after him_; that in heaven parties, concerts, and\n_converzationes_ are frequent; that at some of the concerts, star\nsingers of great celebrity perform, attracting inconceivable multitudes\nof spirits to hear them; that children take lessons in French and\nItalian every morning; that the space allotted to some of the spirits\nis as large as New York; that the 'seventh sphere' (the highest heaven)\nis about five thousand miles from the earth; that the beds are of\nroses, and when the spirits recline upon them, the birds sing joyfully\naround, and mingle their music with the perfume of the flowers; that\nthe celestials (not the Chinese) wear white robes, edged with pink;\nthat a man generally attends his own funeral; that spirits, on their\narrival in heaven, are set to studying geology, chemistry, and other\ndull subjects, which they soon begin to like, and say their daily\nlessons with an excellent grace; that parchment is in extensive use;\nthat spirits are allowed to visit 'earth' once a day only, and have the\nprivilege of staying one hour; that they have books, rings, newspapers,\nrobin redbreasts, fruit, lakes, streams, diamonds, and drawing masters\nin the next world. 'Dora's dress,' says one of the revelations, 'was of\nblue satin, with a white sash; half sleeves, full; a pink velvet ribbon\nround her throat, fastened by a cameo. Her hair was in curls each side\nof her face, and fastened in a knot behind.' Dora, be it observed, is a\ndeparted _spirit_.\n\n\"If it could be shown that all these things were really revealed, as\nthey are said to be, we should still think them unworthy of notice. The\ngreater part of the 'supernal theology' is utterly frivolous; and\nwhether frivolous or not, it bears very plainly the impress of the\nmedium's own mind, or of the unknown desires of those by whom he is\nsurrounded. If we were called upon to minister to a mind diseased, or\nto find pabulum for a soul hungering after moral excellence, we should\nas soon think of offering a copy of the Arabian Nights' Entertainments\nas a book of the 'supernal theology.' For the practical guidance of\nlife, there is more help in any two maxims of the Sermon on the Mount,\nthan in the whole literature of supernaturalism.\n\n\"The manifestation mania would have died away long since but for one\nunfortunate circumstance. We have in our land a large number of men who\nmay be termed semi-clergymen, or, as they are frequently called,\n'outsiders,' or 'come-outers.' These are they who, either because they\nknow too much or because they know too little, or from superfluity of\nnaughtiness or redundancy of virtue, find it difficult to obtain a\n'settlement.' These are the men who foster delusions; who, because they\ncannot find a way to _serve_ the public, are reduced to _prey_ upon it.\nThey embrace the new light--whatever it may be--with a degree of\nsincerity, and commit themselves to it; then they push it, stimulate\nit, make a business of it, and live by it. O the multitude of spiritual\ndelusions that in every age of the world have originated and derived\ntheir strength solely from the fact that the bodily necessities of\ncertain individuals depended upon their perpetuity! That, at this\nmoment, there are men most diligently engaged in the new spiritual\nline, for the purpose of securing by it a reprieve from starvation, (or\nwork,) is a fact which we do not merely believe, but _know_.\"\n\n\n\n\nFORETELLING FUTURE EVENTS.\n\n\nMany devices have been resorted to in order to foretell the events of\nthe future. Some pretend to do it by cards; some by the settlings of a\ntea or coffee cup; some by astrology; some by tables of letters and\nfigures; some by the lines of the hand; and some by spirits of the\ndead. Strenuous advocates of these various modes are found, who recount\nthe wonderful predictions that have taken place. Some spirit hunter\nrecently prognosticated that the ship Staffordshire (reported to be\nlost) would arrive safe at San Francisco on a certain day, as she did.\nProfessor Anderson had a glass bell at the Melodeon, in Boston, in\nSeptember, 1852, that answered questions pertaining to future events.\nIn deciding upon who would be the next president, it gave six distinct\ntaps for Pierce--the number agreed upon if he was to be the successful\ncompetitor. This was done without any aid from spirits. We very much\ndoubt whether Robach or Lester would refuse a challenge from A. J.\nDavis himself, to test their respective claims to correct predictions.\nYet we do not believe that any reliance can be placed upon the\nprophecies of either party. Events may sometimes transpire in\naccordance with their predictions; and it would be strange if they did\nnot, as they are always predicting, and events are ever occurring. But\nthey never think of naming the multiplicity of failures that take\nplace. Not long since, the spirits said that a distant friend would\nnever live to reach home; but he soon after arrived, safe and well. Mr.\nLester told a young man of Woburn that in two years he would marry a\ncertain young lady; but in two months he was a corpse. Hundreds of such\nfailures are constantly occurring, but are kept out of sight. If\ngenerally known, they would spoil the trade. We are surprised that men\nprofessing to high attainments, as A. J. Davis and some of his\ncoadjutors, should fall back and plant themselves upon such stale\ntrash. Some two years since, while lying apparently near our end, a\nlady suggested to us that, if we desired, she would consult Mr. Lester\nupon the probability of our recovery. We declined the offer, choosing\nto leave all with the Sovereign Disposer of events, believing that he\nwould permit nothing to take place but what would be for our best good,\nand that of all concerned.\n\n    \"Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate,\n    All but the page prescribed--their _present state_;\n    From brutes what men, from men what angels know;\n    Or who could suffer being here below?\n    The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,\n    Had he thy reason, would he skip and play?\n    Pleased to the last, he crops the flowery food,\n    And licks the hand just raised to shed his blood.\n    O, blindness to the future! kindly given,\n    That each may fill the circle marked by Heaven.\n    _Hope humbly then_; with trembling pinions soar;\n    Wait the great teacher death, and God adore!\n    What future bliss he gives not thee to know,\n    But gives _that hope_ to be thy _blessing now_.\"--POPE.\n\n\n\n\nVISIONS, MIRACLES, AND WONDERS.\n\n\nThe writings of the spirit rappers abound with accounts of sights,\nsounds, visions, and wonders. We are forcibly reminded of a similar\ndisplay in the writings of the Adventists, previous to the predicted\nend of the world in 1843--an overwhelming array of facts, calculations,\nsigns, visions, wonders, miracles, maps, pictures, drawings, and\nhieroglyphics, all going to show, in the most positive manner, that in\nthat year the world would be annihilated. And still it remains; and the\nworks containing the omens and facts to substantiate the prediction are\ncalled to share the fate of a Farmer's Almanac quite out of date. Some\nfew still hold on to a semblance of the theory, like him who, in the\nspring of 1851, declared that a talking cow, somewhere in Maine, had\nprophesied that the world would be burned up the following June. How\nlamentable to view the numbers of men and women who have given heed to\nsuch things, when assured that the day and the hour is not known even\nby the Son himself. (Matt. xxiv. 36.) Many of these persons were once\nactive in the church, and exerted an influence for good; but by\nremaining in their present position, their influence in the cause of\nChrist is palsied, and their, talents buried in the earth. And yet we\nhave propounded to us another \"NEW CHURCH,\" which, according to the\npredictions of its adherents, is destined to destroy all other\nchurches, as it _was to be_, according to the predictions of Miller,\nFitch, Himes, and others.\n\nIn conclusion upon these things, we would add, that it has been our\nbelief from the first, that there is nothing supernatural in the\nso-called _spiritual manifestations_. They all bear the marks of\n_earthly_ origin. The public not knowing how to explain them, the\nfirst rappings were attributed to the \"spirits;\" and the idea having\nbeen set afloat, it has been adopted without investigation, being the\neasiest way of accounting for it.\n\nTo the common mind, three hundred years ago, it was plain and easy,\nthat the world was _flat_, and rested on something--on the _back\nof Atlas_, and he stood on a _tortoise_, and the tortoise again\non _something_; and the fact that nobody could tell what, was not\nallowed to stumble any one; it rested on a _foundation_, and that\nwas enough for any one to know or believe. Motion, space, attraction,\nand repulsion were not understood, and Galileo came near losing his\nlife, and did lose his personal liberty and character, for\nintelligence. When the world is as fully instructed in certain\nprinciples connected with our existence as it is in the laws of the\nphysical universe, the \"rappings,\" we think, will cease to be a wonder.\n\n\n\n\nCLAIRVOYANT PHYSICIANS.\n\n\nPersons in a clairvoyant state, by being put in connection with a\ndiseased person, feel, by sympathy, the pain and disease of the\npatient. But to be qualified to describe the locality of the disease,\nor be able to tell what organ or part is affected, the practitioner\nmust first have studied anatomy and physiology. The more perfect they\nare in these branches, the more accurately can they describe the seat\nof the disease. Their remedies are mostly botanical, and are generally\nsafe in their operation. The _regular_ \"clairvoyant physician,\" so to\nspeak, does not pretend to be in league with \"spirits;\" but there _are_\nthose who profess that their prescriptions come from the other\nworld--from those who, though dead, rest _not_ from their labors.\nNotwithstanding the extreme simplicity of their remedies, such as any\ncommon nurse would advise, yet such is the profound sanctity and\nmystery thrown around them by an _unseen spirit_, that some profess to\nhave received \"wonderful healing mercies.\" To _believe_ that a medicine\n(however simple) is prescribed by a _spirit_ from above, is enough to\nperform a cure in any case. Imagination alone is equal to the task. A\nvery eminent allopathic physician informs us that he often rolls up\nbrown bread pills, which, in certain cases, perform unmistakable cures.\nIn fact, history is full of recoveries wrought out by aid of the\nimagination. We will subjoin a case by way of illustration.\n\n\"Sir Humphrey Davy, on one occasion in early life, was assisting Dr.\nBeddoes in his experiments on the inhalation of nitrous oxide. Dr.\nBeddoes having inferred that this agent must be a specific for palsy, a\npatient was selected for trial, and placed under the care of Davy.\nPreviously to administering the gas, Davy inserted a small thermometer\nunder the tongue of the patient, to ascertain the temperature. The\nparalytic man, wholly ignorant of the process to which he was to\nsubmit, but deeply impressed by Dr. Beddoes with the certainty of its\nsuccess, no sooner felt the thermometer between his teeth, than he\nconcluded the talisman was in operation, and in a burst of enthusiasm\ndeclared that he had already experienced the effects of its benign\ninfluence throughout his whole body. The opportunity was too tempting\nto be lost. Davy did nothing more, but desired his patient to return on\nthe following day. The same ceremony was repeated, the same result\nfollowed; and at _the end of a fortnight he was dismissed wholly\ncured_; no remedy of any kind, except the thermometer, having ever\nbeen used.\"\n\n\n\n\nSTYLE OF \"SUPERNAL\" COMPOSITIONS.\n\n\nIn the \"supernal\" productions we are presented with a pedantic\ndisplay of high-sounding words and phrases. To use the language\nof inspiration, \"they speak great swelling words of vanity.\" A\nwork has recently been announced with this imposing title:\n\"MACROCOSM and MICROCOSM,\" containing, among other things, \"_The\nPotential Media_,\" \"_The Diastole and Systole of Nature_.\" A writer\nin the Spiritual Telegraph, of October 9, says, \"There are very many\nfancy-captivating, and depravity-flattering publications--some of\nthem filled with indications, the most specious and subtle, of a\nrefined _atheism_. And I have seen a copy or two of a certain 'Journal,'\nostensibly advocating the great truths (?) of spiritual manifestations,\nbut containing some articles in which there was a congregation of words\n_superlatively unmeaning and transcendentally ridiculous_.\" The same\nwriter says, \"I do not believe one half the communications which are\nsaid to come from George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Clay,\nJohn C. Calhoun, John Wesley, and a host of other great names. What\naffinity can these spirits have with many of the thoughtless, light,\nand trifling circles, formed to pass off an hour, and perhaps ending\nwith foolish mountebank scenes of psychology, falsely so called?\"\n\nDavis, in his Great Harmonia, page 206, exposes a class of \"mercenary\npractitioners, who claim extraordinary or supernatural powers for their\nsubjects, _who give public and vulgar exhibitions, who employ chicanery\nand ignorant plans, who trifle with and play fantastic tricks with\ntheir subjects_.\" He speaks of a class of \"doctrinal practitioners, who\nprevert and misinterpret principles and results; who labor to make the\nphenomena subservient to, and illustrative of, the theological dogmas;\nwho receive, modify, or reject, as a sectarian education and prejudice\nmay sanction; who conceal, misstate, and magnify disclosures.\" Enough,\nin all conscience, to condemn the whole farce.\n\n\n\n\nMYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES.\n\n\nA work has recently been issued in Boston, by E. C. Rogers, containing\nan exposition of mysterious agents, and dynamic laws, or science of\nmoving powers. It is a very valuable work, and, with his consent, we\nshall take the liberty of introducing some of the principal facts\nadduced; and at the same time would advise every inquirer to purchase\nthe work for himself, which he will never have cause to regret.\n\nOn page 22, the author says, \"Light and heat have always been known as\nagents by the common sensation of their more palpable phenomena. But\nelectricity and magnetism were not known until their phenomena were\nspecially observed. Many of the facts of these agents, before the\nlatter had become known, were referred to spiritual agencies. It is the\ntendency of ignorance, in every age, to do the same thing. Reason\ndemands an agent adequate to the production of every phenomenon. If she\nhas not been furnished with sufficient data by which to arrive at a\ncorrect conclusion, imagination, influenced by a blind marvellousness,\nwill refer the phenomena to some supernatural cause. Hence the early\nsuperstitions about chemical operations, the appearance of comets,\neclipses, meteors, the 'bog lights,' and a thousand other phenomena.\nBut as the agencies of nature have become known, and their laws and\nconditions of action discovered, the domination of superstition has\ngiven place to the triumph of reason and the reign of truth.\"\n\n\"Reason determines that, for every phenomenon, there is an agent; but\nnever, without sufficient data, does she determine what that agent is.\nThe imagination often assumes this prerogative, and gives conclusions\nwithout _facts_, or furnishes the false data from which the logical\nfaculty draws false principles. We mention these things to show how\neasy it is to be deceived, by our imaginations, with regard to the\ncauses of outward phenomena, and that the only legitimate and\ntrustworthy process in arriving at a solution of the mysteries of\nnature is, to furnish the reason with _facts_, and exclude the\ninfluence of imagination. A blind precipitation of faith is also a\nfatal influence to all correct reasoning; for it rouses the action of\nthe imagination, and long before the reason can possibly give a correct\ndeduction, credulity and imagination have conjured one up; and this\nwill be the more insisted upon as the only correct conclusion, as it is\nthe least possessed of the real truth and the action of reason. Hence\nit is that those persons who are most ignorant of the principles of\nnature are the more positive and precipitate in their decisions upon\nany question of mystery. They _know_ that there is no natural\nexplanation, and the man is a fool who _attempts_ to find one.\" (Page\n34.)\n\nThe first case we shall quote from the above work occurred in\nWoodbridge, New Jersey, and was published at the time in the Newark\nDaily Advertiser. The phenomena made their appearance in the family of\nMr. J. Barron, consisting, for the most part, of unusual sounds\naccompanying a servant girl.\n\n\"The first sounds were those of a _loud thumping_, apparently\nagainst the side of the house, which commenced one evening, when the\nfamily had retired, and continued at short intervals until daylight,\nwhen it ceased.\n\n\"The next evening it commenced at nightfall, when it was ascertained to\nbe mysteriously connected with the movements of a servant girl in the\nfamily--a white girl, about fourteen years of age. While passing a\nwindow, on the stairs, for example, a _sudden jar_, accompanied with an\n_explosive sound, broke a pane of glass_, the girl at the same time\nbeing seized with a violent spasm. This, of course, very much alarmed\nher; and the physician, Dr. Drake, was sent for, who came and bled her.\nThe bleeding, however, produced no apparent effect. The noise still\ncontinued, as before, at intervals, wherever the girl went, each sound\nproducing more or less of a spasm; and the physician, with all the\nfamily, remained up during the night. At daylight the _thumping_ ceased\nagain. In the evening the same thing was repeated, commencing a little\nearlier than before; and so every evening since, continuing each night\nuntil morning, and commencing each night a little earlier than before,\nuntil yesterday, when the thumping began about twelve o'clock at noon.\nThe circumstances were soon generally spread through the neighborhood,\nand produced so much excitement that the house was filled, and\nsurrounded from sunrise to sunset, for nearly a week. Every imaginable\nmeans were resorted to, in order to unravel the phenomenon. At one time\nthe girl would be removed from one apartment to another, but without\neffect. Wherever she was placed, at certain intervals, the thumping\nwould be heard in the room. She was taken to a neighboring house. The\nsame result followed. When carried out of doors, however, no noise was\nheard. Dr. Drake, who was constant in his attendance during the whole\nperiod, occasionally aided by other scientific observers, was with us\nlast evening for two hours, when we were politely allowed a variety of\nexperiments with the girl, in addition to those heretofore tried, to\nsatisfy ourselves that there is no imposition in the case, and, if\npossible, to discover the secret agent of the mystery. The girl was in\nan upper room, with a part of the family, when we reached the house.\nThe noise then resembled that which would be produced by a person\nviolently thumping the upper floor with the head of an axe, five or six\ntimes in succession, jarring the house, ceasing a few minutes, and then\nresuming as before. We were soon introduced into the apartment, and\npermitted to observe for ourselves. The girl appeared to be in perfect\nhealth, cheerful, and free from the spasms felt at first, and entirely\nrelieved from every thing like the fear or apprehension which she\nmanifested for some days. The invisible noise, however, continued to\noccur as before, though somewhat diminished in frequency, while we were\nin the room. In order to ascertain more satisfactorily that she did not\nproduce it voluntarily, among other experiments we placed her on a\nchair on a blanket in the centre of the room, bandaged the chair with a\ncloth, fastening her feet on the front round, and confining her hands\ntogether on her lap. No change, however, was produced. The thumping\ncontinued as before, excepting that it was not quite so loud. The noise\nresembled that which would be produced by stamping on the floor with a\nheavy heel; yet she did not move a limb or muscle, that we could\ndiscover. She remained in this position long enough to satisfy all in\nthe room that the girl exercised, voluntarily, no sort of agency in\nproducing the noise. It was observed that the noise became greater the\nfarther she was removed from any other person. We placed her in the\ndoorway of a closet in the room, the door being ajar, to allow her to\nstand in the passage. In less than one minute the door flew open, as if\nviolently struck with a mallet, accompanied with precisely such a noise\nas such a thump would produce. This was repeated several times, with\nthe same effect. In short, in whatever position she was placed, whether\nin or out of the room, similar results, varied a little perhaps by\ncircumstances, were produced. There is certainly no deception in the\ncase. The noise was heard at least one hundred yards from the house.\"\n\n\"In this case, no suspicions were entertained by the investigators that\nthere was any supernatural or spiritual power manifested, as there was\nno manifestations of intelligence. They were purely physical\nphenomena.\"\n\nThe next case we shall notice we copy from the Spiritual Telegraph of\nJuly 3, 1852, taken from an old New York paper, dated March 10, 1789.\nThe extract is as follows:--\n\n\"Sir: Were I to relate the many extraordinary, though not less true\naccounts I have heard concerning that unfortunate girl at New\nHackensack, your belief might perhaps be staggered and patience tired.\nI shall therefore only inform you of what I have been an eye-witness\nto. Last Sunday afternoon my wife and myself went to Dr. Thorn's, and\nafter sitting for some time, we heard a knocking under the feet of a\nyoung woman that lives in the family; I asked the doctor what\noccasioned the noise: he could not tell, but replied, that he, together\nwith several others, had examined the house, but were unable to\ndiscover the cause. I then took a candle and went with the girl into\nthe cellar: there the knocking also continued; but as we were ascending\nthe stairs to return, I heard a _prodigious rapping_ on each side,\nwhich alarmed me very much. I stood still some time, looking around\nwith amazement, when I beheld some lumber, which lay at the head of the\nstairs, shake considerably. About eight or ten days after, we visited\nthe girl again: the knocking was again heard, but much louder than\nbefore. Our curiosity induced us to pay the third visit, when the\nphenomena were still more alarming. _I then saw the chairs move; a\nlarge dining table was thrown against me, and a small stand, on which\nstood a candle, was tossed up and thrown into my wife's lap_; after\nwhich we left the house, much surprised at what we had seen.\"\n\n\"Catharine Crowe, in her Night Side of Nature, mentions several\nwell-authenticated cases of this character, and other writers have\nnoticed the same phenomena. A case is given on the 410th page of Miss\nCrowe's work--that of a young officer in the English army, who,\nwherever he went, whether in camp or at home, or among strangers, was\nliable to be tormented with these _noises at night_. Although they\ngave no particular marks of intelligence, yet they were regarded by his\nrelatives with an abundance of superstition. They considered him\n\"haunted.\"\n\n\"When these sounds commenced, he would sit up in bed, and express his\nanger in strong execrations. If a cage bird was in his room, it was\ncertain to be found dead in the morning; or if he kept a dog in the\napartment, it would make away from him as soon as released, and never\ncome near him again.\"\n\n\"The phenomena in Dr. Phelps's case, already mentioned in this volume,\nconsisted in the moving of articles of furniture in a manner that could\nnot be accounted for. Knives, forks, spoons, nails, blocks of wood,\n&c., were thrown in different directions about the house, when there\nappeared no visible power by which the motion could have been produced.\nA writer in the New Haven Journal and Courier testifies, that while he\nwas present, \"the contents of the pantry were emptied into the kitchen,\nand bags of salt, tin ware, and heavy cooking utensils were thrown in a\npromiscuous heap upon the floor, with a loud and startling noise.\nLoaves of delicious cake were scattered about the house. The large\nknocker of the outside door would thunder its fearful tones through the\nloud-resounding hall, chairs would deliberately move across the room,\nheavy marble-top tables would poise themselves upon two legs, and then\nfall with their contents to the floor--no person being within six feet\nof them.\"\n\n\"On the 1st of October, 1850, Mrs. Phelps and her two children left\nhome for Pennsylvania: with this the phenomena ceased. The doctor\nremained at his house five weeks after, without disturbance. It was\nascertained that these and other manifestations were less frequent and\nfeebler when but one of the children was in the house; and that they\nwere more frequent in connection with the lad, (one of the above\nchildren,) eleven years of age.\n\nThese children had frequently been mesmerized into the trance state by\ntheir father; and one of them was subject to spontaneous trance, and at\none time was found in the barn in a cataleptic state. Since the return\nof the doctor's family, in the spring of 1851, he has kept the two\nchildren separate, the boy being away, lest his presence would occasion\na recurrence of the same phenomena. Simultaneous with the phenomena,\nthe boy would frequently start while asleep in bed.\n\nAnalogous to the above are the wonderful occurrences which took place\nat Stockwell, England, in January, 1772, as related in the work\nentitled Night Side of Nature, page 370. We shall only give the most\nimportant particulars of the case, leaving the reader to consult the\nwork itself.\"\n\n\"On Monday, January 6, 1772, about ten o'clock in the forenoon, as Mrs.\nGolding (the hostess) was in the parlor, she heard the china and\nglasses in the kitchen tumble down and break; her maid came to her, and\ntold her the stone plates were falling from the shelf; Mrs. Golding\nwent into the kitchen, and saw them broken. Presently after, a row of\nplates from the next shelf fell down likewise, while she was there, and\nnobody near them: this astonished her much, and while she was thinking\nabout it, other things in different places began to tumble about, some\nof them breaking, attended with violent noises all over the house; a\nclock tumbled down, and the case broke.\" The destruction increased with\nthe wonder and terror of Mrs. Golding. Wherever she went, accompanied\nby the servant girl, this dreadful waste of property followed.\n\nMrs. Golding, in her terror, fled to a neighbor's, where she\nimmediately fainted. A surgeon was called, and she was bled. The blood,\nwhich had hardly congested, was seen all at once to spring out of the\nbasin upon the floor, and presently after, the basin burst to pieces,\nand a bottle of rum, that stood by it, broke at the same time.\n\nMrs. Golding went to a second neighbor's, as the articles she had\nconveyed to the first were being destroyed. And while the maid remained\nat the first neighbor's, Mrs. Golding was not disturbed; but when\nputting up what few things remained unbroken of her mistress's in a\nback apartment, a jar of pickles, that stood upon a table, turned\nupside down, and other things were broken to pieces.\n\nMeantime the disturbances had ceased at Mrs. Golding's house, and but\nlittle occurred at the neighbors', while Mrs. Golding and her servant\nremained apart. But as soon as they came into each other's company, the\ndisturbance would begin again.\n\nAbout five o'clock on Tuesday morning, Mrs. Golding went to the chamber\nof her niece, and desired her to get up, as the noises and destruction\nwere so great she could continue in the house no longer: at this time,\nall the tables, chairs, drawers, &c., were tumbling about. In\nconsequence of this resolution, Mrs. Golding and her maid went over the\nway to Richard Fowler's. The maid returned to Mrs. Pain's, to help this\nlady dress her children. At this time all was quiet. They then repaired\nto Fowler's, and then began the same scenes as had happened at the\nother places. It must be remarked that all was quiet here as well as\nelsewhere, till the maid returned.\n\nWhen they reached Mr. Fowler's, he began to light a fire in his back\nroom. When done, he put the candlestick upon the table in the fore\nroom. This apartment Mrs. Golding and her maid had just passed through.\nThis candlestick, and another with a tin lamp in it, that stood by it,\nwere dashed together, and fell to the ground. A lantern, with which\nMrs. Golding had been lighted across the road, sprang from a hook to\nthe ground. A basket of coals tumbled over, and the coals rolled about\nthe room.\n\nMrs. Golding and her servant now returned home, when similar scenes\nwere repeated. Mr. Pain then desired Mrs. Golding to send her maid for\nhis wife to come to them. When she was gone all was quiet. When she\nreturned she was immediately discharged, and no disturbances happened\nafterwards.\"\n\n\"The account gives us the following particulars, namely: that the\nphenomena always depended upon the presence of the servant maid, and\nthat they always occurred with the greatest energy when the mistress\nwas in the company of the maid; also that, when the maid passed through\na room alone, there would be little or no disturbance of its contents,\nbut if she was soon after followed by Mrs. Golding, various articles\nwould begin to play the most singular pranks. Very often one article\nwould be attracted by another, or they would fly towards each other,\nand striking together, fall upon the floor as if both had been charged\nwith some physical agent which made them act like opposite poles. Then,\nalso, they would fly _from_ one another, as by _repulsive_ forces.\nEvery thing which Mrs. Golding had touched seems to have been in some\nway affected, so that afterwards, on the approach of the maid, it would\nbe broken to atoms, sometimes, even, without her touch. The blood of\nMrs. Golding was highly susceptible under the same circumstances, and\nthe bowl in which it was contained and the glass ware standing by it\nburst to pieces.\"\n\n\"In the year 1835, a suit was brought before the sheriff of Edinburgh,\nScotland, for the recovery of damages suffered in a certain house owned\nby a Mr. Webster. Captain Molesworth was the defendant at the trial.\"\n(See Night Side of Nature, page 400.) The following facts were\ndeveloped: Mr. Molesworth had seriously damaged the house both as to\nsubstance and reputation.\n\n_First._ By sundry holes which he cut in the walls, tearing up the\nfloors, &c., to discover the cause of certain noises which tormented\nhimself and family.\n\n_Second._ By the bad name he had given the house, stating that it\nwas haunted. Witnesses for the defendant were sheriff's officers,\njustices of the peace, and officers of the regiment quartered near; all\nof whom had been at the said house sundry times to aid Captain\nMolesworth detect the invisible cause of so much disturbance.\n\nThe disturbance consisted in certain noises, such as knockings,\npounding, scratching sounds, rustlings in different parts of a\nparticular room; sometimes, however, in other parts of the house.\nCertain boards of the floor would seem to be at times infected with the\nnoises; then certain points in the walls, at which Mr. Molesworth would\npoint his gun, or cut into with an axe, all to no purpose.\n\nThe bed on which a young girl, aged thirteen years, had been confined\nby disease, would very often be raised above the floor, as if a sudden\nforce was applied beneath it, which would greatly alarm her and the\nwhole family, and cause the greatest perplexity. The concussions which\nwere often produced on the walls would cause them visibly to tremble.\nThe force that produced these results was soon discovered to be in some\nstrange way connected with this invalid, and wherever the young invalid\nwas moved this force accompanied her.\"\n\n\"It is plainly exhibited, in the cases just given, that no\ncharacteristics of spiritual agency are exhibited, but those, on the\ncontrary, of a mere physical power, associated with the organism of\ncertain persons. \"We have not,\" says Mr. Rogers, \"the least possible\nevidence that any spirit, demoniacal or angelic, had any hand in\nperforming the wild antics among crockery and furniture which we have\nseen performed in the accounts given. For it is admitted that a\nspiritual agent is an intelligent agent. Its characteristics are those\nof intelligence, as every one admits. Wherever, therefore, these\ncharacteristics are wanting in a class of phenomena, it is blindly\nabsurd, greatly superstitious, even to draw the inference that they are\nspiritual phenomena. But what shall be said when it is asserted as a\nveritable certainty, and the crowd is made to stretch their throats and\nswallow the absurdity without a moment's examination?\" \"Is it possible\nwe are to be driven to the conclusion that the ground of faith in\nspirituality is identical with that of ignorance, superstition,\nfanaticism, bigotry?\"\n\nWe shall now proceed to give the case of Angelique Cottin, as reported\nin the Night Side of Nature, and in the _Courrier des Etats Unis_,\nand the investigations of the case as reported by M. Arago, before the\nParis Academy of Sciences, 16th of February, 1846.\n\n\"Angelique Cottin was a native of La Perriere, aged fourteen, when, on\nthe 15th of January, 1846, at eight o'clock in the evening, while\nweaving silk gloves at an oaken frame, in company with other girls, the\nframe began to jerk, and they could not by any efforts keep it steady.\nIt seemed as if it were alive; and becoming alarmed, they called in the\nneighbors, who would not believe them, but desired them to sit down and\ngo on with their work. Being timid, they went one by one, and the frame\nremained still till Angelique approached, when it recommenced its\nmovements, while she was also attracted by the frame. Thinking she was\nbewitched or possessed, her parents took her to the presbytery, that\nthe spirit might be exorcised, or cast out. The curate, being a\nsensible man, objected, but set himself to work to observe the\nphenomenon, and being satisfied of the facts of the case, he bade them\ntake her to a physician.\n\n\"Meanwhile, the intensity of the influence, whatever it was, augmented;\nnot only articles made of oak, but all sorts of things, were acted upon\nby it, and reacted upon her, while persons who were near her, even\nwithout contact, frequently felt _electric_ shocks. The effects, which\nwere diminished when she was on a carpet or a waxed cloth, were most\nremarkable when she _was on the bare earth_. They sometimes entirely\nceased for three days, and then recommenced. Metals were not affected.\nAny thing touching her apron or dress would fly off, although a person\nheld it; and Monsieur Herbert, while seated on a heavy tub or trough,\nwas raised up with it. In short, the only place she could repose on was\na stone covered with cork. They also kept her still by isolating her.\nWhen she was fatigued the effects diminished. A needle, suspended\nhorizontally, oscillated rapidly with the motion of her arm, without\ncontact; or remained fixed while deviating from the magnetic direction.\nGreat numbers of enlightened medical and scientific men witnessed these\nphenomena, and investigated them with every precaution to prevent\nimposition. She was often hurt by the violent involuntary movements she\nwas thrown into, and was evidently afflicted by chorea, or St. Vitus's\ndance.\"--_Night Side of Nature_, page 382.\n\n\"The French paper mentions the circumstance that while Angelique was at\nwork in the factory, \"the cylinder she was turning was suddenly thrown\na considerable distance without any visible cause; that this was\nrepeated several times; that all the young girls in the factory fled,\nand ran to the curate to have him exorcise the young girl, believing\nshe had a devil.\" After the priest had consigned her to the physician's\ncare, the physician, with the father and mother, brought Angelique to\nParis. M. Arago received her, and took her to the observatory, and in\nthe presence of MM. Laugier and Goujon made the following observations,\nwhich were reported to the Paris Academy of Sciences:--\n\n\"_First._ It is the left side of the body which appears to acquire\nthis sometimes attractive, but more frequently repulsive, property. A\nsheet of paper, a pen, or any other light body, being placed upon a\ntable, if the young girl approaches her left hand, even before she\ntouches it, the object is driven to a distance as by a gust of wind.\nThe table itself is overthrown the moment it is touched by her hand, or\neven by a thread which she may hold in it.\n\n\"_Second._ This causes instantaneously a strong commotion in her side,\nwhich draws her towards the table; but it is in the region of the\npelvis that this singular repulsive force appears to concentrate\nitself.\n\n\"_Third._ As had been observed the first day, if she attempted to sit,\nthe seat was thrown far from her, with such force that any other person\noccupying it was carried away with it.\n\n\"_Fourth._ One day a chest upon which three men were seated was moved\nin the same manner. Another day, although the chair was held by two\nvery strong men, it was broken between their hands.\n\n\"_Fifth._ These phenomena are not produced in a continued manner. They\nmanifest themselves in a greater or less degree, and from time to time\nduring the day; but they show themselves in their intensity in the\nevening, from seven to nine o'clock.\n\n\"_Sixth._ Then the girl is obliged to continue standing, and is in\ngreat agitation.\n\n\"_Seventh._ She can touch no object without breaking it or throwing it\nupon the ground.\n\n\"_Eighth._ All the articles of furniture which her garments touch are\ndisplaced and overthrown.\n\n\"_Ninth._ At that moment many persons have felt, by coming in contact\nwith her, a true electrical shock.\n\n\"_Tenth._ During the entire duration of the paroxysms, the left side of\nthe body is warmer than the right side.\n\n\"_Eleventh._ It is affected by jerks, unusual movements, and a kind of\ntrembling which seems to communicate itself to the hand which touches\nit.\n\n\"_Twelfth._ This young person presents, moreover, a peculiar\nsensibility to the action of the magnet. When she approaches the north\npole of the magnet she feels a violent shock, while the south pole\nproduces no effect; so that if the experimenter changes the poles, but\nwithout her knowledge, she always discovers it by the difference of\nsensations which she experiences.\n\n\"_Thirteenth._ The general health of Angelique is very good. The\nextraordinary movements, however, and the paroxysms observed every\nevening, resemble what one observes in some nervous maladies.\"\n\n\"The great fact demonstrated in this case,\" says E. C. Rogers, \"is,\nthat, under _peculiar conditions_, the human organism gives forth\na physical power which, _without visible instruments_, lifts heavy\nbodies, attracts or repels them according to a law of polarity,\noverturns them, and produces the phenomena of sound. So far as the mere\nmovement of objects, even of great weight, in connection with certain\npersons, is concerned, whether in the phenomena of the so called\n'spiritual manifestations,' or out of them, the immediate agent is a\nphysical one, and is identical throughout. None but the most ignorant\ncan deny this.\" For a further delineation of the facts in this case,\nand deductions therefrom, we refer the reader to the work of Mr.\nRogers, on the Dynamic Laws and Relations of Man.\n\n\"The next case we shall refer to is that of Frederica Hauffe, of the\ntown of Prevorst, in the mountainous parts of Germany. It was found\nthat in her hands, at a very early age, the hazel wand pointed out\nmetals and water. It was also found that, in certain localities, the\ninfluences from the earth had a very powerful effect upon her\nsusceptible nerves. It was frequently observed by the one she often\naccompanied in his walks through solitary places, that though she was\nskipping ever so gayly by his side, at certain spots a kind of\nseriousness and shuddering came over her, which for a long time he\ncould not comprehend. He also observed that she experienced the same\nsensations in churchyards, and in churches where there were graves; and\nthat, in such churches, she never could remain below, but was obliged\nto repair to the galleries. Superstition, it is true, has always\nclaimed such facts as parts of her ghostly superstructure; but they are\ntoo material for this.\n\nFrederica was almost constantly in a magnetic state, and in this\ncondition frequently communicated what was taking place at a distance,\nand was aware of producing sounds in space, and some ways off; but this\nbeing found to materially injure her, the habit was abandoned. She had\na very high degree of susceptibility to mundane influences, and the\neffect was, that mineral loads and subterranean currents acted through\nher upon a simple stick held in her hand.\n\nAt one time she was attacked with nervous fever, which continued\nfourteen days with great violence. This was followed by _seven years\nof_ MAGNETIC LIFE, interrupted only by very short and merely apparent\nintervals. After the fever, she was attacked with spasms in the breast,\nwhich continued three days. On the second day, a peasant's wife came\nfrom the village, and seating herself beside her, said, \"She needs no\nphysicians; they cannot help her;\" and laid her hands on her forehead.\nImmediately she was seized with the most direful spasms, and her\nforehead was as cold as if she was dead. During the whole night she\ncried deliriously that the woman had exercised a demoniacal influence\nupon her; and whenever the woman returned she was always attacked with\nspasms. On the third day they sent for a physician; and being then in a\nmagnetic condition, she cried to him when he entered, although she had\nnever seen him, \"If you are a physician, you must help me!\" He, well\nunderstanding her malady, laid his hands on her head; and it was\nremarked that, as long as he remained in the room, she saw and heard\nhim alone, and was insensible to the presence of all other persons. The\nsame kind of exclusive attachment has been seen in cases of persons who\nhave fallen under the peculiar influence of the magnet or a crystal,\nthus showing the relation of mundane agencies to the psychological\nnerve centres, as well as to the nerve centres in the spine, and among\nthe viscera.\n\nAfter her physician had laid his hands on her she became calm, and\nslept for some hours. Some internal remedies and a bath were prescribed\nfor her; but the spasms returned in the night, and for eighteen weeks\nshe was attacked by them from twice to five or six times a day. All the\nremedies prescribed proving inefficacious, recourse was had to\n\"magnetic passes,\" which, for a time, relieved the spasms. It was amid\nsuch sufferings and such influences that, in the month of February,\n1823, after extreme tortures, she gave birth to her first child. This\nevent was followed, for some time, by additional ills. The following is\na somewhat curious circumstance, and goes to show the influence which\none organization will have upon another, when a certain relation is\nestablished between them. It is this: The woman who, on a former\noccasion, had exerted so unhappy an influence upon the mother, produced\nprecisely the same effects upon the child. Her contact with it threw it\ninto spasms, and the convulsions became periodical until its death.\n\nAbout a year after the birth of her child, being laughed at for her\nsuperstition, she was thrown into a state of rigid spasm, and became as\ncold and stiff as a corpse. For a long time no respiration was visible.\nShe lay as in a dream. In this peculiar condition she spoke for three\ndays entirely in verse and at another, she saw, for the same period,\nnothing but a ball of fire, that ran through her whole body as if on\nthin bright threads. And then, for three days, she felt as if water was\nfalling upon her head, drop by drop; and it was at this time that she\nsaw her own image. She saw it clad in white, seated on a stool, whilst\nshe was lying in bed. She contemplated the vision for some time, and\nwould have cried out, but could not; at length she made herself heard,\nand her husband entering, it disappeared. Her susceptibility was now so\ngreat that she _heard and felt what happened at a distance_, and\nwas so sensible to external agencies, _that the nails in the walls\naffected her_, which obliged her friends to remove them. The least\nlight had a powerful influence upon her nervous system, and could not\nbe endured.\n\nShe was now induced to take a medicine which made her more calm, but\nthrew her into a deeper trance. Still she could not endure the\nsunlight. She was taken in a darkened carriage to her home on the\nmountains. \"Here she existed,\" says her physician, \"only through the\nnervous emanation of others, and it became necessary that some one\nshould always hold her hand; and if the person was weak, it increased\nher debility. The physician prescribed magnetic passes and medicines,\nbut she fell into a magnetic sleep, _and then prescribed for herself_.\nHer greatest suffering arose from the sensation of having a stone in\nher head. It seemed as if her brain was compressed, and at every breath\nshe drew, the motion pained her. At this time a large magnet was\napplied to her forehead; immediately her head and face were turned\nround, and her mouth distorted as by a stroke of palsy. On the 28th of\nDecember she gave birth to her second child, which was followed, as\nbefore, by a long and severe illness. She continued constantly in a\nmagnetic state. Persons of various tempers now became her magnetizers.\nThe effects of these different nervous temperaments upon hers were very\nserious. It brought her into special relation to so many persons, that,\neven _at a distance, they affected her, visions of whom would appear to\nher like visions of spirits_. This, moveover, brought her into a deeper\nmagnetic condition, and rendered her more _dependent on the nervous\nenergy of others_. Another physician was employed from a distance. He\ngave her an amulet to wear, composed of certain substances, and a small\nmagnet, all arranged together. Occasionally this amulet, untouched by\nany one, would run about her head, breast, and bed covering, like a\nlive thing.\"\n\n\"It has already been remarked, that, in the earlier stage of her\nmagnetic state, she was aware of _making sounds at a distance_.\nThis she repeatedly performed, so that her friends at a distance, as\nthey lay in bed, _heard distinctly the sounds_. This fact being\ncommunicated to her physician, Dr. Kerner, he, by actual experiment and\nobservation, confirmed it. This was not performed by her will, which\nwas inactive in her somnambulic or cataleptic state, as well as her\nconsciousness. Every nerve centre was in a most intimate _rapport_\nor relation with the mundane agencies, especially that which acts in\nconjunction with the nervous force, and holds every animal in a certain\nconnection with every thing out of the organism.\n\nThe father of this unfortunate woman inhabited a house which formed a\npart of an old cathedral, where, it had been reported by former\ntenants, _strange sights had been seen, and strange sounds heard_. It\nwas in this house, at the time of her somnambulic state, already spoken\nof, that there were heard _unusual knockings on the walls, noises in\nthe air_, and other sounds, which, as Dr. Kerner remarks, \"can be\ntestified to by more than twenty credible witnesses.\" _There was a\ntrampling up and down stairs by day and by night to be heard, but no\none to be seen, as well as knockings on the walls and in the cellars;\nbut, however suddenly a person flew to the place to try to detect\nwhence the noise proceeded, they could see nothing. If they went\noutside, the knocking was immediately heard inside, and vice versa._\nThe noises at length became so perplexing, that her father declared\nthat he could live in the house no longer. They were not only audible\nto every body in the house, but to the passengers in the street, who\nstopped to listen to them as they passed. Whenever there was playing on\nthe piano, and singing, sounds would commence on the walls.\"\n\nWe have not room to mention all the facts in her case; but will add a\nfew of the most remarkable. \"She was very susceptible to _electrical\ninfluences_, and, what is almost incredible, _she had a preternatural\nfeeling_ or _consciousness of human writing_. Various minerals seemed\nto have a specific effect, when brought in contact with her. _Glass and\nrock crystal_ had a powerful effect in waking her from the somnambulic\nstate, or in exciting the force within her organism. This fact, and\nothers of this character in abundance, point to the peculiar tendency\nof this force, in some cases of disease, to act outwardly from the\nnerve centres upon glass ware, window glass, &c. \"We have known a\nchild, eight years old,\" says Mr. Rogers, \"who seldom, at one period,\ntook hold of a glass dish without its soon bursting to pieces.\" In the\ncase of Frederica, a rock crystal, placed on the pit of her stomach,\nand allowed to remain there for some time, would produce a deep state\nof catalepsy. She was affected in the same manner by silicious sand and\ngravel, or even by standing some time near a glass window. If she\nchanced to seat herself on a sandstone beach, she was apt to become\ncataleptic; and once, having been for some time missed, she was at\nlength found at the top of the house, seated on a heap of sand, so\nrigid, that she was unable to move away from it. Whenever she was\nplaced in a bath by her medical attendants, it was with a great deal of\nlabor they could immerse her body beneath the surface. Her specific\ngravity seemed to be more like cork, or a bladder of air, than that of\nmuscle, nerve, and bone. Something seemed to pervade her body, or to\nact upon it, so entirely opposite to the centripetal action of the\nearth, as to counteract this law of force in the most marked manner.\nThis fact suggested to Dr. Kerner a curious experiment, which resulted\nin the development of another important phenomenon. He had concluded,\nthat as all these phenomena had taken place more or less in conjunction\nwith those usually termed _magnetic_ or _mesmeric_, there might be some\nrelation of the forces in both, or indeed they might be identical. To\ntest this matter, he at one time placed his fingers against hers, when\nhe found at once there existed a mutual attraction, as between two\nmagnets; and now, by extending his hand upward, _he raised her clear\nfrom the ground; thus she was suspended, as a magnet suspends a piece\nof iron_, or _another magnet, simply by a polar force_. This was\nrepeated several times, and afterwards his wife did quite the same\nthing.\"\n\n\"We have already spoken of the action which the sun's light had upon\nher in producing physical effects. Among others it was observed that\nthe different colored rays produced each a specific effect. The light\nof the moon, also, when she looked at it, produced coldness and\nshivering, with melancholy.\" The effects of these agents on the human\norganism are clearly explained, in the numbers of an astronomical\npaper, by Mr. Chapman, of Philadelphia.\n\n\"On touching Frederica with a finger, during an electrical state of the\natmosphere, she saw small flashes, which ascended to the ceiling; from\nmen these were colorless, from women blue; and she perceived emanations\nof the same kind, and of the same variation of color, from people's\neyes.\"\n\nConcerning the power possessed in the nerve centres of this woman, to\nproduce sounds at a distance, Dr. Kerner remarks as follows: \"As I had\nbeen told by her parents, before her father's death, that, at the\nperiod of her early magnetic state, she was able to make herself heard\nby her friends, as they lay in bed at night, in the same village, in\nother houses, by a knocking,--as is said of the dead,--I asked her, in\nher sleep, whether she was able to do so now, and at what distance. She\nanswered that she could sometimes do it. Soon after this, as we were\ngoing to bed, (my children and servants being already asleep,) we heard\na knocking, as if in the air over our heads; There were six knocks, at\nintervals of half a minute. It was a hollow, yet clear sound, soft, but\ndistinct. We were certain there was no one near us, nor over us, from\nwhom it could proceed; and our house stands by itself. On the following\nevening, when she was asleep, (we had mentioned the knocking to nobody\nwhatever,) she asked me whether she should soon knock to us again;\nwhich, as she said it was hurtful to her, I declined.\" And yet, not\nlong after this, Kerner relates the following, as having taken place at\nhis house: \"On the morning of the 23d of March, 1837, at one o'clock, I\nsuddenly awoke, and heard seven knocks, one after another, at short\nintervals, seeming to proceed from the middle of my chamber: my wife\nwas awakened also; and we could not compare this knocking to any\nordinary sound. Mrs. Hauffe lived several houses distant from us.\"\n\n\"On the 30th of the same month, Rev. Mr. Hermann came into _rapport_ or\nspecial relation with Mrs. H., through the medium of psychological\nsympathy, as well as through the physical influence. Previous to this\nhe had not been troubled with strange sounds at his house, but after\nthat period he was awakened every night, at a particular hour, by a\nknocking in his room,--sometimes on the floor, and sometimes on the\nwalls,--which his wife heard as well as himself. In a great part of her\nmagnetic state, Mrs. H. was under a strong state of religious feeling,\nand was often engaged in prayer. Rev. Mr. Hermann sympathized with her\nin this, and with the commencement of the rapping in his room, he\nexperienced an involuntary disposition to pray.\" (See Mr. Rogers's\nwork, where many such cases are given.)\n\nIn elucidation of the effect of glass, sand, gravel, &c., upon her\norganism, we will state an additional fact, as related by her\nphysician: \"On the 21st of April, Dr. K. was at the house of Mrs. H.\nThe window being open, he saw a quantity of gravel come in the window,\nwhich he not only saw, as he says, 'but picked it up!' To be certain\nthat no one threw it in, he immediately looked out. On comparing it, he\nfound it to be such gravel as lay in the front of the house.\"\n\n\"Now, let the phenomena we have related be put side by side with those\nwhich occurred at the house of Rufus Elmer, in Springfield,\nMassachusetts, on the 5th of April, 1852, as witnessed by Professor\nWells, of Cambridge, and others, and alleged to be the work of spirits.\n\n_First._ The table was moved in every possible direction, and with\ngreat force, when no cause of motion could be perceived.\n\n_Second._ The table was forced against each one present so powerfully\nas to move them from their positions, together with the chairs they\noccupied, in all several feet.\n\n_Third._ Mr. Wells and Mr. Edwards took hold of the table in such a\nmanner as to exert their strength to the best advantage, but found the\ninvisible power, exercised in the opposite direction, to be quite equal\nto their utmost efforts.\n\n_Fourth_. In two instances, at least, while the hands of all the\nmembers of the circle were placed on the top of the table, and while no\nvisible power was employed to raise the table, or otherwise to move it\nfrom its position, it was seen to rise clear of the floor, and to float\nin the atmosphere for several seconds, as if sustained by a denser\nmedium than the air.\n\n_Fifth._ Mr. Wells was rocked to and fro with great violence, and\nat length it poised itself on two legs, and remained in this position\nfor some thirty seconds, when no other person was in contact with the\ntable.\n\n_Sixth._ Three persons, Messrs. Wells, Bliss, and Edwards, assumed\npositions on the table at the same time, and while thus seated, the\ntable was moved in various directions.\n\n_Seventh._ Occasionally we were made conscious of the occurrence\nof a powerful shock, which produced a vibratory motion of the floor of\nthe apartment. It seemed like the motion occasioned by distant thunder,\nor the firing of ordnance far away, causing the tables, chairs, and\nother inanimate objects, and all of us, to tremble in such a manner\nthat the effect was both seen and felt.\n\nIn conclusion, it was observed that D. D. Hume, the medium, frequently\nurged the company to hold his feet and hands. The room was well\nlighted, and a lamp was placed on and under the table, and every\npossible opportunity afforded for the closest inspection. They were\ntherefore positive that there was no deception in the case. The\nconclusion was, _that it must be the work of spirits_--a singular\nconclusion, indeed, for men of such standing and acquirements. It might\nall have been accomplished, _biologically_; but admitting the whole\nto be literally and substantially true, they fall far short of\nwell-attested phenomena, where it was not so much as _conjectured_ even\nto be _at all supernatural_.\"\n\nThe fact is incontrovertibly evident, that physical agents, subtile and\nunseen, are every where at work. \"Force shows itself,\" as the elegant\nSomerville remarks, in his Connection of the Physical Sciences, \"in\nevery thing that exists in the heavens or on the earth.\" There is a\nphysical power which not only binds satellites to their planet, and\nplanets with suns, and sun with sun throughout the wide extent of\ncreation, which is the cause of the disturbances, as well as the order\nof nature, but it physically binds man to man, and man to nature. And\nas every tremor it excites in one planet is immediately transmitted to\nthe farthest limits of the system, in oscillations, which correspond in\ntheir periods with the cause producing them, like sympathetic notes in\nmusic, or vibrations from the deep tones of an organ, so every\nvibration, thus excited, is transmissible to the delicate centres of\nevery organic being, provided the repulsive agent of those beings is\nchanged in its relative condition so as to admit its influx. (See\nGeometry and Faith, by Rev. T. Hill, of Waltham.)\n\n\"It is well known to every chemist, that wherever there is chemical\naction going on, there is a constant evolution of some force. Now, that\nthere is a constant chemical action taking place is certain, and the\nsources of this action are very numerous. Among others, we have that of\nwater, (often holding in solution saline ingredients, thus increasing\nits action upon metallic substances,) which, percolating through the\nsurface, acts upon all those surfaces whose materials have a strong\nchemical affinity for the oxygen or hydrogen of the water.\n\nWherever there is a mineral load the development of force is in some\ninstances very great. For instance, Mr. R. W. Fox was able, by\nconnecting two lodes with copper wires, and conducting the latter to\nthe surface of the earth, and immersing them in a cell which contained\na solution of sulphate of copper, to obtain an electrotype copy of an\nengraved copperplate.\n\nThus \"the earth itself may be made a _battery_,\" as Robert Hunt says.\n\"We know,\" he repeats, \"that, through the superficial strata of the\nearth, electric currents circulate freely, whether they are composed of\nclay, sand, or any mixture of these with decomposed organic matter;\nindeed, that with any substance in a moist state, electric currents\nsuffer no interruption.\" The electricity of mineral veins has attracted\nthe attention of some of the first philosophers of Europe, and has led\nto some highly-interesting experiments with regard to the action of\nthis important agent in the formation, disposition, and direction of\nrocks and mineral veins. M. Becqueral and others have made use of these\ncurrents successfully in imitating Nature in her processes of making\ncrystals and other mineral formations.\"\n\n\"It is not, however, necessary to suppose that the agent of which we\nare treating particularly requires a chemical action to develop it, or\nthe action of the electric force. Experiments have proved that it is\ndeveloped in every form of material action--that even the substances of\nthe earth, without sensible alteration, exert this force. To this agent\nthe sensitive nerve centres are extremely susceptible. The celebrated\nRitter, of Germany, devoted much time to an investigation of this\nsubject, and, in 1809, published Supplementary Treatises upon it,\ntogether with Amoretti's celebrated work on the same subject--Physical\nand Historical Inquiries into Rhabdomancy, &c., in Germany. (See Dr.\nAshburner's Translation of Rheinbach, first American edition;\nRedfield.) Schubert, in his work on Natural History, says, \"It seems\nclear, from many observations, that the whole mineral (and much of the\nvegetable) kingdom _has a profound and mysterious relation with the\norganism of man_.\" \"_This_ relation,\" says Rogers, \"is that of\nmatter with matter connected by an imponderable agent.\" \"The phenomena\nwhich betray this, as a fact of nature, have been observable from the\nearliest ages. It is certain, however, that local causes often give\ndevelopments to such strange phenomena, _that it requires all the\nscience that can be mustered to keep back the tide of superstition\nwhich will be thus aroused in the breasts of those unacquainted with\nthe action of these agents_.\"\n\nSome will ask the question, \"If these things be true, why have we not\nheard of them before?\" We confess that we know of no other possible\nreason than that such inquiries are not \"_posted up_,\" as they should\nbe, in matters of history and science. But, before closing this part of\nour subject, we propose to relate a few more incidents, by way of\nillustration.\n\n\"In the year 1849-50, certain highly-respectable houses in the city of\nNew York seem to have been all at once unaccountably beset with a\nstrange power, which seized upon particular parts, and would not allow\nany one, not even the members of the families, to touch those seemingly\nconsecrated things. Whenever this was attempted, a loud, sharp sound\nwould be instantly given, accompanied with a sharp and spiteful flash\nof light, as if the agent was determined to protect that which it had\nseized upon. But this was not all; it would smartly shock the intruder\nwith a blow, as if with an unseen fist, or the like. It even seized\nupon the members of these families at times, and would--so to\nspeak--make them apparently strike one another, in an unseen manner,\nsimultaneously. It was often the case that a stranger could not call at\nthe door without being instantly struck on the wrist or elbow, on\ntouching the knob of the door bell; and he would see, at the same\ninstant, an angry flash of light, as if from some demon's eye. The\nladies were not allowed to kiss each other without each receiving, on\nthe approach of their lips, a fiery smack, as from a spirit's lips. The\ndear little ones of these families were prevented from giving their\nmothers the parting salutation on retiring for the night.\"\n\n\"There _seemed_ to be a great deal of cunning shown by this agency. If\nthe lady of the house did not think to pay all due deference to its\nrules, when she wished to give orders to the servants below through the\nmetallic speaking tube, she was sure to receive an unseen blow in the\nmouth, almost sufficient to stagger her: at the same instant she would\nsee the flash of what might have been taken for a 'fiery,' if not for\nan 'evil eye.'\"\n\n\"Professor Loomis visited these dwellings, (see Annual of Scientific\nDiscovery, 1851, page 129,) and observed these phenomena. He perceived\nthe flash whenever the hand was brought near to the knob of the door,\nalso to the gilded frame of a mirror, the gas pipes, or any metallic\nbody, especially when this body communicated freely with the earth. \"In\none house,\" says this scientific gentleman, in his description before\nthe American Scientific Association, at New Haven, \"in one house, which\nI have had the opportunity to examine, a child, in taking hold of the\nknob of a door, received so severe a shock that it ran off in great\nfright. In passing from one parlor to the other, if the lady of the\nhouse chanced to step upon the brass plate which served as a slide for\nthe folding doors, she received an unpleasant shock in the foot. When\nshe touched her finger to the chandelier, there appeared a brilliant\nspark, and a snap.\" After a careful examination of several cases of\nthis kind, Professor Loomis came to the conclusion \"that the\nelectricity is created (excited) by the friction of the shoes of the\ninmates upon the carpets of the house.\" \"If the professor is correct in\nhis conjecture, it would follow that every house,\" says Mr. Rogers,\n\"with similar carpets, should become electrized, and exhibit similar\nphenomena, in which case we should have observed their appearance at a\nmuch earlier period, and the occurrence would have been presented much\nmore frequently and extensively. Yet the phenomena is every whit\nelectrical; hence we are led by them to see, that when local\ncircumstances are favorable, an agent may be developed in our midst,\nwhich may play the most singular pranks, which, it is more than\nprobable, may be attributed to _supernatural_, and even to SPIRITUAL\n_powers_, if the witnesses should be ignorant of those characteristics\nwhich identify them with a well-known agent. Had the characteristics in\nthe above been contrary to those of any known agent, although the\nphenomena had been entirely physical, how many would have leaped to the\nconclusion, without a moment's thought or investigation, that the force\nwas a power of the invisible spirit world? With regard to the phenomena\nof the present day, reason has been entirely set aside; hence the\nprecipitate conclusion concerning them, even by many who lay great\nclaim to its use and application to all other subjects. We have been\ntruly astonished at the course of such persons.\"\n\n\"We shall now present a few cases that bear a closer analogy to\nelectricity, perhaps, than those we have been considering. The first we\nshall speak of is that of the two Smyrna girls, who visited France in\n1839, and exhibited what was called _their electrical powers, in\nmoving tables without contact_. The account was published in the\nBoston Weekly Magazine, of December 28, 1839. The two girls landed at\nMarseilles, about the first of November, 1839. In hopes of realizing a\nsplendid fortune, they intended to exhibit themselves in France, and\nother parts of the continent. Immediately on their arrival, several\npersons, including several men of science and professors, visited them,\nand ascertained the following phenomena:--\n\n_First._ \"The girls stationed themselves, facing each other, at the\nends of a large _table_, keeping at a distance from it of one or two\nfeet, according to their electrical dispositions.\n\n_Second._ \"When a few minutes had elapsed, a _crackling_, like that of\nelectric fluid spreading over gilt paper, was heard, when,--\n\n_Third._ \"The table received a strong shake, which always made it\n_advance from_ the ELDER to the younger sister.\n\n_Fourth._ \"A _key_, _nails_, or any piece of _iron_ placed on the table\n_instantaneously stopped_ the phenomena.\n\n_Fifth._ \"When the iron was adapted to the _under part_ of the table,\nit produced no effect upon the experiment.\n\n_Sixth._ \"Saving this singularity, the facts observed constantly\nfollowed the known laws of electricity, whether glass insulators were\nused, or whether one of the girls wore silk garments. In the latter\ncase, the electric properties of both were neutralized.\" Such was the\nstate of matters for some days after the arrival of the young Greeks;\nbut,--\n\n_Seventh._ \"The temperature having become cooled, and the atmosphere\nhaving loaded itself with _humidity_, all perceptible electric\nvirtue seemed to have deserted them. One may conceive the melancholy of\nthese girls,\" the writer continues, \"and the disappointment of the two\nGreeks, their relations, who came with them to share their anticipated\nwealth.\"\n\n\"In this case we have the \"manifestation\" of a force greatly analogous\nto that often witnessed at the present day. In one important respect it\nacted differently from electricity, in that it was broken by simply\nlaying a _key_ or a small piece of _iron_ on the object the agent had\nacted upon, &c. \"It must be admitted, however,\" says Mr. Rogers, \"that\nthe fact of the influence of glass insulators and the silk dress,\ncausing a cessation of the phenomena, shows that the agent that acted\nupon the table was, in some way, a form of electricity, though greatly\nvarying, in its laws of action, from that usually known to science. We\nhave,\" says Mr. R., \"some curious facts relating to this _modified\nagent_, to present from Matucci and others,\" (in the second number of\nour work.)\n\n\"From the effects of the humidity of the atmosphere, some may conclude\nthat the agent must have been _electricity_, inasmuch as the same state\nof the atmosphere produces a like effect upon the action of friction\nelectricity. Let us allow this, and turn to precisely the same\nphenomenon, as it has been manifested in the cases of numerous\n'mediums' for the so-called '_spiritual manifestations_.'\"\n\n\"We will not state it upon our authority alone, but also upon that of a\nlarge number of intelligent believers in the spiritual origin of these\nphenomena, that the electrical condition of the atmosphere enters into\nthe circumstances of their evolution; that in a humid state of the\nweather it is not only difficult, in many instances, but sometimes it\nis absolutely impossible, to obtain them under such a condition.\" We\nknow that many of the less informed \"mediums\" attribute these failures\nto the _capriciousness of the spirits_, and frequently scold them\nsoundly for their misdemeanors, though at other times they seem to pity\nthem because they get so weary and fatigued in answering so many\ninquiries, and being so long \"_on duty_.\"\n\n\"It was thought by some who witnessed the case of Angelique Cottin,\nthat the agent which acted so powerfully from her organism,\noverthrowing tables, twisting chairs out of stout men's hands, raising\na man in a heavy tub, was electricity. C. Crowe says it did cause the\ndeviation of the magnetic needle; but M. Arago, who knows more about\nthis abused agent than a nation of theorizers, could not detect the\nleast signs of it by the nicest tests. And yet it would give the person\nwho touched her or her dress a powerful shock, as if it _were_\nelectricity. Still, it may be the same agent that is ground out of\nplate glass, that propagates news from city to city on iron wires, and\nthat thunders in the material heavens.\"\n\n\"It has been supposed that because, in many instances, 'mediums' have\ngiven shocks like those given by electrized bodies, the two agents must\nbe identical. Not long since, a young lady, about sixteen years of age,\nMiss Harriett Bebee, was placed in a magnetic state, in company with\nMrs. Tamlin, both being of a clairvoyant character. The sounds were\nheard while they were in that state. Every time these occurred a very\nsensible jar, like an electric shock, was experienced by Miss Bebee. In\nanswer to a question, she stated that at each sound she felt as if\nthere was electricity passing over her. Several of the persons, in\nwhose presence these sounds are heard, always receive a slight shock,\nso that there is a slight jar, which has sometimes been so plain as to\nlead persons, ignorant of the facts and the phenomenon, to accuse them\nof making it themselves.\" Says a writer upon this subject, \"This\nfeeling of electricity seems to pervade nearly every thing connected\nwith these phenomena. When the rapping is heard, the peculiar jar is\nfelt, differing from the jar produced by a blow; and in various other\nways we are reminded of the use of this subtile agent. We often see, in\na dark room, bright electric flashes on the wall and other places.\"\n\nThe same writer observes, \"Persons sometimes feel a sensation of\nelectricity passing over their limbs when they stand in the vicinity of\nthose who get the sounds most freely, although the particular persons\nwho seem to be the mediums feel no sensation at all. In one or two\ninstances we have seen a perceptible shock, as if caused by a galvanic\nbattery, especially when the persons were under the influence of\nmagnetism.\"\n\n\"In a work published in Cincinnati, by \"William T. Coggshall, the\nauthor says, \"We have felt positive electrical influences from\nclairvoyants. At the present time,\" he continues, \"what is termed\n'electrical circles' are being formed every week in Cincinnati, for the\nbenefit of persons whose systems require additional electrical power.\nWe have seen several women so powerfully electrized in these circles,\nthat the same effects were produced upon them which would have been had\nthey been isolated in connection with a galvanic battery.\" So it has\nbeen seen that, on touching Angelique Cottin, a person would receive a\n\"true electric shock.\" This kind of shock was experienced by Campeti\nand Bleton, in passing over mineral veins and subterraneous streams, as\nmentioned by Dr. Ashburner. \"Many somnambulic persons,\" says C. Crowe,\n\"are capable of giving an electric shock; and I have met with one\nperson, not somnambulic, who informed me that he has frequently been\nable to do it by an effort of the will.\"\n\n\"When an iron plate was brought near to one of Reichenbach's patients,\nand a crystal brought in contact with it, the effect upon it was like\nan electric shock, which even ascended from the elbow to the shoulder.\"\nMany other cases might be cited to the same purpose. The magnet and\niron have a specific action upon the nervous system; and the same agent\nacts also from crystals, vegetable substances, and the human hand, nay,\nfrom the earth itself.\" The second number of Mr. Rogers's work contains\nsome interesting facts of this character.\n\n\"Vitality,\" says Dr. W. E. Channing, in his Notes on Electricity, \"is\ndependent on physical conditions, and performs its functions by the\nagency of physical forces.\" The Rev. Thomas Hill, in his Fragmentary\nSupplement to the Ninth Bridgewater Treatise, observes that \"all bodies\nare moved through the agency of other bodies, and we see nowhere a\nmotion which is not dependent upon _physical causes_, that is, which is\nnot produced by _physical agents_. Our will employs, unconsciously, the\naid of nerve and muscle; the supreme will employs, with wise designs,\nthe intervention of the laws of _impulse_, _attraction_, and\n_repulsion_.\" \"When, in the course of ages, the comparative easy\nproblems of astronomy were solved, problems of more difficulty were\nbrought to view. Phenomena which were not _obvious_, not _pictured\nalphabet_, but the _fine print of creation_, _electrical_, _optical_,\nand _chemical phenomena_, led men into more _hidden_ knowledge.\"\n\n\"The agents employed by the animal organization,\" says Dr. Channing,\n\"are principles found UNIVERSALLY IN NATURE, and, in addition to these,\na force which is peculiar to living structures--the special agent of\nvitality.\" \"Now, it might reasonably be expected, that if electricity,\namong other agents found \"universally in nature,\" is also associated\nwith the agent of the animal economy, it might, under favorable\nconditions, exhibit its characteristic phenomena. These conditions\nwould, of course, be owing to a variation of the organism from its\nnormal standard. The following case, given by Dr. Ennemoser, of\nGermany, exhibits some of these characteristics:--\n\nThe case was that of a young woman, sister of a professor at Strasburg.\nImmediately on a sudden fright, she was seized with a nervous malady,\nwhich continued for a long period, and finally terminated in her death.\nAmong the remarkable symptoms in her case were the following:--\n\n_First._ Those of _somnambulism_, with more or less lucidity.\n\n_Second._ Her body became so highly charged with electricity that\nit was necessary to conduct it away by a regular process of conduction.\n\n_Third._ Her body would impart powerful shocks to those who came\nin contact, and even when they did not touch her.\n\n_Fourth._ She controlled its action so as to give her brother (the\nprofessor) a \"smart shock when he was several rooms off.\" (The account\nstates, that when the professor received the shock, \"he started up and\nrushed into her chamber, where she was in bed; and as soon as she saw\nhim, she said, laughing, 'Ah, you felt it, did you?'\")\n\n_Fifth._ She was subject, also, to spasms and paroxysms of rigor\nand trembling.\n\nSome of the phenomena, in this case, resemble those we see exhibited by\nthe electric fish. The case is an important one in considering the\ncommand which the nerve centres possess over the general agents\nassociated with them.\"\n\nWe shall now present another singular case, which occurred in this\ncountry, in the month of January, 1839, an account of which was given\nin Silliman's Journal, by a correspondent:--\n\n_First._ That \"on the evening of January 28, 1839, during a somewhat\nextraordinary display of the northern lights, a respectable lady became\nso highly charged with electricity, as to give out vivid electrical\nsparks from the end of each finger, to the face of each of the company\npresent.\"\n\n_Second._ That this did not cease with the heavenly phenomena, but\ncontinued several months, during which time she was constantly charged\nand giving off electrical sparks to every conductor she approached.\nThis was extremely vexatious, as she could not touch the stove, or any\nmetallic utensil, without giving off an electrical spark, with the\nconsequent twinge.\n\n_Third._ That \"the state most favorable to _this phenomena_ was an\natmosphere of about eighty degrees Fahrenheit, moderate exercise, and\nsocial enjoyment. It disappeared in an atmosphere approaching zero, and\nunder the debilitating effects of fear.\"\n\n_Fourth._ That, \"when seated by the stove, reading, with her feet upon\nthe fender, she gave sparks at the rate of three or four a minute; and\nunder the most favorable circumstances, a spark that could be seen,\nheard, or felt, passed every moment.\"\n\n_Fifth._ That \"she could charge others in the same way, when insulated,\nwho could then give sparks to others.\"\n\n_Sixth._ \"To make it satisfactory that her dress did not produce it, it\nwas changed to cotton, and woollen, without altering the phenomenon.\nThe lady is about thirty, of sedentary pursuits, and delicate state of\nhealth, having, for two years previously, suffered from acute\nrheumatism and neuralgic affections.\"\n\nFor further investigation into the cause of singular phenomena evolved\nfrom secret agents, and the true philosophy of biology, magnetism,\ntrance, &c., we would again refer to the numbers of a work by Mr.\nRogers, now in process of publication. His principles and deductions\nchallenge successful contradiction.\n\n\n\n\nEXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY.\n\n\nBiology, so called, is one peculiar feature, or form, of mesmerism.\n\"These experiments,\" says Dr. Richmond, \"attracted much attention some\nthree years since, in Ohio, and other places, and such was the intense\nexcitement of the public mind that, in some places, parents and the\npublic were obliged to interfere and stop children from biologizing\neach other.\" It was found that not only muscular motion, but the\nexercise of the senses, could be destroyed by the will of the operator.\nTaste was obliterated, or changed, memory destroyed, and any picture\npresented to the mind of the subject would be seen. Tell him he saw\nsnakes, and he would become frightened, and rush with violence over the\nseats and benches. Tell him he was sleigh riding, and he would\ninstantly seize the reins, and drive the horses with great glee. Tell\nhim he was a witch--an old woman in rags--and he would own the\ncharacter, and confess all the crimes with which you had charged him.\nTell him he was a gay young lady, and another subject was about to\ncourt him, and a love scene would commence. Tell him he was cold, and\nhe would shiver, his teeth chatter; he would stamp, and thresh his\nhands to keep them warm. Tell him it was summer--very hot, and he would\nbegin fanning himself, fling off his coat, and, unless prevented, would\ndivest himself of all garments tell him that a tree of fruit was before\nhim, and he would begin to fill his pockets. Sweep the room before him,\nand open the sky, and say that the river of life and a white throne\nwere before him, that the judgment was set, and instantly he would\nassume the attitude of devotion; he would gaze with burning eye and\nrapt delight into the scene of glory. Take him to a lake side, tell him\na child was drowning in the water, and he would wade in, take it in his\narms, and lay it carefully down, and weep over it in deep pity. Bring\nbefore him the lightning's flash, the thunder's roll, or proclaim a God\nin grandeur, and a world on fire, and, as once actually took place in\nCovington, Kentucky, a dozen subjects fell in intense fright: some on\nto the floor, some on benches, others sought to fly, and all declared\nto the audience that a shower of fire seemed to be around them. Any\nimage the operator sees fit to plant in the subject's mind is readily\ndone; any passion readily assumed; reverence, revenge, vanity, love,\nhate, fear, mirth, joy, grief, or ecstasy, are all _imitated_ at his\nbidding, and safely dispersed and reproduced with the rapidity of\nthought, changing in an instant both the actions and motions of the\nsubject. Tell the person he is suffocating in water, and he _will_\nsuffocate, unless you prevent him. Tell him he is struck on the head,\nand he falls, as if stricken down with a hammer. No doubt a subject\nmight be killed by a mental impression--by saying to him he was shot\nthrough the heart, or was struggling in water. This is the opinion\nof all operators in the art. The subject at the time is, to all\nappearance, in a perfectly _normal state_; his mental, moral, and\nphysical powers seem unchanged, and he thinks at the time he can resist\nyour power over him; he but gives you his eye, and you lead him captive\nby mental impressions. The only perceptible variation from the normal\nstate is, that the _eye_, in most subjects, is clear and glassy, the\nsame eye that is observed in some maniacs, and in consumptive\npatients--clear, sharp, and fearful to look at. The hidden fires of the\nsoul seem to burn through it, with intense force. I have watched it for\nmonths, and years, in consumptives, under the wasting of vitality; and\nthe eye kindles and sparkles with more intensity as they near their\nend. All impressible subjects have this eye, to a greater or less\nextent; all consumptives have it, as well as those who in early life\nare inclined to consumption.\n\nThe facts and incidents under the effects of biology are truly singular\nand wonderful; and yet the advocates of the \"spirit mania\" admit there\nis nothing supernatural in them. For aught we can see, the phenomena\nput forth by the \"rappers\" differ not materially from the biologic\ndevelopments. They seem to be identical with each other.\n\nI know it is affirmed that the developments of electro-biology do not\ncover the whole ground in dispute, inasmuch as _men and women only_ are\nfound to yield to its impressions, while _chairs, tables_, and other\ninanimate objects remain unimpressed. But if chairs and tables are not\nmoved by one form of magnetism, they are by another, as we have\nabundantly shown. And any one with half an eye cannot but see that it\nwould require less effort to move a table, or other inanimate object,\nthan living, intelligent beings, capable of exerting their will in\nopposition to the effort. Dr. Richmond says he has \"seen an operator\ndraw a dozen persons from their seats, by the magnetic force of his\nhand, at the distance of many feet. The first move of the hand would\nbring the head forward, then the body, and by adding his voice, 'You\nwill stand up,' they would, _while resisting with the will, in spite of\nthemselves_, stand up, and follow his hand around the room.\" If\nbiologists have not usually exerted their power upon inanimate things,\nit has probably been because they did not deem it of sufficient\nimportance. We have seen, however, a biologist raise a table to the\nceiling of a room, kindly permitting it to stick there a while, to the\nno small amusement of the spectators! And it can be done again. By the\nway, we would inquire what biologist is it that has sometimes lent his\naid in the raising of tables, at a \"circle\" in East Boston, himself an\nunbeliever in \"_spirit table-liftings_?\"\n\nThe editor of the Spiritual Telegraph says, that \"in the biological\nexperiments there is a _visible human operator_,\" but, \"in the\nspiritual manifestations, no human operator can be found, or\ndemonstrated to exist.\" But, pray, what is the \"medium,\" in these\nmanifestations, but _a visible human operator_? Sometimes it takes\nthree or four persons to produce a single demonstration. And sometimes\nthey cannot muster _force_ enough to do this, especially if the weather\nbe rainy. And this is probably the reason why the rappers at\nPoughkeepsie have resolved not to admit unbelievers, nor at any time\nmore than two or three new-comers, at a \"circle,\" making, with the\nbelievers, ten or twelve in all--successful results never being\nguarantied to those invited to attend.\n\nMr. Brittan himself asserts that it is \"the same power that moves the\n_human medium_ that also moves the _wooden table_,\" &c. Here we have a\n_human medium_ that is _moved to do something_, and _wooden tables_,\nalso; and if we can discover the secret agent in the one case, we shall\nlikewise in the other, for there is a perfect sameness or coincidence\nin their operations. It is the same _unseen_ power, in both cases,\nmoving chairs, tables, tubs, troughs, bedsteads, and piles of lumber,\nbesides other gross, ponderable bodies--cutting up an infinite variety\nof pranks to the _consternation_ of some, and the _amusement_ of\nothers, as A. J. Davis says of the dancing plates, knives and forks,\nshovel, tongs, and poker, moved by \"electrical discharges and magnetic\nattractions,\" or emanations of vital electricity seeking its\nequilibrium in the atmosphere.\n\n\n\n\nFACULTY OF IMITATION.\n\n\nThe faculty of imitating signatures, of writing music, poetry,\nspecimens of foreign tongues, &c., is no more strange than imitating\nthe voice and gestures of those we never heard nor saw. Persons of\nscarcely any education or talents, while under biological influence,\nhave been made to imitate the voice of Webster, Everett, Fillmore, and\nothers, delivering off-hand speeches of most impassioned diction and\neloquence; while, in their _normal_ state, they could scarcely frame a\nparagraph in the king's English, much more deliver a formal address,\nembellished with a profusion of metaphors, tropes, and figures,\naccompanied with the finished attitudes and movements of a Choate, a\nSumner, or a Banks! These mesmeric imitations refer also to mechanical\nand artistic power, and every talent that characterizes us as\nintelligent beings. Some assert that mediums are in a _perfectly normal\nstate_ during the exhibitions of the \"spirit\" phenomena; and yet, to\nthe practical mesmerizer, nothing is plainer than that they are most\nabsolutely mesmeric persons.\n\nThe power of _imitation_ among mediums is various, but distinct. Some\ndraw _maps_, purporting to come from a deceased schoolmate. Others draw\n_likenesses_; others speak in voices imitating the dead--but they can\nimitate the living just as well; others hear sounds--the voice of a\nwife, or child, or friend. Walter Scott relates the case of an English\ngentleman who was ill, and was told by his physician that he had lived\nin London too long, and _lived too fast_; and advised him to retire to\nthe country and ruralize. One of his troubles was, that a set of\n_green_ dressed dancers would enter his drawing room, go through their\nevolutions, and retire. He knew it was an illusion, but could not\nresist the annoyance, or the impressions made on him. He returned to\nhis country seat, and, in a few weeks, got rid of his visitors. He\nconcluded to remain out of town, and sent to London for the furniture\nof his old parlor, to be placed in his country house; but when it came,\nand was arranged in the room, the _corps de ballet_, dressed in\n_green_, all rushed into the room, _exclaiming_, \"Here we are all\nagain!\" He had associated in his mind the furniture and the dancing\napparitions, and when it returned, they came with it, and, as he\nthought, _spoke with voices_. We recollect of reading in a medical\npaper, published in Boston, an account of a man who believed his house\nto be haunted by the devil, in consequence of which he resolved to\nvacate it and remove into the country. His goods were packed into a\nwagon, and he was just upon the point of starting with his load, when\nto his surprise he heard a voice, seemingly among the goods, crying\nout, \"We are all going together.\" \"If that is the case,\" said the man,\n\"I will unload again; for if I am _to have_ the devil's company, it may\nas well be in one place as another.\"\n\nThe excessive use of wine will induce a state of the brain, in which\nthe person thinks he hears voices and sees spirits; but on close\nexamination it will be found that it is the work of the abnormal\npowers, developed in the brain by stimulating agents or intense\nthinking. It will be recollected that Swedenborg, after eating a late,\nheavy supper, heard a voice crying out to him in terrible accents, \"Eat\nnot so much.\" (See chap. 5.) Such phenomena may unravel the voice Judge\nEdwards heard. His long-continued meditation on death, with night,\nsolitude, loneliness, and grief, had so impressed him that he thought\nhe heard a sound in exact imitation of the voice of his wife. In the\ncase related by Scott, hearing was not only affected, but the organ of\ncolor was involved in the hallucination, and the _green figures_\nwere as plain before him as real persons. This is always one of the\nphenomena of ghost-seeing that the seer associates with the spectre,\nnamely, _form_ and _color_, _voice_ and _action_.\n\nThe cases of imitation referred to, and others of the same class, are\nthe results of the _imitative mechanic power_ of the individual,\nbrought out by the abnormal magnetic state existing at the time. For\ninstance, if the individual has time and tune--the faculty of music\nwithin lying undeveloped--it may be brought out, and made to act, by\nthe effects of magnetism. Last winter we listened to a lecture\ndelivered in Newark, New Jersey, by the Rev. Mr. Harris, from New York\ncity. He stated that there was a lady in Providence, who, by the agency\nof spirits, produced musical compositions equal to the productions of\nthe best masters, as Haydn, Beethoven, and others, and that a volume of\nthese pieces were soon to be issued from the press. And although the\nsaid work has not been heard of as yet, still we doubt not that a\nperson in a magnetic state might write very good music, even if totally\nignorant of its rules, as this young lady was said to be.\n\nPhrenologists often tell persons that they would make excellent\ntailors, dressmakers, poets, painters, musicians, &c.--persons who\nnever attempted to operate in these callings. \"All they need,\" it is\nsaid, \"is an opportunity for the development of their powers.\" Now,\nmagnetism tends to develop or rouse these _dormant_ faculties into\naction. It also gives a far-reaching, a far-seeing grasp and perception\nof things, as in the case of Miss Martineau, who, be it remembered, was\ntoo intelligent to attribute such effects to the agency of spirits.\n\nA marked case of the increase of the _imitative power_ of persons\nin the magnetic condition, is found in the case of Frederica Hauffe. In\none of her magnetic moods she informed Dr. Kerner that she would make a\ndiagram of the spheres. \"The sun sphere,\" as she called it, is very\ncomplex; but \"she spun out the complicated web with unerring\nprecision,\" and a pair of compasses given her to facilitate her labor\nonly embarrassed her. It is made up of circles within circles, and\nsections and points, amounting to thousands, related and connected; and\nyet the \"whole was executed,\" says Dr. K., \"in an incredible short\nspace of time.\" An engraving was made of this sphere, and a year after\nshe was shown the engraving, and said it was not correct; a point on\none of the lines was wanting. On referring to the original, they found\nshe was right. This diagram contained many curious things, and in some\nparts related to the highest departments of mathematics. This\n_faculty_ she only possessed in the magnetic state, being wholly\nincompetent to the task when not clairvoyant. No living artist can\nexecute that diagram with a pen, with a fac-simile before him, with the\nrapidity with which that ignorant, unlettered child of nature did it.\n\"I have, in many cases,\" says Dr. Richmond, \"witnessed this imitative\npower of mediums with the pen, dashing off figures and images with a\nrashness and rapidity almost inconceivable.\" As far as we can see,\nthere is no more proof of the agency of spirits in one case than in the\nother; and we are sure no such claim was ever set up in the case of\nMrs. Hauffe, though living in a less enlightened region, perhaps, than\nthese United States. We might multiply cases of this kind, but space\nwill not permit.\n\n\n\n\nUNSEEN LETTERS AND SIGNATURES.\n\n\nThe operator in biology or magnetism often lays hold of the inquiring\nspectator, and uses him or her to imitate unseen letters, signatures,\nand sentences, in foreign languages. And no doubt but what Professor\nBush has been made unconsciously instrumental in executing a few\nspecimens of languages, his eyes wide open, it may be, all the while.\nIt can be no more strange than that the son of Dr. Phelps should have\nbeen made unconsciously instrumental in tying himself to the limb of a\ntree in his father's yard, _supposing_ it to have been done by\n_spirits_. (See the version of the affair by A. J. Davis.)\n\nA biological mesmerist assures us that he finds no difficulty in\nraising beds, chairs, and tables; and in the case of Mr. Kellogg it is\nshown that such things are easily done without any aid from\n_spirits_. In the case of Dr. Taylor, the writing medium, it is\nshown, by the testimony of the spirits themselves, if their word is to\nbe relied on, that the phenomena in his case were not done by spirits,\nbut were the results of vital electricity. Such things are getting to\nbe so common that we may expect soon to see the time when little ragged\nboys even (like those in Egypt, who went through the streets offering\nto show the spirit of any deceased friend for a penny or a piece of\ncake) will offer to lift tables, or imitate handwritings, at a penny a\nsight. We know of several \"mediums,\" now engaged in these things, who\nconfess they do not understand by what power it is they raise tables,\nor write sentences, &c., yet they do not believe it to be done by the\nagency of disembodied spirits. In many schools, the children have been\nforbidden by their teachers to indulge in these foolish practices. This\npower may be electricity, in some of its forms, or some other agent\nthat has some relation or affinity to it, as in the cases related by\nMr. Rogers.\n\n\n\n\nA DANCING LIGHT.\n\n\nA few years since the inhabitants of Southboro', Massachusetts, were\nexcited and alarmed at the appearance of a _light_, about the size of a\nstar, which for several successive nights was seen moving over a spot\nof land in the westerly part of the town. Upon examining the premises\nby daylight, it was found that a quantity of bones that had been buried\nin the earth had been thrown upon the surface by the roots of a tree,\nthe trunk of which had recently been prostrated by a gale of wind. By\nmany, these bones were supposed to belong to some human being, who, it\nwas conjectured, had been murdered, and buried beneath the spot. And\nthe light seen hovering near was considered indicative of such an\nevent. But if the reader will turn to the second chapter of this work,\nhe will learn that these _dancing lights_, so called, arise from an\ninflammable gas, evolved from decayed animal and vegetable substances,\nwhich take fire on coming in contact with atmospheric air. This _ignis\nfatuus_, _Jack-with-a-lantern_, or _Will-with-a-wisp_ appearance is\ngenerally seen in dark nights, over boggy and marshy ground, and\ngenerally in motion, at the height of five or six feet, skipping from\nplace to place, and frequently changing in magnitude and form. On some\noccasions, it is observed to be suddenly extinguished, and then to\nreappear at a distance from its former position. Those persons who have\nendeavored to examine it closely have found that it moves away from\nthem with a velocity proportioned to that of their advance--a\ncircumstance which has had no small influence on the fears of the\nignorant and superstitious. Dr. Denham once saw an _ignis fatuus_ in a\nboggy place, between two rocky hills, in a dark and calm night. He\napproached by degrees within two or three yards of it, and thereby had\nan opportunity of viewing it to the best advantage. It kept skipping\nabout a dead thistle, till a slight motion of the air--occasioned, as\nhe supposed, by his near approach--caused it to jump to another place;\nand as he advanced it kept flying before him. He observed it to be a\nuniform body of light, and concluded it must consist of _ignited\nvapor_. These appearances are common on the plains of Boulogne, in\nItaly, where they sometimes flit before the traveller on the road,\nsaving him the expense of a torch on dark nights. Sometimes they spread\nvery wide, and then contract themselves; and sometimes they float like\nwaves, and appear to drop sparks of fire. They shine more strongly in\nrainy than in dry weather.\n\nAn appearance of the same kind is sometimes met with at sea, during\ngales of wind, and, of course, has become connected with many\nsuperstitious notions of sailors, who call it a _corpusant_. There\nare sometimes two together, and these are named Castor and Pollux. The\nfollowing is a description of one, given by the voyager Dampier: \"After\nfour o'clock the thunder and the rain abated, and then we saw a\ncorpusant, at our maintopmast head. This sight rejoiced our men\nexceedingly, for the height of the storm is commonly over when the\ncorpusant is seen aloft; but when they are seen lying on the deck, it\nis generally accounted a bad sign. A corpusant is a certain small,\nglittering light; when it appears, as this did, on the very top of a\nmainmast, or at a yardarm, it is like a star; but when it appears on\nthe deck, it resembles a great glowworm. I have been told that when the\nSpanish or Portuguese see them they go to prayers, and bless themselves\nfor the happy sight. I have heard some ignorant seamen discoursing how\nthey have seen them creep, or, as they say, travel about, in the\nscuppers, telling many dismal stories that happened at such times; but\nI did never see any one stir out of the place where it was first fixed,\nexcept on deck, where every sea washeth it about. Neither did I ever\nsee any but when we had rain as well as wind, and, therefore, do\nbelieve it is some jelly.\"\n\nThe origin and nature of the lights above described have not yet been\nsatisfactorily explained. More accurate observations than have been\nmade are required to furnish the basis of a correct theory respecting\nthem.\n\n\n\n\nSAILORS' OMENS.\n\n\nSailors, usually the boldest men alive, are yet not unfrequently the\nvery abject slaves of superstitious fear. Nothing is more common than\nto hear them talk of noises, flashes, shadows, echoes, and other\nvisible appearances, nightly seen and heard upon the waters. Andrews,\nin his Anecdotes, says, \"Superstition and profaneness, those extremes\nof human conduct, are too often found united in the sailor; and the man\nwho dreads the stormy effects of drowning a cat, of whistling a contra\ndance while he leans over the gunwale, will, too often, wantonly defy\nhis Creator by the most daring execrations and licentious behavior.\"\nDr. Pegge says that \"sailors have a strange opinion of the devil's\npower and agency in stirring up winds, which notion seems to have been\nhanded down from Zoroaster, who imagined that there was an evil spirit,\ncalled _Vato_, that could excite violent storms of wind.\" To lose a cat\noverboard, or to drown one, or to lose a bucket or a mop, is, at the\npresent day, a very unlucky omen with common sailors.\n\n\n\n\nLOVE CHARMS.\n\n\nTheocritus and Virgil both introduce women into their pastorals, using\ncharms and incantations to recover the affections of their sweethearts.\nShakspeare represents Othello as accused of winning Desdemona \"by\nconjuration and mighty magic.\"\n\n    \"Thou hast practised on her with foul charms;\n    Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals\n    That waken motion.\n    She is abused, stolen from me, and corrupted,\n    By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks.\"\n\nIn Gay's Shepherd's Week, these are represented as country practices:--\n\n    \"Straight to the 'pothecary's shop I went,\n    And in love powders all my money spent.\n    Behap what will, next Sunday after prayers,\n    When to the alehouse Lubberkin repairs,\n    These golden flies into his mug I'll throw,\n    And soon the swain with fervent love shall glow.\"\n\nIn Love Melancholy, by Dr. Ferrand, it is said, \"We have sometimes\namong us our silly wenches, some that, out of a foolish curiosity they\nhave, must needs be putting in practice some of those feats that they\nhave received by tradition from their mother perhaps, or nurse; and so,\nnot thinking forsooth to do any harm, as they hope to paganize it to\ntheir own damnation. For it is most certain that _botanomancy_, which\nis done by the noise, or crackling, that box or bay leaves make when\nthey are crushed between one's hands, or cast into the fire, was of old\nin use among the pagans, who were wont to bruise poppy flowers betwixt\ntheir hands, by this means thinking to know their loves.\" Speaking of\nthe ancient love charms, characters, amulets, or such like periapses,\nDr. F. says, \"They are such as no Christian physician ought to use,\nnotwithstanding that the common people do to this day too\nsuperstitiously believe and put in practice many of these paganish\ndevices.\"\n\nMiss Blandy, who was executed many years ago for poisoning her father,\npersisted in affirming that she thought the powder given her by her\nvillanous lover, Cranston, to administer to him, was a \"love powder,\"\nwhich was to conciliate her father's affection to her lover. She met\nher death with this asseveration; and her dying request, to be buried\nclose to her father, seems a corroborating proof, that though she was\ncertainly the cause of his premature death, yet she was not, in the\nblackest sense of the word, his wilful murderer.\n\nWe quote the following lines from Herrick's Hesperides:--\n\n\n    A CHARM OR AN ALLAY FOR LOVE.\n\n    \"If so be a toad be laid\n    In a sheepskin newly flayed,\n    And that tied to a man, 'twill sever\n    Him and his affections ever\"\n\n\n\n\nEFFECTS OF A BELIEF IN A GHOST.\n\n\nWhenever a real ghost appears,--by which we mean some man or woman\ndressed up to frighten another,--if the supernatural character of the\napparition has been for a moment believed, the effects on the spectator\nhave always been injurious--sometimes producing convulsions, idiocy,\nmadness, or even instantaneous death. The celebrated Allston, the\npainter, when in England, related the following incident to his friend\nColeridge, the poet: \"It was, I think,\" said he, \"in the University of\nCambridge, near Boston, that a certain youth took it into his wise head\nto convert a Tom Paine-ish companion of his by appearing as a ghost\nbefore him. He accordingly dressed himself up in the usual way, having\npreviously extracted the ball from the pistol which always lay near the\nhead of his friend's bed. Upon first awakening, and seeing the\napparition, the youth that was to be frightened very coolly looked his\ncompanion, the ghost, in the face, and said, 'I know you; this is a\ngood joke; but you see I am not frightened. Now you may vanish.' The\nghost stood still. 'Come,' said the youth, 'that is enough. I shall get\nangry; away!' Still the ghost moved not. 'By heavens!' ejaculated the\nyoung man, 'if you do not, in three minutes, go away, I'll shoot you.'\nHe waited the time, deliberately levelled his pistol, fired, and with a\nscream at the immovability of the figure, became convulsed, and soon\nafterwards died. The very instant he believed it to be a ghost, his\nhuman nature fell before it.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE INVISIBLE LADY.\n\n\nIn the year 1804, an invisible lady and acoustic temple were exhibited\nin Boston, as an \"Extraordinary Aerial Phenomenon.\" Its body was made\nof glass It gave answers to questions asked by visitors. In London, a\nfew years ago, there was shown an apparatus consisting of a four-footed\nstand, and several trumpet-mouthed tubes, from any one of which\nspectators received ready answers to questions. The answers were said\nto come from the \"invisible girl;\" but the true explanation of the\npuzzle was, that a secret tube, in the legs of the apparatus,\ncommunicated the sounds to a girl in a neighboring apartment. Probably\nsomething similar was arranged in the glass body exhibited in Boston;\nand if we mistake not, during the sojourn of Joice Heth, of more recent\nnotoriety, at the Albany Museum, a shrewd Albanian, after a minute and\ndiligent examination, made the wonderful discovery that the old lady,\nor _nurse of Washington_, was composed of _India rubber_, and was made\nto breathe, speak, cry, sing, &c., by the aid of _ventriloquism_!\n\nIn a case of spirit rappings, Professor Grimes discovered that the\nparty had contrived to have some levers concealed beneath the floor,\nand by means of certain little pegs coming through where the rappers\nsat, connecting with the levers, all nicely poised on a balance, they\nplaced their feet upon them, and produced the raps at pleasure. And in\nthe case of the Rochester rappers, when their ankles were firmly held\nby the committee of investigation, it is said a servant girl rapped\nwith her knuckles under the floor. Mrs. Culver, who had been instructed\nby the Fox family, and had practised with them a while, afterwards\nrenounced the craft, and exposed this among other deceptions to the\nworld. \"The girl,\" she says, \"was instructed to rap whenever she heard\ntheir voices calling for spirits.\"\n\n\n\n\nSORCERERS IN THE EAST.\n\n\nThe operations of the men sorcerers in India are quite scientific. They\nset about their work in a business-like manner, and in sight of the\nhouse of their intended victim the mystic caldron begins to boil and\nbubble. The victim, however, is not to be terrified out of his senses.\nWhat are his enemy's fires and incantations to him? He takes no notice,\nand continues to live on as though there was not a sorcerer in the\nworld. But that _smoke_: it meets his eye the first object every\nmorning. That ruddy glare: it is the last thing he sees at night. That\nmeasured but inarticulate sound: it is never out of his ear. His\nthoughts dwell on the mystical business. He is preoccupied, even in\ncompany. He wonders what they are putting into the pot, and if it has\nany connection with the spasm that has just shot through him. He\nbecomes nervous; he feels sick; he cannot sleep from thinking; he\ncannot eat for that horrid broth that bubbles forever in his mind. He\ngets worse and worse, and dies! But this empire of the imagination is\nbeaten in Java, where it is supposed that a housebreaker, by throwing a\nhandful of earth upon the beds of the inmates, completely incapacitates\nthem from moving to save their property. The man who is to be robbed,\non feeling the earth fall upon him, lies as motionless as if bound hand\nand foot. He is under a spell, which he feels unable to break.\n\n\n\n\nSINGULAR METAMORPHOSES.\n\n\nIn the East, men are believed to be frequently metamorphosed--sometimes\nvoluntarily, sometimes involuntarily--into tigers. The voluntary\ntransformation is effected merely by eating a certain root, whereupon\nthe person is instantly changed into a tiger; and when tired of this\ncharacter, he has only to eat another, when, as quick as thought, he\nsubsides from a tiger into a man. But sometimes mistakes happen. An\nindividual of an inquiring disposition once felt a strong curiosity to\nknow the sensations attendant on transformation; but, being a prudent\nman, he set about the transformation with all necessary precaution.\nHaving provided himself with\n\n          \"the insane root\n    That takes the reason prisoner,\"\n\nhe gave one also to his wife, desiring her to stand by and watch the\nevent, and as soon as she saw him fairly turned into a tiger, to thrust\nit into his mouth. She promised, but her nerves were not equal to the\nperformance. As soon as she saw her husband fixed in his new form, she\ntook to flight, carrying in her hand, in the confusion of her mind, the\nroot that would have restored him to her faithful arms. And so it\nbefell that the poor tiger-man was obliged to take to the woods, and\nfor many a day he dined on his old neighbors of the village, but was at\nlast shot, and _recognized_!\n\nIn this superstition will be seen the prototype of the wolf mania of\nmedi\u00e6val Europe. In Brittany, men betook themselves to the forests in\nthe shape of wolves, out of a morbid passion for the amusement of\nhowling and ravening; but if they left in some secure place the clothes\nthey had thrown off to prepare for the metamorphosis, they had but to\nreassume them to regain their natural forms. But sometimes a\ncatastrophe, like that above related, took place: the wife discovered\nthe hidden clothes, and carrying them home, in the innocent carefulness\nof her heart, the poor husband lived and died a _wolf_!\n\n\n\n\nPERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH.\n\n\nIn a former part of this volume, we have spoken of several impositions\nupon the credulity of the public, in matters appertaining to health.\nThe astrologists have told us that \"some plants are only to be plucked\nat the rising of the _dogstar_, when neither sun nor moon shine, while\nothers are to be cut with a golden knife, when the moon is just six\ndays old.\" To some particular plants \"a string must be fastened, a\nhungry dog tied thereto, who, being allured by the smell of roasted\nflesh set before him, may pluck it up by the roots.\" At one time, the\nvegetable oil of swallows was considered a potent remedy. It was\nprepared \"by compounding twenty different herbs with _twenty live\nswallows_, well beaten together in a mortar.\" Another medicine was\nprepared from _the raspings of a human skull_; another from the _moss,\ngrowing on the head of a thief_, who had been gibbeted and left to hang\nin the air. In addition to these, we have had \"_the powder of a mummy;\nthe liver of frogs; the blood of weasels; an ointment made of sucking\nwhelps; the marrow of a stag; and the thigh bone of an ox_.\" And we\nhave numerous modern nostrums scarcely better than these, by which the\ngullible public are often sorely victimized.\n\nThere are many opinions among the people, which prove highly\ndeleterious in being carried into practice. For instance, that we must\n\"stuff a cold to cure it,\" when the reverse of the case is the only\nsafe mode of procedure. In a cold, the lungs are already loaded and\ncongested with accumulations of muco-purulent matter, which is\nincreased by taking large quantities of food.\n\nErroneous views, in regard to cleanliness, often lead to great\nmischief. There is a notion with some that dirt is really healthy,\nespecially for children. This idea probably originated from the fact,\nthat those children who are allowed to play in the dirt are often more\nhealthy than those who are confined in the nursery or parlor. But it\nshould be remembered that it is not _dirt_ which promotes their\nhealth, but active exercise in the open air. This more than compensates\nfor the injury sustained by the dirt. There is, however, something\ndeceitful, after all, in the ruddy appearance of these children, who,\nlike some four-footed animals, are allowed to wallow in mire and dirt;\nfor they actually suffer more, not only from chronic, but from acute\ndiseases, than children whose parents are in better circumstances. The\npores of the skin, as we have shown in the Family Physician, published\nby us a few years since, cannot be closed with filth for any length of\ntime, and the subject remain uninjured. It is true, some years may pass\naway before the bad effects appear; but in after life, scrofula,\nrheumatism, jaundice, and even consumption, often arise after the cause\nwhich first gave rise to them is forgotten, if indeed it were ever\nsuspected. It is our candid opinion, that a larger part of the deaths\nthat occur among children by typhoid, scarlet fever, and other baleful\ndiseases, is owing to some defect in management, as to diet, air,\ndress, or exercise, which we will briefly show in this connection.\n\nThere are some, in adult life, who abstain wholly from external\nablutions, and never think of washing their bodies from one year to\nanother. Now, such persons must be considered, to say the least, to be\nof an uncleanly habit; and such a habit is not only unfavorable to\nhealth, but to morality. Mr. Wesley reckons cleanliness to be second\nonly to godliness. We venture to affirm that he who is most guilty of\npersonal neglect will generally be found the most ignorant and vicious.\nI am well acquainted with a whole family who neglect their persons\n_from principle_. They are a sort of _new lights_ in religious things,\nand hold that the true Christian should \"slight the hovel, as beneath\nhis care.\" But there is a want of intelligence, and even of common\nrefinement, in the family, that certainly does not, and _cannot_, add\nmuch to their own happiness or comfort, aside from the fact that it\ngreatly annoys their neighbors.\n\nWe do not pretend to say but that there are some great and good persons\nwho are slovenly in their general appearance; but these are only\nexceptions to a general rule. On the contrary, common observation\nteaches us that it is a distinguishing mark of low-bred rowdyism, and\nof vicious and intemperate habits, to see young men dressed in the most\nloose and careless manner. A person of refinement and cultivation would\nfeel ashamed to appear in such a manner before the public gaze.\n\nNeglect of proper ventilation leads to incomparable mischief. There are\nmany persons who live through the day in closely confined and\nexcessively heated apartments, and also sleep in small contracted bed\nrooms, without the least opportunity for a current of fresh air. Who\ncan wonder that they rise in the morning with wearied limbs, languid\nand listless, with a furred tongue, parched mouth, and headache? They\nare continually subjected to inhaling, over and over, the poison, the\nmiasma, of their own bodies, which cannot but result, in the end, to\nthe great detriment of health. We are perfectly astonished, oftentimes,\nto see to what an extent such a thing is carried. Take this, in\nconnection with eating improper and badly-cooked food, fat meats,\ngravies, and pastries, the want of suitable protection against\natmospheric changes, and active exercise in the open air, and who can\nmarvel at the prevalence of deadly fevers, consumption, or cholera\neven? It is only a matter of surprise that there are not ten deaths\nwhere there is now one.\n\nLook at the quality of the meats purchased for use. It is now a common\npractice with farmers (in order to save the milk) to sell their calves\nfor market as soon as born; and people eagerly purchase this immatured\nmeat because afforded at a low price. Then look at the enormous\nquantities of _pork_ consumed. Go past the sausage factories, in\nthe cities of Jersey, and you behold it heaped in piles, ready for the\nwork of the hundreds of \"choppers,\" driven by steam. Then look into the\ngroceries, see the array of pound sausage meat, and cheese heads, so\ncalled. A grocer in Newark city informed us, last winter, that sausage\nmeat and buckwheat cakes formed three quarters of the aliment of the\ncitizens. And in Paterson, New Jersey, in the hottest of the season,\ncalves were lying upon the pavements, ready to be slaughtered, and\nalmost as momentarily devoured, as occasion demanded. Even the poor\nfowls, their legs swollen with inflammation from the cords with which\nthey were bound, and half famished for water and food, and fevered by\nfright and exposure, were readily purchased by men and women, to\nsatisfy the cravings of a perverted appetite. When we behold such\npractices, we cannot think it strange that mortality should be so rife\nas it is at times, especially when the atmosphere is in a condition to\naffect the body in a predisposed state, favorable to the development of\ndiseases, such as that of small-pox, cholera, fever and ague, scarlet\nand typhoid, (i.e., decomposing fever,) which is the concentration of\nall others. The food we eat may convey the disease within, and unless\nthe state of our system is healthy and harmonious, the resisting power\nwill not be equal to the force and action of the external elements, and\nconsequently we shall become a prey to the contagion, whatever type or\nform it assumes. We are somewhat inclined to think that A. J. Davis\n(who is a physician by profession) is correct, when he says, \"The\natmosphere has had the cholera, more or less, for thirty years, and\nwill continue to have it until there occurs a geological change in many\nportions of the earth; and from the atmosphere the disease has been,\nand is, communicated epidemically to the predisposed potato plant, and\nalso to the human system.\" A late English writer remarks, that \"certain\ndiseases prevail at the approach of the equinoxes.\"\n\n\n\n\n      *      *      *      *      *      *\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\nMinor typographical errors have been corrected without note.\n\nIrregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as\nprinted. Unmatched double quotation marks occur in numerous places,\nparticularly near the end of the text. No attempt was made to open\nor close these quotations unless the location of the missing\ndouble quotation mark was apparent.","title":"The Spirit Land","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":80194}