''' ' 'iilliillllliKiiWiiiilS 
 
 Hl|(lifllt"''""'r '"''''' il'l 11 '" ^9H 
 
 ''<liH::«mm'u."t»i.:i->v,i 
 
 ijjwaiiini; 
 
 'mfii'ifltnitr»»<m ■•■t'irfit 
 
 INliilittSlnimi 'nii| I'l ir 
 
Cornell University Library 
 arV13961 
 
 Philosophy of popular superstitions, 
 
 3 1924 031 232 394 
 olin,anx 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031232394 
 

 s 
 
PHILOSOPHY 
 
 OF 
 
 POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 AND THE EFFECTS OF 
 
 CEEDULITY AND IMAGINATION 
 
 UPON THE 
 
 MORAL, SOCIAL, AND INTELLECTUAL CONDITION 
 OF THE HUMAN RACE. 
 
 Sf BULFINCH EMMONS. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 185S, by 
 L. P. CROWN & CO., 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Maasachuse 
 
 President White 
 
 .:irary 
 
 \"c.O 
 
 ST£DEOTrFED AT THE 
 BOSTON STEREOTTFE rOUNDRV. 
 
NOTE. 
 
 We would here give credit to the principal works 
 from which valuable and important matter has been 
 selected for these pages: Whitman's Popular Super- 
 stitions ; Upham's Lectures upon Witchcraft ; Chris- 
 tian Freeman and Family Visitor; Abercrombie on 
 the Intellectual Powers ; Influence of the Imagination 
 upon the Nervous System, by Rev. Grant Powers ; 
 Life of Adam Clarke ; Hay ward's Book of all Reli- 
 gions ; Miller on the Second Coming of Christ ; 
 Sorrow's Gypsies of Spain ; St6ne on False Prophets 
 and Christs ; Dickens's Household Words ; Capron 
 and Barron on the Spirit Knockings; Dick on the 
 Improvement of Society ; Revelations of A. J. Davis ; 
 The Great Harmonia ; Rogers on Human and Mun- 
 dane Agents ; Miss Crowe's Night Side of Nature ; 
 Spiritual Telegraph, &c. 
 
 As the work embraces a mass of facts of an absorb- 
 ing and intensely interesting character, we trust that 
 it will commend itself to an enlightened and judicious 
 public, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 3 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART FIRST. 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE OBJECT OF THIS WORK. 
 
 FAQS 
 
 Nursery tales of giants, dwarfs, ghosts, fairies, and witches. — Their 
 effect upon juvenile minds. — A belief in ghosts still prevalent. — 
 Tlie excitability of the public mind. — Ghost reported as having 
 been seen in Waltham, Massachusetts 17 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OEIGIN OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIOKS. 
 
 Ignorance of correct reasoning. — Conclusions from particular facts. 
 — Water boiled by heat. — Signs. — Breaking a mirror. — General 
 conclnsions from a few facts. — A victim to superstition in New 
 Hampshire. — How signs may be multiplied. — The design of 
 the Creator in endowing us with reason 19 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 IKDUCTITE PHILOSOPHY NOT UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 Ignorance of it the cause of many superstitions. — Lights seen in 
 marshy grounds, &c. — Supposed to be supernatural. — Causes 
 of these lights, and phenomena connected with them. — Shrinking 
 and swelling of pork in boiling. — Cause. — Supposed influence 
 of the moon in making soap, grafting trees, catting timber, &c. — 
 Lunar influence in matters of wedlock. — Love not to be fed on 
 
 moonshine 22 
 
 1* 
 
b CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 IGNOEANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS. 
 
 Fraitfttl source of superstitions. — Opinions of ancient divines. — 
 Dreams related in the Scriptures. — Their object. — Principles of 
 mental philosophy applied to modern dreams. — Examples of 
 singular dreams. — Dreams occasioned by sickness. — Fulfilment 
 of certain dreams. — Causes of the same. — Remarkable case of a 
 German student. — Case of a member of Congress. — Amusing 
 case concerning a passage of Scripture. — Necessity of a pure 
 conscience, and a careful attention to our stomachs. . . .24 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION ON THE NEBTOCS SYSTEM. 
 
 Ignorance of it has given rise to many superstitions. — Experiments 
 of Mesmer and Deslon in Paris. — Singular developments. — 
 Trials at Dr. Franklin's house. — Children uninfluenced by mes- 
 meric operations. — Magnetizing a tree in Dr. Franklin's garden. 
 
 — Experiments upon two females. — Efl'ect produced. — Experi- 
 ment upon a female by Dr. Sigault. — Practice among the 
 Chinese. — Girl frightened to death by a Gypsy. — Practice 
 among the New Zealanders. — Killing others by incantation. — 
 Intercourse with departed spirits. — An account of Perkins's 
 metallic tractors. — Their supposed influence in various diseases. — 
 Suspicions concerning them. — Experiments with wooden tractors. 
 
 — Besult of these experiments. — Statements of a modem 
 mesmerizer. 29 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 IGNOEANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 This ignorance a cause of many superstitions. — Case of a person 
 who slept in a bed room supposed to be haunted. — Skeleton seen 
 by moonlight. — Apparition seen by Dr. Gregory. — Case related by 
 Dr. ConoUy. — Ship's crew frightened by an apparition. — Young 
 lady supposed to have been murdered by pirates. — Cases of im- 
 pressions connected with bodily disease. — Phantasms in febrile 
 diseases. — A farmer frightened to death by a light in the road. — 
 A figure like Death striking a lady in her side with a dart. — 
 
CONTENTS. 7 
 
 Illusion of sight and hearing. — Case of a lady who saw her absent 
 husband standing by her side. — Countenance of a friend seen 
 in a mirror. — Tunes heard. — Inverted objects. — Visions of the 
 world of spirits. — Case of Baron Swedenborg. — Case of a lady 
 in Boston, who saw her deceased grandmother. — The phantom 
 ship seen in New Haven. — The science of optica. — Of nauscopy. 
 
 — Cases of mirage 38 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IGNORANCE OF TEUE RELIGION. 
 
 God the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. — The natural world 
 governed by regular laws. — Sign of the howling of a dog under 
 the window. — Lucky and unlucky days. — Sir Mattliew Hale's 
 opinion. — Early laws of Connecticut. — Superstition of sailors. 
 
 — Timidity of Voltaire. — Peace and happiness on all days. — 
 How procured 50 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 A witch as regarded by our fathers. — Compact or agreement with 
 the devil. — Carried through the air on brooms and spits. — 
 Anointing their bodies with a magical ointment. — How to 
 prepare the same. — Singular ceremonies at the meetings of 
 witches. — How they afflicted others. — The bewitched pins 
 shown to Grace Greenwood. — Mode of examining and trying 
 witches. — Witch catcher in England. — How he was arrested and 
 condemned. — Singular record on a church book in Scotland. — 
 Notice of the Salem witchcraft. — How such superstitions are to 
 be done away. — Witches and wizards of modem times. . . 53 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 NECROMANCY AUD FORTUNE TELLING. 
 
 Moll Pitcher, the queen of the race. — Her place of abode. — Com- 
 pany that visited her. — Member of a church sent to consult her. 
 
 — Casting out evil spirits in Syria. — Account of Lady Hester 
 Stanhope. — The astrologer of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. — 
 Chief characteristic of fortune seekers. — Effects produced upon 
 them. ... 58 
 
8 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PAIEIES, OR WATSDERXSG SPIEITS, AND GYPSIES. 
 
 Description of fairies, habits, localities, &c. — Subterranean spirits 
 in Wales, called Knockers. — The Brownies in Scotland. — A 
 fanner in Ireland who was tormented by fairies. — Method taken 
 to appease their anger. — Spenser's poem of the Fairy Queen. — 
 Gypsies and their employments. — Casting the^vil eye. — Safe- 
 guard against it. — Charm of the Bible anS key. — Superstition 
 called the elf-shot. — Practice of poisoning animals, and the cure. 
 — Superstitions concerning the loadstone. — Translation of St. 
 Luke into the Gypsy tongue. — Singular notions of the Gypsies 
 concerning it. — Condemned by the royal edict at Madrid. — 
 The Gypsy choirs at Moscow. — Anecdote of Madame Catalini. . 61 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 OMENS, CHAKMS, AND DIVINATION. 
 
 Books published upon these things. — Their injurious tendency. — ,^ 
 A sample of their contents. — Practice of boxers. — Whistling in 
 a storm at sea. — Setting hens on an odd number of eggs. — 
 Salutes of an odd number of guns. — Omen concerning the 
 number thirteen. — Methods of ascertaining who will be a future 
 husband. — Crossing of knives. — Click of insects. — Advent of 
 comets . . 76 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 MODERN MIRACLES. 
 
 They partake of superstition. — Instructions of the Savior concern- 
 ing them. — Object of Scripture miracles. — Modern miracles not 
 satisfactory. — Judge Howe's opinion concerning Christianity. — 
 Times of miracles ceased .79 
 
 CHAPTER xn. 
 
 FALSE PROPHETS AND CHEISTS. 
 
 History of the prophet Matthias. — His career in Albany and New 
 York. — His deceptions upon conspicuous individuals. — His 
 arrest for alleged crimes. — Account of John of Leyden. — Sketch 
 of Cochrane, and his impositions. . . .... 81 
 
CONTENTS. a 
 
 CHAPTER Xin. 
 
 MOEMON SUPERSTITION. 
 
 Account of the golden plates found by Joseph Smith. — Their 
 translation and publication in a Volume. — Peculiar style of the 
 writings. — Attempt at imitation. — Mormon preachers speaking 
 with new tongues. — Increase of the doctrine, and why. — Mormon 
 cities not to be identified. — Strong indications of fabrication. — 
 Fluency and earnestness of their preachers. — Traits of the Coch- 
 ranites. — Effects produced upon their hearers. — An account of 
 the real origin of the Mormon Bible, and its author. — Of Joseph 
 Smith, Jr., the Mormon prophet. — His early characteristics. — 
 Exposure of the indecent ceremonies at Nauvoo, as established by 
 Smith and others 96 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MILLEE DELUSION. 
 
 Prophecies of Mr. Miller. — Hia computation of time. — Manage- 
 ment to suit his own particular views. — Keeping the world stand- 
 ing thirty years on a simple if. — Various blunders and mistakes. 
 
 — Confession of his errors. — ^Palse information respecting signs. 
 
 — Disappearance of stars. — Of the Aurora Borealis. — Shooting 
 stars. — Sun and moon turning to blood. — Darkness of the sun. 
 
 — Its cause. — Remarkable appearances in various ages of the 
 world. — Opinion concerning Halley's comet. — Ignorance of 
 the constitution of comets. — The comet of 1770. — Tests of signs 
 that shall indicate the end of time. — Scientific men stationed in 
 various parts of the earth. — No such changes as have been spoken 
 
 of by the second advent preachers, observed by them. . . .102 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 INTEECOUESE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 Spirits, ghosts, and spectres seen in all ages. — Account of the 
 magic crystals, or divining glasses. — Seeing spirits in Egypt. — 
 Lady Blessington's crystal in England. — Spirit of Lord Nelson 
 described. — The Latin language commonly used by spirits. — 
 An account of spirits that live in the Sun.- — Spirits conversing 
 with human beings. — Mode of communication by letters of fire, 
 or large printed capitals. — Interview with the spirit of Pharaoh. 
 
 — His present dwelling in the planet Jupiter. — Information 
 
10 CONTENTS. 
 
 gleaned in conversation with him. — Swedenborg's account of 
 Sir John Franklin. — Describes his situation, blocked up by ice. — 
 Spirits do not understand about latitude and longitude. — Descrip- 
 tion of the spirit of Socrates, his dress, &c. — Account of the 
 emperor Alexander in the spirit world. — Dickens's account of 
 fashionable dupes in England. — The sciences of astrology and 
 magic. — Practices of high titled ladies in London. — Account of 
 famous conjurers, or fortune tellers. — Account of the " rappers," 
 or " knocking spirits." — Cihildren frightened by their noises. — 
 Snapping of fingers, and clapping of hands, imitated by the spirits. 
 
 — Mrs. Fox asks questions of a spirit. — Answers given by a 
 succession of raps. — Account of a ghost that appeared in Wal- 
 tham, Massachusetts. — Conversation with the ghost by a gentle- 
 man. — Said he had been murdered, and told by whom. — Tones 
 of the ghost, (unearthly,) its mode of walking, &o. — Great ex- 
 citement on account of the ghost. — Mode of communication 
 with the rapping spirits. — Tables and chairs moved, sounds 
 heard, &c. — Band of music, beating of the bass drum, and roar of 
 artillery. — Guitar played by unseen hands. — Ladies' hair taken 
 down and braided by spirits. — People touched by unseen hands. 
 
 — How spirits produce the sounds of music. — How they make the 
 rapping noises. — Account of an interview with the spirit of Dr. 
 Franklin. — Sounds heard like trying the batteries in the tele- 
 graph office. — Occupation of Franklin in the spirit world. — 
 Getting up a line of communication between the two worlds. — 
 Dr. Franklin predicts great changes in the nineteenth century. — 
 Connection of magnetism with the spiritual rappings. — Clairvoyant 
 interpreters between men and spirits. — Spiritual postmasters, 
 letter paper, and envelopes. — Letters received from the spiritual 
 worlds. — The Spirit Journal, in Auburn, New York. — Its pages 
 edited, controlled, and superintended by spirits. — The prophets 
 and apostles its conductors, acting under the Lord Scpseme. 
 
 — Blunders and errors of the rapping spirits. — Ignorant spirits. 
 
 — Mischief produced by them. — Swedenborg's account of their 
 stupidity. — How to distinguish the sounds made by an ignorant 
 or an intelligent spirit. — "Wonderful precocity of infant spirits. — 
 Progression of spirits, both upwards and downwards. — The spirit 
 of Dr. Channing deteriorated in the other world. — Theological 
 teachings of the rapping spirits. — Prophecy of Swedenborg con- 
 cerning the year 1852. — Noises of the rappers indicative of the 
 approach of his prediction. — Are to be considered as omens 
 of a new advent. — Compared with the Miller prophecy of 1843. 
 
 — Miracles, both of the rappers and the Millerites. — A sick man 
 and his bed taken up by spirits. — The body of a Mr. Gordon 
 
CONTENTS. 11 
 
 taken np by spiritnal hands. — Miracles wrought in favor of 
 MiUerism. — Miracles wrought in favor of witchcraft. — Millerites 
 taken up by spiritual hands . — Strange noises made by spirits 
 among the Adventists. — Houses shaken, mirrors shattered to 
 pieces, furniture broken. — Four women carried through the air 
 on a pole. — Testimony under oath respecting it. — Account of a 
 bewitched ventriloquist. — Witches in 1850. — What the editor of 
 a Boston journal says of them. — Witches, ghosts, spooks, and 
 hobgoblins, in all ages of the world. — Account of a haunted 
 house in Boston. — Every window illuminated at midnight. — 
 A young man frightened by the scene. — Singular notion of the 
 Greenlanders respecting the cause of thunder, and of the Aurora 
 Borealis. — Notion of the ancients concerning the foundation of 
 the earth. ^ Of the mathematician Kepler. — Performance of 
 Signor Blitz. — Effects produced by ventriloquism. — Singular 
 vibrations of the guitar. — Spirit rappings considered as a new 
 science. — Noises heard by the Wesley family, in 1716. — Noises 
 heard by Martin Luther. — Empty barrels and hogsheads tum- 
 bling down stairs. — Information of past, present, and future 
 events. — The fortune tellers in comparison with the spirit rap- 
 pers. — Spirits unwilling or unable to spell their own names. — 
 Spiritual communications on the decline. — Contrast between the 
 doings of ancient and modem spirits. — Swedenborg's informa- 
 tion concerning the spirit of Melancthon. — A clairvoyant inter- 
 view with Tom Paine. — Account of an interview with Mr. Sun- 
 derland. — Dialogue with a young lady. — Interview with a 
 clairvoyant medium in Lowell. — Pacts respecting mesmeric 
 operations. — People deceived by " sympathetic spirits." — Judson 
 J. Hutchinson made insane. — Exposure of the deception prac- 
 tised upon him. — Davis's account of Benjamin Franklin. — Dr. 
 Phelps concerning the " spirit rappers." — Singular developments 
 at his house. — How tables, chairs, &c., are moved by spirits. — 
 Exhibitions of " chin music " in London. — Singular transactions 
 in England, as related by Dr. Thomas Dick. — Tricks performed 
 by Joe Collins of Oxford. — Spirits seen by the votaries of St. 
 Vitus, and the Shakers of later times IIS 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 EVIL EFFECTS OF FOPULAK SUPEESTITIOHS. 
 
 Great waste of time. — Ceremonies among the ancients. — Practices 
 in Catholic countries. — Injurious practices in Protestant lands. 
 
12 CONTENTS. 
 
 — Dreams, visions, signs, tricks, omens, &c. — Great waste of 
 human life. — Account of the trial by ordeal.— Marier of inno- 
 cent persons. — Belief in dreams and forewamings. — Modem 
 miracles, appearances of the dead, &c. — Unfavorable influence of 
 a belief in dreams. — The death watch, new moon, &c. — Predic- 
 tions of Nanny Scott. — Of the good Mrs. Taylor. — Marriages 
 on a stormy day. — Practice of wedded couples. — Moles on the 
 wrong side of the body. — Opening books, tricks, fortune telling. 
 — Practice of a lady in a clergyman's family. — Disadvantageous 
 matrimonial alliances. — Anticipation of dreadful calamities. — ^ 
 Practice of Rev. John Wesley. — Temperaments of Melancthon 
 and Luther. — Luck, chance, fatality, &c. — Saul and the witch of 
 Endor. — Conjurers and impostors. — Injury done to the cause 
 of medicine. — King's touch in scrofula. — The ninth son of a 
 ninth son. — The seventh son of a seventh son. — Cure by the cold 
 hands of a malefactor. — Plaster on a pitchfork ; polishing rusty 
 nails. — A female heart made into pills for consumption. — Heart 
 taken out of a female in Maine, and in Waltham, Massachusetts, 
 and made into pills. — Influence of the imagination. — Account 
 of a Mr. Austin,, in Vermont. — His singular mode of healing the 
 sick. — Account of the celebrated rain-water doctor. — Sketch of 
 an astrological physician in New York. — Of Valentine Greataks 
 and Francisco Bagnone. — Momentary relief obtained, and why. 
 
 — Injury done to the cause of religion. — Account of the 
 Pharisees, compared to vipers and toads, and their numerous 
 progeny. — How we may know a Pharisee. — A young man 
 catechized by our Savior. — St. Paul once a Pharisee. — Proof. 
 
 — Customs among the Catholics. -^ Practices of many Protes- 
 tants. — Mistaken views upon religion. — Views concerning Satan. 
 
 — Satan versus Cotton Mather. — Professor Stuart's views con 
 ceming the devil. — Periodical revivals of religion ; the cause. — 
 How to have a constant revival 123 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 BANISHMENT OF POPULAE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 How shall it be effected 1 — The proper use of our reasoning faculties. 
 
 — The exercise of our understandings. — Persevering self-disci- 
 pline. — Conduct towards believers in ghosts, signs, &c. — Mis- 
 conduct in families ; trying tricks, &c. — How we should employ 
 our time. — Belief in an all-wise Providence, as Governor and 
 Controller of all events. — Importance of a correct education of 
 
CONTENTS. 13 
 
 youth. — Nursery tales and marvellous stories. — Their baneful 
 influence. — Correct examples before children. — Superstitious 
 tales to be avoided. — Attention to the means of education. — 
 Immense value and importance of knowledge. — No lack of 
 means to educate the young. — Money foolishly wasted in various 
 ways. — Perseverance in laudable exertions. — The blessing of 
 Heaven to crown our labors 185 
 
 PAET SECOND. 
 
 MIRACLE IN SPKINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 Miracle performed by spirits in Springfield, Massachusetts. — Case 
 of biological deception. — Case of a " writing medium." — Effects 
 produced by pathetism. — Incident related by Miss Martineau. — 
 Travelling to other countries, and to other spheres. — Singular 
 feat by a boy of Dr. Phelps. — Wonderful case of a lady in New 
 Jersey. — Advice of Hon. Horace Greely. — Testimony of Bev. 
 Dr. Phelps 191 
 
 PEKSONS TRAINED BT A LECTURER ON MAGNETISM. . . 199 
 
 SCENE AT EAST BOSTON. 
 
 " Circle " at the house of Mr. Hoyt, at East Boston. — Effects of vital 
 electricity. — Imitating handwritings, writing poetry, music, &c. 200 
 
 EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 
 
 Facts related by a gentleman of Maine. — Renunciation of a spirit 
 rapper. — Murder committed at the instigation of "spirits." — 
 Conflicting testimony concerning John Thompson. — Experi- 
 ments of Mr. Kellogg, the table lifter. — Discovery by Dr. Taylor, 
 the writing medium. — Benunciation of Mr. Cooley, of Spring- 
 field, Massachusetts. — Attempt to murder a family in Barre, 
 Massachusetts. — Sacrifice of the innocent in heathen countries. — 
 Great danger in civilized communities. — Beports concerning the 
 burning of the Lunatic Asylum in Maine. — Testimony of Pro- 
 fessor Stowe. — Beply of Bingham to Professor Pond. — Singular 
 confessions of the reviewer. — Intelligence said to be communi- 
 3 
 
14 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 cated by " spirits." — Vital electricity of embodied and disem- 
 bodied spirits 203 
 
 EXTRACT FEOM THE HOME JOUENAI,. 
 
 Star singers, concerts, parties, and lectures in the other spheres. — 
 Studies of French, Italian, geology, chemistry, drawing, &c. — 
 Semi.4elergymen, outsiders, or come-outers 2X5 
 
 rOKETELLIKG FUTURE EVENTS. 
 
 Prediction concerning the ship Staffordshire. — General Pierce's 
 election foretold by Professor Anderson's glass bell. — False pre- 
 dictions of the " spirits." — Error committed by Professor Lester. 
 — Suggestion of alady to a sick friend. — Sentiments of Alexander 
 Pope ^ 218 
 
 VISIONS, MIKACLES, AND WONDEKS. 
 
 Sights, sounds, signs, miracles, maps, drawings, hieroglyphics. — 
 Talking cow in Maine. — Her prophecy. — Proposition for 
 another "New Chukch." — Predictions concerning all other 
 churches. — Opinions three hundred years ago. — Fate of Galileo. 220 
 
 CI^IRVOTANT THTSICIANS. 
 
 Prescriptions from the dead. — Power of the imagination. — Won- 
 derful eflScacy of brown bread pills. — Singular cure of palsy, by 
 Sir Humphrey Davy! . ^ 221 
 
 STYLE OF "SUrERNAL" COMrOSITIONS. 
 
 Fishbough's new work. — Fancy-captivating publications. — Belined 
 atheism. — Transcendental nonsense. — False communications 
 relating to patriots, statesmen, orators, and divines. — Mounte- 
 bank scenes of " psychology." — Testimony of A. J. Davis, upon 
 the tricks of the spirit demonstrators. — Concealments, mis- 
 statements, and exaggerations 223 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 
 
 Thumping noises in New Jersey. — Door opened as if struck by a 
 mallet. — Great excitement.— Glass broken, &c. — Knockings 
 heard in New Hackensack. — Pile of -lumber shaken ; tables, chairs, 
 stand, and candlestick thrown about. — Bags of salt, tin ware 
 and cooking utensils thrown in a heap. — An English officer 
 
CONTENTS. ]5 
 
 haunted by noises in the night. — Heavy marble top tables pois- 
 ing themselves on two legs. — Brass door knockers bewitched. — 
 Commotion among crockery, tin warfe, &c. — Firing a gun at 
 noises in the walls. — Tearing up floor to get at the noises. — 
 Suit brought for damages. — Bed of a sick girl raised. — Trem- 
 bling of the house walls. — Singular pranks in a factory. — Jerk- 
 ing of the frames, and cylinder thrown at a distance. — Alarm 
 and flight of the operatives. — A chest with three men, and a man 
 on a tub, taken np by an invisible power. — A chair broken 
 between two men's hands. — An image seated on a stool, clad in 
 white. — Visions of beings like spirits. — Knockings on the walls, 
 and noises in the air. — A lady suspended by the tips of the 
 fingers, as a magnet suspends a piece of iron. — Electrical flashes 
 from a lady's body. — Knockings made to be heard at a distance. 
 
 — Quotation from a work by Eev. T. Hill, of Waltham. — Singu- 
 lar developments in New York. — Freaks of a knob of a door 
 bell. — Fiery flashes, and fiery smacks, on kissing. — Blows in 
 the mouth from a speaking tube. — Account of two girls that 
 could move tables without touching them. — Effects of storms on 
 raising tables. — Electrical circles in Cincinnati. — Case of a 
 lady in Strasburg. — Power of giving electrical shocks to persons 
 
 at a distance. — Singular effects of the northern lights on a lady. 224 
 
 EXPB2RIMENTS IN BIOLOGr. 
 
 Chairs, tables, and persons moved. — Biological table-liftings in 
 East Boston. — "Mediums," as visible hnman operators. — Be- 
 solve of the " rappers " at Poughkeepsie. — The unseen agent 
 that moves tables, beds, &c. — Dancing plates, knives and forks, &c. 264 
 
 FACULTY OF IMITATION. 
 
 Delivering speeches ; imitating orators. — Case related by Walter 
 Scott. — Case of a man haunted by the devil. — Effects of wine 
 and heavy eating. — Voice heard by Judge Edmonds. — Lady in 
 Providence who writes music by "spirits." — Diagram of the 
 spheres, by a lady in a magnetic state. 268 
 
 UNSEEN LETTEES AND SIGNATURES. 
 
 Imitating unseen letters, signatures, and languages. — Suspicions 
 concerning Professor Bush. — Singular feat attributed to spirits. 
 
 — No difficulty in raising chairs or tables. — Spirits shown by 
 Egyptian boys. — Unbelief of practising "mediums." — School 
 children forbidden to move tables, &c 273 
 
16 CONTENTS. 
 
 A DANCING LIGHT. 
 
 Dancing light seen in Southboro', Massachusetts. — Ignis Jbtum 
 Been by Dr. Derham. — Corposants seen by mariners. — Dampier's 
 account of them ^'* 
 
 SAILOES' OMENS. 
 
 Sailors' omens and superstitions. — Devil's power in stirring up 
 winds. — Losing a cat overboard, a bucket, or a mop. . . • 276 
 
 LOVE CHARMS. 
 
 Othello winning Desdemona by conjuration. — Execution of a 
 young lady for giving a love powder. — Her dying confession.— 
 A charm or an allay for love 277 
 
 EFFECTS OF A BELIEF IN A GHOST. 
 
 Effects of a belief in the reality of ghosts. — Case at the University 
 at Cambridge. — A student frightened to death 279 
 
 THE INVISIBLE LADT. 
 
 The invisible lady in Boston. — "Jhe invisible girl in London. — 
 Joice Heth, the India rubber woman. — Professor Grimes's dis- 
 covery among the "' rappers." — Mrs. Culver respecting the 
 Rochester rappers 280 
 
 SORCEEEES IN THE EAST. 
 Persons killed by the enemy's fires. — Singular custom in Java. . 281 
 
 SINGULAR METAMORPHOSES. 
 
 Men turned into tigers by eating a certain root, and turned back 
 again by eating another. — A tiger-man ^hot in the woods and 
 recognized, after having devoured some of his neighbors. — 
 Account of the wolf mania in Egypt and in Brittany. — A husband 
 that lived and died a wolf. 282 
 
 PERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH. 
 
 Astrology. — Vegetable oil of swallows, &c. — Cleanliness, diet, 
 &c. — Ablation. — Ventilation. — Eood. — Quality of meats. . 284 
 
PHILOSOPHY 
 
 POPULAE SUPEESTITIONS 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The object of this treatise upon Credulity and 
 Imagination, or, in other words, upon Popular Su- 
 perstitions, is to explain their nature — investigate 
 their origin — describe their injurious effects — and to 
 offer and recommend the necessary measures for their 
 banishment. Most persons, even those who have 
 been well educated, can call to mind the avidity with 
 which, in their days of childhood, they listened to the 
 nursery tales of giants, dwarfs, ghosts, fairies, and 
 witches. The effects of these juvenile impressions are 
 not easily effaced from the mind, and the impressions 
 ' themselves are but rarely, if ever, forgotten. 
 
 To doubt, in former times, the power of charms, and 
 the veracity of omens, and ghost stories, was deemed 
 little less than atheism. The terror caused by them 
 imbittered the lives of persons of all ages. It either 
 served to shut them out of their own houses, or de- 
 terred them from going abroad after it was dark. The 
 room in which the head of a family died was for a long 
 time untenanted ; particularly if he died without a 
 
18 PHILOSOPHY OF POPULAR SUPEESTITIO^S. 
 
 will, or was supposed to have entertained any peculiar 
 religious opinions. If any disconsolate maiden, or 
 love-crossed bachelor, became the instrument of their 
 own death, the room where the fatal deed was com- 
 mitted was rendered forever uninhabitable, and not 
 unfrequently nailed up. If a drunken farmer, return- 
 ing from market, fell from his horse, and by the fall 
 broke his own neck, that spot, ever after, was haunted 
 and impassable. In truth, there was scarcely a by- 
 lane or cross-way but had its ghost, which appeared 
 in the shape of a headless cow or horse. Ghosts of a 
 higher degree rode in coaches, drawn by six headless 
 horses, and driven by a headless coachman. As for 
 the churchyards, the legitimate habitations of spectres, 
 clothed all in white, the numbers who swarmed there 
 equalled the living parishioners ; and to pass such a 
 place in the night was more perilous than the storming 
 of Badajos. 
 
 Confuted and ridiculed as these opinions have been, 
 in later days, the seeds of them are still widely diffused, 
 and at times attempt to spring up in aU their earlier 
 excess. In the year 1832, crowds of men, women, and 
 children flocked to the village of Waltham, a few 
 miles from Boston, to see a ghost which was said to 
 make its appearance towards midnight, walking to ■ 
 and fro in a turf, meadow, declaring, itself, in un- 
 earthly tones, to be the spirit of a murdered man, 
 whose bones lay in a mud hole near by. The excite- 
 ment spread many miles around, and hundreds from 
 the city and neighboring towns hied to the spot, with 
 eyes agape, to behold the solemn visitor from the spirit 
 world. And such was the credulity inspired in the 
 minds of the people, that a clergyman in the vicinity 
 
THE ORIGIN OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 19 
 
 declared from his pulpit, on the following Sabbath, 
 that the awful crime of murder had been revealed by 
 the spirit which had appeared in Waltham ! Such is 
 the excitability of the mind, and its tendency (not- 
 withstanding the light that has been scattered abroad) 
 to give credence to all the vagaries and nonsense of 
 the darker ages. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 Ignorance of correct reasoning has undoubtedly 
 gi¥en rise to many superstitions. Inductive reasoning 
 teaches us to infer general conclusions from particular 
 facts which have come under our observation. This 
 definition may be illustrated by an example. You 
 know that water boils on the application of a certain 
 degree of heat. You have seen this experiment tried 
 many times without a single failure. You therefore 
 conclude that water will always boil on the application 
 of this degree of heat, although you have seen it ap- 
 plied but to a small portion of the water in creation. 
 Thus you draw this general conclusion from the few 
 particular facts which you have witnessed. But had 
 you noticed several failures in the trial, your conclu- 
 sions would have been doubtful. And if the experi- 
 ment had failed ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, 
 you would have adopted an opposite conclusion. 
 You would have said that the application of the 
 
20 THE ORIGIN OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 specified degree of heat would not boil water. In 
 this way, logical reasoning leads to the discovery of 
 truth. Now, apply this principle of sound reasoning 
 to the whole mass of pretended signs. Let me select 
 one to show you the absurdity of believing in any. 
 It is commonly reported that the breaking of a look- 
 ing glass betokens death to some member of the 
 family. This sign probably originated in the follow- 
 ing manner : A death happened to follow the breaking 
 of a mirror. Some ignorant person immediately con- 
 cluded that the breaking of the glass was a sure sign 
 of death. The story soon spread among credulous 
 people, and at length was handed down from gener- 
 ation to generation as an established truth. But you 
 readily perceive the absurdity of forming this general 
 conclusion from owe or a few particular fajets. We 
 all know that death does not follow the supposed sign 
 oftener than once in a hundred times ; and therefore 
 the breaking of the glass is almost a sure sign that no 
 death will immediately take place in the family. But 
 as mirrors are always breaking, and people are always 
 dying, it is not strange that the latter event should 
 sometimes follow the former. It would be a miracle 
 if it did not. But the events have no connection what- 
 ever with each other. The coincidence in any case is 
 altogether accidental. "We might with the same rea- 
 son affirm that the breaking of a teakettle is the sign 
 of death, or any. thing else, as the breaking of a mirror. 
 But the truth is, there is no sign in the case. It first 
 originated in ignorance of correct reasoning, and has 
 been perpetuated by the credulous. It is but a short 
 time ago that a girl in Exeter, N. H., broke a mirror. 
 She believed that ill luck always followed such an 
 
THE ORIGIN OP POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 21 
 
 event, and therefore became seriously affected in her 
 mind. Finally, her strength failed, and she died a 
 victim to her superstition. Hence we perceive the 
 great imporance of a just conception and well-in- 
 "^formed judgment upon such apparently trifling, yet 
 oftentimes serious events, in their effects upon social 
 and individual happiness. 
 
 We have only to apply this principle of correct 
 reasoning to every sign in existence, to find them to 
 be superstitious. We shall find, upon investigation, 
 that they are based upon no rational evidence, and 
 consequently are not entitled to our belief or confi- 
 dence. If they indicate any thing, it is something 
 directly opposite to what is generally supposed, for 
 they do not come to pass more than once in a 
 hundred times, and therefore warrant a different con- 
 clusion. Not only so. If you believe in the present 
 pretended signs, you may make a million more 
 equally good, A man quarrels after drinking a glass 
 of wine ; you may therefore say that taking a glass 
 of wine is the sign of a quarrel. A man draws a 
 prize in a lottery ; you may say therefore that the 
 purchase of a ticket is the sign of a fortune. A man 
 dies after supper ; you may say therefore that eating 
 supper is the sign of death. In this you may multiply 
 signs to infinity, and they will prove just as true as 
 any now in existence. But our Creator has endowed 
 us with understanding. He has given us reason to 
 regulate our belief by satisfactory evidence. And if 
 we do this, we cannot believe in any of the pretended 
 signs. We must conclude that they have all origi- 
 nated in ignorance of correct reasoning, and are kept 
 in remembrance by those who will not use their 
 intellectual powers as their Maker designed. 
 
22 INDUCTIVE PHILOSOPHY NOT UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 CHAPTEK n. 
 
 INDUCTIVE PHILOSOPHY NOT UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 • Ignorance of inductive philosophy has given rise 
 to many superstitions. By the means of inductive 
 philosophy, we are enabled to trace effects to their 
 true causes.. For example : Lights have frequently 
 been seen dancing over marshy grounds, near tan- 
 yards, and burying-places, and along the sea shore. 
 Credulous people have believed them to be the 
 spirits of the uneasy dead. This belief must be con- 
 sidered superstitious, not having any foundation on 
 rational evidence. Philosophy teaches that these 
 lights are occasioned by an inflammable gas, which 
 arises from decayed animal and vegetable substances, 
 and takes fire on coming in contact with atmospheric 
 air. Thus we may trace all effects to their true 
 causes. 
 
 Many persons have supposed that pork killed in the 
 increase of the moon would swell in boiling, while 
 that killed in her wane would shrinlj. This opinion 
 probably originated in the following manner : Some 
 person killed, at different periods of the moon, two 
 hogs which had been born and fattened together. 
 That killed in her increase swelled in boiling ; while 
 the other, killed in her wane, shrunk. He could con- 
 ceive of no way to account for the facts but on the 
 supposition of lunar influence. This conclusion was 
 accordingly adopted, and at length became an estab- 
 lished truth. Yet there was no philosophy in form- 
 ing this opinion from a few such facts. More ex- 
 
INDUCTIVE PHILOSOPHY NOT UNDERSTOOD. 2S 
 
 periments should have been tried; and the results 
 woulS have shown that the real cause of the swelling 
 and shrinking existed in the constitution of the 
 animals. It would have been discovered that pork 
 of fine and solid texture would commonly swell, 
 whenever kUled ; while that of loose and coarse grain 
 would as generally shrink. And the person would no 
 more have thought of attributing the difference in his 
 pork to the moon than to the spirit of Bonaparte. 
 
 Let this philosophic principle be applied to this 
 whole class of superstitions, and we shall arrive at 
 similar results. There is the supposed influence of 
 the moon on making soap, grafting trees, cutting 
 timber, and also upon the fortunes of lovesick swains 
 and maidens. The latter are directed to go out in the 
 evening and stand over the bars of a gate, and, look- 
 ing on the moon, repeat the following lines : — 
 
 " All hail to the moon ! all hail to thee ! 
 I pray thee, good moon, reveal to me. 
 This night, who my husband shall be." 
 
 They must then go directly to bed, and will dream of 
 their future husband. Upon trial of the experiment, 
 they will probabfy be inclined to consider it a dreamy 
 notion altogether ; for love is of too serious a nature 
 to be fed upon mere moonshine. 
 
24 IGNORANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS. 
 
 CHAPTER m. 
 
 IGNORANCE OP THE CAUSES OF DREAMS. 
 
 Ignorance of the causes of our dreams has given 
 rise to many superstitions. Ancient divines have told 
 us that some of our dreams proceed from ourselves, 
 others from the Deity, and others again from the 
 devil. We know, to be sure, from experience, that 
 dreams proceed from ourselves in some, if not in all 
 cases. We admit, however, that God has spoken to 
 some of his dependent creatures by dreams ; for we 
 learn this from the Holy Scriptures. But such dreams 
 were direct revelations for the accomplishment of 
 some divine purpose. The volume of revelation was 
 long since closed, and all that is essential to the present 
 and eternal happiness of mankind is plainly revealed. 
 There is therefore no necessity for any further com- 
 munications from Heaven ; and the gospel does not 
 authorize us to expect any. Dreams may sometimes 
 strike a conviction upon the mind, which our waking 
 thoughts may fail to do. And they may sometimes 
 have the appearance of being fulfilled ; and yet there 
 may be no necessity of supposing that God has made 
 us the special organ of divine communications. Our 
 dreams, in such cases, may be explained upon the 
 principles of mental philosophy, without resorting to 
 the miraculous interposition of Deity for an expla- 
 nation. 
 
 To say that the devU is the author of all our disa- 
 greeable dreams that happen generally when we are 
 in some trouble of body, mind, or estate, is too absurd 
 
IGNORANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS. 25 
 
 to believe. And it is specially unbecoming the fol- 
 lowers of Jesus to harbor an opinion so unbecoming 
 in itself, so pernicious in its consequences, and so 
 derogatory to the supreme Ruler of the universe. 
 The true doctrine is, that our dreams originate from 
 ourselves. Some are influenced by our bodily sen- 
 sations. A person with a bottle of hot water at his 
 feet dreams of ascending ^tna ; and he finds the 
 heat of the ground almost insupportable. Another 
 kicks the bed clothes from his feet, and dreams of 
 walking through snow banks, even in the summer 
 season. Some dreams are influenced by the state of 
 our stomach and bowels. The hungry prisoner dreams 
 of well-furnished tables and the pleasures of eating. 
 The glutton dreams of a surfeit and its attendant 
 unpleasant sensations. Some dreams are influenced 
 by our dispositions. The person of amiable temper 
 and cheerful spirits is frequently refreshed with 
 delightful scenes and visions of bliss ; while those 
 of morose, gloomy, irritable, and melancholy habits 
 are generally harassed with those of a disagreeable 
 and oppressive character. Some dreams are in- 
 fluenced by the state of our health. Sickness is 
 usually productive of those of an unpleasant nature ; 
 while health secures those of an opposite description. 
 A gentleman, mentioned by Locke, was not sensible 
 of dreaming till he had a fever, at the age of twenty- 
 six or seven. Some dreams are influenced by our 
 waking thoughts. The mathematician solves diffi- 
 cult problems. The poet roves in Elysian groves. 
 The miser makes great bargains. The sensualist riots 
 in the haunts of dissipation. The criminal sees the 
 dungeon or the gallows. The awakened sinner be- 
 3 
 
26 IGNORANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS. 
 
 holds the flames of hell, or looks upon the sceptre 
 of pardon ; and the Christian anticipates heavenly 
 
 joy- 
 Strong mental emotions are sometimes embodied 
 into a dream, which, by some natural coincidence, 
 is fulfilled. A murderer, mentioned by Mr. Combe, 
 dreamed of committing murder some years before the 
 event took place. A clergyman on a visit to the city 
 of Edinburgh, from a distance in the country, was 
 sleeping at an inn, when he dreamed of seeing a fire, 
 and one of his children in the midst of it. He awoke 
 with the impression, and instantly started for home. 
 "When he arrived within sight of his house, he found 
 it on fire, and got there in time to assist in saving one 
 of his children, who, in the alarm and confusion, had 
 been left in a situation of danger. Without calling 
 in question the possibility of supernatural communi- 
 cations in such cases, this striking occurrence may 
 perhaps be accounted for on simple and natixral 
 principles. Let us suppose that the gentleman had 
 a servant who had shown great carelessness in regard 
 to fire, which had often given rise in his mind to a 
 strong apprehension that he might set fire to the 
 house. His anxiety might be increased by being 
 from home, and the same circvimstances might make 
 the servant still more careless. Let us further sup- 
 pose that the gentleman, before going to bed, had, in 
 addition to this anxiety, suddenly recollected that 
 there was on that day, in the neighborhood of his 
 house, some fair or periodical merry making, from 
 which the servant was likely to return home in a 
 state of intoxication. It was most natural that these 
 impressions should be embodied into a dream of his 
 
IGNORANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS. 27 
 
 house being on fire, and that the same circumstances 
 might lead to the dream being fulfilled. 
 
 The cause of a dream may sometimes be the cause 
 of its fulfilment. A clergyman dreamed of preaching 
 a sermon on a particular subject. In a few weeks, he 
 delivered the discourse. His dream was therefore 
 fulfilled. But his waking thoughts caused the dream, 
 for he had meditated on this very subject ; and they 
 also caused its fulfilment, for he proceeded to write 
 and deliver the result of his meditations. 
 
 A belief in the supernatural origin of dreams some- 
 times leads to their fulfilment. A person dreams of 
 approaching sickness. His fears and his imagination 
 hasten on the calamity. A general, on the eve of 
 battle, dreamed of a defeat. His belief in dreams 
 deprived him of courage, and, of course, the enemy 
 conquered. We have on record the case of a German 
 student, who dreamed that he was to die at a certaia 
 hour on the next day. His Mends found him in the 
 morning making his will and arranging his afiairs. 
 As the time drew near, he had every appearance of a 
 person near his end. Every argument was used to 
 shake his belief in the supernatural origin of his 
 dream, but ail to no effect. At last, the physician 
 contrived to place the hands of the clock beyond the 
 specified hour, and by this means saved the student's 
 life. There are instances on record where death has 
 actually ensued in consequence of such a belief. It 
 has been produced by the wonderful power the mind 
 possesses over the body. And there can be no doubt 
 that believers in dreams often take the most direct 
 means to hasten their fulfilment. 
 
28 IGNORANCE OP THE CAUSES OF DREAMS. 
 
 The apparent fulfilment of dreams is sometimes 
 merely accidental. The dream happens, and the event 
 dreamed of soon foUows ; but the coincidence is alto- 
 gether fortuitous. A member of Congress informed 
 a friend that he frequently dreamed of the death of 
 some one of his children, while residing at Washing- 
 ton. The whole scene would appear before him — 
 the sickness, the death, and the burial ; and this too 
 several times the same night, and on successive 
 nights. His anxiety for his family caused his dreams. 
 Now, it would have been nothing strange if a member 
 of his family had died. But in this particular instance 
 it was not the case. In this way, however, we are 
 always dreaming of our absent relatives, and it 
 would be singular if a death did not sometimes occur 
 at the time of the dream. So on all other subjects. 
 One event may follow the other, and yet the coinci- 
 dence be perfectly accidental. There are occasionally 
 some amusing cases of this kind. A person dreamed 
 three times in one night that he must turn to the 
 seventh verse of the fifth chapter of Ecelesiastes, and 
 he would find important instruction. He arose in the 
 morning, and, referring to the specified passage, found 
 these words : "Jh the muUitvde of dreams there are 
 divers vanities." 
 
 Finally, the OQcasion of some dreams seems as 
 yet inexplicable. But as we can account for so large 
 a portion of them, it is rational to believe that the 
 causes of the few mysterious ones will be hereafter 
 satisfactorily explained. We think we are safe in 
 believing that all our dreams are caused by some 
 principle of our intellectual or animal nature. Let 
 
THE EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 29 
 
 US then pay no further regard to them than to aim 
 by a pure conscience before God, and a careful atten- 
 tion to our stomachs and health, to have them refresh- 
 ing and agreeable. 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 EFFECTS OP THE IMAGINATION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 
 
 Ignorance of the influence of the imagination upon 
 the nervous system has given rise to many supersti- 
 tions. We will give a few statements of facts to 
 establish and illustrate this position. Some time 
 previous to 1784, a gentleman in Paris, by the name 
 of Mesmer, professed to have discovered a universal 
 remedy for all diseases ; and this remedy consisted in 
 being magnetized under peculiar forms and circum- 
 stances. M. Mesmer became so noted for his discovery, 
 and he performed such extraordinary cures, that, in 
 1784, the French king appointed a committee, con- 
 sisting of four physicians and five members of the 
 Royal Academy of Sciences, to investigate this mat- 
 ter. The committee, as soon as they had examined 
 the whole apparatus employed in magnetizing, and 
 taken cognizance of the manoeuvres of Mesmer, and 
 his partner, Deslon, proceeded to notice the symptoms 
 of the patients while under the influence of magnetism. 
 These were various in different individuals. Some 
 were calm and tranquil, and felt nothing ; others were 
 affected with coughing and spitting, with pains, heats, 
 3* 
 
30 THE KFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 
 
 and perspirations^ and some were agitated and tor- 
 tured with convulsions. These convulsions were 
 sometimes continued for three hours, accompanied 
 with expectoration of a viscid phlegm, ejected by 
 violent efforts, and sometimes streaked with blood. 
 They had involuntary motions of the limbs, of the 
 whole body, and spasms of the throat. Their eyes 
 wandered in wild motions ; they uttered piercing 
 shrieks, wept, laughed, and hiccoughed. The com- 
 missioners observed that the great majority of those 
 thus effected were females, and that these exhibitions 
 did not begin until they had been under the operation 
 of magnetism one or two hours, and that, when one 
 became afiected, the rest were soon seen in the same 
 situation. In order to give the magnetizer the fairest 
 opportunity to exhibit the power of his invention, and 
 to give the most satisfactory evidence to the public, 
 the commissioners all submitted to be operated upon 
 themselves, and sat under the operation two hours 
 and a half, but without the least effect upon them, 
 except the fatigue of sitting so long in one position. 
 They were magnetized three days in succession, but 
 without any sensible effect being produced. The 
 magnetizing instruments were then removed to Dr. 
 Franklin's house, away from public view, parade, and 
 high expectation, and fourteen persons were then mag- 
 netized, all of them invalids. Nine of them experienced 
 nothing, five appeared slightly affected, and the com- 
 missioners were surprised to learn, in every instance, 
 that the poor and ignorant alone were affected. After 
 this eight men and two women were magnetized, but 
 without the least effect. At length a female servant 
 submitted to the same operation, and she affirmed that 
 
THE RFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 31 
 
 she felt a heat in every part where the magnetized 
 finger was pointed at her ; that she experienced a 
 pain in her head; and, during a continuation of the 
 operation, she became faint, and swooned. When 
 she had fully recovered, they ordered her eyes to be 
 bandaged, and the operator was removed at a dis- 
 tance, when they made her believe that she was still 
 under the operation, and the effects were the same, 
 although no one operated, either near her or at a 
 distance. She could tell the very place where she was 
 magnetized ; she felt the same heat in her back and 
 loins, and the same pain in her eyes and ears. At 
 the end of one quarter of an hour, a sign was made 
 for her to be magnetized, but she felt nothing. On 
 the following day, a man and woman were magnet- 
 ized in a similar manner, and the result was the same. 
 It was found that to direct the imagination to the 
 parts where the sensations were to be felt, was all 
 that was necessary to produce these wonderful effects. 
 But children, who had not arrived at sufficient matu- 
 rity of age to be excited by these imposing forms, 
 experienced nothing from the operation. 
 
 Mesmer and Deslon asserted that they could mag- 
 netize a tree, and every person approaching the tree, 
 in a given time, would be magnetized, and either fall 
 into a swoon or in convulsions, provided the magnet- 
 izer was permitted to stand at a distance and direct 
 his look and his cane towards the tree. Accordingly, 
 an apricot tree was selected in Dr. Franklin's garden, 
 at Vassy, for the experiment, and M. Deslon came and 
 magnetized the tree while the patient was retained in 
 the house. The patient was then brought out, with a 
 bandage over his eyes, and successively lead to four 
 
32 THE EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 
 
 trees, which were not magnetized, and was directed 
 to embrace each tree two minutes, while M. Deslon, 
 at a distance, stood pointing his cane to the tree 
 actually magnetized. At the first tree, which was 
 about twenty-seven feet from the magnetized tree, the 
 patient sweat profusely, coughed, expectorated, and 
 said he felt a pain in his head. At the second tree, 
 now thirty feet from the magnetized tree, he found 
 himself giddy, attended with headache, as before. 
 At the third tree, his giddiness and headache were 
 much increased, and he said he believed he was 
 approaching the magnetized tree, although he was 
 still twenty-eight feet from it. At length, when brought 
 to the fourth tree, not magnetized, and at the distance 
 of twenty-four feet from that which was, the young 
 man feU down in a state of perfect insensibility ; his 
 limbs became rigid, and he was carried to a grass plot, 
 where M. Deslon went to his assistance and recovered 
 him. And yet, in no instance had he approached 
 within a less distance than twenty-four feet of the 
 magnetized tree. 
 
 A similar experiment was soon afterwards made on 
 two poor females, at Dr. Franklin's house. These 
 women were separated from each other. Three of 
 the commissioners remained with one of them in one 
 chamber, and two of them with the other, in an 
 adjoining chamber. The first had a bandage over her 
 eyes, and was then made to believe that M. Deslon 
 came in and commenced magnetizing her, although 
 he never entered the room. In three minutes the 
 woman began to shiver. She felt, in succession, 
 a pain in her head, and a pricking in her hands. 
 She became stiff, struck her hands together, got up, 
 
THK EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 33 
 
 stamped, &c., but nothing had been done to her. The 
 woman in the adjoining chamber was requested to take 
 her seat by the door, which was shut, with her sight 
 at liberty. She was then made to believe that M. 
 Deslon would magnetize the door on the opposite 
 side, while the commissioners would wait to witness 
 the result. She had scarcely been seated a minute 
 before she began to shiver. Her breathing became 
 hurried ; she stretched out her arms behind her back, 
 writhing them strongly, and bending her body for- 
 wards ; a general tremor of the whole body came on. 
 The chattering of the teeth was so loud as to be heard 
 out of the room ; and she bit her hand so as to leave 
 the marks of her teeth in it ; but M. Deslon was not 
 near the door, nor in either chamber, nor was either of 
 the women touched, not even their pulse examined. 
 We perceive, then, that these efTects were produced 
 solely by the imagination, and the above facts exhibit 
 very satisfactorily the power which the mind has over 
 the body. The symptoms were not feigned, but, in 
 the peculiar state of mind of these persons, they were 
 involuntary and irresistible. They believed they should 
 be effected in this manner ; the idea was formed in 
 their imaginations, and the nerves were acted upon 
 precisely as though what they conceived was real, and 
 the muscular effects followed. And as the patients 
 themselves could not explain the causes of these 
 eflfects, they very naturally attributed the whole to 
 magnetism. When the commissioners explained the 
 matter, magnetism ceased to produce these wonderful 
 effects. The minds of persons were enlightened upon 
 the subject, and they no longer expected to be in- 
 fluenced in this manner, and accordingly they were not. 
 
34 THE EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 
 
 Dr. Sigault, an eminent physician of Paris, pro- 
 fessed to be an adept in the art of Mesmer. Being 
 at a great assembly one day, he caused it to be 
 announced that he could magnetize. The voice and 
 serious air he assumed had a very sensible effect 
 upon a lady present, although she endeavored at 
 first to conceal the fact. But having carried his 
 hand to the region of the heart, he found it palpi- 
 tating. She soon experienced difficulty in respiration. 
 The muscles of her face were aflected with con- 
 vulsive twitches ; her eyes rolled ; she shortly fell 
 down in a fainting fit, vomited her dinner, and ex- 
 perienced incredible weakness and languor. This 
 seemed to corroborate the remarks of Burton, in his 
 Anatomy of Melancholy, where he says, " If, by some 
 soothsayer, wise man, fortune teller, or physician, 
 men be told they shall have such a disease, they wiU 
 so seriously apprehend it that they wUl instantly 
 labor of it — a thing familiar in China, (saith Riccius, 
 the Jesuit.) K they be told they shall be sick on 
 such a day, when that day comes they will surely be 
 sick, and wiU be so terribly affected that sometimes 
 they die upon it." 
 
 A late English paper states that a young woman, 
 named Winfield, who had been on a visit to Derby, 
 returned home to Radborn, taking a little dog with 
 her by a string. On arriving there, she informed her 
 friends she had seen a gypsy on the road, who told 
 her, that if she led her dog by the string into the house, 
 she would soon be a corpse. Singular to relate, the 
 young woman expired on the following morning! 
 It was thought she died from the effect of imagina- 
 tion, aided by a debilitated constitution. 
 
THE EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 35 
 
 A missionary among the New Zealanders says, 
 " There is a class of people in New Zealand, called by 
 the natives Areekee, and whom we very improperly 
 call Priests. These men pretend to l^p,ve intercourse 
 with departed spirits, by which they are able to kill, 
 by incantation, any person on whom their anger may 
 fall. And it is a fact, that numbers fall a prey to their 
 confidence in the efficacy of the curses of these men, 
 and pine under the influence of despair, and die." 
 
 In less than fifteen years after the trial of the preten- 
 sions of Mesmer and his coadjutors, in regard to mag- 
 netism, there was originated in America, by a Mr. 
 Perkins, a cause of delusion of precisely the same 
 nature. It prevailed in all the United States, in Great 
 Britain, Scotland, and Ireland, and to considerable 
 extent on the continent of Europe. Mr. Perkins pre- 
 pared two small pieces of different kinds of metal, 
 drew them to a point, and polished them. These 
 Metallic Tractors, as they were denominated, were 
 said to have, in their joint operation, great power over 
 the electric fluid ; and by moving these points gently 
 over the surface of an inflamed part, the heat was 
 extracted, the swelling subsided, and, in a short time, 
 the patient was relieved. After a while, thousands and 
 tens of thousands were ready to certify to the happy 
 influence of these Tractors. Mr. Perkins went to 
 England and obtained the royal letters patent, for 
 the purpose of securing to him the advantages of his 
 discovery ; and it has been asserted by the best author- 
 ity, that he returned from England possessed of ten 
 thousand pounds sterling, which he received for the 
 use of his Tractors. 
 
 But Dr. Haggarth, an eminent physician and 
 
36 THE EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 
 
 philosopher, recollecting the development of animal 
 magnetism at Paris, wrote to Dr. Falconer, surgeon of 
 the General Hospital at Bath, (England,) and stated his 
 suspicion concerning the Tractors ; that their efficacy 
 depended wholly on the imagination of the patient ; 
 and recommended the experiment of wooden Tractors 
 in the place of the metallic. 
 
 Accordingly, five persons were selected for the ex- 
 periment, who were laboring under chronic rheumatism 
 in the ankle, knee, wrist, and hip. Wooden Tractors 
 were prepared and painted in such a manner that the 
 patients could not discover but that they were metal ; 
 and on the 7th of January, 1799, these wooden Trac- 
 tors were employed for the first time. AU the pati,ents, 
 except one, were relieved. Three were very much 
 benefited. One felt his knee warmer, and he could 
 walk much better, as he showed the medical gentle- 
 men present. One was easier for nine hours, tiU he 
 went to bed, and then his pain returned. The next 
 day, January 8th, the metallic Tractors were employed 
 with the same effect as that of the preceding day. 
 This led to further experiments of a similar kind, and 
 they were continued, until the physicians became fully 
 satisfied that the wooden Tractors were of the same 
 utility with the metallic, provided the patients supposed 
 them metallic. Similar experiments were soon after 
 made at Edinburgh, and the result was the same. 
 A servant girl, afllicted with a most acute headache, 
 which had rendered her nights altogether restless for a 
 fortnight, readily submitted to be pointed at with these 
 wooden Tractors. The operator moved them about 
 her head, but did not touch her. In four minutes she 
 felt a chilliness in the head. In a minute or two 
 
THE EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION. 37 
 
 more, she felt as though cold water was running down 
 her temples, and the pain was diminished. In ten 
 minutes more, she declared that the headache was 
 entirely gone ; and the next day she returned to ex- 
 press her thanks to her benefactors for the good sleep 
 she enjoyed through the night. By similar experi- 
 ments, the intelligent citizens in America soon ascer- 
 tained the true cause of the deception, and when these 
 facts came to be developed, the Tractors lost all their 
 influence on the human system, and have since been 
 spoken of only in derision. 
 
 Here, again, we behold the astonishing power of the 
 imagination over the human system, and witness the 
 miracles that have been performed on the ignorant and 
 unsuspecting. Even in the modern practice of the 
 mesmeric art, a great deal of the success depends upon 
 this tendency of the mind. A very respectable opera- 
 tor assures us, that he cannot magnetize persons 
 unless he can first impress them with the belief that 
 they are actually to become magnetized. They must 
 have faith in order that the effect may be produced. 
 A public lecturer may hang up his watch before his 
 auditors, and tell them to look upon that watch, and 
 "they will become magnetized. Those who expect to 
 be affected are thrown into the magnetic state. Those 
 who have little faith and expectation are seldom, if 
 ever, influenced by such experiments. We, however, 
 do not mean to avow a disbelief in the science of 
 magnetism. On the contrary, we look forward with 
 much interest to its perfection, unencumbered with 
 the false pretensions of its zealous and mistaken 
 friends. 
 
 4 
 
38 IGNORANCE OF^ MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 U CHAPTER V. 
 
 IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 Ignorance of mental philosophy has given rise to 
 many superstitions. Many.-persons have believed in 
 the real, visible appearance of ghosts, spirits, or ap- 
 paritions. Yet these things are clearly and satisfac- 
 torily explained on the established principles of mental 
 philosophy. And from this source we learn that they 
 exist alone in the mind, in the same manner as do 
 other ideas and images, except in the instances re- 
 corded in Scripture. They are caused by some mis- 
 conception, mental operation, or bodily disorder. We 
 will give a few examples to substantiate this position. 
 
 Dr. Ferriar relates the case of a gentleman travelling 
 in the Highlands of Scotland, who was conducted to a 
 bed room which was reported to be haunted by the 
 spirit of a man who had there committed suicide. 
 In the night, he awoke under the influence of a fright- 
 ful dream, and found himself sitting up in bed with a 
 pistol grasped in his right hand. On looking around 
 the room, he now discovered, by the moonlight, a ■ 
 corpse, dressed in a shroud, reared against the wall, 
 close by the window, the features of the body and 
 every part of the funeral apparel being distinctly 
 perceived. On recovering from the first impulse of 
 terror, so far as to investigate the source of the phan- 
 tom, it was found to be produced by the moonbeams 
 forming a long, bright image through the broken 
 window. 
 
 " Two esteemed friends of mine," says Dr. Aber- 
 
IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 39 
 
 crombie, " while travelling in the Highlands, had occa- 
 sion to sleep in separate beds, in one apartment. One 
 of them, having awoke in the night, saw, by the moon- 
 light, a skeleton hanging from the head of his friend's 
 bed, every part of it being perceived in the most dis- 
 tinct manner. He got up to investigate the source 
 of the appearance, and found it to be produced by the 
 moonbeams falling back upon the drapery of the bed, 
 which had been thrown back in some unusual manner, 
 on account of the heat of the weather. He returned 
 to bed, and soon fell asleep. But having awoke again 
 some time after, the skeleton was so distinctly before 
 him, that he could not sleep without again getting up 
 to trace the origin of the phantom. Determined not 
 to be disturbed a third time, he now brought down the 
 curtain to its usual state, and the skeleton appeared 
 no more." 
 
 Dr. Dewar relates the case of a lady who was quite 
 ' blind, and who never walked out without seeing a 
 little old woman, with a crutch and a red cloak, ap- 
 parently walking before her. She had no illusion 
 when within doors. Dr. Gregory once took passage 
 in a vessel to a neighboring country, to visit a lady 
 who was in an advanced stage of consumption. On 
 his return, he had taken a moderate dose of laudanum, 
 with the view of preventing seasickness, and was 
 lying on a couch, in the cabin, when the figure of a 
 lady appeared before him in so distinct a manner, that 
 her actual presence could not have been more vivid. 
 He was quite awake, and fully sensible that it was a 
 phantom produced b.y the opiate, in connection with 
 his intense mental feeling ; but he was unable by any 
 eflfort to banish the vision. 
 
40 IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 A gentleman, mentioned by Dr. ConoUy, when in 
 great danger of being wrecked in a boat, on the 
 Eddystone rocks, said he actuedly saw his family at 
 the moment. In similar circumstances of great dsmger, 
 others have described the history of their past lives, 
 b,eing represented to them in such a vivid manner, 
 that, at a single glance, the whole was before them, 
 without the power of banishing the impression. We 
 have read the account of a whole ship's company 
 being thrown into the utraost consternation by the 
 apparation of a cook, who had died a few days be- 
 fore. He was distinctly seen walking ahead of the 
 ship, with a peculiar gait, by which he was distin- 
 guished when alive, from having one leg shorter than 
 the other. On steering the ship towards the object, 
 it was found to be a piece of floating wreck ! 
 
 There is a story on record, of a piratical cruiser 
 having captured a Spanish vessel, during the seven- 
 teenth century, and brought her into Marblehead* 
 harbor, which was then the site of a few humble 
 dwellings. The male inhabitants were aU absent on 
 their fishing voyages. The pirates brought their 
 prisoners ashore, carried them at the dead of night 
 into a solitary glen, and there murdered them. Among 
 the captives was an English female passenger. The 
 women who belonged to the place heard her dying 
 outcries, as they rose through the midnight air, and 
 reverberated far and wide along the silent shores. 
 She was heard to exclaim, " O, mercy, mercy ! Lord 
 Jesus Christ, save me ! save me ! " Her body was buried 
 by the pirates on the spot. The same piercing voice 
 is believed to be heard at intervals, more or less often, 
 almost every year, in the stillness of a calm starlight, 
 
IGNOKANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 41 
 
 or clear moonlight night. There is something, it is 
 said, so wild, mysterious, and evidently superhuman 
 in the sound, as to strike a chill of dread into the 
 hearts of all who listen to it. A writer in the Marble- 
 head Register, of April 3, 1830, declares that " there 
 are not persons wanting at the present day, persons 
 of unimpeachable veracity and known respectability, 
 who still continue to believe the tradition, and to 
 assert that they themselves have been auditors of the 
 sounds described, which they declare were of such an 
 unearthly nature as to preclude the idea of imposition 
 or deception.'' When " the silver moon holds her 
 way," or when the stars are glistening in the clear, 
 cold sky, and the dark forms of the moored vessels are 
 at rest upon the sleeping bosom of the harbor, — when 
 no natural sound comes forth from the animate or 
 inanimate creation but the dull and melancholy note 
 of the winding shore, how often, at midnight, is the 
 watcher startled from the reveries of an excited imagi- 
 nation by the piteous, dismal, and terrific screams of 
 the unlaid ghost of the murdered lady ! 
 
 Erroneous impressions are often connected with 
 some bodily disease, more especially disease in the 
 brain. Dr. Gregory mentions the case of a gentleman 
 liable to epileptic fits, in whom the paroxysm was 
 generally preceded by the appearance of an old 
 woman in a red cloak, who seemed to come up to 
 him, and strike him on the head with her crutch. At 
 that instant he feU down in the fit. Another is men- 
 tioned by Dr. Alderston, of a man who kept a dram 
 shop, and who would often see a soldier endeavoring 
 to force himself into his house in a menacing manner ; 
 and in rushing forward to prevent him, would find it 
 4* 
 
42 IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHT. 
 
 a mere phantom. This man was cured by bleeding 
 and purgatives ; and the source of this vision was 
 traced to a quarrel which he had had some time before 
 with a drunken soldier. In delirium tremens such 
 visions are common, and assume a variety of forms. 
 
 Similar phantasms occur in various forms in 
 febrile diseases. A lady was attended by Dr. Aber- 
 crombie, having an affection of the chest. She awoke 
 her husband one night, at the commencement of her 
 disorder, and begged him to get up instantly, saying 
 that she had distinctly seen a man enter the apartment, 
 pass the foot of her bed, and go into a closet' that en- 
 tered from the opposite side of the room. She was 
 quite awake, and fully convinced of the reality of the 
 appearance. But, upon examining the closet, it w: 
 found to be a delusion, although it was almost i; 
 possible to convince the lady it was not a reality. 
 
 A writer in the Christian Observer mentions a lady, 
 who, during a severe illness, repeatedly saw her father, 
 who resided at the distance of many hundred miles, 
 come to her bedside, withdraw the curtain, and talk 
 to her in his usual voice and manner. A farmer, 
 mentioned by the same writer, on returning from 
 market, was deeply affected by an extraordinarily 
 brilliant light, which he saw upon the road, and by 
 an appearance in the light, which he supposed to be 
 our Savior. He was greatly alarmed, and, spurring 
 his horse, galloped home ; remained agitated during 
 the evening ; was seized with typhus fever, then pre- 
 vailing in the vicinity, and died in about ten days. 
 It was afterwards ascertained, that on the morning of 
 the same day, before he left home, he had complained 
 of headache and languor ; and there can be no doubt, 
 
IGNORANCK OP MENTAL, PHILOSOPHY. 43 
 
 says this writer, that the spectral appearance was con- 
 nected with the commencement of the fever. 
 
 Analogous to this is the very striking case related 
 by a physician, of a relative of his, a lady about fifty. 
 On returning home one evening from a party, she 
 went into a dark room to lay aside some part of her 
 dress, when she saw distinctly before her the figure of 
 death, as a skeleton, with his arm uplifted, and a dart 
 in his hand. He instantly aimed a blow at her with 
 the dart, which seemed to strike her on the left side. 
 The same night she was seized with a fever, accom- 
 panied with symptoms of inflammation in the left 
 side, but recovered after a severe illness. 
 
 We have read the account of a lady who had an 
 JUusion affecting l?oth her sight and hearing. She 
 repeatedly heard her husband's voice calling to her by 
 name, as if from an adjoining room. On one occasion, 
 she saw his figure most distinctly, standing before the 
 fije in the drawing room, when he had left the house 
 half an hour before. She went and sat down within 
 two feet of the figure, supposing it to be her husband, 
 and was greatly astonished that he did not answer 
 her when she spoke to him. The figure continued 
 visible several minutes, then moved towards a window 
 at the farther end of the room, and there disappeared. 
 On another occasion, while adjusting' her hair before 
 a mirror, late at night, she saw the countenance of a 
 friend, dressed in a shroud, reflected from the mirror, 
 as if looking over her shoulder. This lady had been 
 for some time in bad health, being affected with a 
 lung complaint, and much nervous debility. 
 
 Another case of an illusion of hearing is reported 
 of a clergyman, who was accustomed to full living, 
 
44 IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 and was suddenly seized with vomiting, vertigo, and 
 ringing in his ears, and continued in an alarming con- 
 dition for several days. During this time he heard 
 tunes most distinctly played, and in accurate succes- 
 sion. This patient had, at the same time, a remark- 
 able condition of vision, all objects appearing to him 
 inverted. This peculiarity continued about three days, 
 and ceased gradually ; the objects by degrees changing 
 their position, first to the horizontal, and then to the 
 erect. 
 
 Some profess to have visions or sights relative to 
 the world of spirits. This was the case with Sweden- 
 borg. He relates some of them in the following lan- 
 guage : " I dined very late at my lodgings at London, 
 and ate with great appetite, till, at the close of viM 
 repast, I perceived a kind of mist about my eyes, and 
 the floor of my chamber was covered with hideous 
 reptiles. They soon disappeared, the darkness was 
 dissipated, and I saw clearly, in the midst of a brilliant 
 light, a man seated in the corner of my chamber, who 
 said to me, in a terrible voice, Eat not so much. At 
 these words, my sight became obscured ; afterwards it 
 became clear by degrees, and I found myself alone. 
 The night following, the same man, radiant with light, 
 appeared to me, and said, I am God the Lord, Crea- 
 tor and Redeemer. I have chosen you to unfold to 
 men the internal and spiritual sense of the sacred writ- 
 ings, and will dictate to you what you ought to write. 
 At that time, I was not terrified, and the light, although 
 very brilliant, made no unpleasant impression upon 
 my eyes. The Lord was clothed in purple, and the 
 vision lasted a quarter of an hour. The same night, 
 the eyes of my internal man were opened, and fitted to 
 
IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 45 
 
 see things in heaven, in the world of spirits, and in 
 hell ; in which places I have found many persons of my 
 acquaintance, some of them long since dead, and others 
 lately deceased." In another place, he observes, " I 
 have conversed with apostles, departed popes, em- 
 perors, and kings; with the late reformers of the 
 church, Luther, Calvin, and Melancthon, and with 
 others from different countries." In conversing with 
 Melancthon, he wished to know his state in the spirit 
 world, but Melancthon did not see fit to inform him ; 
 " wherefore," says Swedenborg, " I was instructed 
 by others concerning his lot, viz., that he is some- 
 times in an excavated stone chamber, and at other 
 times in heU ; and that when in the chamber, he ap- 
 J|ars to be clothed in a bear's skin by reason of the 
 .cold ; and that on account of the filth in his chamber, 
 he does not admit strangers from the world, who are 
 desirous of visiting him from the reputation of his 
 name." 
 
 The apparitions of Swedenborg were probably 
 caused by his studies, habits, and pursuits. They 
 bear the marks of earthly origin, although he firmly 
 beUeved they were fi-om heaven. Overloading his 
 stomach at late meals, no doubt, caused some of them. 
 He was in the habit of eating- too much, as he himself 
 admits. Hence his brain may have been disturbed. 
 We have aU heard of the case of an elderly lady, 
 who, being iU, called upon her physician one day for 
 advice. She told him, among other things, that on the 
 preceding night her sleep had been disturbed — that 
 she had seen her grandmother in her dreams. Being 
 interrogated whether she ate any thing the preceding 
 evening, she told the doctor she ate half a mince pie 
 
46 IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 just before going to bed. " Well, madam," said he, 
 " if you had eaten the other half, you might have seen 
 your grandfather also." 
 
 The slightest examination of the accounts which 
 remain of occurrences that were deemed supernatural 
 by our ancestors will satisfy any one, at the present 
 day, that they were brought about by causes entirely 
 natural, although unknown to them. "We will close 
 this part of our investigation by relating the following 
 circumstances, attested by the Rev. James Pierpont, 
 pastor of a church in New Haven : — 
 
 " In the year 1647, a new ship of about one hun- 
 dred and fifty tons, containing a valuable cargo, and 
 several distinguished persons as passengers, put to sea 
 from New Haven in the month of January, bound^ 
 England. The vessels that came over the ensuing 
 spring brought no tidings of her arrival in the mother 
 country. The pious colonists were earnest and instant 
 in their prayers that inteUigenee might be received of 
 the missing vessel. In the course of the following June, 
 a great thunder storm arose out of the north-west ; after 
 which, (the hemisphere being serene,) about an hour 
 before sunset, a ship of like dimensions of the afore- 
 said, with her canvas and colors abroad, (although 
 the wind was northerly,) appeared in the air, coming 
 up firom the harbor's mouth, which lies southward 
 from the town, seemingly with her sails filled, under 
 a fresh gale, holding her course north, and continuing 
 imder observation, sailing against the wind, for the 
 space of half an hour. The phantom ship was borne 
 along, until, to the excited imaginations of the spec- 
 tators, she seemed to have approached so near that 
 they could throw a stone into her. Her main topmast 
 
IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 47 
 
 then disappeared, then her mizzen topmast, then her 
 masts were entirely carried away, and finally her hull 
 feU off, and vanished from sight, leaving a dull and 
 smoke-colored cloud, which soon dissolved, and the 
 whole atmosphere became clear. All affirmed that 
 the airy vision was a precise copy of the missing 
 vessel, and that it was sent to announce and describe 
 her fate. They considered it the spectre of the lost 
 ship, and the Rev. Mr. Davenport declared in public 
 ' that God had condescended, for the quieting of their 
 afflicted spirits, this extraordinary account of his sov- 
 ereign disposal of those for whom so many fervent 
 prayers were made continually.' " 
 
 The results of modern science enable us to explain 
 i^ mysterious appearance. It is probable that some 
 Dutch vessel, proceeding slowly, quietly, and uncon- 
 sciously on her voyage from Amsterdam to the New 
 Netherlands, happened at the time to be passing 
 through the Sound. At the moment the apparition 
 was seen in the sky, she was so near, that her image 
 was painted or delineated to the eyes of the obser- 
 vers, on the clouds, by the laws of optics, now generally 
 well known, before her actual outlines could be dis- 
 cerned by them on the horizon. As the sun sunk 
 behind the western hills, and his rays were gradually 
 withdrawn, the visionary ship slowly disappeared, and 
 the approach of the night, while it dispelled the vapors 
 from the atmosphere, effectually concealed the vessel 
 as she continued her course along the Sound. 
 
 The optical illusions that present themselves, on the 
 sea shore, by which distant objects are raised to view, 
 the opposite islands and capes made to loom up, lifted 
 above the line of the apparent circumference of the 
 
48 
 
 IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 eaxth, and thrown into every variety of shape which 
 the imagination can conceive, are among the most 
 beautiful phenomena of nature, and they impress the 
 mind with the idea of enchantment and mystery, more 
 perhaps than any others. But they have received a 
 complete solution from modern discovery. 
 
 It should be observed that the optical principles that 
 explain these phenomena have recently afforded a foun- 
 dation for the science, or rather the art, of nauscopy. 
 There are persons, it is said, in some places, in the 
 Isle of France, whose calling and profession it is to 
 ascertain and predict the approach of vessels 'by their 
 reflection in the atmosphere and on the clouds, long 
 before they are visible to the eye or through the glass. 
 
 Our vision is at all times liable to be disturbed by 
 atmospheric conditions. So long as the atmosphere 
 between our person and the object we are looking at 
 is of the same density, we may be said to see in a 
 straight line to the object. But if, by any cause, a 
 portion of that atmosphere is rendered less or more 
 dense, the line of vision is bent, or refracted, from its 
 course. A thorough comprehension of this truth in 
 science has banished a mass of superstition. It has 
 been found that, by means of powerful refraction, 
 objects at great distances, and round the back of a 
 hUl, or considerably beneath the horizon, are brought 
 into sight. In some countries this phenomenon is 
 called mirage. The following is one of the most 
 interesting and best-authenticated cases of the kind. 
 In a voyage performed by Captain Scoresby, in 1822, 
 he was able to recognize his father's ship, when below 
 the horizon, from the inverted image of it which ap- 
 peared in the air. " It was," says he, " so well defined, 
 
IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 4y 
 
 that I could distinguish, by a telescope, every sail, the 
 general rig of the ship, and its particular character, 
 insomuch that I confidently pronounced it to be my 
 father's ship, the Fame, — which it afterwards proved 
 to be — though on comparing notes with my father, I 
 found that our relative position, at the time, gave our 
 distance from one another very nearly thirty miles, 
 being about seventeen mUes beyond the horizon, and 
 some leagues beyond the limit of direct vision ! " ■- ' 
 
 Dr. Vince, an English philosopher, was once looking 
 through a telescope at a ship which was so far off 
 that he could only see the upper part of the masts. 
 The hull was entirely hidden by the bending of the 
 water ; but, between himself and the ship, he saw two 
 perfect image§ of it in the air. These were of the 
 same form and color as the real ship ; but one of them 
 was turned completely upside down. 
 
 In the sandy plains of Egypt, the mirage is seen 
 to great advantage. These plains are often inter- 
 rupted by small eminences, upon which the inhabit- 
 ants have buUt their villages in order to escape the in- 
 undations of the Nile. In the morning and evening, 
 objects are seen in their natural form and position ; 
 but when the surface of the sandy ground is heated 
 by the sun, the land seems terminated, at a particu- 
 lar distance, by a general inundation; the villages 
 which are beyond it appear like so many islands in a 
 great lake ; and an inverted image of a village ap- 
 pears between the hills. 
 
 The Swedish sailors long searched for a supposed 
 magic island, which, from time to time, could be de- 
 scried between the Island of Aland and the coast of 
 Upland. It proved to be a rock, the image of which 
 5 
 
50 IGNORANCE OF TRUE RELIGION. 
 
 was presented in the air by mirage. At one time, the 
 English saw, with terror, the coast of Calais and 
 Boulogne, in France, rising up on the opposite side 
 of the Channel, and apparently approaching their isl- 
 and. But the most celebrated example of mirage is 
 exhibited in the Straits of Messina. The inhabitants 
 of the Calabrian shore behold images of palaces, 
 embattled ramparts, houses, and ships, and all the 
 varied objects of towns and landscapes, in the air- 
 being refracted images from the Sicilian coast. This 
 wonderful phenomenon is superstitiously regarded by 
 the common people as the work of fairies. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IGNORANCE OF TRUE RELIGION. 
 
 Ignorance of true religion has given rise to many 
 prevailing superstitions. The Savior has taught us 
 that the Father of spirits regulates the minutest 
 events of this world, and that he alone is the Su- 
 preme Ruler of the universe. Our experience and 
 observation must convince us that this infinite work is 
 accomplished by regular laws, and that Infinite Wis- 
 dom sees fit so to govern all events without the inter- 
 vention of miracles, or through the agency of any in- 
 strumentality but his own. And by examination, we 
 shall find that these truths are in direct opposition to 
 the general mass of popular superstitions. 
 
 There are many who believe in signs. They 
 
IGNORANCE OF TRUE RELIGION. 51 
 
 believe that the howling of a dog under a window 
 betokens death to some member of the family. But 
 how does the do^ obtain this foreknowledge ? Who 
 sends him on this solemn errand ? If you say that 
 his appearance at the house is accidental, then you 
 would have us trust to chance for information upon 
 this most important subject. If you say that his 
 knowledge of the approaching event is intuitive, 
 then you would have us believe that the irrational 
 brute knows more than his intelligent master. If you 
 say that he is instigated by some wicked spirit, then 
 you would have us admit that an enemy of mankind 
 is more attentive to their welfare than God ; for it 
 certainly betokens the greatest kindness to notify us 
 of our near dissolution. If you say the animal is 
 sent by God, how will you explain the fact that the 
 sign so often fails ? not actually taking place oftener, 
 at most, than once in a hundred times. Certainly we 
 are not to accuse the omniscient and merciful Jeho- 
 vah either of ignorance concerning future events, or 
 of trifling with the feelings of his dependent creatures. 
 We must therefore consider the sign to be altogether 
 superstitious, and contrary to all rational evidence. 
 
 Some persons profess to believe in lucky and un- 
 lucky days. They say, for instance, that Friday is an 
 unlucky day. And why so 1 Does God part with 
 the reins of his government, and employ wicked 
 spirits to torment his creatures on this day ? Does he 
 make this day more unpropitious to human affairs 
 than others ? Do facts go to show that more disas- 
 ters occur on this day than on any other ? Paul in- 
 structs us that all days are alike, and that God rules 
 the universe with infinite wisdom and benevolence. 
 
52 IGNORANCE OF TRUE RELIGION. 
 
 Then why should we account Friday to be an un- 
 lucky day ? Whence came such an opinion ? From 
 heathenism. The heathen were much influenced by 
 this superstition ; and when converted to Christianity, 
 they incorporated this among some other absurdities 
 iato their religious belief. Because our Savior was 
 crucified on Friday, they placed this at the head of 
 their unlucky days. But why they did so, we cannot 
 conceive ; for the death of Christ was absolutely ne- 
 cessary for the deliverance of mankind from sin and 
 death. And for this reason alone, Friday was the 
 most propitious day that ever dawned upon a dying 
 world. But the heathen converts did not consider 
 this circumstance. • They pronounced Sunday, the 
 day of his resurrection, to be the most fortunate. 
 Later Christians, in a certain sense, have thought dif- 
 ferently. Sir Matthew Hale has remarked, that he never 
 knew any undertaking to prosper that was com- 
 menced on the Sabbath, And the early laws of Con- 
 necticut prohibited any vessel firom either leaving a 
 port, or entering a port, or passing by a village on 
 Sunday. But such prohibitions are not agreeable to 
 the notions of seamen, who, as a class, are inclined 
 to be somewhat superstitious. We frequently meet 
 with dissipated, unbelieving sailors, who could not be 
 induced to put to sea on Friday on any consideration ; 
 but who would rather labor seven successive nights 
 than not sail on the Sabbath. It is rather singular that 
 sceptics should be so afraid of the day of our Savior's 
 crucifixion, and so fond of that of his resurrection. 
 Such inconsistency, however, is not uncommon. 
 Those who rail most at the credulity of others are 
 frequently the most superstitious. Those who lay 
 
BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 63 
 
 the greatest claims to bravery are, for the most part, 
 the greatest cowards. Voltaire could ridicule religion 
 in fair weather, but the moment a thunder cloud 
 appeared, he was thrown into extreme consternation, 
 and must have a priest to pray during its continuance 
 for his preservation. If we would avoid the influ- 
 ence of this heathen superstition, we must regard 
 actions rather than days. If our engagements are 
 proper, we have nothing to fear from the day on 
 which they are commenced. If we feel the evidence 
 within that God is indeed our Father, we shall not 
 be prevented, by any belief in lucky or unlucky days, 
 from doing our duty on every day, and enjoying 
 peace and happiness on all days. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 A WITCH was regarded by our fathers as a person 
 who had made an actual, deliberate, and formal con- 
 tract with Satan, by which contract it was agreed 
 that the party should become his faithful subject, and 
 do whatever should be required in promoting his 
 cause. And in consideration of this allegiance and 
 service, he, on his part, agreed to exericise his super- 
 natural powers in the person's behalf. It was consid- 
 ered as a transfer of allegiance from God to the devil. 
 The agreement being concluded, Satan bestows some 
 trifling sum of money to bind the bargain ; then, cut- 
 5* 
 
54 BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 ting or pricking a finger causes the individual to sign 
 his or her name, or make the mark of a cross, with 
 their own blood, on a piece of parchment. In addi- 
 tion to this signature, in some places, the devil made 
 the witches put one hand to the crown of their head, 
 agid the other to the sole of the foot, signifying ttiey 
 were entirely his. Before the devil quits his new 
 subject, he delivers to her or him an imp or familiar, 
 and sometimes two or three. They are of different 
 shapes and forms, some resembling a cat, others a 
 mole, a miller fly, spider, or some other insect or ani- 
 mal. These are to come at bidding, to do such mis- 
 chief as the witch may command, and, at stated times 
 of the day, suck the blood of the witch, through teats, 
 on different parts of the body. Feeding, suckling, or 
 rewarding these imps was, by law, declared felony. 
 
 Sometimes a witch, in company with others of the 
 fraternity, is carried through the air on brooms or spits, 
 to distant meetings or Sabbaths of witches. But for 
 this they must anoint themselves with a certain mag- 
 ical ointment given them by the devil. Lord Bacon, 
 in his philosophical works, gives a recipe for the man- 
 ufacture of an ointment that enabled witches to fly in 
 the air. It was composed of the fat of children, 
 digged out of their graves, and of the juices of smal- 
 lage, cinquefoU, and wolfsbane, mixed with meal of 
 fine wheat. After greasing themselves with this prep- 
 aration, the witches flew up chimney, and repaired to 
 the spot in some graveyard or dismal fotest, where 
 they were to hold their meetings with the evil one. 
 At these meetings they have feasting and dancing, 
 the devil himself sometimes condescending to play 
 on the great fiddle, pipe, or harp. When the meeting 
 
BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT. 55 
 
 breaks up, they all have the honor of kissing his ma- 
 jesty, who for that ceremony usually assumes the 
 form of a he goat. 
 
 Witches showed their spite by causing the object 
 of it to waste away in a long and painful disease, 
 with a sensation of thorns stuck in the flesh. Some- 
 times they caused their victims to swallow pins, old 
 nails, dirt, and trash of all sorts, invisibly conveyed 
 to them by their imps. Frequently they showed their 
 hate by drying up the milk of cows, or by killing 
 oxen. For slight offences they would prevent butter 
 from coming in the churn, or beer from working. 
 Grace Greenwood says, that, on a visit to Salem in 
 the fall of 1850, she " was shown a vial of the verita- 
 ble bewitched pins with which divers persons were 
 sorely pricked by the wicked spite of certain witches 
 and wizards." 
 
 It was believed that Satan affixed his mark or seal 
 to the bodies of those in allegiance with him, and 
 that the spot where this mark was made became cal- 
 lous and dead. In examining a witch upon trial, 
 they would pierce the body with pins, and if any spot 
 was found insensible to the torture, it was looked upon 
 as ocular demonstration of guUt. Another method 
 to detect a witch, was to weigh her against the church 
 Bible. If she was guilty, the Bible would preponder- 
 ate. Another was by making her say the Lord's pray- 
 er, which no one actually possessed could do correctly. 
 A witch could not weep but three tears, and that only 
 out of the left eye ; and this was considered by many 
 an decisive proof of guilt. But swimming was the 
 most infallible ordeal. They were stripped naked, and 
 bound, the right thumb to the left toe, and the left 
 
56 BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 thumb to the right toe. Being thus prepared, they 
 were thrown into a pond or river. If guilty, they 
 could not sink ; for having, by their compact with the 
 devil, renounced the water of baptism, that element 
 renounces them, and refuses to receive them into its 
 bosom. 
 
 In 1664, a man by the name of Matthew Hopkins, 
 in England, was permitted to explore the counties of 
 Essex, SufFoHi, and Huntingdon, with a commission 
 to discover witches, receiving twenty shillings from 
 each town he visited. Many persons were pitched 
 upon, and through his means convicted. At length, 
 some gentlemen, out of indignation at his barbarity, 
 tied him in the same manner he had bound others, 
 thumbs and toes together, in which state, putting him 
 in the water, he swam ! Standing condemned on his 
 own principles, the country was rescued from the 
 power of his malicious imposition. 
 
 The subsequent illustration of the condition of re- 
 ligion less than two hundred years ago will excite a 
 few humbling thoughts. In the parish register of 
 Glammis, Scotland, June, 1676, is recorded — " Nae 
 preaching here this Lord's day, the minister being at 
 Gortachy, burning a witch." Forty thousand persons, 
 it is said, were put to death for witchcraft in England 
 during the seventeenth century, and a much greater 
 number in Scotland, in proportion to its population. 
 
 In 1692, the whole population of Salem and vicini- 
 ty were under the influence of a terrible delusion con- 
 cerning witchcraft. By yielding to the sway of their 
 credulous fancies, allowing their passions to be 
 worked up to a tremendous pitch of excitement, and 
 running into excesses of folly and violence, they have 
 
BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT. 57 
 
 left a dark stain upon their memory, that will awaken 
 a sense of shame, pity, and amazement in the minds 
 of their latest posterity. The principal causes that 
 led to their delusion, and to the proceedings con- 
 nected with it, were, a proneness to superstition, 
 owing in a great degree to an ignorance of natural 
 science, too great a dependence upon the imagination, 
 and the power of sympathy. In contemplating the 
 errors and sufferings -which ignorance of philosophy 
 and science brought upon our fathers, w^e should be 
 led to appreciate more gratefully, and to improve 
 with more faithfulness, our own opportunities to ac- 
 quire wisdom and knowledge. But we would not be 
 understood as saying, that mere intellectual cultiva- 
 tion is sufficient to banish every superstition. No. 
 For who were ever better educated than the ancient 
 Greeks and Romans ? And yet, who were ever more 
 influenced by a belief in signs, omens, spectres, and 
 witches ? We believe that, when the gospel, in its 
 purity and simplicity, shall shed its divine light 
 abroad, and pervade the hearts of men, superstition, 
 in all its dark and hideous forms, will recede, and 
 vanish from the world. 
 
 In concluding our remarks under this head, we 
 would add that, in a dictionary before us, a witch is 
 designated as a woman, and wizard as a man, that pre- 
 tends to some power whereby he or she can foretell 
 future events, cure diseases, call up or drive away 
 spirits. The art itself is called witchcraft. If this is 
 a correct definition, witches and wizards are quite a 
 numerous class of people in society at the present 
 day ; for there are many among us who presume to 
 practise these things. 
 
58 NECROMANCY AND FORTUNE TELLING. 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 
 NECROMANCY AND FORTUNE TELLING. 
 
 » Although the belief in witchcraft has nearly passed 
 away, the civilized world is yet full of necromancers 
 and fortune tellers. The mystic science of " palmistry " 
 is still practised by many a haggard and muttering 
 vagrant. 
 
 The most celebrated fortune teller, perhaps, that 
 ever lived, resided in Lynn, Mass. The character of 
 " Moll Pitcher" is familiarly known in all parts of the 
 commercial world. She died in 1813. Her place of 
 abode was beneath the projecting and elevated summit 
 of High Rock, in Lynn, and commanded a view of 
 the wild and indented coast of Marblehead, of the ex- 
 tended and resounding beaches of Lynn and Chelsea, 
 of Nahant Rocks, of the vessels and islands, of 
 Boston's beautiful bay, and of its remote southern 
 shore. She derived her mysterious gifts by inherit- 
 ance, her grandfather having practised them before, in 
 Marblehead. Sailors, merchants, and adventurers of 
 every kind visited her residence, and placed great con- 
 fidence in her predictions. People came from great 
 distances to learn the fate of missing friends or recover 
 the possession of lost goods. The young, of both 
 sexes, impatient at the tardy pace of time', and burn- 
 ing with curiosity to discern their future lot, especially 
 as it regarded matters of wedlock, availed themselves 
 of every opportunity to visit her lowly dwelling, and 
 hear from her prophetic lips the revelations of these 
 most tender incidents and important events of their 
 
NECROMAN.CY AND FORTUNE TELLING. 59 
 
 coming lives. She read the future, and traced what, 
 to mere mortal eyes, were the mysteries of the present 
 or the past, in the arrangement and aspect of the 
 grounds or settlings of a cup of tea or coffee. Her 
 name has every where become the ge"neric title of 
 fortune tellers, and occupies a conspicuous place in 
 the legends and ballads of popular superstition. 
 " 'A man was suddenly missed by his friends from 
 a certain town in -this commonwealth. The church 
 immediately sent a member to consult the far-famed 
 fortune-telling Molly Pitcher. After making the ne- 
 cessary inquiries, she intimated that the absent person 
 had been murdered by a family of negroes, and 
 his body sunk in the deep waters behind their dwell- 
 ing. Upon this evidence, the accused were forthwith 
 imprisoned, and the pond raked in vain, from shore to 
 shore. A few days previous to the trial, the missing 
 man returned to his friends, safe and sound ; thus 
 proving that the fortune teller, instead of having re- 
 ceived from Satan certain information of distant and 
 unknown events, actually played off" a piece of the 
 grossest deception upon her credulous visitors. 
 
 We are told by travellers that there is scarcely a 
 village in Syria in which there is not some one who 
 has the credit of being able to cast out evil spirits. 
 About eight miles from the ancient Sidon, Lady 
 Hester Stanhope, the granddaughter of the immortal 
 Chatham, and niece of the equally immortal Pitt, 
 recently lived in a style of Eastern splendor and mag- 
 nificence. She spent her time in gazing at the ex- 
 tended canopy of heaven, as it shed its sparkling light 
 upon the ancient hills and sacred groves of Palestine 
 — her soul absorbed in the fathomless mysteries of her 
 
GO NECROMANCY AND FOETUNE TELLING. 
 
 loved astrology, and holding fancied communion with 
 supernatural powers and spirits of the departed. - 
 
 There recently died in Hopkinton, Mass., an indi- 
 vidual by the name of Sheffield, who had long fol- 
 lowed the art of fortune telling by astrology. He 
 grofessed to unfold almost every secret, or mystery, 
 even to foretelling the precise day and hour any person 
 would die. In case of lost or stolen goods, it was only 
 necessary to enclose a small fee in a letter, containing 
 also a statement of your name, age, and place of 
 residence, and forward the same by mail to his ad- 
 dress. In two or three weeks, the information you 
 sought, as to the person who stole the property, &c., 
 would be forwarded to you, leaving you to judge of 
 the case for yourself. He did quite a business in his 
 hne, and made something of a fortune out of a long- 
 exploded science. 
 
 There are many who trust to the declarations of 
 such persons, and are often made unhappy thereby. 
 In fact, ilfis doubtful if a more unhappy class can be 
 found than those who are in the habit of consulting 
 fortune tellers x>{ any character. It is discontent, 
 chiefly, that leads them to pry into futurity. And 
 after having had their fortunes told, as it is termed, 
 they are no better satisfied than before ; for the best 
 of fortune tellers are famous for their errors and mis- 
 takes, although it would be strange if they did not 
 blunder upon some facts in the whole routine of their 
 business. But we pity those who lely upon their 
 prognostications. If told they will die a,t such or such 
 a time, or if they are to meet with some dreadful ac- 
 cident, misfortune, or disappoiiitment, their imagina- 
 tions will lead them to anticipate and dread the event, 
 
FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 61 
 
 which will be the surest way to produce its fulfilment. 
 If a husband or wife is told that he or she will marry 
 again, it wUl lead them to be dissatisfied with the 
 partner with whom they are at present associated. 
 And look at this subject as we will, we shall find 
 it productive of a vast amount of evil, and therefore 
 deserving of our entire disapprobation. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 
 
 Fairies, says a certain author, are a sort of inter- 
 mediate beings, between men and women, having 
 bodies, yet with the power of rendering them invisible, 
 and of passing through all sorts of enclosures. They 
 are remarkably small of stature, with fair complexions, 
 whence they derive their name, fairies. Both male 
 and female are generally clothed in green, and frequent 
 mountains, the sunny side of hills, groves, and green 
 meadows, where they amuse themselves with dancing, 
 hand in hand, in a circle, by moonlight. The traces 
 of their feet are said to be visible, next morning, on 
 the grass, and are commonly called fairy rings, or 
 circles. 
 
 Fairies have all the passions and wants of men, and 
 are great lovers of cleanliness and propriety ; for the 
 observance of which, they frequently reward servants, 
 by dropping money in their shoes. They likewise 
 punish sluts and slovens by pinching them black and 
 6 
 
62 FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 
 
 blue. They often change their weak and starveling 
 elves, or children, for the more robust offspring of men. 
 But this can only be done before baptism ;• for which 
 reason it is still the custom, in the Highlands, to 
 watch by the cradle of infants till they are christened. 
 The word changeling, now applied to one almost an 
 idiot, attests the current belief of these superstitious 
 mutations. 
 
 Some fairies dwell in mines, and in "Wales noth- 
 ing is more common than these subterranean spirits, 
 called knockers, who very good naturedly point out 
 where there is a rich vein of lead or silver. In Scot- 
 land there was a sort of domestic fairies, from their 
 sun-burnt complexions, called brownies. These were 
 extremely useful, performing aU sorts of domestic 
 drudgery. 
 
 In the Life of Dr, Adam Clarke, we have the follow- 
 ing account of a circumstance that took place in the 
 town of Freshford, county of Kilkenny, Ireland, show- 
 ing the superstition prevailing in that country con- 
 cerning the influence of these fairy beings : " A farmer 
 built himself a house of three apartments, the kitchen 
 in the middle, and a room for sleeping, &c., on either 
 end. Some time after it was finished, a cow of his 
 died — then a horse ; to these succeeded other small- 
 er animals, and last of all his wife died. FuU of 
 alarm and distress, supposing himself to be an object 
 of fairy indignation, he went to the fairy man, that is, 
 one who pretends to know fairy customs, haunts, 
 pathways, antipathies, caprices, benevolences, &c., 
 and he asked his advice and counsel on the subject of 
 his losses. The wise man, after having considered all 
 things, and cast his eye upon the house, said, ' The 
 
FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 63 
 
 fairies, in their night walks from Knockshegowny HUl, 
 in county Tipperary, to the county of Kilkenny, were 
 accustomed to pass over the very spot where one of 
 your rooms is now built ; you have blocked up their 
 way, and they were very angry with you, and have 
 slain your cattle, and killed your wife, and, if not 
 appeased, may yet do worse harm to you.' The poor 
 fellow, sadly alarmed, went, and with his own hands, 
 deliberately pulled down the timbers, demolished the 
 walls, and left not one stone upon another, but razed 
 the very foundation, and left the path of these capri- 
 cious gentry as open and as clear as it was before. 
 How strong must have been this man's belief in the 
 existence of these demi-natural and semi-supernatural 
 beings, to have induced him thus to destroy the work 
 of his own hands ! " 
 
 In Spenser's epic poem, called the Fairy Queen, 
 the imagination of the reader is entertained with the 
 characters of fairies, witches, magicians, demons, 
 and departed spirits. A kind of pleasing horror is 
 raised in the mind, and one is amused with the" 
 strangeness and novelty of the persons who are repre- 
 sented in it; but to be affected by such poetry re- 
 quires an odd turn of thought, a peculiar cast of fancy, 
 with an imagination naturally fruitful and super- 
 stitious. 
 
 The Gypsies are a class of strolling beggars, cheats, 
 and fortune tellers. They have been quite numerous 
 in all the older countries, and are so still in some of 
 them; but in the United States there are but few, 
 some one or two tribes in the west, and a small party 
 of them in New York state. They are probably 
 called Gypsies from the ancient Egyptians, who had 
 
64 FAIRIES, OR -WANDERING SPIRITS. 
 
 the character of great cheats, whence the name might 
 afterwards pass proverbially into other languages, as 
 it did into the Greek and Latin ; or else the ancient 
 Egyptians being much versed in astronomy, or rather 
 astrology, the name was afterwards assumed by these 
 modern fortune tellers. In Latin they are called 
 Egyptii; the Italians called them Cinari, or Cingani; 
 the Russians, Zigani; the Turks and Persians, Zingarri; 
 the Germans, Ziguenor ; the Spaniards, Gitimos; the 
 French, Bohemians, from the circumstance that Bohe- 
 mia was the first civilized country where they made 
 their appearance. 
 
 In most countries they live in the woods and for- 
 ests ; but in England, where every inch of land is cul- 
 tivated, the covered cart and little tent are their houses, 
 and they seldom remain more than three days in the 
 same place. 
 
 Dabbling in sorcery is in some degree the province 
 of the female Gypsy. She affects to tell the future, 
 and to prepare philters, by means of which love can be 
 awakened in any individual towards any particular 
 object ; and such is the credulity of the human race, 
 even in the most enlightened countries, that the profits 
 arising from these practices are great. The following 
 is a case in point : Two females, neighbors and friends, 
 were tried, some years since, for the murder of their 
 husbands. It appeared that they were in love for the 
 same individual, and had conjointly, at various times, 
 paid sums of money to a Gypsy woman to work 
 charms to captivate his affections. Whatever little 
 effect the charms might produce, they were successful 
 in their principal object, for the person in question 
 carried on for some time a criminal intercourse with 
 
FAIRIEiS, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 65 
 
 both. The matter came to the knowledge of the hus- 
 bands, who, taking means to break off this connection, 
 were both poisoned by their wives. Till the moment 
 of conviction, these wretched females betrayed neither 
 emotion nor fear ; but at this juncture their consterna- 
 tion was indescribable. They afterwards confessed 
 that the Gypsy, who had visited them in prison, had 
 promised to shield them from conviction by means of 
 her art. It is therefore not surprising that in the fif- 
 teenth and sixteenth centuries, when a belief in sorcery 
 was supported by the laws of all Europe, these people 
 were regarded as practisers of sorcery, and punished as 
 such, when, even in the nineteenth, they still find peo- 
 ple weak enough to place confidence in their claims 
 to supernatural power. 
 
 In telling fortunes, the first demand of the Gypsy, 
 in England, is invariably a sixpence, in order that she 
 may cross her hands with silver; and here the same 
 promises are made, and as easily believed, as in other 
 countries-, leading to the conclusion that mental illumi- 
 nation, amongst the generality of mankind, has made 
 no progress whatever ; as we observe in the nineteenth 
 century the same gross credulity manifested as in the 
 seventeenth, and the inhabitants of one of the countries 
 most celebrated for the arts of civilization imposed 
 upon by the same stale tricks which served to deceive, 
 two centuries before, in Spain, a country whose name 
 has long and justly been considered as synonymous 
 with every species of ignorance and barbarity. 
 
 In telling fortunes, promises are the only capital 
 requisite, and the whole art consists in properly adapt- 
 ing these promises to the age and condition of the 
 parties who seek for information. The GitAnos are 
 6* 
 
66 
 
 FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 
 
 clever enough in the accomplishment of this, and gen- 
 erally give perfect satisfaction. Their practice lies 
 chiefly amongst females, the portion of the human 
 race most given to curiosity and credulity. To the 
 young maidens they promise lovers, handsome inva- 
 riably, and oftentimes rich; to wives, children, and 
 perhaps another husband ; for their eyes are so pene- 
 trating, that occasionally they wiU develop your most 
 secret- thoughts and wishes; to the old, riches, and 
 nothing but riches — for they have sufficient knowl- 
 edge of the human heart to be aware that avarice is 
 the last passion that becomes extinct within it. These 
 riches are to proceed either from the discovery of hid- 
 den treasure, or from across the water. The Gitanos, 
 in the exercise of this practice, find dupes almost as 
 readily amongst the superior classes, as .the veriest 
 dregs of the population. 
 
 They are also expert in chiromancy, which is the 
 determining, from certain lines upon the hand, the 
 quality of the physical and intellectual powers of the 
 possessor, to which lines they give particular and 
 appropriate names, the principal of which is called the 
 " line of life." An ancient writer, in speaMng of this 
 art, says, " Such chiromancy is not only reprobated 
 by theologians, but by men of law and physic, as a 
 foolish, vain, scandalous, futile, superstitious practice, 
 smelling much of divinery and a pact with the devil." 
 
 The Gitanos in the olden time appear to have not 
 nnfrequeptly been subjected to punishment as sorcer- 
 esses, and with great justice, as the abominable trade 
 which tliey have always driven in philters and decoc- 
 tions certainly entitled them to that appellation, and 
 to the pains and penalties reserved for those who prac- 
 tised what is generally termed " witchcraft." 
 
FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 67 
 
 Amongst the crimes laid to their charge, connected 
 with the exercise of occult powers, there is one of a 
 purely imaginary character, which if they were ever 
 punished for, they had assuredly but little right to 
 complain, as the chastisement they met with was fully 
 merited by practices equally malefic as the one imputed 
 to them, provided that were possible. It was the cast- 
 ing the evil eye. 
 
 In the Gitino language, casting the evil eye is 
 called zuerelar nasula, which simply means making 
 sick, and which, according to the common superstition, 
 is accomplished by casting an evil look at people, 
 especially children, who, from the tenderness of their 
 constitution, are supposed to be more easily blighted 
 than those of a more mature age. After receiving the 
 evil glance, they fail sick, and die in a few hours. 
 
 In Andalusia, a belief in the evil eye is very prev- 
 alent among the lower orders. A stag's horn is con- 
 sidered a good safeguard, and on that account, a small 
 horn, tipped with silver, is frequently attached to the 
 children's necks, by means of a cord braided from the 
 hair of a black mare's tail. Should the evil glance be 
 cast, it is imagined that the horn receives it, and in- 
 stantly snaps asunder. Such horns may be pur- 
 chased at the silversmiths' shops at Seville. 
 
 The Gypsies sell remedies for the evil eye, which 
 consist of any drugs which they happen to possess, or 
 are acquainted with. They have been known to offer 
 to cure the glanders in a horse, (an incurable disorder,) 
 with the very same powders which they offer as a 
 specific for the evil eye. 
 
 The same superstition is current among all Orien- 
 tal people, whether Turks, Arabs, or Hindoos; but 
 
68 FAIRIES, 
 
 perhaps there is no nation in the world with whom 
 the belief is so firmly rooited as the Jews ; it being a 
 subject treated of in all the old rabbinical writings^ 
 which induces the conclusion that the superstition of 
 the evil eye is of an antiquity almost as remote as the 
 origin of the Hebrew race. 
 
 The evil eye is mentioned in Scripture, but not ia 
 the false and superstitious sense we have spoken of. 
 Evil in the eye, whitA occurs in Prov. xxiii. 5, 6, 
 merely denotes niggardness and illiberality. The 
 Hebrew words are ain ra, and stand in contradis- 
 tinction to ain toub, or the benignant in eye, which 
 denotes an inclination to bounty and liberality. 
 
 The rabbins have said, " For one person who dies 
 of sickness, there are ten who die by the evil eye." And 
 as the Jews, especially those of the East, and of Barbary, 
 place implicit confidence in all that the rabbins have 
 written, we can scarcely wonder if, at the present day, 
 they dread this visitation more than the cholera or the 
 plague. " The leech," they say, "can cure those 
 disorders ; but who is capable of curing the evil eye ?" 
 
 It is imagined that this blight is most easily inflicted 
 when a person is enjoying himself, with little or no 
 care for the future, when he is reclining in the sun 
 before his door, or when he is full of health and spirits, 
 but principally when he is eating and drinking, on which 
 account the Jews and Moors are jealous of strangers 
 when they are taldng their meals. 
 
 " I was acquainted," says a late writer, " with a 
 very handsome Jewess, of Fez ; she had but one eye, 
 but that one was particularly brilliant. On asking her 
 how she lost its fellow, she informed me that she was 
 once standing in the street, at nightfall, when she was 
 
FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 69 
 
 a little girl ; a Moor, that was passing by, suddenly 
 stopped, and said, ' Towac Ullah, (blessed be God,) 
 how beautiful are your eyes, my child ! ' Whereupon 
 she went into the house, but was presently seized 
 with a dreadftil pain in the left eye, which continued 
 during the night, and the next day the pupil came out 
 of the socket. She added, that she did not believe the 
 Moor had any intention of hurting her, as he gazed on 
 her so kindly ; but that it was very thoughtless in him 
 to utter words which are sure to convey evil luck." It 
 is said to be particularly dangerous to eat in the pres- 
 ence of a woman ; for the evil eye, if cast by a 
 woman, is far more fatal and difficult to cure than 
 if cast by a man. 
 
 When anjf one falls sick of the evil eye, he must 
 instantly call to his assistance the man cunning in 
 such cases. The man, on coming, takes either a girdle 
 or a handkerchief from off his own person, and ties a 
 knot at either end ; then he measures three spans with 
 his left hand, and at the end of these three he fastens 
 a knot, and folds it three times round his head, pro- 
 nouncing this beraka, or blessing: " Ben porat Josef, 
 ben porat ali ain" (Joseph is a fruitful bough, a 
 fruitful bough by a well ;) he then recommences 
 measuring the girdle or handkerchief, and if he finds 
 three spans and a half, instead of the three which he 
 formerly measured, he is enabled to tell the name of 
 the person who cast the evil eye, whether male 
 or female. 
 
 The above very much resembles the charm of the 
 Bible and key, by which many persons in England 
 still pretend to be able to discover the thief, when an 
 article is missed. A key is placed in a Bible, in the 
 
70 FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 
 
 part called Solomon's Song ; the Bible and key are 
 then fastened strongly together, by means of a ribbon, 
 which is wound round the Bible, and passed several 
 times through the handle of the key, which projects 
 from the top of the book. The diviner then causes 
 the person robbed to name the name of any person or 
 persons whom he may suspect. The two parties, the 
 robbed and the diviner, then standing up, support the 
 book between them, the ends of the handle of the key 
 resting on the tips of the fore fingers of the right hand. 
 The diviner then inquires of the Bible, whether such 
 a one committed the theft, and commences repeating 
 the sixth and seventh verses of the eighth chapter of • 
 the Song ; and if the Bible and key turn round in the 
 mean time, the person named is considered guilty. 
 This charm has been, and stUl is, the source of infinite 
 mischief, innocent individuals having irretrievably 
 lost their character among their neighbors from re- 
 course being had to the Bible and key. The slightest 
 motion of the finger, or rather of the nail> will cause 
 the key to revolve, so that the people named are quite 
 at the mercy of the diviner, who is generally a cheat, 
 or professed conjurer, and not unfrequently a Gypsy. 
 In like manner, the Barbary cunning man, by a slight 
 contraction of his hand, measures three and a half 
 spans, where he first measured three, and then pre- 
 tends to know the person who has east the evil eye, 
 having, of course, first ascertained the names of those 
 with whom his patient has lately been in company. 
 
 When the person who has east the evil eye has 
 been discovered, by means of the magical process 
 abeady described, the mother, or wife, or sister of the 
 suiferer walks forth, pronouncing the name of the 
 
FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 71 
 
 latter with a loud voice, and, making the best of her 
 way to the house of the person guilty, takes a little of 
 the earth from before the door of his or her sleeping 
 apartment. Some of the saliva of the culprit is then 
 demanded, which must be given early in the morning, 
 Isefore breakfast ; then the mother, or the wife, or the 
 sister goes to the oven, and takes from thence seven 
 burning coeds, which are slaked in water from the 
 bath in which the women bathe. The four in- 
 gredients, earth, saliva, coals, and water, are then 
 mixed together in a dish, and the patient is made to 
 take three sips, and what remains is taken to a private 
 place and buried, the person who buries it making 
 three paces backward, exclaiming, " May the evil eye 
 be buried beneath the earth." Many people carry 
 papers about with them, scrawled with hieroglyphics, 
 which are prepared by the hacumim, or sages, and 
 sold. These papers, placed in a little bag and hung 
 about the person, are deemed infallible preservatives 
 from the " ain ara." 
 
 Like many other superstitions, the above may be 
 founded on a physical reality. In hot countries, 
 where the sun and moon are particularly dazzling, the 
 belief in the evil eye is most prevalent. If we^turn to 
 the Scripture, we shall probably come to the solution 
 "of the belief. " The sun shall not smite thee by day, 
 nor the moon by night." Ps. cxxi. 5, 6. To those 
 who loiter in the sunshine, before the king of day has 
 nearly reached his bourn in the west, the sun has an 
 evil- eye, and his glance produces brain fevers ; and to 
 those who sleep uncovered, beneath the smile of the 
 moon, her glance is poisonous, producing insupportable 
 itching in the eye, and not unfrequently total blindness : 
 
72 FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 
 
 all the charms, scrawls, and rabbinical antidotes have 
 no power to avert these effects. 
 
 The northern nations have a superstition which 
 bears some resemblance to the evil eye. They have 
 no brilliant sun and moon to addle the brain and 
 poison the eye, but the gray north has its marshes, 
 and fenny ground, and fetid mists, which produce 
 agues, low fevers, and moping madness, and are as 
 fatal to cattle as to man. Such disorders are attributed 
 to elves and fairies. This superstition still lingers in 
 some parts of England, under the name of elf-shot, 
 whilst, throughout the north, it is called elle-skiod, 
 and elle-vild, (fairy wild.) It is particularly prevalent 
 amongst shepherds and cowherds, who, from their 
 manner of life, are most exposed to the effects of the 
 so called elf-shot. 
 
 The Gitanos had a venomous preparation called 
 drao, or draw, which they were in the habit of fling- 
 ing into the mangers of the cattle, for the purpose of 
 causing sickness and death. It was the province of 
 the women to compound the ingredients of this poison, 
 which answered many wicked purposes. The stalls 
 and stables were visited secretly, and the provender of 
 the animals being poisoned, they at once fell sick ; 
 speedily there appeared the Gitanos, offering their 
 services on the condition of no cure no pay, and when 
 these were accepted, the malady was speedily re- 
 moved. They used no medicines, or pretended not 
 to, but charms only, which consisted of small variegated 
 beans, called, in their language, bobis, coming from a 
 Russian word signifying beans. These beans they 
 dropped into the mangers, though they doubtless 
 administered privately a real and effcacious remedy. 
 
FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 73 
 
 By these means they fostered the idea, already preva- 
 lent, that they were people possessed of supernatural 
 gifts and powers. By means of drao, they likewise 
 procured themselves food; poisoning swine, as their 
 brethren in England still do, and then feasting on the 
 flesh, the poison only affecting the head of the animal, 
 which was abandoned as worthless ; witness one of 
 their own songs : — 
 
 " By Gypsy draw the porker died ^ 
 I saw him stiff at evening tide ; 
 Bat I saw him not when morning shone, 
 For the Gypsies ate him, flesh and bone." 
 
 By drao, also, they could avenge themselves on their 
 enemies by destroying their cattle, without incurring 
 a shadow of suspicion. Revenge for injuries, real or 
 imaginary, is sweet to all unconverted minds — to no 
 one more than the Gypsy, who, in all parts of the 
 world, is, perhaps, the most revengeful of human 
 beings. 
 
 But if' the Gitanos are addicted to any one super- 
 stition above others, it is in respect to the loadstone, 
 to which they attribute all kinds of miraculous powers. 
 They believe that he who is in possession of it has 
 nothing to fear from steel or lead, from fire or water, 
 and that death itself has no power over him. The 
 Gypsy contrabandists are particularly anxious to pro- 
 cure this stone, which they carry upon their persons 
 in their expeditions. They say, that in the event of 
 their being pursued by the revenue officers, whirlwinds 
 of dust will arise and conceal them from the view of 
 their enemies ; the horse stealers say much the same 
 thing, and assert that they are uniformly successful 
 when they bear about them the precious stone. But 
 7 
 
74 FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 
 
 it is said by them to effect much more. It is extraor- 
 dinary in exciting the amorous propensities, and on 
 this account it is in great request among the Gypsy 
 hags. All these women are procuresses, and find 
 persons of both sexes weak and wicked enough to 
 jnake use of their pretended knowledge in the compo- 
 sition of love draughts and decoctions. 
 
 In the Museum of Natural Curiosities at Madrid, 
 there is a large piece of loadstone, originally extracted 
 from the American mines. There is scarcely a Gitana 
 in Madrid who is not acquainted with this circum- 
 stance, and who does not long to obtain the stone, 
 or a part of it. Several attempts have been made 
 to steal it, all of which, however, have been unsuc- 
 cessful. 
 
 A translation of the Gospel of St. Luke was printed 
 in the Gypsy language, at Madrid, in 1838. The 
 chapters were read over and explained to some of 
 these strange people, by the, late agent of the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society, in Spain. They said it was 
 lacho, and jiu:al, and viisto, all of which words express 
 approval of the quality of a thing ; and they purchased 
 copies of the Gypsy Luke freely. The women were 
 particulariy anxious to obtain copies, though unable 
 to read ; but each wished to have one in her pocket, 
 especially when engaged in thieving expeditions, for 
 they all looked upon it in the light of a charm, which 
 would preserve them from all danger and mischance ; 
 some even went so far as to say, that in this respect 
 it was equally as efficacious as the Bar Lachi, or 
 loadstone, which they are generally so eager to possess. 
 Of this Gospel, five hundred copies were printed, the 
 greatest part of which were circulated among the 
 
FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS. 75 
 
 Gypsies ; but it was speedily prohibited by a royal 
 ordinance, which appeared in the Gazette of Madrid, 
 in August, 1838. 
 
 Before closing, under this head, we will remark that, 
 although the Gypsies in general are a kind of wander- 
 ing outcasts, incapable of appreciating the blessings 
 of a settled and civilized life, yet among the Gypsies 
 of Moscow there are not a few who inhabit stately 
 houses, go abroad in elegant equipages, and are not a 
 whit behind the higher order of Russians in appear- 
 ance, nor in mental acquirements. To the female part 
 of the Gypsy colony of Moscow is to be attributed the 
 merit of this partial rise from abjectness and degrada- 
 tion, having from time immemorial so successfully cul- 
 tivated the vocal art, that, though in the midst of a nation 
 by whom song is more cherished and cultivated, and its 
 principles better understood, than by any other of the 
 civilized globe, the Gypsy choirs of Moscow are, by the 
 general voice of the Russian public, admitted to be 
 unrivalled in that most amiable of all accomplish- 
 ments. It is a fact, notorious in Russia, that the 
 celebrated Catalini was so enchanted with the voice 
 of one of these Gypsy songsters, who, after the former 
 had displayed her noble Italian talent before a splendid 
 audience at Moscow, stepped forward, and with arf 
 astonishing burst of almost angelic melody, so en- 
 raptured ever^ ear, that even applause forgot its duty, 
 and the noble Catalini immediately tore from her 
 own shoulders a shawl of Cashmere, which had been 
 presented to her by the Father of Rome, and embra- 
 cing the Gypsy, insisted on her acceptance of the splen- 
 did gift, saying, that it had been intended for the 
 matchless songster, which she now perceived she her- 
 self was not. 
 
76 OMENS, CHARMS, AND DIVINATION. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 OMENS, 
 
 . Many books have been published, having a tendency 
 to deceive the credulous, who suffer themselves to be 
 guided by any thing but reason and experience. 
 Hence the encouragement bestowed on works of 
 enchantment, dreams, omens, and fate. Mankind 
 have always discovered a propensity to peep behind 
 the veil of futurity, and have been lavish of money 
 in consulting persons and books that make a preten- 
 sion of unravelling the decrees of Fate, which lie 
 hidden in the labyrinths of darkness. From these 
 sources have arisen the following superstitions, as a 
 sample of the many that have disturbed the peace of 
 individuals, families, and sometimes of whole com- 
 munities. 
 
 " A coal in the shape of a coffin, flying out of the 
 fire to any particulEir person, denotes his death is not 
 far off. A collection of tallow rising up against the 
 wick of a candle is called a winding-sheet, and deemed 
 an omen of mortality. If, in eating, you miss your 
 mouth, and the food falls, it is very unlucky, and 
 denotes sickness. To dream you are dressed in black 
 is an unlucky omen. Some quarrel is about to happen 
 between you and a friend or relative. Sickness is 
 about to attend your family. Death will deprive you 
 of some friend or relation. Lawsuits will perplex 
 and harass you. If you undertake a journey, it will 
 be unsuccessful. If you are in love, it denotes that 
 your sweethcEirt is very unhappy, and that sickness 
 
OMENS, CHARMS, AND DIVINATION. 77 
 
 will attend her. K you are a farmer, your crops will 
 fail, the murrain will attack your cattle, and some 
 dreadful accident wiU happen by the overturning of 
 one of your wagons. If you are in business, some 
 one will arrest you, and you wiU have great difficulty 
 in settling the matter. To dream of hen and chickens 
 is the forerunner of iU luck. Your sweetheart will 
 betray you and marry another. If you go to law, 
 the case will be decided against you. If you go to 
 sea, you will lose your goods, and narrowly escape 
 shipwreck. To dream of coals denotes much afflic- 
 tion and trouble. If you are in love, your sweetheart 
 will prove false, and do every thing to injure you. 
 To dream you see the coals extinguished, and reduced 
 to cinders, denotes the death of yourself, or some near 
 friend or relation. It also indicates great losses, and 
 forewarns you of beggary and a prison. To dream 
 you are married is ominous of death. It also denotes 
 poverty, a prison, and misfortunes. To dream of 
 lying with your newly-married husband or wife 
 denotes danger and sudden misfortunes." 
 
 Popular charms are equally absurd and nonsensical. 
 For example, a ring made of the hinge of a cof- 
 fin is good for the cramp. A halter with which a 
 man has been hanged, if tied about the head, will 
 cure the headache. A drop of blood of a blacl?; 
 cat cures convulsions in children. If a tree of any 
 kind be split, and weak, rickety, or ruptured children 
 are drawn through it, and afterwards the tree is bound 
 together, so as to make it unite — as the tree heals 
 and grows together, so will the child acquire strength. 
 If in a family the youngest daughter be married before 
 her older sisters, they must all dance at her ws'dciing 
 7* 
 
78 OMENS, CHAEMS, AND DIVINATION. 
 
 without shoes, to counteract their ill luck, and procure 
 themselves husbands. And to procure luck when a 
 person goes out to transact business, you must throw 
 an old shoe after him. To spit on the first money re- 
 ceived for the price of goods sold on any day will pro- 
 cure luck. And that boxers must spit in their hands 
 before they set to, for luck's sake. 
 
 Seamen have a superstition that if they whistle in 
 a storm, the storm will be increased. And in time of 
 a calm, they practise whistling to call the wind, as 
 they term it. Among farmers, in setting a hen, it is 
 deemed lucky to use an odd number of eggs. Among 
 soldiers, salutes with cannon must be of an odd num- 
 ber. A royal salute is thrice seven, or twenty-one 
 guns. Healths are drank odd. Yet the number thiV' 
 teen is sometimes deemed ominous ; it being supposed 
 that when thirteen persons meet in a room, one of 
 them will die within the year. To know whether a 
 woman shall have the man she desires, it is directed 
 to get two lemon peels, and wear them* all day, one in 
 each pocket, and at night rub the four posts of the bed- 
 stead with them. If she is ,to succeed, the person 
 will appear to her in her sleep, and present her with a 
 couple of lemons. If not, there is no room for hope. 
 And again the fair ones are directed to take a piece 
 of wedding cake, draw it thrice through the wedding 
 ring, lay it under their pillow, and they will certainly 
 dream of their future husbands. A thousand other 
 equally successful methods have been proposed to 
 solve the mysteries of future fortune ; and yet the 
 magical stone, that will turn sill our schemes into 
 wished-for realities, remains to be discovered. As 
 time advances, and knowledge pervades the abodes 
 
MODERN MIRACLES. 
 
 79 
 
 of darkness and ignorance, all this trumpery of 
 ghosts, witches, fairies, tricks, and- omens will go 
 down to the "tomb of the Capulets." People will 
 be able to pass through the churchyard, sleep in an 
 old house, though the wind whistle ever so shrill, 
 without encountering any supernatural visitations. 
 They will become wise enough to trace private and 
 public calamities to other causes than the crossing of 
 knives, the click of an insect, or even the portentous 
 advent of a comet. Thanks to the illustrious names 
 recorded in the annals of science and letters, who 
 have contributed towards so happy a consummation. 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 MODERN MIRACLES. 
 
 There are some who profess to believe in modern 
 miracles. But such belief necessarily partakes of su- 
 perstition. The Savior gave no intimation that mira- 
 cles should continue after the establishment of Chris- 
 tianity. He promised to be with his apostles even 
 imto the end of that age. He declared that all who 
 believed their instructions should also have power to 
 cast out devils, heal diseases, speak with new tongues, 
 and withstand any deadly thing. But his promise 
 did not extend beyond the immediate converts of the 
 apostles. And we have no satisfactory evidence that 
 miracles were wrought by any but these ; while we 
 have abundant testimony that our Savior's promise 
 
80 MODERN MIRACLES. 
 
 was literally fulfilled. In fact, there was no necessity 
 for miracles after the establishment of Christianity. 
 They were first wrought as so many testimonies that 
 Jesus was the sent of God; and at the same time, 
 were so many significant emblems of his designs, so 
 many types and figures, aptly representing the benefits 
 to be conferred upon the human race. But they were 
 not designed to be perpetuated ; for a history of di- 
 vine revelation was committed to writing, and trans- 
 lated into the prevailing languages of the civilized 
 world. K any could be so obstinate as not to be con- 
 vinced of its divine origin by the mass of evidence 
 with which it was accompanied, neither would they 
 believe, though one should rise from the dead. 
 
 Pretended modern miracles admit of an easy ex- 
 planation on natural principles. Diseases have been 
 suddenly healed ; but imagination effected the cure. 
 Visions, ghosts, and apparitions have been seen ; but 
 they existed only in the minds of the observers, and 
 were caused by some mental or bodily operation. 
 But nothing of this kind can be said of the miracles 
 of Christ. His cannot be accounted for on any 
 natural principles, but must have been caused by di- 
 vine miraculous agency. 
 
 Modern miracles are not supported by satisfactory 
 evidence. They have been mostly wrought in secret. 
 No witnesses can be produced but the most inter- 
 ested. This was not the case with those of our 
 Savior. They were performed openly, and in the 
 presence of friends and enemies. They could not be 
 deceptions ; for the resurrection of a dead person 
 could be tested by the evidence of the senses. The 
 remark of Judge Howe may be appropriately Intro- 
 
PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 81 
 
 duced in this connection. He had thoroughly and im- 
 partially studied the evidences of Christianity, and a 
 firm belief in its divine origin was the result. He ob- 
 served that no jury could be found that would give a 
 verdict against Christianity, if the evidences on both 
 sides could be fairly presented before them, and they 
 were governed in forming their opinion by the com- 
 mon rules of belief. The truth of this observation is 
 confirmed by the fact, that candid inquirers after 
 truth have uniformly risen from an examination of the 
 evidences of Christianity believers in its divine origin. 
 The same cannot be said of modern miracles. No 
 jury could be obtained of disinterested persons, who 
 would give a verdict in their favor. Therefore we 
 have no satisfactory evidence of their reality. Our 
 safest course is to admit the conclusion of eminent 
 writers of all denominations, namely, that miracles 
 ceased with the first converts of Christianity. 
 
 CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 
 
 Many have professed a belief in the divine inspira- 
 tion of some one of the many false prophets or Christs 
 that have appeared in different ages of the church. 
 In the year 1"830, there was a man in this country, 
 calling himself Matthias, who declared that he was 
 the very Christ, and pretended that he had come to 
 judge the world. And strange as it may seem, he 
 
82 PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 
 
 was attended by some individuals of quite respectable 
 standing, who worshipped him as God ! He appeared 
 in pontifical robes, with his rule in his right hand, and 
 his two-edged swcJrd in the left. Underneath a rich 
 olive broadcloth cloak, lined and faced with silk and 
 velvet, he wore a brown frock coat, with several stars 
 on each breast, and a splendid golden star on his left 
 breast. His belt was of white cloth fastened by a 
 golden clasp, surmounted by an eagle. He occasion- 
 ally put on a cocked hat, of black beaver, trimmed 
 with green, the rear angle being surmounted by the 
 golden symbol of glory. 
 
 On being asked where his residence was, and what 
 was his occupation, he replied, " I am a traveller, and 
 my legal residence is Zion HUl, Westchester county, 
 New York ; I am a Jewish teacher and priest of the 
 Most High, saying and doing all that I do, under oath, 
 by virtue of my having subscribed to all the covenants 
 that God hath made with man from the beginning up 
 to this time. I am .chief high priest of the Jews of 
 the order of Melchizedec, being the last chosen of the 
 twelve apostles, and the first in the resurrection which 
 is at the end of 2300 years from the birth of Maho- 
 met, which terminated in 1830, that being the summit 
 of the power of the false prophets. I am now de- 
 nouncing judgment on the Gentiles, and that judg- 
 ment is to be executed in this age. All the blood 
 fi-om Zacharias till the death of the last witness 
 is required of this generation. Before this genera- 
 tion passeth away, this judgment shaJl be executed 
 and declared. The hour of God's judgment is come." 
 
 Matthias commenced his public career in Albany; 
 but not making many converts there, he soon removed 
 
PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 83 
 
 to the city of New York. Here he met with but little 
 success for some time ; but it appears that in the 
 autumn of 1832, he had succeeded in ingratiating 
 himself into the favor of a number of individuals, 
 among whom were three of the most wealthy and re- 
 spectable merchants of Pearl Street. He represented 
 himself to them to be the Spirit of Truth, whjch had 
 disappeared from the earth at the death of Matthias 
 mentioned in the New Testament, and that the spirit 
 of Jesus Christ entered into that Matthias whom he 
 now represented, having risen again from the dead. 
 This blasphemous impostor pretended to possess the 
 spirit of Jesus of Nazareth, and that he now, at his 
 second appearance of the spirit, was the Father, and 
 had power to do all things, forgiving sins, and com- 
 municating the Holy Ghost to such as believed on 
 him. And what was most astonishing and unparal- 
 leled, these men, who were before professors of the 
 Christian religion, were blind enough to believe and 
 confide in all he imposed on them. 
 
 So completely did he succeed in deluding these 
 men, and in impressing them with the belief that he 
 was actually a high priest of the order of the mysteri- 
 ous Melchizedec, upon a divine mission to establish 
 the kingdom of God upon the earth, that he obtained 
 entire control over them and their estates. " I know 
 the end of all things," he would assert, illustrating it 
 by placing a piece of paper in a drawer, leaving one 
 end upon the outside, and saying, " You can see but 
 one end of the paper, and so the world sees ; but I 
 see the whole length of it — I see the end." 
 
 Whenever he saw fit to call upon his dupes to con- 
 tribute of their substance for his support and the pro- 
 
84 PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 
 
 motion of the kingdom he was about to establish, he 
 did so ; and if they refused to provide him whatever 
 money he desired, he threatened to visit upon them 
 (which he declared he had the power to do) the 
 wrath of the Almighty. But if they believed in him 
 and obeyed him in all things, he promised them that 
 they should be called into the kingdom, and he would 
 forgive all their sins, and they should enjoy eternal 
 happiness. Impudent and blasphemous as such lan- 
 guage and pretensions truly were, the intended effect 
 was produced, and the prophet received new encour- 
 agement by the gratification of pecuniary abundance. 
 This object gained, he was enabled to adorn his per- 
 son with costly apparel, and to obtain other appurte- 
 nances and furniture which he thought were neces- 
 sary, that all things might correspond to the nature 
 and dignity of the office which he had assumed. 
 
 In August, 1833, two of his friends and proselytes, 
 Messrs. Pierson and Folger, were residing at Sing 
 Sing, Westchester county. Thither, about that time, 
 Matthias repaired, and took up his residence with 
 Mr. Folger and family. In a week or two, Matthias 
 came to the conclusion that their dweUing-place did 
 not correspond with his character, and accordingly 
 suggested to Folger and Pierson that it was their 
 duty to hire, for his use, a house which he might con- 
 secrate wholly to himself. In this he was accommo- 
 dated, not only without any hesitation, but with the 
 acknowledgment that the request was reasonable. 
 Soon after this, it appeared to Matthias's mind, that 
 his habitation should not be subject to worldly inter- 
 ests or infidel intrusion ; and he accordingly presumed 
 to require of his two obedient followers the purchase of 
 
PRETENDED PEOPHETS AND CHRISTS. 85 
 
 a house to be exclusively his own. With this re- 
 quest they agreed to comply. Before it was accom- 
 plished, however, Matthias manifested some new at- 
 tribute of his character, and accompanied the revela- 
 tion by an effort to make Folger believe that the 
 house in which he then resided at Sing Sing, and had 
 purchased some time previous for the use of himself 
 and family, was purchased at the instigation of the 
 Spirit of Truth, for him, Matthias — Folger having 
 been the instrument under the influence of that Spirit 
 for that purpose ! So complete was Matthias's con- 
 trol, that Folger believed even this ! And having re- 
 sided with Messrs. Folger and Pierson about two 
 months, he took this house, thus miraculously pur- 
 chased, into his own especial charge. Matthias then 
 required these gentlemen to give him an account of 
 their property, and having obtained this statement, 
 which exhibited their easy circumstances, he required 
 both of them to enter into an agreement to support 
 him, assuring them they should receive the blessing 
 of God by so doing. This agreement was according- 
 ly entered into, and Matthias enjoyed the full benefits 
 of it for several months, when Mr. Folger became 
 bankrupt. His wants were afterwards supplied by 
 Pierson, until the death of Mr. P., which took place 
 under very suspicious circumstances. It seems that a 
 short time previous to this melancholy event, and 
 while Mr. Pierson was yet in health, Matthias pre- 
 vailed upon him to assign him his whole estate. 
 And it seemed, by Matthias's account on his examina- 
 tion, that Messrs. Folger, Pierson, and Mills frequent- 
 ly declared to him that they believed him to be the 
 Father, and that he was qualified to establish God's 
 8 
 
86 PRETENDKD PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 
 
 kingdom on earth, and that Zion Hill, which was the 
 place miraculously purchased at Sing Sing, was 
 'transferred to him for that purpose, together with 
 horses, carriages, and furniture of a house in Third 
 Street, New York — that it was also agreed that the 
 house and lot in Third Street should be conveyed to 
 him, and that Mr. Pierson directed a deed to be made 
 out accordingly, but died before it was compjeted. 
 He still considered the property as his own for the 
 original purpose, and considered it the beginning of 
 the establishment of the kingdom. It is certain that 
 Mr. Pierson was suddenly taken sick, and it was be- 
 lieved to be immediately after this contract was made. 
 He fell under the care of Matthias, who would neither 
 allow his friends to visit him, nor to call medical aid, 
 declaring himself to " have power of life and death." 
 Mr. Pierson's body having been removed to New Jer- 
 sey for interment, a post mortem examination was 
 held by four respectable physicians, all of whom cer- 
 tified that they found in the stomach a " large quanti- 
 ty of an unwholesome and deadly substance." Mat- 
 thias was therefore arrested with the charge of haying 
 poisoned Mr. Pierson, on which he gave bail for ap- 
 pearance at court. 
 
 Soon after this, he went to the city of New York, 
 and entering the family of Mr. Folger, resided with 
 them for several months ; but the mysterious death of 
 Mr. Pierson, and the attending circumstances, having 
 shaken the confidence of Mr. Folger and his family, 
 they began to be conscious of their delusion, and 
 resolved to abandon Matthias and his principles. On 
 announcing their determination to him, he resorted to 
 his old practice of threats and promises, and told them 
 
PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 87 
 
 they must not throw him destitute on the world ; that, 
 if they did so, the blessing of God would depart from 
 them, and sickness and perhaps death would follow ; 
 but if they gave him moriey to support him, the bless- 
 ing of God should continue to them. Mr. Folger 
 having become bankrupt, Matthias perhaps was will- 
 ing to leave him — not, however, without having first 
 insisted on a supply of money, which he obtained to 
 the amount of six hundred and thirty dollars, and im- 
 mediately left the city. On the morning of that day, 
 Matthias partook of a very little breakfast, and scarcely 
 tasted of the coffee, alleging, as an excuse, that he was 
 ill. Immediately after breakfast, Mr. Folger, his wife, 
 and children were taken sick. Mr. Folger did not sus- 
 pect the cause of their illness, until after Matthias had 
 left the city, when, upon examination, he learned that 
 the black woman who did the cooldng for the family 
 had also abstained from the use of coffee that morning; 
 and from other circumstances he became confirmed 
 that the woman was bribed by Matthias to poison the 
 family. The effort was unsuccessful, the poison pro- 
 ducing but a temporary effect. This nefarious transac- 
 tion induced Mr. Folger to procure the arrest of Mat- 
 thias, firmly convinced, at this melancholy stage, that 
 he was a base impostor. 
 
 The third gentleman named as one of the dupes of 
 Matthias became a lunatic under the unfortunate 
 delusion. But on a removal to the country, and from 
 the influence of the " prophet," he recovered, and be- 
 came convinced of his lamentable error. 
 
 In the sequel, it appeared that Matthias had received 
 in the aggregate, from these gentlemen, about ten 
 thousand dollars in money, and negotiable paper, which 
 
8o PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 
 
 he appropriated in furnishing the establishment at Zion 
 Hill and in Third Street. And by whatever means he 
 obtained money, it is evident he used it for the wUdest 
 and most extravagant purposes. His wardrobe was 
 most bountifully supplied with new boots, shoes, and 
 pumps ; linen shirts of the most exquisite fineness, the 
 wristbands fringed with delicate lace ; silk stockings, 
 handkerchiefs, and gloves; coats embroidered with 
 gold ; merino morning dresses ; and two caps made of 
 linen cambric, folded in the form of a mitre, richly em- 
 broidered, one with the names of the twelve apostles 
 written around it, and " Jesus Matthias " adorning the 
 front in prominent characters, the other surrounded 
 with the names of the twelve tribes, the front like the 
 other. With his two-edged sword (with gold chain 
 and mountings) he was to destroy the Gentiles, as 
 Gideon did the- Midianites. With his six feet rule 
 he was to measure the New Jerusalem, "the gates 
 thereof, and the walls thereof," and divide it into lots 
 for those who believed on him, and obeyed the Spirit 
 of Truth, as it came from him, the trumpet. With the 
 golden key which he possessed, he was to unlock the 
 gates of paradise. 
 
 Somewhat versed in the rites and antiquities of the 
 Jews, this impostor united with a quick and active 
 mind a considerable cunning, a fluent speech, and a 
 vast amount of persevering impudence, and endeav- 
 ored to impress his dogmas by assuming a sanctified 
 and uncompromising air, and by invariably fixing 
 upon his victim his remarkably fierce and penetrating 
 eyes. He reasoned plausibly and ingeniously, and 
 was exceedingly subtle at evasion. Although he never 
 could have obtained an extensive and permanent influ- 
 
PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 89 
 
 ence, even if his knavery had not been detected, since 
 his schemes were too wild and incoherent, and his 
 demands too absurd to produce an effect that would 
 endure beyond his actual and immediate presence, yet 
 that his blasphemous pretensions should have gained 
 any credence among intelligent minds is to be greatly 
 lamented. The whole history of these transactions 
 wiU form a dark page in the records of modern fanat- 
 icism, and will present an enduring but melancholy 
 evidence of the weakness of human nature. 
 
 As an excuse for the conduct of Matthias, or Mat- 
 thews, which was his real name, he was supposed by 
 some to be laboring under monomania, partly hered- 
 itary and partly superinduced by religious fanaticism 
 and frenzy. Still, he was not without " method in his 
 madness ; " and it seems evident that, with a tinge of 
 insanity, he was also much of a knave, and probably 
 a dupe in part to his own imposture. During his 
 confinement in jail, awaiting his trial for the alleged 
 murder of Mr. Pierson, Matthias issued a decree, com- 
 manding all the farmers to lay aside their ploughs, 
 declaring, "As I live, there shall be no more sowing in 
 the earth untU I, the twelfth and last of the apostles, 
 am delivered out of the house of bondage." He also 
 prophesied that if he were convicted, White Plains 
 should be destroyed by an earthquake, and not an 
 inhabitant be left to tell the tale of its destruction ; 
 and strange to say, men were not found wanting who 
 believed in his absurd and blasphemous predictions. 
 On trial, the physicians who had examined the stom- 
 ach of the deceased were led to suspect poison, but 
 could not say positively that poison had been admin- 
 istered ; whereupon the prisoner was discharged, on the 
 8* 
 
90 PRETENDED PROPHETS AND. CHRISTS. 
 
 ground that no evidence had been produced to convict 
 him either of murder or manslaughter. In the case of 
 his arrest at the instigation of Mr. Folger, that gentle- 
 man afterwards wrote to the district attorney, request- 
 ing him to dismiss the case, it not appearing to be an 
 indictable one, and declaring, that the day — " so far 
 as passing himself for a pure and upright man — has 
 passed, and there is no danger of his imposing upon 
 any one here or elsewhere." In a letter written by 
 Mr. Folger, dated New York, Nov. 8, 1834, and pub- 
 lished in the Commercial Advertiser, Mr. Folger says, 
 " My object is now to rid myself of him and aU con- 
 nected with him, with as little trouble as possible. Mr. 
 Pierson, myself, and family have been deeply, very 
 deeply deluded, deceived, and imposed upon ; and I 
 regret exceedingly that the former could not have been 
 spared to witness the deep deception. We are sensi- 
 ble of our error — we repent it sincerely ; and although 
 we cannot expect to recover, at present, the situation 
 which we held in society previous to om- acquaintance 
 with this vile creature, yet in time we shall be able to 
 show that we are enemies to him, and aU who under- 
 take to sustain him in his wickedness and plans to 
 destroy us." 
 
 For closeness of resemblance, in many striking fea- 
 tures, to the case of Matthias, was that of the Anabap- 
 tists of Munster, in Germany, which excited the won- 
 der of Europe during the early part of the seventeenth 
 century, and of which such strange accounts are to be 
 found in the histories of that epoch. The similarity 
 between the principal of this sect, known as John of 
 Leyden, and Matthews, not only in doctrine, but in 
 worldly observance, in the passion for magnificence of 
 
PRETENDED PROPHETS AN'D CHRISTS. 91 
 
 apparel and luxurious living, and in the rites and cer- 
 emonies exacted by each, is so remarkable as almost to 
 lead to the conclusion that the latter had formed himself 
 and his creed upon the model of his ancient prototype. 
 The number of deluded proselytes who blindly followed 
 the dictates of the Anabaptist leader was at one time 
 so great, and their power so formidable, that several 
 princes of Germany united against them ; and it was 
 not until after a vigorous siege, and an obstinate 
 resistance, that the city of Munster, of which the 
 fanatics had obtained complete possession, was taken 
 and their power broken down. 
 
 This John of Leyden wore upon his head a triple 
 crown of gold, richly adorned with gems. Around his 
 neck he wore, suspended by a golden chain, an orna- 
 ment of gold, representing the terrestrial globe, with a 
 cross, and two swords, one of gold, the other of silver, 
 with the inscription, " King of Righteousness over 
 the whole world." He also assumed the title of " the 
 Father," and he required all his followers to pledge 
 themselves to do his will, and, if necessary, to suffer 
 death at his command, or in his defence and service. 
 He enjoined and enforced a community of goods, a 
 surrender of all possessions, land, money, arms, and 
 merchandise to him, as the Father and Lord of all, 
 to be employed by him in the universal establishment 
 of his kingdom; and he denounced the vengeance of 
 Heaven and eternal damnation on all such as refused 
 to believe in him and do his will. All churches and 
 convents he commanded to be destroyed, the priests 
 denounced as children of darkness, and all sovereigns 
 he would put to death. He proclaimed the nullity 
 of all marriages, except such as were solemnized by 
 
92 PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 
 
 himself or his own prophets, but enjoined polygamy, 
 himself setting the example. Each of his principal 
 followers had from six to eight wives, and both men 
 and women were compelled to marry. He taught 
 that no man understood the Scriptures but himself, or 
 those whom he enlighte.ned with his spririt, and all 
 the prophecies in the Old Testament, relating to the 
 Savior, he applied to himself, and proclaimed their 
 fulfilment in the establishment of his kingdom. 
 
 In our own country, the most surprising instance of 
 imposture and delusion, perhaps, that has occurred, 
 was that of the Cochranites, whose enormities in licen- 
 tiousness made so much stir in Maine and New Hamp- 
 shire a few years since. Cochrane was an officer in 
 the army, thrown out of commission by the reduction 
 of the military establishment of the United States, 
 after the conclusion of the last war with England. 
 Having become poor and penniless, he left Portland, 
 and struck off into the - country, seeking his fortune, 
 and caring not whither he went. One day, as night 
 drew on, he found himself near a farm house, weary 
 and hungry, and without a penny to purchase a mouth- 
 ful of food or the use of a pillow for the night. The 
 thought struck him suddenly of throwing himself upon 
 the hospitality of the farmer, for the occasion, in the • 
 character of a minister. Introducing himself as such 
 to the family, he was cordially received, and as the 
 country was new and destitute of clergymen, the good 
 people forthwith despatched messengers to the neigh- 
 bors, that a minister had come among them, and in- 
 vited them in to attend a meeting. The impostor had 
 not anticipated so speedy a trial of his clerical charac- 
 ter ; but having assumed it, there was no escape — 
 
PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 93 
 
 he must act the part, for the time being, in the best 
 way he could. Being neither ignorant nor destitute of 
 talents, he succeeded in acquitting himself much bet- 
 ter than he had anticipated, and gave so much satis- 
 faction to his audience as to induce him to persevere 
 in the imposture he had commenced. As he acquired 
 skill and confidence by practice in his new vocation, 
 his popularity increased, and he soon found it a profit- 
 able occupation. He was followed by multitudes, 
 and it was not long before he announced himself as 
 some great one, and founded a new sect of religionists. 
 His command over the audiences which he addressed 
 is said to have been wonderful, and his influence over 
 his followers unbounded. It seemed as though he was 
 enabled to hold the victims of his impostures in a state 
 of enchantment. A professor in an eastern college 
 having heard of the wonderful sway which Cochrane 
 held over his disciples, and of the impressions he made 
 upon casual hearers, determined one evening to go and 
 witness his performances. While present, although a 
 very cool and grave personage, he said he felt some 
 strange, undefinable, mysterious influence creeping over 
 him to such a degree, that he was obliged actually to 
 tear himself away, in apprehension of the consequences. 
 This gentleman, however, was a believer in animal 
 magnetism, and was therefore inclined to attribute it 
 to that cause. It was said that if the impostor did 
 but touch the hand or neck of a female, his power 
 over her person and reason was complete. Conse- 
 quently it led to the most open and loathsome sensu- 
 ality. So atrocious was his conduct, that he seduced 
 great numbers of females, married and unmarried, 
 under the pretext of raising up a holy race of men. 
 
94 PRETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 
 
 The peace of many families was broken up, and the 
 village kept an establishment like a seraglio — a disgust- 
 ing and melancholy commentary upon the weakness 
 of human nature. His career, however, was but of 
 short duration. 
 
 A history of religious impostures would form a 
 library of itself. The human mind, in all ages and 
 countries, and under all forms of government and 
 religion, seems to have been wonderfully susceptible 
 of delusion and imposition upon that subject, which, 
 of aU others, is the most important for time and 
 eternity. The court of Egypt was deluded by the 
 impostors who undertook to contend with Moses. 
 And the chosen people themselves, notwithstanding 
 the direct disclosures which the Most High had made 
 of himself, in all their wonderful history, were prone 
 to turn aside from the worship of the true God, to 
 follow the lying spirits of the prophets of Baal and 
 other deceivers, from the days of Moses till the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem. So, likewise, tinder the Christian 
 dispensation, from the defection of Simon Magus to 
 the wild delirium of Edward Irving, there have been 
 a succession of Antichrists, until their name is legion 
 — pretenders to divine missions, the power of working 
 miracles, the gift of tongues — perverting the Scrip- 
 tures, leading astray siUy men and women — destroy- 
 ing the peace of families, throwing communities into 
 confusion, and firebrands into the church — clouding 
 the understandings, and blinding the moral percep- 
 tions of men, and subverting the faith of these even 
 whose mountains stood strong, and who had been 
 counted among the chosen people of God. " In the 
 last days," says the apostle Peter, " there shall come 
 
PKETENDED PROPHETS AND CHRISTS. 95 
 
 scoffers, walking after their own lusts," — "chiefly 
 them which walk after the flesh, in the lust of tin- 
 cleanness, and despise government ; presumptuous 
 are they, self-willed ; they are not afraid to speak evil 
 of dignities ; sporting themselves in their own deceiv- 
 ings, having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot 
 cease from sin ; beguiling unstable souls ; for when 
 they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure 
 through the flesh, through much wantonness, those 
 that were clean escaped from them who live in error ; 
 while they promise them liberty, they themselves are 
 the servants of corruption." Jude also admonishes us 
 " to remember that they were foretold as mockers, 
 who should be in the last time, who should walk after 
 their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate 
 themselves, sensual, not having the Spirit." 
 
 It is wonderful to observe with what precision these 
 prophecies have been fulfilled by the clouds of im- 
 postors who have appeared — " spoken great swollen 
 words of vanity," and fallen — since the inspired sen- 
 tences were uttered. And it may be regarded as one 
 of the evidences of the truth of inspiration, that, had 
 the long array of apostates and deceivers actually 
 stood before the sacred penmen, at the time of their 
 writing, their characters all naked before them, the 
 likenesses, from the first Christian apostate to the 
 sensual Mormons, could not have been drawn with 
 greater fidelity. The " Truth of God," distinctly 
 set forth in the book of Revelation, is an infallible 
 criterion by which to test the true character of any 
 religious opinion Or practice ; nor can any radical or 
 fundamental error long escape detection, when sub- 
 jected to this plain and unerring standard. 
 
96 
 
 MORMON SUPERSTITION. 
 
 CHAPTER Xni. 
 
 MORMON SUPERSTITION. 
 
 A CERTAIN Joseph Smith, Jr., pretended, a few years 
 ago, to have been directed by the Spirit of God to dig, 
 in a hill, in the township of Manchester, Ontario coun- 
 ty, New York, for a set of golden plates which were 
 there concealed, and upon which were inscribed sacred 
 records by the hands of Mormon. He obeyed the 
 direction and found the plates. The inscriptions upon 
 them were in an unknown tongue. But, by the special 
 power of the Spirit, Smith was enabled to translate 
 them. A volume containing these writings was soon 
 after published, constituting, in the whole, fifteen books, 
 purporting to have been written at different times, and 
 by the different authors whose names they respectively 
 bear. In these writings there seems to be a bungling 
 attempt to imitate the style of the sacred Scriptures. 
 But the attempt is manifestly unsuccessful. Nearly 
 two thirds of the paragraphs are introduced with the 
 phrase, "And it came to pass." In endeavoring to 
 preserve the solemn style of the Scriptures, there is 
 great disregard of grammatical propriety. We read, 
 " The Lord sayeth unto me, and I sayeth unto the 
 Lord." Perhaps a few extracts, selected at chance, 
 will give the reader a more correct idea of the general 
 style of the book than any remarks we might offer. 
 
 " And it came to pass that when they had arriven 
 in the borders of the land of the Lamanites." 
 
 " And it came to pass that I Nephi did make 
 bellowses wherewith to blow the fire." 
 
MOKMON SUPERSTITION. 97 
 
 " And it came to pass that Limhi and many of his 
 people was desirous to be baptized." 
 
 The Mormon preachers claim for themselves and the 
 members of their church the power of working miracles, 
 and of speaking with new tongues. They jabber with 
 some strange sounds, and call this the speaking with 
 tongues. They assert it as a fact, that among them 
 the dead have been raised, and the sick healed, as in 
 the days of Christ and his apostles. From these facta, 
 as they call them, they draw the conclusion that they 
 are the members of the true church of Christ. The 
 doctrine increases among men ; and well it may, for 
 there are circumstances in the condition and views of 
 those who embrace it which are calculated to secure 
 its success. In a large portion of the community there 
 is a great degree of ignorance in regard to the geog- 
 raphy of the sacred Scriptures, the manners and 
 customs of the Jews, and the natural history of the 
 Bible. There are many who read their Bibles daily, 
 and with true devotional feelings, it may be, who have 
 no idea that the places mentioned in sacred history, 
 like those mentioned in any other history, can be 
 traced on the map, can be found and visited at the 
 present day, although disguised under modern names. 
 It makes no part of their study of the Bible to ascer- 
 tain where the places mentioned are to be found, and 
 what they are now called. They have no idea that 
 the allusions to manners and customs, found in the 
 Bible, can be understood, through an acquaintance 
 with the practices and habits of the people described; 
 and, consequently, the study of Jewish manners and 
 customs makes no part of their preparation for under- 
 standing the Scriptures. They have no idea that the 
 9 
 
98 MORMON SUPERSTITION. 
 
 allusion in Scripture to facts in natural history can be 
 verified by an acquaintance with that science, and 
 therefore they make no exertions to understand the 
 natural history of the Bible. They do not take up 
 the Bible and read it with the expectation of being 
 able to understand it, in regard to these particulars, 
 as they would understand any other book. All such 
 are prepared, by their ignorance on these subjects, to 
 become the dupes of the Mormon delusion ; or, at 
 least, they are not prepared to withstand this delu- 
 sion. They open the Book of Mormon, claiming to 
 be a kind of appendix to the Bible. The paragraphs 
 begin with the phrase, " And behold it came to pass." 
 They read of the cities of Zarahemla, Gid, Mulek, 
 Corianton, and a multitude of others. They read 
 of prophets and preachers, of faith, repentance, and 
 obedience ; and having been accustomed, in reading 
 the Scriptures, to take all such things just as they are 
 presented, without careful examination, they can see 
 no reason why all this is not as much entitled to belief 
 as are the records of the Old and New Testaments. 
 But if, on the contrary, they were acquainted with the 
 geography and the natural history of the Bible, and 
 with the manners and customs of the nations there 
 mentioned, and especially if, in their reading of the 
 Scriptures, they were accustomed to examine carefully 
 into these points, they would at once perceive the 
 utter impossibility of identifjring the cities mentioned 
 in the Book of Mormon with any geographical traces 
 \«^hich they can now make. They would thus perceive 
 the deception, and be put on their guard. And then, 
 too, upon further examination, they would discover 
 that the manners and customs of the people, the senti- 
 
MORMON SUPERSTITION. 99 
 
 ments and disputes, are not such as belong to the 
 period of the world in which the people are represent- 
 ed to have lived ; that they take their coloring from 
 modern customs, from modern opinions and contro- 
 versies ; and, upon these discoveries, they would be 
 led to reject the whole as a fabrication. 
 
 Many are deceived in consequence of the fluency of 
 the preachers in warning sinners. They pray with 
 fervor ; the people are affected ; and the Spirit of God 
 is declared to be present, owning and blessing the 
 work. But there is deception here. It is but a few 
 years since the Cochrane delusion, as it is called, pre- 
 vailed in and around the village of Saco, Maine. 
 What gave that delusion so much success ? It was 
 because Cochrane spoke with great fluency, warned 
 sinners with great earnestness, and poured forth his 
 prayers with zealous fervor. The people became 
 affected ; many were in tears ; many sobbed aloud, 
 cried for mercy, and some became prostrate on the 
 floor. " Surely," it was remarked, " the doctrines 
 advanced by Cochrane must be true, the preaching of 
 them being so signally owned and blessed of God." 
 In this way, men of sound judgment in other respects 
 are carried away by false views and appearances, and 
 become the dupes of the most extravagant sentiments 
 and delusions. They become " zealously affected," 
 but it is not, as the apostle says, " in a good thing." 
 A correct knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, and of 
 proper principles in regard to the study of the Bible, 
 with sound and rational views of the nature of religion, 
 and of the influences of the Holy Spirit, will serve to 
 correct all such tendencies to error and deception. 
 
 From the best account that has been published 
 
100 MORMON SUPERSTITION. 
 
 respecting the origin of the Mormon Bible, it appears 
 that it was written by an individual named Solomon 
 Spaulding, some twenty-five years ago ; but without 
 the least intention, on the part of the author, of fi-am- 
 ing a system of delusion for his fellow-men. This 
 Spaulding was a native of Ashford, in Connecticut, 
 where he was distinguished, at an early age, for his 
 devotion to study, and for the superiority of his suc- 
 cess over that of his schoolmates. He received an 
 academic education, and commenced the study of law 
 at Windham ; but his mind inclining to religious sub- 
 jects, he abandoned the law, went to Dartmouth Col- 
 lege, prepared himself for the ministry, and was 
 regularly ordained. For some reasons unknown he 
 soon abandoned that profession, and established him- 
 self as a merchant at Cherry Valley, New York. Failing 
 in trade, he removed to Conneaut, in Ohio, where he 
 buUt a forge ; but again failed, and was reduced to 
 great poverty. While in this condition, he endeavored 
 to turn his education to account, by writing a book, 
 the sale of which he hoped would enable him to pay 
 his debts and support his family. The subject selected 
 by him was one well suited to his religious education. 
 It was an historical novel, containing an account of the 
 aborigines of America, who were supposed by some 
 to have descended from the ten tribes of Israel. 
 The work was entitled the " Manuscript Found," 
 and the history commenced with one Lehi, who lived 
 in the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judea, six hundred 
 years before the Christian era. Lehi, being warned 
 of Heaven of the dreadful calamities that were im- 
 pending over Jerusalem, abandoned his possessions, 
 and fled with his family to the wilderness. After 
 
MORMON SUPERSTITION. 101 
 
 wandering for some time, they arrived at the Red Sea, 
 and embarked on board a vessel. In this, after float- 
 ing about for a long time, they reached America, and 
 landed at the Isthmus of Darien. From the difTerent 
 branches of this family were made to spring all the 
 Indian nations of this continent. From time to time 
 they rose to high degrees of civilization and refine- 
 ment; but desolating wars among themselves scat- 
 tered and degraded them. .The Manuscript was writ- 
 ten in the style of the Bible, the old English style of 
 James the First. When the work was ready for the 
 press, Spaulding endeavored to obtain the pecuniary 
 assistance necessary for its publication, but his affairs 
 were in so low a condition that he could not succeed. 
 He then removed to Pittsburg, and afterwards to 
 Amity, in Pennsylvania, where he died. By some 
 means or other, the Manuscript fell into the hands of 
 Joseph Smith, Jr., who afterwards published it under 
 the name of the " Golden Bible." Smith was the son 
 of very poor and superstitious parents, and was for a 
 long time engaged in digging for Kidd's money, and 
 other feats of like description. Possessing considerable 
 shrewdness, he became somewhat skilled in feats of 
 necromancy and juggling. He had the address to 
 collect about him a gang of idle and credulous young 
 men, whom he employed in digging for hidden treas- 
 ures. It is pretended that, in one of the excavations 
 they made, the mysterious plates from which the 
 Golden Bible was copied were found. Such, briefly, 
 is the origin of the Mormon faith — a humbug to 
 which not a few, otherwise sensible men, have pinned 
 their hopes of happiness here and hereafter. 
 
 After the death of Joseph Smith, and shortly before 
 9* 
 
102 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 the Mormons were driven out from Illinois, many of 
 the disciples of the great impostor seceded and re- 
 fused to acknowledge the leadership of the knowing 
 twelve who becames his successors. Among them 
 were a very pious Mormon named McGhee Vanduzen, 
 and his wife Majia. They soon gave to the world an 
 exposition of the shameful manoeuvres attendant upon 
 Mormonism as a religion ; of the absurd and indecent 
 ceremonies which the unprincipled leaders of that 
 wicked imposture enforced upon their infatuated 
 disciples. Smith, and his associate leaders at Nauvoo, 
 evidently established these ceremonies for the base 
 purpose of enticing the more beautiful females among 
 his disciples to their ruin and disgrace. The shame- 
 ful character of the mysteries developed could lead to 
 no other conclusion. 
 
 Says the Boston Traveller, of April 21, 1852, 
 " The rapid spread of Mormonism is one of the mys- 
 teries of the age. A more barefaced delusion, except 
 that of the spiritual rappings, was never imposed on 
 the aU-swallowing credulity of mankind. Yet it has 
 gained adherents by thousands in Europe as well as 
 in the United States." 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 A MAN by the name of WUliam Miller published a 
 book in the year 1836, in which he undertook to show 
 that this earth would be destroyed in the year 1843. 
 
MILLER DELUSION. 103 
 
 His calculation, as to the transpiration of such an 
 event during the said year, is founded upon the proph- 
 ecy of Daniel, that the sanctuary should be cleansed I 
 in two thousand three hundred days. He 'took the 
 days to mean years, and began his reckoning from the 
 going forth of the commandment to restore Jerusalem, 
 mentioned in a subsequent vision. Why did he not 
 begin the reckoning from the date of the vision itself ? 
 Because this would not answer Mr. Miller's turn. To 
 tell the people that the earth was to be burned up 
 in 1747, would produce little or no excitement. He 
 must hit upon a time for the beginning which would 
 make the end yet future, in order to gratify his love 
 for the marvellous. 
 
 That Mr. Miller intended to manage his reckoning 
 of time to suit his own scheme, is obvious from his 
 different computations of time, to make his interpre- 
 tations of other prophecies comport with his applica- 
 tion of the two thousand three hundred days. Daniel 
 says, " And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall 
 be taken away, and the abomination that maketh 
 desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred 
 and ninety days." " Blessed is he that waiteth, and 
 Cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and 
 thirty days." Taking the thousand three hundred and 
 thirty-five days to reach from the taking away of the 
 daily sacrifice, and setting up the abomination that 
 maketh desolate, to the resurrection, he subtracts the 
 thousand three hundred and thirty-five from it, and 
 finds the remainder to be five hundred and eight, 
 which must, to suit his calculation, be the year of our 
 Lord in which the daily sacrifice should be taken 
 away, &c. Then, to get at the taking away of a daily 
 
1(M MILIAR DELUSION. 
 
 sacrifice, and the setting up of an abomination that 
 maketh desolate, which should come any where in the 
 neighborhood of this date, he makes the taking away 
 of the daily sacrifice to be the doing away of the pagan 
 worship in Rome, and the setting up the abomination 
 spoken of to be the commencement of the Papal 
 authority. This he sets at A. D. 508, without refer- 
 ence to fact, because his reckoning of prophetic time 
 brings it so. The truth is, that the pagan charac- 
 ter of Rome ceased soon after the conversion of the 
 Emperor Constantine to Christianity, which was 
 about A. D. 313. This makes about 195 years' dif- 
 ference in the age of the world, and brings it to an 
 end in 1648, over 200 years ago ! 
 
 But let us examine a little farther. Having come, 
 as we have shown, at A. D. 508, which, having taken 
 from the years of Christ's life 33, leaves 475 from the 
 death of Christ, he proceeds to add up: The 70 
 weeks, or 490 years, to the crucifixion of Christ, 490 ; 
 from the crucifixion of Christ to the taking away the 
 daily sacrifice, 475. And here are his time, times, and 
 half, which he takes to be the duration of the pagan 
 reign, i. e., three years and a hal^ which, taking a day 
 for a year, makes 1260. 
 
 Here, then, he has his whole time, down to the end 
 of his second or Papal transgression of desolation, 
 which he has all along held to be the end of the 
 world. But these several numbers added amount to 
 but 2225, 75 short of the 2300, reckoning from the 
 going forth of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. And 
 what now shall be done ? How shall the 75 years 
 be made up to bring the end of the world to 1843 ? 
 Why, he succeeds in finding two different numbers in 
 
MILLER DELUSION. 105 
 
 the 12th of Daniel, viz., 1290 and 1335. And noth- 
 ing is easier, when you have two different numbers, to 
 substract the less from the greater. This he does in 
 the present case, and finds the difference to be just 45. 
 Well, what of that ? Why, he says this is the time 
 which was to elapse between the destruction of the 
 great beast in his second or Papal character, and the res- 
 urrection ! He does not pretend that the vision men- 
 tions this, but so he fixes it. He is like a country 
 schoolmaster, who, not always finding it easy to 
 manage by rules, when a scholar would carry him a 
 sum which he could not work, he would look at the 
 answer in the book, and get the difference between 
 that and his own, and then he would slip in the ascer- 
 tained difference, somewhere in the operation, to be 
 added or substracted, as the case might require, to 
 bring the answer as he wished it. 
 
 But although he succeeded in finding 45 years, he 
 is still minus 30, for it brings out the end in 1813. 
 And how shall the other 30 years be found ? It must 
 be gotten somehow, for who will believe it as it now 
 stands ? Yet this extraordinary man meets with no 
 difficulty in finding the 30 years. In his pardde of 
 parts, of factors, to make up the great whole, he sets 
 down for the space between the putting down of the 
 Pagan power, to the setting up the same power, 30 
 years ! And how he gets this number there, no mor- 
 tal can tell. Yes, he tells us himself. 
 
 Considering himself so great a prophet, he seems 
 to think that his own suppositions will certainly pass 
 among others as good authority. He therefore un- 
 blushingly tells us that he supposes this 30 years. 
 Hear him, (page 96.) " Therefore, to reconcile these 
 
106 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 two statements, we must conclude there were 30 years 
 from A. D. 508, when paganism ceased, before the 
 image beast, or Papal Rome, would begin her reign. 
 Jf this is correct, then," &c. 
 
 Here, then, the foundation on which he keeps the 
 world standing from 1813 to 1843, is a simple if. 
 And to get in these supposititious 30 years, between the 
 death of the pagan and the life of the Papal beast, he 
 involves himself in a maze of absurdity. He makes 
 the taking away of the daily sacrifice to be the put- 
 ting an end to the Papal beast, that did daily sacrifice 
 to idol abominations. The little horn, by whom the 
 daily sacrifice was taken away, Mr. Miller takes to be 
 the Papal beast, or Catholic church. This beast takes 
 away the daily sacrifice, i. e., puts an end to the pa- 
 gan beast, and yet does not exist until 30 years after 
 the pagan beast is dead. This is truly an unheard- 
 of strait for a schemer to come to, to be obliged, in 
 order to bring out his reckoning, to get 30 years be- 
 tween the existence of two beasts, one of which kiUs 
 the other. The second beast slays the first, and per^ 
 forms many wonderful works, 30 years before he has 
 any existence \ No marvel that the man who could 
 see into such mysteries should imagine that he could 
 see the end of the world in 1843 ! 
 
 Mr. MiUer commits various other errors in his cal- 
 culations and dates, as, for instance, he states that 
 pagan Rome commenced 148 years before Chi-ist, 
 whereas Rome was founded by Romulus, as an inde- 
 pendent government, 752 years before Christ, being 
 pagan from its beginning. ' He dates the erection of 
 the Papal authority at A. D. 538. By the Papal 
 power he means, of course, — not the Papal doctrine, for 
 
MILLER DELUSION. 107 
 
 that existed much earlier than 538, — but the establish- 
 ment of the civil authority. And this was not until 
 about A. D. 750. 
 
 Indeed, Mr. Miller is palpably wrong in nearly all 
 his positions ; and the reason is, he is not looking for 
 facts, but for reckonings to fill out his own scheme. 
 And even in this, too, he fails. On page 109 of his 
 Course of Lectures, first published in 1836, speak- 
 ing of events to happen in 1839, he holds the follow- 
 ing language : " He that is filthy will be filthy still. 
 Mankind will, for a short season, give loose to all the 
 corrupt passions of the human heart. No laws, hu- 
 man or divine, will be regarded ; all authority will be 
 trampled under foot; anarchy will be the order of 
 government, and confusion fill the world with horror 
 and despair. Murder, treason, and crime will be com- 
 mon law, and division and disunion the only bond of 
 fellowship. Christians will be persecuted unto death, 
 and dens and caves of the earth will be their retreat. 
 All things which are not eternal will be shaken to 
 pieces, that which cannot be shaken may remain. 
 And this, if I am right in my calculations, will begin 
 on or before A. D. 1839. ' And at that time (1839) 
 thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be 
 found written in the book.' Now is come salvation 
 indeed. The people of God are now to be delivered 
 from .outward foes and inbred lusts, from the corrup- 
 tions of the grave and the vUeness of the flesh. 
 Every one, the poor and despised child of God, will 
 then (in 1839) be delivered when he makes up his 
 jewels.' " 
 
 Mr. Miller, in finding that things did not take place 
 as he prophesied, put a note in the end of his book, 
 
108 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 on the last page, stating that he had made a mistake 
 of one year in some of his computations, and hence 
 these things which he supposed would take place in 
 
 1839, according to the first computation, wiU not be 
 realized until the year 1840 ! And yet 1840 passed 
 over our heads, and these things did not take place. 
 On page 296 of his Lectures, he says the sixth vial 
 was poured out in 1822, when the Ottoman power be- 
 gan to be dried up. This he considered to be a very ' 
 important sign, indicating that we were on the very 
 brink of the judgment day. Here he introduces Rev. 
 xvi. 12. " And the sixth angel poured out his vial 
 upon the great River Euphrates ; and the waters there- 
 of were dried up, that the way of the kings of the earth 
 might be prepared." This preparation, Mr. M. says, is 
 for the last great battle, which will take place at the 
 pouring out of the seventh vial, in the year 1839 or 
 
 1840. " At the pouring out of the seventh vial, a voice 
 from the throne wiU pronounce the words, It is done. 
 The kingdoms of the earth and the governments of 
 the world will be carried away, and their places be 
 known no more." But these kingdoms still remain. 
 
 Mr. Miller's last assumption was, that Christ would 
 come in the spring of 1844, at the date corresponding 
 with the ending of the Jewish year for 43. Mr. M. 
 says, in his preface to his book, " If I have erred in 
 my exposition of the prophecies, the time, being so 
 near at hand, wiU soon expose my folly." He had al- 
 ready seen the folly of some of his computations, and 
 he seemed to fear lest it might prove the same in the 
 final result also. And this he soon experienced, as 
 may be seen by reading his confession, made at the 
 Tabernacle in Boston, on the evening of May 28, 
 
MILLER DELUSION. 109 
 
 1844. He there stated that what he had preached and 
 published respecting the coming of the Lord in 1843 
 was done honestiy ; ( !-) that he fully believed it ; but 
 that the time had now passed, and he was proved to 
 be mistaken; that when the time arrived and the 
 event did not take place, he felt bad — felt lonely — 
 thought he should never have any more to say in 
 public ; that he felt worse on the account of others 
 than he did for himself. He said there was an error 
 somewhere in his calculations, but he could not teU 
 where. He had now no definite time — he should 
 wait God's time : it might come in a day, it might 
 not come in fifty years ; he could not say exactly when ; 
 he was waiting. Thus the whole affair exploded — 
 came to nought ; although much evil in regard to Mr. 
 Miller's prophecies may yet be experienced in the 
 community. Some will yet cling most obstinately to 
 the system, and stiU maintain that Christ may be ex- 
 pected every day, hour, or minute, while others will 
 fix upon some other date within a short period of 
 time. They vnW. still refer us to certain signs in the 
 starry heavens, endeavoring to persuade the people to 
 believe that the whole machinery of nature is out of 
 joint, and that this is a certain precursor to the 
 speedy dissolution of the world. 
 
 One of the second advent preachers gave the startling 
 intelligence that "ffteen himdred stars had recently 
 faded from the vault of heaven." But what are the 
 facts ? Not more than thirteen stars are recorded in 
 the annals of astronomy as having been lost ; and so 
 far from having faded recently, some of them disap- 
 peared many ages since. It is not even certain that 
 10 
 
110 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 any stars have been blotted out. There are nearly 
 one hundred variable stars which have periods of 
 unusual brilliancy, and then gradually fade tiU nearly 
 invisible, and after a time revive again. The thirteen 
 missing stars may be of this description. These 
 changes were observed many centuries ago. The 
 bright star which appeared suddenly, with unusual 
 splendor and brilliancy, in Cassiopeia, in 1572, is sup- 
 posed to be the same star which suddenly appeared in 
 the same place, with great lustre, about the year 900, 
 and also about 600 years before, during the intervals of 
 which it was invisible. 
 
 The same preacher adduced the Aurora Borealis as 
 another sign of the last days. " Is it not remarkable," 
 says he, " that no record of them appears tiU quite 
 recently ? " But what are the facts ? It was indeed 
 supposed by many, who had not investigated the sub- 
 ject, that the Aurora was first seen in England in 
 1716 ; but on examination we find it spoken of in 
 ]560, in a scientific work, entitled A Description of 
 Meteors, published soon after the invention of print- 
 ing, subsequent to which, and before 1716, there are 
 many accounts of the same phenomenon. 
 
 Many have supposed that nothing has ever before 
 appeared, similar to the remarkable red Aurora, which 
 was witnessed on the evening of January 25, 1837. 
 Yet such spectkcles have often been witnessed in the 
 northern parts of Sweden, Lapland, and Siberia, and 
 in remote and different periods. The Aurora is a 
 great blessing in those high northern latitudes, where 
 the sun is absent for many weeks, furnishing the in- 
 habitants with a splendid light, in the midst of their 
 
MILLER DELUSION. Ill 
 
 dreary winter nights. Gmelin describes the Aurora 
 Borealis of those regions as differing in color according 
 to the states of the atmosphere, " sometimes assuming 
 the appearance of blood." He observes that " they 
 frequently begin with single bright pillars rising in the 
 north, and almost at the same time in the north-east, 
 which, gradually increasing, comprehend a large space 
 in the heavens, rush about, with incredible velocity, 
 from place to place, and finally almost cover the whole 
 sky to the zenith, producing an appearance as if a 
 vast tent was expanded in the heavens, glittering with 
 gold, rubies, and sapphire. A more beautiful spectacle 
 cannot be painted." These lights occasionally come 
 so far south as to illuminate the sky in our latitude. 
 Sometimes they have not appeared for many years. 
 In 1716, these lights were seen in England, thflugh 
 never witnessed before by the oldest inhabitants living ; 
 and, as might be expected, they were alarmed, and 
 actually supposed the day of judgment had come. 
 From Barber's History of New England, we learn that 
 the first appearance of the northern lights in this 
 country, after the period of its first settlement, was on 
 December 11, 1719, " when they were remarkably 
 bright ; and, as people in general had never heard 
 of such a phenomenon, they were extremely alarmed 
 with the apprehension of the final judgment. All 
 amusements, aU business, and even sleep was inter- 
 rupted, for want of a little knowledge of history." 
 We were told by some of the advent preachers that 
 meteors and shooting stars, falling to the earth, were 
 never seen until 1799. But this is a great mistake. 
 As early as the year 472, Theophanes relates, "The 
 eky appeared to be on fire, with the coruscations of 
 
112 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 flying meteors." Virgil, in his book of Georgics, speaks 
 
 as follows : — 
 
 " And oft, before tempestuous winds arise. 
 The seeming stars Jail headlortg from the skies. 
 And, sioetinff through the darkness, gild the night 
 With sweeping glories and long trails iif light." 
 
 In 553, under the reign of Justinian, were seen 
 showers of falling stars in extraordinary numbers. 
 In 763, under that of Constantine Capronymus, the 
 same speetade was witnessed. In 1099, in the month 
 of November, it is said, in Vogel's Ijeipzig Chronicles, 
 that there was seen an unheard-of number of falling 
 stars, burning torches, and fiery darts in the sky. In 
 1464, on the 7th of November, the great meteorie 
 stone fell at Ensisbeim, in Alsace. On the 8th of 
 August, 1723, numerous falling stars appeared in 
 many parts of the heavens, like fireflies. 
 
 But we are told of the sun and moon appearing like 
 blood, and that this sign of our Lord's second coming 
 was never witnessed, since the resurrection, till the 
 year 1780. Yet this is likewise a mistake ; for in the 
 Basle Chronicle of Urtisus, under the year 1566, 
 mention is made of the fact, that on the 28th and 
 29th of July, the sun and moon became blood red ; 
 and on the 7th of August, this striking phenomenon 
 was again repeated. ~ And, according to the Frankfort 
 Chronicle of Lersner, under the year 1575, on the 29th 
 of July, a remarkable redness of the sun occurred. 
 
 It has been said that the darkness of the sun, that 
 occurred in 1780, was a sign given to portend the 
 speedy destruction of the world. Why was it not 
 then witnessed simultaneously in all parts of the 
 earth ? It was confined principally to New England, 
 
MILLER DELUSION. 113 
 
 and witnessed only by the generation preceding the 
 present. To be sure, thousands were appalled by the 
 event, and a feeling that the judgment day had 
 actually come rested upon many minds. But yet 
 they were in a mistake. This'dai'kness commenced on 
 the 19th of May, between the hours of 10 and 11 A.M., 
 and continued until the middle of the next night. 
 Persons were unable to read common print, determine 
 the time of day by their clocks or watches, dine, or 
 manage their business, without additional light. 
 Candles were lighted in their houses. The birds sang 
 their evening songs, disappeared, and became silent. 
 The fowls retired to roost. The cocks were crowing 
 all around, as at break of day. Objects could be dis- 
 tinguished but at a very little distance, and every 
 thing bore the appearance and gloom of night. The 
 legislature of Connecticut was in session at this time, 
 in Hartford city. A very general opinion prevailed 
 that the judgment day was at hand. The House of 
 Representatives, being unable to transact business, 
 adjourned. A proposal to adjourn the council was 
 under consideration. When the opinion of Colonel 
 Davenport was asked, he answered, " I am against an 
 adjournment. The day of judgment is either ap- 
 proaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause 
 for an adjournment ; if it is, I choose to be found doing 
 my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be 
 brought." 
 
 A similar darkness has sometimes gathered over the 
 city of London, in consequence of a vast accumulation 
 of smoke, so as to make it necessary for passengers in 
 the streets to use lighted torches at midday. In 1783, 
 a great part of Europe was for weeks overspread with a, 
 10* 
 
114 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 haziness of atmosphere which caused great consterna- 
 tion. The churches were crowded with supplicants. 
 The astronomer Lalande attempted to allay the fright 
 by endeavoring to account for the appearance, which 
 he ascribed to an uncommon exhalation of watery par- 
 ticles from the great rain of the preceding yeeir. But 
 at last it was ascertained to be owing to smoke, oc- 
 casioned by the great eruption of the volcano Hecla, 
 which covered more than three thousand square miles 
 with burning lava, in some places to the depth of forty 
 feet. Dr. Franklin was in Europe at the tirae, and 
 afterwards gave an account of the circumstances re- 
 lating to this uncommon eruption. In fact, immense 
 issues of smoke, from fires and volcanoes, have, from 
 time immemorial, produced similar effects in different 
 countries. 
 
 We will subjoin a few remarkable apfiearances that 
 have taken place in the heavens, that the reader may 
 at once perceive that in scarcely any age of the world 
 have its inhabitants been destitute of some sign, that 
 might, to the timid and uninformed, be considered as 
 the prognostication of some awful catastrophe about 
 to happen. 
 
 In 1574, on the 15th of November, large and terrific 
 beams of fiery light were seen during the night. And 
 similar appearances are noted in Vogel's Chronicles, 
 as having occurred in November, 1637, and 1661. In 
 the old Breslau Collections, there is mention made of 
 a large moonlike meteor., which passed off with an ex- 
 plosion, on the 10th of November, 1721 ; and of a 
 great fire-flash, or fiame-emitling comet, on the 12th 
 day. According to Vogel's Chronicles, there appeared 
 on the ElOth November, 1663, a large cross, ajid other 
 
MILLER DELUSION. 115 
 
 signs in the skies. On the 11th of August, 1561, there 
 was seen, in the forenoon, a very remarkable red 
 meteor, emitting frequent flashes of light. In 1717, 
 numerous meteors were seen at Fryeburg ; and at 
 JJtchland, in August, 1715. On the 10th of August, 
 1717, a large fire-ball was seen in Lusace, Silesia, 
 Poland, and Hungary. In the Frankfort Chronicle of 
 July 29, 1694, it is mentioned that the heavens were 
 full of fiery fiames I as also again on the 9th of 
 August. On February 22, 1719, a large fire-ball was 
 seen in several places. On the 22d, 1720, an immense 
 red cross was seen at Novogorod and Kiew ; and on 
 the 19th, 1722, a huge fire-ball! 
 
 What would the Millerites think, if they should now 
 see " an immense red cross in the heavens," " a re- 
 markable red meteor, emitting flashes of light during 
 the night," or " a blood-red appearance of the sun and 
 moon," and " showers of faUing stars in extraordinary 
 numbers " ? These things are as likely to happen at 
 the present day as they were a hundred years ago, 
 and stiU the world remain as it has remained. 
 
 Just before the last return of HaUey's comet, an 
 article was published in a religious paper in this state, 
 going to show that the world would probably be struck 
 and set on fire by a comet, and that, most likely, 
 Halley's would be the one to do it, as it was coming 
 much nearer the earth than it had ever been before. 
 The editor seemed to be ignorant that the quantity of 
 matter that enters into the constitution of a comet is 
 exceedingly small, and that the comet of 1770, which 
 was quite large and bright, passed through the midst 
 of Jupiter's satellites without deranging their motions 
 in the least perceptible degree. Comets, it is believed, 
 
116 
 
 MILLER DELUSION. 
 
 consist of exceedingly rare vapor ; indeed, so much so, 
 that some philosophers say that our thinnest clouds are 
 dense in comparison. And yet this exceedingly thin 
 vapor was to dash the world to atoms, or set it on fire, 
 it was not fully determined which. 
 
 Whether comets, or any unusual appearances in 
 the sky, are to be considered as signs prognosticating 
 the final dissolution of all things, as being near at 
 hand, is for each to determine for himself. And in 
 forming a judgment upon the subject, we may surely 
 be permitted to exercise the common sense which 
 God has given us. To lay this aside, and judge only 
 by feeling or fancy, is to criminally reject a light 
 which we are sure is from God, and follow one which 
 may prove an ignis fatuus, and land us in the 
 quagmire of infidelity. If the Scripture signs are 
 to receive a literal fulfilment, we' may reasonably 
 expect that they will conform to the four following 
 tests : — 
 
 1. They will appear near the event of which they 
 are intended as the harbinger; probably within the 
 generation of those who will be living at the end of 
 the world. 
 
 2. They will be witnessed in all parts of the earth, 
 because all are alike interested. 
 
 3. They may all be expected to appear, and not 
 a single class of phenomena without the other. 
 
 4. They will be such as will impress intelligent 
 minds with their strangeness and peculiarity. 
 
 The Aurora Borealis conforms not to any of these 
 tests. It has been seen for centuries, and is confined 
 to the northern portions of the globe ; having rarely, if 
 ever, been seen so far north as the thirtieth degree of 
 
MILLER DELUSION. 117 
 
 north latitude. And, as we have before remarked, the 
 darkness of 1780 was confined principally to New 
 England. And from a careful examination of all the 
 accounts we have been able to collect of meteoric 
 showers of the last and present century, the Whole of 
 them together have occupied a space on the globe 
 less than one eighth of its surface. The shower of 
 1799 was probably the most extensive. Its centre was 
 near the middle of the Atlantic ; its edges touched the 
 northern parts of South America, the coast of Labrador 
 and Greenland, and the western shores of Europe and 
 Africa. That of 1833 may be represented on a six- 
 inch globe by the space occupied by a doUar. Such 
 magnificent scenes are calculated to impress the mind 
 with awe ; yet it is surprising that many intelligent per- 
 sons should suppose them to be the precursors of the 
 final conflagration. K the simple but reasonable tests 
 we have given be correct, they are disarmed of their 
 character as ominous of the destruction of the world. 
 
 With regard^o any changes in the order or succes- 
 sion of the heavenly bodies, it is only necessary to 
 observe, that hundreds of scientific men, in Europe 
 and America, have for many years been employed in 
 exploring the material heavens with the most power- 
 ful telescopes. Many are employed, by the govern- 
 ments of Europe, in astronomical observations, scat- 
 tered over the earth, for the express purpose of making 
 new discoveries, if possible, and of furthering the inter- 
 ests of science. No phenomenon escapes their notice ; 
 and should any thing extraordinary occur, it would 
 appear before the pubUc, vouched by names that would 
 command universal credence. It may be unnecessary 
 to add, that no such changes in the planets and fixed 
 
118 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 stars, as have been proclaimed to the world by some 
 of the second advent preachers, have been observed by 
 learned astronomers and men of science. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 In no age, says a popular writer, has the world been 
 destitute of those who professed, by some instrumen- 
 tality or other, to hold intercourse \yith departed spirits. 
 Neither has any age been without its reputed spectres, 
 ghosts, or apparitions. The high priest of the Buddh- 
 ist and Hindoo temples, in former times, when ar- 
 rayed in the consecrated garments for the festivals, 
 wore a round knob, about the size of a large pendent 
 drop of a chandelier, suspended from his neck by a 
 chain of great value and of dazzli^^ brilliancy. It 
 was through the agency of this crystal that he was 
 supposed to hold communion with the spirit or spirits 
 to whom he and his followers accorded devotion and 
 made intercessions ; and the glass, acting as did the 
 famed oracle of Delphi, gave orders and commands, 
 and settled aU great questions that might be submit- 
 ted to its spiritual master. The priest, although he 
 might be a pattern of purity, and the quintessence of 
 all that was good, having, however, the sin of being 
 in years, and not able, perhaps, to hide from the spirit 
 inhabiting thecrystal all the transactions of his youth, 
 could not hold a direct communication with it. To 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 119 
 
 arrange this, a certain number of boys, and sometimes, 
 in some of the temples, young damsels, were retained, 
 who, having never mixed with the world, could not be 
 supposed to be in any way contaminated by its vices. 
 These alone were said to be capable of beholding the 
 spirit when he chose to make his appearance in the 
 divining glass, and interpreting to and fro the ques- 
 tions put and answers received. Although it was not 
 every boy or seer to whom was permitted the gift of 
 spiritueil vision, yet in latter times, when divining 
 crystals multiplied, little ragged boys would run after 
 the passers in the streets, and offer to see any thing that 
 might be required of them, for a trifling gift, even a 
 cake or sweetmeat. In Egypt, the divining glass is 
 superseded by putting a blot of thick black fluid into 
 the palm of a boy's hand, and commanding him to see 
 various people and things; of which practice Lane, 
 in his Modern Egyptians, gives some curious dis- 
 closures. 
 
 Divining minjprs were not confined to the East. 
 Dr. Dee was th^first English inpostor who vatmted 
 the possession *%? one of these priceless treasures. He 
 Ifiid for the seer one Keily, an Irishman ; and to this, 
 doubtless, was attributable the impression that pre- 
 vailed among the astrologers and amateur spirit hunt- 
 ers, that when the spirits condescended to speak, they 
 always gave speech with a very strong spice of the 
 brogue. This " beryl," as it is called, was preserved 
 among the Strawberry Hill curiosities, and fell under 
 the hammer of George Robbins at the memorable 
 sale. It proved to be a globe of cannel coal. In Au- 
 brey's Miscellany there is an engraving of another 
 larger crystal, and there are with it many wonderful 
 
120 INTEECOUESE WITH DEPAETED SPIRITS. 
 
 stories. Yet, notwithstanding the magic capabilities 
 of these mirrors, they went out of fashion untU the be- 
 ginning of the yeaj 1850. 
 
 This revival and its consequences are like a page 
 out of a silly romance. The story, if told by a disin- 
 terested historian, would require authentication as 
 belonging to 1850. We therefore turn, by way of 
 voucher, to a publication called Zadkiel's Almanac 
 for 1851. At page 46, after referring to the ex- 
 istence of magic crystals at the present day, the 
 writer says, " One of large size was a few years 
 ago brought over to England by a fiiend of Lady 
 Blessington, a.ipex the sale of whose effects, it recently 
 fell into the hands of a friend of mine ; and, having 
 tested its powers, I have resolved on giving my readers 
 an account of this wonderful mode of communicating 
 with the spirits of the dead. The crystal is spherical, 
 and has been turned fi'om a large mass of pure rock 
 crystal. I have been shown some few others, but, with 
 the exception of one shown me by ftjrd S., they are 
 all much smaller. These smaller dfes are said to be 
 consecrated to angels of the planets, and a^^e, therefore, 
 far less powerful than Lady Blessington's crystal, 
 which, being consecrated to the Archangel of the Sun, 
 Michael, may be consulted during four hours each day, 
 whereas the others can generally be used only for a 
 very brief space of time ; nor can very potent spirits be 
 called into them, or made to render themselves visible. 
 In this larger crystal is given most ipiportant informa- 
 tion of the actual existence of the soul after death, and 
 of the state in which it exists and will exist until the 
 judgment." 
 
 " The first intimation we received," says Dickens, 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 121 
 
 in his Household Words, " of the revival of this 
 notable practice of divination, was about six months 
 ago, when we were casually informed that the son of 
 a distinguished officer of the royal navy was, at that 
 time, frequently engaged in developing, before a few 
 privileged friends, the extraordinary faculty of being 
 able to hold intercourse with the world of spirits. It 
 was added that the revelations made through the 
 medium of this youth were of so wonderful a nature, 
 and carried such conviction to the minds of those .who 
 listened, that they were declared to be the result of 
 more than human power." 
 
 The conjurer was asked, on one occasion, to de- 
 scribe Lord Nelson. And, accordingly, the spirit, with 
 an accuracy that was quite astonishing, considering 
 that no portrait, bust, or statue of Nelson' is known 
 to exist, gave a full, true, and particular account of 
 England's hero, describing him as a very thin man, 
 in a cocked hat, with only one eye, one arm, &c. ; 
 and the truth q^ the description was declared to be 
 something truly marvellous. 
 
 A demand was made that the spirit of a deceased 
 brother of one of the querists should be summoned to 
 appear. Presently he said, " I see him ; he has curly 
 hair, and stoops a good deal. I can't exactly see his 
 features, but I think he squints." This account of her 
 late brother's personal appearance, though not very 
 flattering, satisfied the lady as far as it went; but 
 being, like Macbeth, — 
 
 " . . . . bent to know, 
 By the worst means, the worst," 
 
 she required further proof of his identity. There was 
 a pause for a minute or two, and then the spirit seer 
 11 
 
122 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 spoke again — " He has got a scroll in his hand, 
 which he unfolds ; there is this inscription on it, in 
 letters of fire: — 
 
 ' I AM Tom ! ' " 
 
 -This sublime revelation was received with a degree 
 of splemn awe, and with suppressed throes of well- 
 bred laughter. 
 
 Other cases not a whit less marvellous have been 
 described by the narrators, who could not be reasoned 
 out of their absurdity, insisting that there could be no 
 deception in the matter, on account of the means em- 
 ployed, and the evident sincerity of the employis I 
 These means, they said, required that the person who 
 looked into the crystal should be perfectly pure ; that 
 is to say, a child free from sin, and by no means given 
 to lying, and that the form of adjuration used was, 
 " In nomine Domini" &c. ; Latin being, as is well 
 known, the language which spirits of all denomina- 
 tions are most accustomed to. When interrogated 
 after this fashion, the spirit, if evil, fled away howling ; 
 if good, it came, when called, unless particularly en- 
 gaged in the sun; for it appears that it is to that 
 planet almost all spirits go when their term of purga- 
 tory is over. It seems that the spirits would some- 
 times get out of breath, travelling so far, and talking 
 so much ; and they then had recourse to the ex- 
 pedient of letters of fire, which seemed to be written 
 in various ways in the crystal ; sometimes on flags, 
 which the spirits hold up, but sometimes they are in 
 print. In these letters of fire, the querist was coun- 
 selled something like the following : " Be merry. 
 Quarrel not. Keep your temper, and your children 
 too. You are a good man, but try to be better. I am 
 wanted. Let me go." 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 123 
 
 We subjoin the following as specimens of conver- 
 sations heard by large parties of amazed, titled, and 
 believing listeners : " Are you Pharaoh, that was 
 king of Egypt ? " " Yes." " Where do you dwell 
 now ? " " In Jupiter." " How long have you been 
 there ? " " About thirty years." " Where did you 
 dwell till then ? " " In the atmosphere, and was 
 undergoing punishment till then." " Were you 
 king of Egypt when Moses was there ? " " Yes, 
 and Aaron too." " Did you build the pyramids ? " 
 " Some." " Were any built before your time ? " 
 " Yes." " Do you know how long the first was built 
 before Christ ? " " About three hundred years after 
 Adam ; it was built then." " Do you mean that it 
 was built before the flood ? " " No, it was not 
 finished ; the flood destroyed them." " What was 
 the principal object of them ? " " To hold the kings 
 of Egypt." " Were there kings of Egypt so soon after 
 the creation ? " " Yes ; that was the first country 
 kings were in." " Were you drowned in the Red 
 Sea ? " « Yes." 
 
 At one time Swedenborg volunteered to give in- 
 formation about Sir John Franklin, when the follow- 
 ing dialogue took place : " What is the best way 
 to communicate with him ? " " By the natives ; 
 they speak to him sometimes." " Will he be home 
 next summer ? " " No." " Why ? " " Because he 
 cannot help himself ; he is stopped by ice ; but his 
 heart does not fail him ; he wants to explore." " How 
 will he do for provisions ? " " He will find bears, dogs, 
 and wolves." " Will he find the passage ? " " No ; 
 there is a continent there." " But there is also a 
 passage." " There is one, but he will not find it." 
 
124 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 " What latitude does he lie in chiefly ? " "I do not 
 know: good by." It appears strange that Sweden- 
 borg, who knew so much, did not know this. But 
 we learn in another place that "spirits do not well 
 understand about latitude and longitude." Socrates's 
 appearance is described as follows : "A tall, middle- 
 aged man, rather bald, dressed with striped coarse 
 trousers, very loose at the top, and tight at the bot- 
 tom ; a kind of frock, open in the front, and without 
 sleeves. He is generally employed in singing praises, 
 but was not quite happy." Alexander the Great 
 appeared on horseliack, in armor, the horse also in 
 armor ; deeply regrets kUling Clitus, and all the 
 murders he perpetrated; amuses himself in fighting 
 his battles over again. 
 
 To give these things a sort of eclat and popularity 
 with the public, Zadkiel sums up the whole in the 
 following language : " In concluding this account, 
 I may remark that numerous children have seen these 
 visions, some of them the sons and daughters of per- 
 sons of high rank ; and that several adults have also 
 seen visions, one of them a lady of title, and another a 
 member of one of the highest families in England. 
 It will be seen that delicacy prevents my naming 
 individuals ; but I can assure my readers that above 
 one hundred of the nobility, and several hundreds of 
 other highly respectable ladies and gentlemen, have 
 examined this wonderful phenomenon, and have ex- 
 pressed the highest gratification and astonishment." 
 
 Dickens declares it to be " the fashion, especially 
 among people of fashion, to point with pity to a tale 
 of modern witchcraft, to an advertisement of a child's 
 caul, or to the bona fide certificates of cases from the 
 
IXTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 125 
 
 takers of quack medicines, and to deplore the ignorance 
 of their inferiors. Delusions, however, of the grossest 
 kind are not confined to the illiterate. A cloud of 
 dupes have ever floated about in the higher regions of 
 society ; while it is quite a mistake to suppose that 
 the refinements and discoveries of the nineteenth 
 century have dispersed them. The reign of Queen 
 Victoria, like that of Elizabeth and Anne, has its Dr. 
 Dees, and Lillys, and Partridges, who are as success- 
 ful as their precursors in gaining proselytes who can 
 pay handsomely. Damsels of high degree, fresh from 
 boarding school, with heads more fuU of sympathy 
 for the heroes and heroines of fashionable novels, 
 and ideas more fixed upon love affairs than on any 
 legitimate studies, can easily find out, through mys- 
 teriously-worded advertisements in the Sunday papers, 
 or through the ready agency of friends who have 
 already become victims of the ' science ' of astrology 
 and magic, the whereabouts of these awful and won- 
 derful beings. There are a number of styles and 
 classes of them, all varying in appearance and mode 
 of operations. There are the old women, who, con- 
 soled by the glories of their art, repine not at inhabit- 
 ing comfortless garrets in the purlieus of the New Cut, 
 Lambeth ; and hiding their vocation under the mask 
 of having stay laces or infallible corn plasters to sell, 
 receive more visitors from the fashionable cream of 
 Belgravia than from the dross of Bermondsey. Dis- 
 guises are sometimes resorted to, and parties of titled 
 ladies have been known to meet, and put on the 
 habiliments of ' charwomen,' and to pass themselves 
 off as dress-makers. There is an old man, with un- 
 shaven beard and seldom-washed face, who lives in 
 11* 
 
126 INTERCOUKSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 more comfortable circumstances, with his son, in 
 SoQthwark, (the favored district of the conjurers,) who, 
 to keep up appearances, has ' Engineer ' hugely en- 
 graved on a great brass plate over the door, who casts 
 nativities,' and foretells events of the future, for three or 
 five 'Shillings, as the appearance of the visitor will war- 
 rant him in demanding ; receives all his votaries sit- 
 ting at a terribly littered table of dirty paper, with a 
 well-smoked clay pipe beside him. Passing to a higher 
 grade, the ' agent,' or arranger of matters, legal, pecu- 
 niary, or domestic, only practises the black art for the 
 love he bears it, and to oblige his friends, but never 
 refuses a few shillings' fee, out of respect to the in- 
 terests of the science. Nearly all his customers are 
 people of title." 
 
 We now come to speak of events in our own country, 
 which seem to be somewhat akin to those which have 
 so recently transpired in England. We allude to what 
 are familiarly termed " rappers," or " knocking spirits," 
 from the noises which they are said to make. 
 
 From a history of these knockings, as given in a 
 pamphlet by Capron and Barron, of Auburn, New 
 York, we learn that they were first heard in the family 
 of Mr. Michael Weekman, in the town of Arcadia, 
 Wayne county. He resided in the house where the 
 noises were heard about eighteen months, and left it 
 some time in the year 1847. He relates that one 
 evening, about bedtime, he heard a rapping on the 
 outside door, when he stepped to the door and opened 
 it, but, to his surprise, found no one there. He went 
 back, and proceeded to undress, when, just before 
 getting into bed, he heard another rap at the door, 
 loud and distinct. He stepped to the' door quickly, 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTF.D SPIRITS. 127 
 
 and opened it, but, as before, found no one there. 
 He stepped out, and looked around, supposing that 
 some one was imposing upon him. He could dis- 
 cover no one, and went back into the house. After a 
 short time he heard the rapping again ; he stepped 
 (it being often repeated) and held on the latch, so that 
 he might ascertain if any one had taken that means to 
 annoy him. The rapping was repeated ; the door was 
 instantly opened, but no one was to be seen. He 
 could feel the jar of the door very plainly when the 
 rapping was heard. As he opened the door, he sprung 
 out, and went around the house, but no one was in 
 sight. His family were fearful to have him go out, 
 lest some one intended to harm him. It always re- 
 mained a mystery to him ; and finally, as the rapping 
 did not at that time continue, it passed from his mind, 
 till some time afterwards, when, one night, their little 
 girl, then about eight years of age, was heard to 
 scream from fright, so that the family were all alarmed 
 by her cries, and went to her assistance. This was 
 about midnight. She told them that something like 
 a hand had passed over her face and head ; that she 
 had felt it on the bed and all over her, but did not feel 
 alarmed until it touched her face. 
 
 It seems that Mr. Weekman soon after moved 
 away from the house, and nothing more was heard 
 of the rapping, or other manifestations, till it was 
 occupied by the family of Mr. John D. Fox, who 
 have since become so conspicuous with "the advent 
 of spirits." In March, 1848, they, for the first time, 
 heard the " mysterious sounds," which seemed to be 
 like a slight knocking in one of the bed rooms on the 
 floor. It was in the evening, just after they had 
 
128 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 retired. At that time the whole family occupied one 
 room, and all distinctly heard the rapping. They 
 arose, and searched with a light, but were unable to 
 find the cause of the knocking. It continued that 
 night until they all fell asleep, which was not until 
 nearly or quite midnight. From this time the noise 
 continued to be heard every night. 
 
 After having been disturbed and broken of their 
 rest for several nights in a vain attempt to discover 
 firom whence the sounds proceeded, they resolved, on 
 the evening of the 31st of March, that this night they 
 would not be disturbed by it, whatever it might be. 
 But Mr. Fox had not yet retired when the usual signs 
 commenced. The girls, who occupied another bed in 
 the same room, heard the sounds, and endeavored to 
 imitate them by snapping their fingers.* The attempt 
 was made by the youngest girl, then about twelve 
 years old. When she made the noise with her 
 fingers, the sounds were repeated just as she made 
 them. When she stopped snapping her fingers, the 
 sounds stopped for a short time. One of the other 
 girls then said, in sport, (for they were getting to be 
 more amused than alarmed,) " Now do what I do ; 
 count one, two, three, four, five, six," &c., at the same 
 time striking one hand in the other. The same num- 
 ber of blows or sounds were repeated as in the former- 
 case. Mrs. Fox then spoke, and said, " Count ten," 
 and there were ten distinct strokes or sounds. She 
 then said, " Will you tell the age of Cathy ? » (one of 
 her children ;) and it was given by the same number of 
 raps that she was years of age. In like manner the 
 age of her different children was told correctly by this 
 unseen visitor. 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 129 
 
 Mrs. Fox then asked, if it was a human being that 
 made the noise, to manifest it by making the same 
 noise. There was no answer to this request. She 
 then asked if it was a spirit, and if so to manifest it 
 by making two distinct sounds. Instantly she heard 
 two raps, as she desired. She then proceeded to 
 know or inquire if it was an injured spirit, and if so 
 to answer in the same way, and the rapping was re- 
 peated. In this way it answered her until she as- 
 certained that it purported to be the spirit of a man 
 who was murdered in that house by a person that had 
 occupied it some years before ; that he was a pedler, 
 and that he was murdered for his money. To the 
 question how old he was, there were thirty-one distinct 
 -raps. By the same means it was ascertained that 
 he was a married man, and had left a wife and five 
 children; that his wife had been dead two years. 
 
 We might relate a little different manoeuvre in the 
 case of the ghost that appeared in Waltham, Mas- 
 sachusetts, a few years since. A superstitious old 
 man, by the name of McClarren, a mechanic, pur- 
 chased a lot of turf that had been piled up in a 
 meadow about half way between his workshop 
 and place of residence. Upon returning to his work 
 from supper, he used to take a basket with him, and 
 fill it at the turf heap on his return late in the even- 
 ing. It was on one of these occasions that the re- 
 puted ghost first appeared to him, and caused him 
 some alarm, when he dare not linger to reconnoitre 
 this strange and unexpected visitor. He resolved, 
 however, to muster courage the next evening to ac- 
 cost the figure, should it again appear to him. Ac- 
 cordingly, he went with a large Bible open in his 
 
130 INTERCOUESE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 hands ; and as the ghost appeared, he followed it tDl it 
 crossed a ditch, when he was requested by the same 
 to proceed no farther. Thus they stood, facing each 
 other, on either side of the ditch, when the following 
 conversation took place between them : — 
 
 Ques. By McClarren. " I demand of you, in the 
 name of Jesus Christ, our once crucified God, whether 
 you are mortal or immortal ? " 
 
 Ans'. " I am not mortal." 
 
 Ques. " What, ttien, are you ? " 
 
 Ans. " I am the spirit of a murdered man." 
 
 Ques. " By whom were you murdered ? " 
 
 Ans. « By , of Waltham." 
 
 Ques. " "Where does your body lie ? " 
 
 Ans. " In yonder ^ond, behind me." 
 
 It is supposed that this affair was got up in an 
 innocent mood, merely to test the strength of McClar- 
 ren's faith in ghosts. But it caused a wide-spread 
 excitement ; and some, who were thought to be con- 
 cerned in its projection, were prosecuted and brought 
 before a justice for examination, although nothing 
 was proved. McClarren testified under oath, that he 
 believed it to be a real ghost ; " its tones," he said, 
 " were so unearthly," " and when it moved its motion 
 was not like that in walking, but it glided along like 
 a swan, or a boat in the water." He was neither to 
 be reasoned nor laughed out of it. He would believe 
 it to the day of his death. You might as well teU 
 him he was not a living being, as to tell him he had 
 not seen a living ghost. 
 
 The advocates of the " influx from the world of 
 spirits into our own " claim in its behalf many aston- 
 ishing miracles. Chairs, tables, and beds are moved 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 131 
 
 up or down, to and fro, &c. At Auburn, New York, 
 on one occasion, sounds on the wall, bureau, table, 
 floor, and other places were heard as loud as the strik- 
 ing with a hammer. The table was moved about the 
 room, and turned over and back. Two men in the 
 company undertook to hold a chair down, while, at 
 their request, a spirit moved it ; and, notwithstanding 
 they exerted all their strength, the chair could not be 
 held still by them — a proof that spirits are far more 
 strong and powerful than men. On another occasion, 
 the sounds proper to a carpenter's shop were heard, 
 apparently proceeding from the wall and table. Saw- 
 ing, planing, and pounding with a mallet were imi- 
 tated, it is said, to the life. Some gentlemen were at 
 the house of the Fox family at one time, and were 
 conducted into a dark room. They called for the 
 sounds to be made like a band of martial music. As 
 they requested, the sounds were produced ; the play- 
 ing of the instruments and the heavy beating of the 
 bass drum were perfectly imitated, together with the 
 sound of the roar of distant cannon. Shall we not 
 gather from this, that in the spirit world they have 
 their bands of music and companies of artillery, the 
 same as in this world ? We are also told of the 
 spirit or spirits playing on a guitar in a dark room, 
 the guitar being taken from the hands of those who 
 held it, and put in tune, and played while it passed 
 around the room above their heads. On one occa- 
 sion, as it is said, it played an accompaniment, for 
 nearly two hours, to some persons engaged in singing, 
 being very exact both in time and tune. On one occa- 
 sion, while several ladies were present, some of them 
 requested that the spirits would take their hair down. 
 
132 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 Accordingly it was done. One of them had her hair 
 taken down and done up in a twist, and one of them 
 had hers braided in four strands. Sometimes per- 
 sons have felt a hand passing over or touching their 
 eurms, head, or face, leaving a feeling of electricity 
 upon the part touched ; and the hand that thus 
 touches them wUl, by request, instantly change from 
 a natural warmth to the coldness of ice. 
 
 In answer to the question, " Why do these spirits 
 require a dark room to play upon instruments of 
 music, or to take hold of persons," they answer by 
 saying that " they assume a tangible form in order to 
 do these things, and we are not yet prepared for such 
 a visitation." 
 
 To the inquiry how it is they make the rapping 
 noises that generally accompany their visits to this 
 world, they answer, that " they are made by the will 
 of the spirits causing a concussion of the atmos- 
 phere, and making the sounds appear in whatever 
 place they please." 
 
 A Mrs. Draper, of Rochester, New York, had an 
 interview with Dr. Franklin, at one time, while she 
 was in a magnetized state. She said he appeared to 
 be busily employed in establishing a line of commu- 
 nication between the two worlds by means of these 
 " rappings." On another occasion, while in a clair- 
 voyant state, at her own house, sounds were heard in 
 exact imitation of those heard in the telegraph office. 
 These sounds were so unusual, that Miss Margaretta 
 Fox, who was present, became alarmed, and said, 
 " What does all this mean ? " Mrs. Draper replied, 
 " He is trying- the batteries." Soon there was a sig- 
 nal for the alphabet, and the following communica- 
 
INTERCOURSE. WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 133 
 
 tion was spelled out to the company present : " Now 
 I am ready, my friends. There will be great changes 
 in the nineteenth century. Things that now look 
 dark and mysterious to you, will be laid plain before 
 your sight. Mysteries are going to be revealed. The 
 world will be enlightened. I sign my name, Benja- 
 min Franklin." 
 
 It seems that, in the early history of these tappings, 
 they used to be without any limitations as to whether 
 persons were in a magnetized state or not. The first 
 we learn of magnetism being employed as a medium 
 of communication is in the case of a daughter of 
 Lyman Granger, in Rochester, New York. For a 
 long time, answers could be obtained by any two (why 
 two ?) of the family standing near each other. And 
 in the freedom of the answers, no preference seemed 
 to be manifested towards any particular members of 
 the family. At length, one of his daughters was 
 placed under the influence of magnetism, and be- 
 came clairvoyant. From that time none of the fami- 
 ly could get communications unless the daughter who 
 was magnetized was present. Why the communica- 
 tions should leave all the family except the magnet- 
 ized daughter, after they once had free conversation 
 without her, remains to be explained. The whole 
 business now seems to be pretty much, if not wholly, 
 monopolized by the clairvoyants. They seem to be 
 employed as agents, or mediums of correspondence, 
 between the two worlds, acting as interpreters be- 
 tween two classes of beings, or beings existing in 
 two different states, natural and spiritual. They act 
 as a kind of spiritual postmasters between the two 
 countries. We find spiritual letter paper, and enve- 
 12 
 
134 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 hpes to enclose the same, advertised for those who 
 wish to avail themselves of an opportunity to write 
 to their deceased friends in the other spheres. Let- 
 ters said to have been written in the spirit world have 
 been transmitted through the established mediums to 
 friends in this world, and have been published in some 
 of the papers devoted to these subjects. In the New 
 York Daily Tribune of February 28, 1851, we find the 
 prospectus of a quarto journal, to be published in 
 Auburn, " to be dictated by spirits out of the flesh, 
 and by them edited, superintended, and controlled. 
 Its object is the disclosure of truth from Heaven, guid- 
 ing mankind into open vision of paradise, and open 
 communication with redeemed spirits. The circle of 
 apostles and prophets are its conductors from the 
 interior, holding control over its columns, and per- 
 mitting no article to find place therein unless origi- 
 nated, dictated, or admitted by them : they acting 
 under direction of the Lord Supreme." 
 
 We hope the information coming through its 
 columns will be more reliable than the communica- 
 tions from some of the " rapping spirits." No depend- 
 ence whatever can be placed upon them. They are 
 so blundering, awkward, and uncertain, and even 
 trickish and deceitful, that they spoil all our notions 
 of the dignity and purity — the spirituality, in fact — 
 of the spiritual world. The advocates of the mani- 
 festations attribute the fault to ignorant spirits, who 
 do not know whether the matter they attempt to speak 
 of be true or not. Swedenborg says, " There are some 
 spirits so ignorant that they do not know but they are 
 the ones called for, when another is meant. And the 
 only way to detect them, in speaking, is by the differ- 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 135 
 
 ence of sound — that made by intelligent spirits being 
 clear and lively, and that of the ignorant being low and 
 muffled, like the strildng of the hand upon a carpet." 
 
 It is contended by the authors of the pamphlet from 
 which we quote, that these ignorant spirits will ulti- 
 mately progress to a state of intelligence. But this 
 idea of progression seems to be at variance with the 
 observations of a writer in the Boston Post, who was 
 astonished at the wonderful precocity of little infants 
 in the spirit world. " I have known," says he, " the 
 spirit of a child, only eighteen months old when he 
 died, and only three months in the second sphere, 
 show as much intelligence, and as perfect a command 
 of our language, as Dr. Channing himself seems to 
 possess." On the other hand, when I find that " the 
 spirit of Dr. Channing cannot express an idea above 
 the rudimental conception of a mere child, I am forced 
 to the conclusion that his mental endowments must 
 have greatly deteriorated since he left us." 
 
 It is said that the theological teachings of these 
 spirits generally agree with those of Davis, Sweden- 
 borg, and others who have claimed to receive their 
 impressions from spirits. Accordingly, we find them 
 using the term higher and lower spheres, instead of 
 heaven and hell. Swedenborg prophesied that the 
 year 1852 would be the one to decide the fate of his 
 church or his doctrines; and Capron and Barron tell 
 us that " the probabilities now seem to be that his 
 general spiritual theory will, not far from that time, 
 be very generally received." We presume that the 
 " mysterious rappings " are considered by them as so 
 many omens of such an event. And we may reason- 
 ably conclude that they are as decisive tests, as sure 
 
136 
 
 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 prognostications, as were the various celestial signs of 
 the coming of the end of the world in 1843. The 
 believers in the " harmonial philosophy " have their 
 miracles in attestation of their theory ; and so of the 
 Millerites. On Saturday evening, January 18, 1851, 
 we are told by La Roy Sunderland, that Mrs. Cooper 
 (clairvoyant medium) was taken to Cambridge, by 
 Mr. Fel-nald and a friend, for the purpose of visiting 
 a gentleman who had been confined by a spinal 
 difficulty some ten years or more. The spirits gave 
 beautiful responses for his consolation, and in the 
 sight of all present, the sick man and his bed were 
 moved by spiritual hands alone. The sick man and 
 the " bed whereon he lay " were both moved by 
 attending angels, without any human power. And 
 more recently, a Mr. Gordon, it is said, has been taken 
 up and his body rnoved some distance entirely by 
 spiritual hands. Were such miracles ever wrought 
 in favor of Millerism ? Most assuredly, if we are to 
 believe the Millerites themselves ; and even mose in 
 favor of witchcraft also. At a meeting of the friends 
 of Millerism, held in Waltham, in 1842, a lady was 
 taken from her seat by some unseen power, and 
 carried up to the ceiling of the room ; and she after- 
 wards declared that it was done withoiit any effort on 
 her part. More recently, (1851,) another lady of the 
 same place testifies that she has, in a similar manner, 
 been taken from her seat in church and carried up 
 above the tops of the pews. And at times, at the 
 advent meetings, strange noises have been heard, 
 houses also have been shaken, mirrors shattered to 
 pieces, and furniture broken, and all have been con- 
 sidered by the Adventists as so many auguries or 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 137 
 
 signs of the approaching dissolution of all things, to 
 take place in 1843. 
 
 We have already made mention of the fact, in an- 
 other place, that bewitched persons used to be carried 
 through the air, on brooms and spits, to distant meet- 
 ings, or Sabbaths, of witches. But we will now give 
 a case to the point. 
 
 On the Sth of September, 1692, Mary Osgood, 
 wife of Captain Osgood, of Andover, was taken before 
 John Hawthorne, and other of their majesties' justices, 
 when she confessed that, about two years before, she 
 was carried through the air, in company with Deacon 
 Fry's wife, Ebenezer Baker's wife, and Goody Tyler, 
 to Five Mile Pond, where she was baptized by the 
 devil, and that she was transported back again 
 through the air, in company with the forenamed 
 persons, in the same manner as she went, and believes 
 they were carried on a pole I She was asked by one 
 of the justices, how many persons were upon the 
 pole ; to which she answered. As I said before, ■ 
 viz., four persons, and no more, but whom she had 
 named above. 
 
 Are not these cases to be relied upon as much as 
 those related by Mr. Sunderland ? Could not four re- 
 spectable ladies tell whether they were actually carried 
 through the air on a pole or not ? Could they be de- 
 ceived ? Possibly, in the days of chloroform, or ether, it 
 might have been the case ; but not at the period in 
 which it actually occurred. 
 
 Some of the bewitched persons, as in the case of 
 
 Elizabeth Knap, of Groton, alarmed the people by 
 
 their ventriloqual powers, in imitating sounds and 
 
 languages. And it would be nothing strange if some 
 
 12* 
 
138 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 of our modern witches were in possession of the same 
 talent. No wonder that the editor of one of the 
 Boston papers should have ventured the opinion, that 
 if some of these persons had lived two hundred years 
 ago, they would have been hanged for witchcraft. 
 
 It appears to us, that if we believe in all that is 
 alleged of the rapping spirits, and their manifestations, 
 we must be prepared to indorse all that has been pub- 
 lished of witches and ghosts, spooks and hobgoblins, 
 in every age of the world, which, at present, we are 
 not at all inclined to do. We do not believe that any 
 of the noises heard, or any of the information given, 
 has proceeded from beings out of the normal state. 
 We are rather inclined to adhere to the sentiment con- 
 tained in the old couplet : — 
 
 " Where men believe in witches, witches are ; 
 But where they don't believe, there are none there." 
 
 We once went to stay over night in a house said to 
 be haunted, the house being empty at the time, the 
 family who had occupied it having actually been 
 frightened away by the noises they had heard. But, 
 strange to tell, we did not hear any noises, neither did 
 we expect to. There was a house in Green Street, 
 Boston, formerly occupied by the celebrated Dr. Con- 
 way, which, after his decease, was said to be haunted. 
 A young man of our acquaintance never passed that 
 house late at night but every window in it appeared 
 to be illuminated. And finally, he became so alarmed 
 about it, that as soon as he approached the vicinity 
 of the house, he would commence running, and 
 continue to run till it was out of sight. We have 
 frequently known him to cross the ice on Charles 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 139 
 
 River to avoid passing the house. And still, we often 
 passed the same house, at late hours of the night, 
 without seeing any thing unusual. And we know of 
 no reason why, unless it was because we did not 
 believe in such things, which our friend actually did. 
 Failh alone made the difference. 
 
 One of the believers in the " spirit rappings " tells 
 us that " if these things are emanations from the spirit 
 world, we are bound to believe them." True, if they 
 are ; but this little conjunctive if is a word of very 
 doubtful meaning. We have already shown how Mr. 
 Miller kept the whole world standing thirty years on 
 this same little if; and then it did not end in 1843, 
 as he supposed it would. We must, therefore, be 
 cautious how We depend upon a simple if. 
 
 But we are told that, as honest persons, we are 
 bound to believe what we cannot disprove by actual 
 demonstration. But let us examine this for a moment. 
 The Greenlanders have an idea that thunder is caused 
 by two old women flapping seal skins in the moon. 
 Now, who has ever been up in the moon to ascertain 
 whether it is so or not? Again, they say that the 
 Aurora Borealis is owing to the spirits of their fathers 
 frisking at football. Who can say it is not so ? And 
 yet we reject such belief on account of its apparent 
 absurdity. Some of the ancients have told us that 
 the earth stands upon the back of a tortoise, or upon 
 that of an elephant; and yet, without investigation, 
 a majority of mankind reject the idea as being per- 
 fectly ridiculous. We might here remark, that no less 
 a scholar than the great mathematician Kepler at- 
 tempted to prove that the earth is a vast animal, and 
 that the tides are occasioned by the heavings of its 
 prodigious lungs. 
 
140 TNTERCaURSE WJTH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 Many of the performances of jugglers and ventril- 
 oquists puzzle us, and yet we do not believe there is 
 any thing supernatural in them. Signor Blitz once 
 called upon the ladies in the hall where he was giving 
 an exhibition to pass him a handkerchief with their 
 name stamped upon it, and he would put it into a 
 pistol and fire it off in their presence, and it should be 
 found in the steeple of a church some quarter of a mile 
 distant, and yet not a window or a door should be open 
 on the occasion. A committee of honest and respect- 
 able men were despatched from the hall to the house 
 of the church sexton, the keys procured, with a lan- 
 tern, when the belfry was ascended, the handkerchief 
 found hanging on the tongue of the bell, and returned 
 to the lady, who instantly recognized it as the identi- 
 cal handkerchief she passed into the hands of the per- 
 former. Now, who could prove that the thing alleged 
 was not actually done ? and yet who will believe that 
 it was ? 
 
 We have heard distant sounds of music, and other 
 imitations of men, birds, and animals, that deceived 
 our sense of hearing, knowing that they were produced 
 by the power of ventriloquism. We have seen things 
 moved from place to place by magnetic attraction, and 
 we do not think it at all strange that so light an in- 
 strument as a guitar could be thus attracted to differ- 
 ent parts of a room by an unseen power, especially 
 in a dark room, and its tones be imitated by a being 
 as yet in the normal state. A guitar will give vibra- 
 tions of its tones to the concussions of the air, caused 
 by the conversation of persons present ; and a stranger 
 to the fact might possibly interpret these vibrations 
 as something quite mysterious, and suppose the in- 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 141 
 
 strument, as it stood alone, to be touched by some 
 spirit hand. When people's minds, or their imagina- 
 tions, get wrought up to a certain pitch, the most tri- 
 fling things are looked upon as wonderful phenomena. 
 Every thing is new, and strange, and appalling. We 
 hear of the doings of the spirits at Rochester, and 
 other places, and which are called the " ushering in 
 of a new science." " We know of what we speak," 
 says the pamphlet before us, "we know they axe facts, 
 strange, new, and to m&nY wonderful I " (See page 
 43.) And yet the authors introduce several pages 
 from a work by Dr. Adam Clarke to show that, as 
 early as 1716, the Wesley family were troubled by 
 noises made by the " knocking spirits," and that " the 
 present manifestations have no claim to the credit of 
 originality." The cracking of hazel nuts upon Martin 
 Luther's bed posts, and the racket and rumbling upon 
 his chamber stairs, as if many empty barrels and hogs- 
 heads had been tumbling down, claim still greater 
 antiquity, and belong to the same category or chapter 
 of wonderful events. 
 
 It is said to be impossible that any mere human 
 being could inform persons, with whom they never 
 had any previous knowledge or acquaintance, of the 
 past, present, and future events of their lives — whether 
 they are married or single, the number of their children 
 living and dead, age, health, business, letters expected, 
 the whereabout of long-absent friends, &c. It is 
 supposed that such information must indeed emanate 
 from the spirit world. Yet precisely such things are 
 and always have been told, more or less, by astrolo- 
 gers and fortune tellers, without any pretensions to 
 being in league with spirits of the other worlds. We 
 
142 INTEHCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 have said that fortune tellers do not always teU cor- 
 rectly ; but, as poor an opinion as we have of them, 
 we will venture to assert that they are full as correct, 
 if not more so, in the information they give, as the 
 members of the Fox family, or any of their contempo- 
 raries, of the alleged spiritual manifestations. 
 
 Persons of sane mind, though ever so ignorant of 
 arithmetic or orthography, can tell at least how many 
 children they have, and are usually able to spell their 
 own names ; hut one who has spent a good deal of 
 time in witnessing the performances of the spirit rap- 
 pers, says> " They seem to be unwilling or unable to 
 answer purely test questions, like that of answering 
 their own names. I have never known them to do 
 this," says he, " though often solicited." He also speaks 
 of their great deficiency ia mathematics, not being 
 able to enumerate the number of children they have on 
 earth with any thing like accuracy. " I am awaje that 
 such questions have sometimes been correctly an- 
 swered, and I have heard them so answered ; but I 
 have much more frequently known them to refuse en- 
 tirely, or to do it very awkwardly, or to fail entirely in 
 the attempt. Out of five numbers four were erroneous- 
 ly selected as the right one. The fifth was right, of 
 course. This goes to show, at least, that spirits have 
 greatly deteriorated,xa.ih.ex than z»isprai;ed!, while inhab- 
 iting the celestial spheres." But this is not aU. The 
 facility of communication between the two classes of 
 beings is also on the decline. The time was when 
 ghosts or spirits held free conversation with those 
 they visited, without calling in the aid of clairvoyan- 
 cy or electricity. Neither did they resort, like modern 
 spirits, to the slow and clumsy mode of communica- 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 143 
 
 tion, through the letters of the alphabet. In spelling 
 out a sentence by letters, one of the ladies com- 
 mences repeating the alphabet ; and when the desired 
 letter is mentioned, a rap is heard. In this slow and 
 tedious process, long sentences are communicated. 
 No wonder that the slowness of the mode of commu- 
 nication should be considered as " perfectly appalling." 
 And then, too, the substance of these communica- 
 tions is too absurd and ridiculous to be believed. 
 We might here refer to the information given by the 
 prophet Swedenborg himself, in relation to the con- 
 dition of the pious Melancthon in the future state, 
 that he was sometimes in an excavated stone cham- 
 ber, and at other times . in hell ; and when in the 
 chamber, he was covered with bear skins to pro- 
 tect him from the cold ; and that he refuses to 
 see visitors from this world on account of the filthi- 
 ness of his apartment. This is about as probable 
 and interesting as the account given by a female 
 clairvoyant in Cleveland, Ohio, who says that she has 
 (just) had an interview with Tom Paine, " who re- 
 cants his errors, and is at present stopping with Gen- 
 eral Washington and Ethan Allen, at a hotel kept by 
 John Bunyan." 
 
 We here introduce the following from one of the 
 Boston papers : — 
 
 " The ' Spiritual Rappings ' exploded. — There is a 
 good article under this head, on the first page, to 
 which we invite attention. The writer is an accom- 
 plished scholar, an able physician, and one of the first 
 and best'magnetizers in this country. He has inves- 
 tigated the ' rappings ' — tested them theoretically 
 and practically, and ' exploded ' them, if our readers 
 
144 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 have not already done so for themselves. His com- 
 munication is entitled to weight, and if circulated, as 
 it should be, among the credulous and unsuspecting, 
 might save some from the pitiful effects of a mis- 
 chievous, absurd, and contemptible superstitious de- 
 lusion." 
 
 The article is as follows : — 
 
 " About the 16th of December last, I called on Mr. 
 Sunderland, in good faith, in order to hear and see 
 manifestations from the spirit world. He received 
 me in a friendly manner, and, with a young lady who 
 was with me, seated me in the spirit room. We had 
 to wait an hour or more, and while seated we devout- 
 ly invoked the spirits. Finding them silent, I put on 
 them some of my most powerful mesmeric electric 
 formula. They persevered, however, in preserving 
 profound silence. 
 
 " "When, however, the medium, Mrs. Cooper, had 
 arrived, and seven of us, four gentlemen and three 
 ladies, were seated round a square centre table, the 
 responses were made, and came freely. The young 
 lady with me, willing to believe, but wishing to know 
 with absolute certainty, before she assented to the 
 truth of the proposition, that the rappings were 
 made by spirits, and not by the persons engaged in 
 the business, had seated herself about three feet from 
 the table, so that she could see under it. The follow- 
 ing dialogue then ensued between Mrs. Cooper, her 
 adopted sister, and the young lady : — 
 
 " ' Will you sit close to the table, miss ? ' 
 
 " ' If they are spirits, they can rap just as well where 
 I am. I am willing to be convinced, and where I am 
 I can hear perfectly well.' 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 145 
 
 *' ' The rule is, to sit close to the table.' 
 " ' I will not disturb, but choose to sit where I am,' 
 *' ' If you will not comply with the regulation, you 
 had better go into the other room.' 
 
 " ' I came to know, and I shall sit where I am.' 
 " She was inflexible, and the work proceeded. 
 When my turn came, I could put no test question, 
 and was so told. I saw and felt that there was col- 
 lusion, and, ashamed of myself as being the dupe of 
 supposed and known imposition, after enduring the 
 hour's sitting, I arose with the full conviction that all 
 was the effect of bones and muscles, and of mes- 
 meric action and reaction on the subjects themselves. 
 While we were examining a piano which was used on 
 such occasions, ajid our backs were turned towards 
 the table, standing partly sidewise, I caught a 
 glimpse of Mrs. Cooper's foot in the very position and 
 act of commencing a spirit somerset on the table. 
 She looked confused. I appeared not to have fully 
 recognized any thing wrong, thanked them for their 
 father's kindness and their attention, and left the 
 domicil of the ' spiritual philosopher ' under a full, 
 stern, and abiding conviction that there was not the 
 abiding place of invisible beings — that all was me- 
 chanical which we heard, and all that any one had 
 heard or seen was mechanical or mesmeric. 
 
 " The second opportunity I had of testing the truth 
 or falsity of these spirit communications was in 
 the city of Lowell. Every thing was favorable as 
 to place, time, and company. My eyes were every 
 where, and raps came seldom and solitary. The me- 
 dium dropped from between his fingers a small black 
 pencil, about two inches long, with which I believe he 
 13 
 
146 INTERCOUEaE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 made the raps. After it fell, we heard no more. He 
 looked despairingly disappointed, soon went into a 
 trance, arose, locked us into the room, and when the 
 hour had transpired, came out voluntarily. 
 
 " Invited by a friend who was anxious to convince 
 me more fully, and especially to convert the young 
 lady who was with me at Mr. Sunderland's, he called at 
 my house with the medium, and was received into 
 my office. The young lady requested that we should 
 stand around the table, and no one touch it. We 
 did so. On the first response, she exclaimed, indig- 
 nantly, addressing the medium, ' That, sir, was from 
 your foot ; I heard it distinctly ! ' He looked guilty, 
 and his eyes flashed with anger. He asked the spirits 
 if it was not ' nonsense,' and received the response 
 from the foot, ' yes,' and left, evidently highly in- 
 censed. 
 
 " I determined to give one more trial to the spirits. 
 In this latter case, there were the three raps, clear 
 and strong, and the answers highly satisfactory, as 
 far as they went. But the difficulty was, that the 
 spirits were capricious, and would respond only to 
 just such as they saw fit ; and the medium was pretty 
 well acquainted with me. The perfect regularity of 
 the knocks, and the sound, convinced me that, in this 
 instance, it was purely mechanical. I endeavored to 
 get the secret from the medium, and the answer was, 
 ' If I should tell you, you would be as wise as my- 
 self.' She evidently knew how it was done. 
 
 " I will now state a few facts, and conclude. 1. Wood 
 is an excellent conductor of sounds. A small worm, 
 called at the south a sawyer, and sought for angling, 
 can be heard three yards, as it gnaws between the 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 147 
 
 wood and bark of a fallen pine ; and the slightest 
 scratch of a pin, on the end of an isolated mast, sixty 
 feet long, can be heard distinctly. 
 
 " 2. In mesmeric operations, we well know that indi- 
 viduals can he made to hear and see things that never 
 occurred or existed, and yet the subjects remain uncon- 
 scious that they have been made the subjects of mes- 
 meric hallucination I 
 
 " 3. Persons highly observant and susceptible can, 
 by their eye and feeling, when they put themselves 
 into a semi-abnormal condition, tell, in many instances 
 nine times out of ten, who is and who is not a be- 
 liever, and what is in the mind of the inquirer. 
 
 " 4. Mediums are invariably of this character. 
 
 " 5. In matters of faith, friendship, love, or the spirit 
 world, many are willing to be deceived; and when 
 they fall into the hands of the shrewd and designing, 
 who can appear the impersonation of truth, virtue, 
 honesty, and even piety itself, they are emphatically 
 humbugged, and give their money and their testimony 
 to confirm the fraud. 
 
 " Lastly. Many are so sincere and honest in their 
 intentions, that it is not in their hearts to believe that 
 some of our most respectable men, even clergymen, 
 would lend their names to sustain any thing but what 
 they had believed and tested as a reality, and therefore 
 themselves believe. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Editor, from all that I have seen and 
 know of these spiritual communications, as ' rappings,' 
 and from all these facts, I am free to declare, that I 
 believe them an arrant humbug, and one, too, of the 
 most pernicious tendency. They can all be traced to 
 a human agency, as either mechanical or mesmeric, 
 
148 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRrTS. 
 
 alone or combined ; and I will give my right hand to 
 any medium whose operation and device I cannot 
 fuUy discover, trace, and demonstrate, as deducible 
 ftom either the one or both of these sources, and from 
 no other" 
 
 A correspondent of the Boston Traveller, in a com- 
 mimication dated New York, January 22, 1852, says, 
 " I look upon the delusion as I do upon a contagious 
 disease. It is a moral epidemic. Any man of peculiar 
 diathesis may be its victim. It spreads by sympathy 
 and by moral infection. Men of standing and intel- 
 lect gravely and seriously aflBrm that they have seen 
 a man rise and float about the room like a feather, tUl 
 some unbelieving wretch approaches and breaks the 
 spell, when the aerial swimmer falls suddenly to the 
 floor. Franklin, Washington, and all the signers of 
 the Declaration of Independence, have visited them, 
 and these departed worthies sanction any doctrine 
 which the uninitiated may happen to entertain before 
 consulting them." A. J. Davis says, ^' There is a class 
 of spirits who dwell in divine love more than in divine 
 wisdom, and who are easily influenced to feel pre- 
 cisely what the majority of those who consult them 
 feel and think, and under peculiar circumstances will 
 say precisely what the questioning minds of the circle 
 may ardently and positively desire. Affectionate spirits 
 — those dwelling in the love circles — are readily in- 
 fluenced to approve the desires of the hearts of those 
 with whom they commune on earth ; as in our homes, 
 the infant, by virtue of its cries and positive entreaties, 
 captivates the affectionate, and perhaps intelligent, 
 mother, who, consequently, forthwith coincides with 
 her child's desires, submitting her judgment to its 
 
INTERCOURSK WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 149 
 
 powerful appeals. Thus it is, through the power of 
 sympathy, spirits of the other world gratify all our 
 thoughts and desires." This is the opinion of Mr. 
 Davis, which may pass for what it is worth. "We 
 never indorse his spiritual notions. 
 
 To give an idea of the conduct exhibited at the 
 circles, or meetings, of the " harmonials," we submit 
 the following from the Springfield Republican of 
 January, 1852 : — 
 
 " When we entered the hall, the meeting had not 
 commenced, and all parties were engaged in a lively 
 chat. Soon there was a spontaneous coming to order, 
 and the ladies formed a circle around a table. The 
 gentlemen then formed a larger circle, entirely sur- 
 rounding the ladies. A good hymn was given out and 
 sung. During the singing, we noticed one lady grow- 
 ing excessively pale and cadaverous. Then her hands 
 began to twitch, and she commenced pounding upon 
 the table. Directly opposite her, a young woman was 
 undergoing the process of being magnetized by the 
 spirits, while she, as we were informed, was resisting 
 them. Her hands were drawn under the table by 
 sudden and powerful jerks, and every muscle in her 
 body seemed to be agitated with the most powerful 
 commotion, as if she were acted upon in every part 
 by shocks of electricity. This continued for ten or 
 fifteen minutes, until she was, at last, in a state ap- 
 parently resembling the magnetic sleep. 
 
 " Another lady, with a fine eye and an intellectual 
 cast of countenance, was then moved to write, which 
 she did, while her eyes stared and rolled as if in a state 
 of frenzy, and every muscle seemed strained to its 
 utmost tension. She wrote absolutely furiously, but 
 13 
 
150 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 no one but the spirits could read it, and it was passed 
 over to another medium, who announced it a message 
 of such utter unimportance that we have forgotten it. 
 A brawny blacksmith was among the mediums, but 
 he did nothing but pound on the table, and write the 
 wgrd ' sing.' The famous medium Gordon was there, 
 too, and he went through various contortions — got 
 down upon his knees, stood upon his seat, and 
 stretched up his arms and fingers, trembling all the 
 while, as if in the highest state of nervous excitement. 
 Once he was twitched bodily under the table, uttering 
 a scream as he went. At times, the different me- 
 diums would rise, spread their arms, slap the table, 
 and throw their hands into motions almost inconceiv- 
 ably rapid. 
 
 " One of the mediums, a young woman, arose by 
 the dictation and powerful urging of the spirits, 
 and delivered a rambling sermon. It abounded in 
 quotations from the Bible and the doctrines of Uni- 
 ■frersalism. 
 
 " But it was when the singing was in progress that 
 the spirits and the mediums were in the highest 
 ecstasy. Then the latter would pound, and throw 
 their arms around, and point upwards, in the most 
 fantastic manner possible. And thus, with singing, 
 and pounding, and reading the Bible, and writing, 
 and preaching, the evening passed away ; and while 
 Old Hundred was being sung, the spirits gave their 
 good night to the circle. 
 
 " We can give but a faint idea of this scene. It is 
 one we shall never forget, and we only wish that the 
 respectable men we saw there, the men of age and 
 experience, the young men and young women, could 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 151 
 
 understand the pity with which a man without the 
 circle of their sympathy regarded them. With the 
 light of reason within them, with minds not untaught 
 by education, and with the full and perfect revelation 
 of God's win in their very hands, it was indeed most 
 pitiable to see them swallowing these fantastic mum- 
 meries, and mingling them, in all their wild, furious, 
 and unmeaning features, with the worship of Him who 
 manifests himself in the ' still small voice.' 
 
 " Of the sincerity of the majority of those present 
 we have no doubt; but that there are rank impostors 
 in this town, who are leading astray the credulous, we 
 have as little doubt. The most that we saw on Satur- 
 day night was mesmerism, and the rest a very trans- 
 parent attempt at deception. At any rate, if it was 
 a,ny thing else, we should attribute it to any thing but 
 good spirits. Were we a devil, and should we 
 wish to see how foolish we could make people 
 appear, we should choose this way. O men and 
 women, do have done with such outrageous non- 
 sense." 
 
 Some have been most grossly deceived, and even 
 made insane, by being made to believe that they were 
 magnetized by spirits. This was the case with one 
 of the celebrated Hutchinson singers — Judson J. 
 Hutchinson. Mr. Sunderland, in the fourth number 
 of the Spiritual Philosopher, observes as follows : 
 " We shall hear of communications from ' prophets,' 
 ' apostles,' ' kings,' and ' statesmen,' and of divers 
 ' revelations,' said to be made by them. We shall 
 hear of human beings said to be magnetized by spirits. 
 But the good and the true will know and understand 
 how easy it is for some to become ' magnetized' by their 
 
152 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 own ideas, and to take for ' revelations ' the fancies of 
 their own brains. The notion about mortals being 
 magnetized by spirits is a mistake, an error ; and it 
 was this error which was the principal cause of all 
 the real difRculty in the case of Judson J. Hutchinson. 
 Mr. H. was made ib believe that he was in company 
 with his deceased brother, and that his own deceased 
 children came and sat upon his knees, and put their 
 arms about his neck. When he found himself sinking 
 into an abnormal state, he was told to believe that it 
 was the spirits, and that there was nothing human 
 about it. This, of course, Mr. H. was ready to believe. 
 He had heard of others being magnetized by spirits, 
 and they were happy, very happy. And as this 
 seemed to promise him approximation to the spirit 
 world, for which he was earnestly longing, he readily 
 gave himself entirely to that idea." The operator, 
 Mr. Hazard, of Rochester, New York, suggested that 
 Mr. Hutchinson should ask the spirits to move his 
 ( Mr. H.'s) hand to the top of his own head, that then he 
 (Mr. H.) might know it was they. " But the operator 
 should have known," says Mr. Sunderland, " that his 
 suggesting- it to the mind of Mr. Hutchinson, in the 
 manner he did, or, if Mr. Hutchinson's own mind 
 was directed to the movement of his own hand, that 
 was sufficient to cause his hand to move, even if there 
 had been no spirits in existence. And so, when Mr. H. 
 went to Cleveland, the difficulty was increased by a 
 repetition of the cause. He fell into the same state 
 again, of course, when similar associations brought it 
 up before his mind ; and there he was again told by 
 a clairvoyant lady, that she ' saw the spirits ' (his 
 brother Benjamin and Swedenborg) operating upon 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 153 
 
 him. The effect was, to render him insane." Hi» 
 brother Jesse says, that " the shock was too great 
 for Judson, on account of his bodily weakness, and 
 that his feeble nature was too fine strung to bear up 
 against the severe attacks, and it was with great 
 difficulty he was brought back to Milford, New 
 Hampshire." While in this state, Mr. Sunderland 
 was sent for, and staid with him three days and 
 three nights, to render him assistance. Mr. S. says, 
 " He was unfortunate in being told that he was 
 magnetized by spirits, and still more so, perhaps, in 
 the treatment he met with from some uncongenial 
 spirits in Syracuse and in Worcester." From this, 
 as well as from some other unfortunate cases, persons 
 are admonished to be careful to refrain from visiting 
 such impostors. 
 
 Some have been told that St. Paul, St. Peter, St. 
 Luke, and Timothy, were present, and answered ques- 
 tions put to them ; but Mr. Davis and Mr. Sunderland 
 declare it to be false. Mr. Davis says, " This point I 
 have been led to investigate carefully ; and at no one 
 of the circles referred to do I discover, upon the most 
 critical interior retrospection, a single communication 
 from the veritable St. Paul, nor from any one of his 
 glorious compeers." 
 
 So of Benjamin Franklin, who, it is said, has never 
 condescended to converse but a very few times with 
 earthly beings, though his name is often quoted in 
 connection with clairvoyancy. The reason he is said 
 to assign to Mr. Davis is, that he cannot " prevent 
 the almost exact human imitations of his vibrations ; 
 and that they produce so much confusion and con- 
 tradiction, that he thinks it best to wait until some 
 
154 
 
 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 rfurther improvement can be made in the mode of com- 
 munication between the two worlds." Yet how many 
 are told that they have been put in communication 
 with Franklin ! ^ 
 
 Mr. Sunderland says, " We need the same condi- 
 tions, or guaranties, for believing spirits, that'we do 
 for believing human testimony." Speaking of those 
 clairvoyants who are supposed to be exalted into the 
 spirit sphere, so as to see and converse with spirits, he 
 says, " Whether they do, really, see the spirits, whom 
 they think they do, must be determined by other things 
 besides their own testimony. We are not obliged to 
 take their own mere ipse dixit upon this, any more than 
 upon any other subject." And as yet, as has been 
 remarked by Dr. Phelps, there is no proof thai what 
 purports to be a revelation from spirits is the work of 
 spirits at all. Mr. Sunderland, for all we can see, is 
 liable to be in an error, as well as others ; and all the 
 evidence he gives us that he has had interviews and 
 holds conversations with spirits is that of his own tes- 
 timony alone. And so of Mr. Davis. 
 
 We have said 'that no dependence whatever can be 
 placed upon the rapping spirits. Dr. Phelps, of Strat- 
 ford, Connecticut, once heard a very loud rapping 
 under the table while at his breakfast. " I asked if it 
 was my sister. The answei- was, - Yes.' ' Well,' said 
 I, ' if you are the spirit of my sister, you can tell me 
 how many children you have in this world.' So the 
 spirit commenced counting, and counted up to twT^enty- 
 five, when I pronounced it a li/inff spirit. I asked it, 
 'Are you unhappy ? ' It answered, ' Yes.' ' Can I 
 do you any good ? ' ' Yes.' ' How ? ' The spirit 
 then called for the alphabet, and spelled out, ' Give 
 
fe^TERCOUESE WITH DEPARTEB SPIRITS. 155 
 
 me a glass of fresh gin.' ' What will you do with 
 it,' said I. 'Put it to my mouths I asked, ' Where is 
 your mouth ? ' No answer." 
 
 Letters, and lines written upon scraps of paper, 
 have, it is said, been sent from the other world. The 
 following was dropped from the ceiling of Mrs. Phelps's 
 parlor when she and others were present. 
 
 "'Sir, — Sir Sambo's compliments, and begs the 
 ladies to accept as a token of his esteem." Other 
 papers have been similarly written upon, and signed 
 "Sam Slick," " The Devil," "Beelzebub," "Lorenzo 
 Dow," &c. 
 
 On the 15th of March, 1850, a large turnip was 
 thrown against Dr. Phelps's parlor window, having 
 several characters carved out upon it, somewhat re- 
 sembling the Chinese characters. A. facsimile of them 
 may be found in Davis's explanation of Modern Mys- 
 teries, page 55. 
 
 Some may receive such things as emanations from 
 the spirit world ; but to us they seem too simple and 
 puerile to be considered as having any thing to do 
 with the higher spheres. 
 
 Dr. Phelps, who has been witness to every species 
 of mancEuvre of the alleged spirit rappers, says that 
 he has become fully satisfied that no reliance whatever 
 is to be placed on their communications, either as a 
 source of valuable information, or as a means of 
 acquiring truth. " I am satisfied," says he, "that their 
 communications are wholly worthless. They are often 
 contradictory, often prove false, frequently trifling and 
 nonsensical, and more in character with what might 
 be expected of a company of loafers on a spree than 
 from spirits returned from a world of retribution to 
 ' tell the secrets of their prison house.' " 
 
156 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIKI?SW 
 
 With regard to moving tables, chairs, beds, &c., Mr. 
 Davis says that, " at a circle of friends in Bridgeport, 
 Connecticut, there was a large congregation of spirits, 
 who, from a distance of eighty miles, or thirty above 
 the atmosphere of our earth, directed a mighty column 
 qf vital electricity and magnetism, which column or 
 current, penetrating aU intermediate substances, and 
 by a process of infiltration, entered the fine particles 
 of matter which composed the table, and raised it, 
 several successive times, three or four feet from the 
 floor ! " This we are to receive upon his authority, 
 or upon the testimony of those who may say they 
 saw the table moved. But if the operator can make 
 things appear that never occurred or existed, and can 
 imagine a thing, and have that imagination transferred 
 to others, then what evidence have we that spirits are 
 concerned in the transaction ? Just none at all. A 
 while ago, we heard of an Italian, at the Massachusetts 
 Hospital, who could raise tables from the floor with- 
 out touching them ; and the art of so doing, he said, he 
 learned in Italy. And how are we to account for the 
 Millerites and others being so raised, as they believed? 
 Are they not as much to be credited as those who 
 profess a belief in the miracles of the " harmonial 
 philosophers " ? For ourselves, we are satisfied that 
 such things, for the most part, are but a delusion, 
 whether they are alleged to take place among those 
 supposed to be bewitched, the Adventists, or the har- 
 monials. 
 
 As to the rapping noises, we are inclined to think 
 they may have something to do with the knee and 
 toe joints, and that the two performers usually sit to- 
 gether, in order the better to alternate with, and spell 
 or relieve each other. Upon a fair trial, it certainly 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 157 
 
 has been proved that the noises cannot be produced 
 when the joints are grasped firmly by another. But 
 it may be doubted by some whether the joints can be 
 made to produce the distinct rappings that are some- 
 times heard. We think they can. A few years ago, 
 a boy in London gave exhibitions of what was 
 termed " chin music." It was done by striking the 
 fists upon the lower jaw. By this practice he was 
 able to produce quite loud and distinct sounds, and 
 play a variety of tunes, to the amusement of the pub- 
 lic. The sounds were made by the finger joints, it 
 was supposed ; and perhaps the jaw bone may have 
 contributed its share in the performance. The sounds 
 given by the " rapping spirits " are Jay no means so re- 
 markable as many suppose. They are often quite in- 
 distinct, and nearly inaudible. Unless a person was 
 possessed of a large share of credulity, he would 
 never consider them as the responses of an intelligent 
 spirit. This is the decided conviction of hundreds 
 who have witnessed their performances in various 
 parts of the country. Yet many have been, and 
 others will be, deceived. And, doubtless, many ten- 
 der and sensitive minds may be made insane by the 
 wicked trifling of these unprincipled impostors. Cer- 
 tainly we have not the least desire to set at nought 
 any thing of a truli/ serious character. Yet we are 
 constrained to believe that the things of which we 
 have spoken are too ridiculous and nonsensical, if 
 not actually sinful, to be entitled to the least favor 
 from the public. The learned Thomas Dick, in his 
 Essay on the Improvement of Society, gives an 
 account of far more singular and wonderful phenome- 
 na produced by mechanical agency, than any that has 
 14 
 
158 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRTWSfti 
 
 as yet been attributed to the agency of spirits, as af- 
 firmed by A. J. Davis, or La Roy Sunderland. And 
 we here subjoin the facts of the case, for the benefit 
 of the public : — 
 
 " Soon after the murder of King Charles I., a com- 
 mission was appointed to survey the king's house 
 at Woodstock, with the manor, park, and other de- 
 mesnes belonging to that manor. One Collins, under 
 a feigned name, hired himself as secretary to the 
 commissioners, who, upon the 13th October, 1649, 
 met, and took up their residence in the king's own 
 rooms. His majesty's bed chamber they made their 
 kitchen, the council hall their pantry, and the pres- 
 ence chamber was the place where they met for the 
 despatch of business. Things being thus prepared, 
 they met on the 16th for business ; and in the midst 
 of their first debate, there entered a large black dog; 
 (as they thought,) which made a dreadful howling, 
 overturned two or three of their cheiirs, and then crept 
 under a bed and vanished. This gave them the 
 greater surprise, as the doors were kept constantly 
 locked, so that no real dog could get in or out. The 
 next day their surprise was increased, when, sitting 
 at dinner in a lower room, they heard plainly the 
 noise of persons walking over their heads, though 
 they well knew the doors were all locked, and there 
 could be nobody there. Presently after, they heard, 
 also, all the wood of the King's Oak brought by par- 
 cels from the dining room, and thrown with great vio- 
 lence into the presence chamber, as also aU the chairs, 
 stools, tables, and other furniture forcibly hurled 
 about the room ; their papers, containing the minutes 
 of their transactions, were torn, and the ink glass 
 
INTERCOUKSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 159 
 
 broken. When all this noise had ceased, Giles 
 Sharp, their secretary, proposed first to enter into 
 these rooms ; and in presence of the commission- 
 ers, from whom he received the key, he opened the 
 doors, and found the wood spread about the room, the 
 chairs tossed about and broken, the papers torn, but 
 not the least track of any human creature, nor the 
 least reason to suspect one, as the doors were all fast, 
 and the keys in the custody of the commissioners. 
 It was therefore unanimously agreed that the power 
 that did this mischief must have entered at the key- 
 hole. The night following, Sharp, with two of the 
 commissioners' servants, as they were in bed in the 
 same room, which room was contiguous to that where 
 the commissioners lay, had their beds' feet lifted up so 
 much higher than their heads, that they expected to 
 have their necks broken, and then they were let fall at 
 once with so much violence as shook the whole 
 house, and more than ever terrified the commissioners. 
 On the night of the 19th, as they were all in bed in 
 the same room, for greater safety, and lights burning 
 by them, the candles in an instant went out, with a 
 sulphurous smell; and that moment many trenchers 
 of wood were hurled .about the room, which next 
 morning were found to be the same their honors had 
 eaten out of the day before, which were all removed 
 from the pantry, though not a lock was found opened 
 in the whole house. The next night they fared still 
 worse ; the candles went out, as before ; the curtains 
 of their honors' beds were rattled to and fro with 
 great violence ; they "received many cruel blows and 
 bruises by eight great pewter dishes and a number of 
 wooden trenchers being thrown on their beds, which, 
 
160 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 being heaved off, were heard rolling about the room, 
 though in the morning none of these were to be seen. 
 " The next night the keeper of the king's house and 
 his dog lay in the commissioners' room, and then they 
 had no disturbance. But on the night of the 22d, 
 thoaigh the dog lay in the room as before, yet the 
 candles went out, a number of brickbats fell from the 
 chimney into the room, the dog howled piteously, 
 their bed clothes were aU stripped off, and their terror 
 increased. On the 24th, they thought all the wood 
 of the King's Oak was violently thrown down by their 
 bedsides ; they counted sixty-four billets that fell, and 
 some hit and shook the beds in which they lay ; but 
 in the morning none was found there, nor had the 
 door been opened where the billet wood was kept. 
 The next night the candles were put out, the curtains 
 rattled, and a dreadful crack, like thunder, was heard ; 
 and one of the servants, running in haste, thinking 
 his master was killed, found three dozen of trenchers 
 laid smoothly under the quUt by him. But all this 
 was nothing to what succeeded afterwards. The 
 29th, about midnight, the candles went out ; something 
 walked majestically through the room, and opened 
 and shut the windows ; great stones were thrown 
 violently into the room, some of which fell on the 
 beds, others on the floor ; and at about a quarter after 
 one, a noise was heard as of forty cannon discharged 
 together, and again repeated at about eight minutes' in- 
 tervals. This alarmed and raised all the neighborhood, 
 who, coming into their honors' room, gathered up the 
 great stones, fourscore in number, and laid them by 
 in the corner of a field, where they were afterwards to 
 be seen. This noise, like the discharge of cannon, 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 161 
 
 was heard for several miles round. During these 
 noises, the commissioners and their servants gave one 
 another over for lost, and cried out for help ; and Giles 
 Sharp, snatching up a sword, had well nigh killed one 
 of their honors, mistaking him for the spirit, as he 
 came in his shirt from his own room to theirs. While 
 they were together, the noise was continued, and part 
 of the tiling of the house was stripped off, and all the 
 windows of an upper room were taken away with it. 
 On the 30th, at midnight, something walked into the 
 chamber, treading like a bear ; it walked many times 
 about, then threw the warming pan violently on the 
 floor ; at the same time, a large quantity of broken 
 glass, accompanied with great stones and horse bones, 
 came pouring into the room with uncommon force. On 
 the 1st of November, the most dreadful scene of all 
 ensued. Candles in every part of the room were 
 lighted up, and a great fire made ; at midnight, the 
 candles all yet burning, a noise like the bursting of a 
 cannon was heard in the room, and the burning billets 
 were tossed about by it even into their honors' beds, 
 who called Giles and his companions to their relief, 
 otherwise the house had been burned to the ground ; 
 about an hour after, the candles went out as usual, 
 the crack as of many cannon was heard, and many 
 pailfuls of green stinking water were thrown upon 
 their honors' beds ; great stones were also thrown in 
 as before, the bed curtains and bedsteads torn and 
 broken, the windows shattered, and the whole neigh- 
 borhood alarmed with the most dreadful noises ; nay, 
 the very rabbit stealers, that were- abroad that night 
 in the warren, were so terrified, that they fled for fear, 
 and left their ferrets behind them. One of their 
 14* 
 
162 INTKRCOUKSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 -honors this night spoke, and, in the name of God, 
 asked what it was, and why it disturbed them so. 
 No answer was given to this ; but the noise ceased 
 for a while, when the spirit came again ; and as they 
 aJl agreed, brought with it seven devils worse than 
 itself. One of the servants now lighted a large candle, 
 and set it in the doorway between the two chambers, 
 to see what passed ; and as he watched it,, he plainly 
 saw a hoof striking the candle and candlestick into the 
 middle of the room, and afterwards, making three 
 scrapes over the snufF, scraped it out. Upon this the 
 same person was so bold as to draw a sword ; but he 
 had scarcely got it out, when he felt another invisible 
 hand holding it too, and pulling it from him, and at 
 length, prevailing, struck him so violently on the head 
 with the pommel, that he fell down for dead with the 
 blow. At this instant was heard another burst, like 
 the dischEirge of the broadside of a ship of war, and at 
 the interval of a minute or two between each, no legs 
 than nineteen such discharges. These shook the 
 house so violently that they expected every moment 
 it would fall upon their heads. The neighbors, being 
 all alarmed, flocked to the house in great numbers, 
 and all joined in prayer and psalm singing; during 
 which the noise continued in the other rooms, and the 
 discharge of cannons was heard as from without, 
 though no visible agent was seen to discharge them. 
 But what was the most alarming of all, and put an end 
 to their proceedings efiectually, happened the next day, 
 as they were all at dinner, when a paper, in which they 
 had signed a mutual agreement to reserve a part of the 
 premises out of the general survey, and afterwards to 
 share it equally among themselves, (which paper they 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 163 
 
 had hid for the present under the earth, in a pot in one 
 corner of the room, and in which an orange tree grew,) 
 was consumed in a wonderful manner by the earth's 
 taking fire, with which the pot was filled, and burning 
 violently with a blue flame and an intolerable stench, 
 so that they were all driven out of the house, to which 
 they could never be again prevailed upon to return." 
 
 This story has been somewhat abridged from the 
 Encyclopaedia Britannica, where it is quoted from Dr. 
 Plot's History of Oxfordshire, in which these extraor- 
 dinary occurrences are ascribed to satanic influence. 
 At the time they happened, they were viewed as the ef- 
 fects of supernatural powers ; and even Dr. Plot seems 
 disposed to ascribe them to this cause. " Though 
 many tricks," says the doctor, " have often been 
 played in affairs of this kind, yet many of the things 
 above related are not reconcilable with juggling ; such 
 as the loud noises beyond the powers of man to make 
 without such instruments as were not there ; the tear- 
 ing and breaking the beds ; the throwing about the 
 fire ; the hoof treading out the candle ; and the striv- 
 ing for the sword; and, the blow the man received 
 from the pommel of it." It was at length ascertained, 
 however, that this wonderful contrivance was all the 
 invention of the memorable Joseph CoUins, of Oxford, 
 otherwise called Funny Joe, who, having hired him- 
 self as secretary under the name of Giles Sharp, by 
 knowing the private traps belonging to the house, and 
 by the help of pulvis fulminans, and other chemical 
 preparations, and letting his fellow-servants into the 
 scheme, carried on the deceit without discovery, to 
 the very last, 
 
 The occurrences which are said to have taken place 
 
164 INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 at the house of the Rev. Dr. Phelps, in Stratford, 
 Connecticut, are not to be compared in their marvel- 
 lousness to those we have quoted from Dr. Dick, and 
 which things were the results of the ingenuity of Joe 
 Collins. Therefore, when we hear of such like oc- 
 currences in our day, there will be no necessity for us 
 to attribute them to any supernatural influence, either 
 good or bad ; for it is a well-received maxim, that 
 " what man has done man can do." To suppose that 
 the merciful Father of spirits would harass and 
 frighten mankind by haunting their houses with 
 strange noises and rappings, ghosts and hobgoblins, 
 and spirits of the uneasy dead, would be derogatory 
 to his paternal character. And who, for a moment, 
 could believe that he would torment little children in 
 this way, when our Savior took them in his arms, and 
 blessed them, and said, " Of such is the kingdom of 
 heaven " ? No, we must attribute such things to any 
 other source than as proceeding from the throne of God. 
 Up to the present time it may be that many will 
 profess to the world that they have actually seen the 
 spirits of the departed. Yet this is no new profession, 
 for the votaries of St. Vitus, and the spirituaUy-minded 
 Shakers of later times, have declared to us that they 
 have seen their departed friends and acquaintances. 
 But even Mr. Davis is led to consider a large majority 
 of these cases to be the results of cerebral agitation. 
 " I can truthfully affirm," says he, "that the objects, 
 localities, scenery, and personages, seen by those la- 
 boring under monomania, delirium tremens, &c., are 
 of the same class of mental delusion, and are abso- 
 lutely nothing more than the unconscious elaborations 
 of the surcharged brain." 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OP POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 165 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 The following are some of the evils that result from 
 a belief in popular superstitions : — 
 
 1. They have caused a great waste of time. Look 
 at the' practice of heathen nations. Their religious 
 ceremonies are altogether superstitious. All the time 
 devoted to false gods must be considered as wasted. 
 Take a survey, too, of Catholic countries. During 
 the dark ages, their priests were engaged in nonsensi- 
 cal disputes. Treatise after treatise was composed on 
 such subjects as the following : How many angels 
 can stand on the point of a needle ? Have spirits any 
 navels ? Is the Virgin Mary the mother of God ? and 
 a thousand others equally senseless and unprofitable. 
 In their monasteries, multitudes passed their days in 
 repeating unintelligible prayers, poring over the le- 
 gends of their saints, cutting figures in paper, and tor- 
 menting their bodies for the good of their souls. Turn 
 our attention to Protestant lands, and here we find, 
 also, that many a folio has been written on foolish 
 and unintelligible subjects ; that many a day has been 
 occupied in trying and burning witches and heretics ; 
 that many a pharasaic custom has been scrupulously 
 observed, and many an absurd opinion advanced and 
 defended. Even in our own times, many hours are 
 occupied in discoursing about dreams and visions, 
 signs and tricks, spectres and apparitions ; in consult- 
 ing charms, and lots, and fortune tellers; in prying 
 into future events and occurrences ; in borrowing 
 
166 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS, 
 
 trouble on account of some supposed unfavorable 
 omen ; or in various other practices equally vain and 
 superstitious. Now, all this is wrong. Time is given 
 for no such purposes. We have but a short period 
 allotted to us to remain in this world, and a great 
 work to accomplish. Let us then be always engaged 
 in something useful and virtuous. 
 
 2. Popular superstitions have caused a great waste 
 of human life. Cast your eye over the page of history. 
 You there notice an account of the trial by ordeal. 
 The accused person was required either to hold red- 
 hot iron balls in his naked hands, or to walk over red- 
 hot plates of iron with bare feet. If he escaped un- 
 burned, he was considered innocent ; but if he was 
 scorched, sentence of death was pronounced. Or he 
 was compelled either to thrust his arm into a caldron 
 of boiling water, or be thrown into a deep pond. If 
 he was either unscalded or drowned, his innocence 
 was proved ; but if he was scalded or could swim, the 
 sentence of condemnation was passed. In neither 
 case could life be saved, except by the interposition of 
 a miracle ; and this was not expected on such occa- 
 sions. And through this superstition, thousands per- 
 ished in the most cruel and unrighteous manner. A 
 distinguished writer computes that more than one 
 hundred thousand persons, of all ages, have suffered 
 death for witchcraft alone. Only think ! one hundred 
 thousand persons murdered for a crime of which no 
 human person was ever guilty ! 
 
 There are others who bring upon themselves sick- 
 ness, and even death, by their belief in signs, dreams, 
 and forewarnings. But as the gospel sheds abroad 
 its divine light, these things are found to recede, and 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 167 
 
 to give place to more rational views of divine wisdom 
 and goodness, in the control and arrangement of events 
 having a relation to our being and happiness. The 
 author of the Family Encyclopaedia says, that " the 
 superstitious notions of ghosts, spirits, &c., are rapidly 
 declining ; and notwithstanding all the solemn tales 
 which have been propagated, there is no reason to 
 believe that any real spirits or celestial agents have 
 held intercourse with man since the establishment of 
 Christianity;" and that "the history of modern mir- 
 acles, appearances of the dead, &c., will be always 
 found, when thoroughly examined, merely the phan- 
 toms of a disordered imagination." 
 
 3. Popular superstitions have caused great and un- 
 necessary misery. We need not refer to history for 
 an illustration of this assertion. We have sufficient 
 examples around us. Look into society, and we shall 
 find one class who pay particular attention to all signs 
 and dreams. If any thing unfavorable is indicated, 
 their feelings are greatly depressed; and if the con- 
 trary, they are as much elated. If a little insect, 
 called the death watch, knocks for its mate on the 
 wall, sleepless nights are sure to follow. If they notice 
 the new moon over the wrong shoulder, their comfort 
 is destroyed- for a whole month. Nanny Scott, the 
 old washerwoman, is sure that another death wUl 
 happen in the family this year, because, when her 
 sister-in-law was taken out to be buried, somebody 
 shut the door before the corpse was under ground, and 
 so shut death into the house. And her neighbor, the 
 good Mrs. Taylor, suffers the baby to scratch and dis- 
 figure its face, because it is said to be unlucky to cut 
 the nails of a child under a year old. Another neigh- 
 
168 
 
 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 bor has seen a single raven fly over the house, or 
 heard a cricket chirping upon the hearth, and is greatly 
 alarmed, because such things are said to be a sign of 
 death to some member of the family within the year. 
 And thus many are found who are silly enough to 
 iinbitter their own lives and the lives of others by 
 such foolish superstitions. 
 
 There may be noticed another class, whose belief in 
 the supernatural origin of signs, omens, and warnings 
 leads them to adopt measures for their speedy fulfil- 
 ment. Many a wedded couple seem to think they 
 must quarrel because it happened to storm on the day 
 they were married ; and when some dispute arises 
 between them, they fall to fighting, to prove, if possible, 
 the truth of the prediction. And for all this interrup- 
 tion of domestic harmony, they blame, not their own 
 tempers and passions, but the decrees of fate. Many 
 a person has concluded he must live in poverty all his 
 days, because a few moles have appeared on the wrong 
 side. of his body. And hence he neglects all industry 
 and economy, and dissipates his time, his privileges, 
 and his talents. 
 
 We may notice a third class, who give themselves 
 to tricks, fortune telling, and opening books, to dis- 
 cover the events of futurity. Their spirits vary with 
 the supposed indications of good or evil occurrences. 
 "A lady, who moved in the first circles, was once 
 visiting in a clergyman's family of my acquaintance," 
 says the late Rev. Bernard Whitman, " and it was her 
 regular morning custom to toss up a little box of pins, 
 and make her happiness for the day depend upon their 
 accidental variation in falling. If they came down 
 more heads than points, she was cheerful and happy ; 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 169 
 
 but if more points than heads, she was gloomy and 
 wretched. It seemed she valued her comfort, worth 
 at least a brass pin." Many a worthy Christian has 
 not only been deprived of his happiness, but betrayed 
 into wild, extravagant, and even sinful acts, by at- 
 tempting to follow the suggestion of the' passage 
 which first meets his eye on opening the Bible. Many 
 a poor wight has formed a disadvantageous matrimo- 
 nial alliance, because some old hag has described black 
 eyes and rosy cheeks as the characteristics of his 
 future bride. 
 
 "We may notice, moreover, a fourth class, who are 
 forever anticipating some dreadful calamity. Let any 
 fool solemnly proclaim that war, famine, or pestilence 
 is approaching, ajjd they will give more heed to it 
 than to that holy word which assures us that our 
 heavenly Father will never leave nor forsake us. All 
 uncommon appearances in the heavens they look upon 
 as indications of the threatened judgments of an angry 
 God. Even the beautiful Aurora Borealis, which 
 spans the blue concave above us, was so inter- 
 preted. To permit such fears to disturb and destroy 
 our happiness is a sin against Heaven. Our heavenly 
 Father created us for enjoyment. He has furnished 
 us with capacities and means of felicity. He has 
 even commanded us to rejoice in the Lord always. 
 He has given us a religion to effect this desirable ob- 
 ject. It is as much a part of this religion to be always 
 cheerful, contented, and happy, as to be always tem- 
 perate, just, and virtuous. And if people would take 
 one tenth part of the pains to make themselves happy 
 that they do to render themselves miserable, there 
 would be ten times the present amount of happiness. 
 15 
 
170 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 " By the grace of God," says the Rev. John Wesley, 
 " I never fret. I repine at nothing ; I am discontented 
 at nothing. And to have persons at my ear fretting 
 and murmuring at every thing is like tearing the flesh 
 from off my bones. I see God sitting upon his throne, 
 and Idling all things well." A companion of Mr. 
 Wesley says that he never saw him low-spirited in 
 his life_, nor could he endure to be with an unhappy, 
 melancholic person. " Every believer," he often re- 
 marked, " should enjoy life." " I dare no more fret," 
 said he, " than curse or swear." Would that all Chris- 
 tians were as cheerful and consistent as Mr. Wesley. 
 There would be less of dark and dismal forebodings ; 
 less of distrust, and more of solid peace and comfort, 
 in the soul. It seems that Melanct|jon was somewhat 
 of a melancholic turn of mind, and, when gloomy 
 and dejected, would call upon Luther, and relate to 
 him his troubles and afflictions. Luther, being of a 
 more lively and hopeful turn, after listening to him a 
 short time, would jump upon his feet, and say, 
 " Come, come, let us sing the forty-sixth psalm;" 
 and when they had sung that, all was peaceful and 
 happy again. 
 
 As to what is commonly termed good or ill luck, 
 we may be assured that they have no other existence 
 but in the imagination. Luck means chance ; but 
 every thing, great and small, is under the wise and 
 gracious direction of God. Nothing can happen 
 without his permission, and he permits nothing but 
 what, in his wonderful plans, he designs to work for 
 our good. We are kept in ignorance of the particular 
 events that are to befall us, in order to keep alive 
 within us an abiding sense of our dependence on God, 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OP POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 171 
 
 and a constant obedience to the directions of his 
 word, by which alone we can be prepared to meet the 
 dispensations of his providence. The Bible tells us 
 quite enough of futurity to teach us to prepare for it, 
 as far as it rests with us to prepare. And it is both 
 vain and wicked to endeavor tq obtain any further in- 
 formation from any other source, or for any one to pre- 
 tend that they possess it. Had it been necessary for 
 our good that we should know every thing beforehand, 
 the information would have been given us in the Bible, 
 or it would have been left so that we could have 
 gathered it from general instruction and observation, 
 as is the case with every kind of knowledge that is 
 essential to our present as well as everlasting good. 
 It certainly would not have been left to creaking 
 doors, croaking ravens, or ill-made tallow candles. 
 Neither would God reveal to weak and wicked men 
 or women the designs of his providence, which no 
 human wisdom is able to foresee. To consult these 
 false oracles is not only foolish, but sinful. It is 
 foolish, because they themselves are as ignorant as 
 those whom they pretend to teach ; and it is sinful, 
 because it is prying into that futurity which God, in 
 mercy, as well as in wisdom, hides from man. God 
 indeed orders all things ; but when you have a mind 
 to do a foolish thing, do not fancy that you are fated 
 to do it; this is tempting Providence, not trusting 
 God. It is charging him with foUy. Prudence is his 
 gift, and you obey him better when you make use of 
 prudence, under the direction of prayer, than when 
 you heedlessly rush . into ruin, and think you are only 
 submitting to your fate. Fancy never that you are 
 compelled to uiido yourself, or to rush upon your own 
 
172 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 destruction, in compliance with any supposed fatality. 
 Believe never that God conceals his will from a sober 
 Christian, who obeys his laws, and reveals it to a 
 vagabond, who goes from place to place, breaking the 
 laws both of God and man. King Saul never con- 
 sulted the witch until he left off serving God. The 
 Bible will direct us best. Conjurers are impostors ; 
 and there are no days unlucky but those we make so 
 by our vanity, foUy, and sin. 
 
 4. Popular superstitions have greatly injured the 
 cause of medicine. That superstition which leads 
 people to believe in the efficacy of charms is very in- 
 jurious. We will enumerate a few cases by way of 
 example. The scrofula, for instance, is frequently 
 called the king's evil. It received this name because 
 it was generally believed that the touch of a king 
 would cure the disorder. For centuries this belief was 
 so prevalent, that any one who should call it in ques- 
 tion would have been considered no less than an 
 infidel, and an enemy to his king and country. And 
 so great was the demand for the king's touch, from 
 invalids, that one day in seven was set apart for the 
 king to bestow healing mercies on his subjects. Vast 
 numbers flocked to him, from Wales, Ireland, Scot- 
 land, and many parts of the continent. An exact 
 register was kept of the number of persons who came 
 to Charles the Second for relief, from 1660 to 1664, 
 and they amounted to twenty-three thousand six hun- 
 dred and one. From May, 1667, to 1684, the number 
 of persons touched amounted to sixty-eight thousand 
 five hundred and six. Total, ninety-two thousand one 
 hundred and seven. The practice was begun in the 
 year 1051, and continued until the reign of the present 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 173 
 
 royal family, who were possessed of too much sense 
 to encourage such an idle superstition. But notwith- 
 standing this belief and practice were abandoned by 
 the royal family, yet, with some individuals, a belief 
 still prevails that certain persons are endowed with 
 healing power. 
 
 In 1807, a farmer in Devonshire, England, who was 
 the ninth son of a ninth son, officiated in the cure of 
 the king's evil, and multitudes believed that they 
 received healing from his touch. In this country, a 
 seventh son of a seventh son has officiated in similar 
 cases, and performed incredible cures, as we are told 
 by those who think they have received signal blessings 
 through his instrumentality. 
 
 Not many years since, the cold hands of a convict, 
 who had terminated his life on the gallows, in Liver- 
 pool, were drawn over several wens a number of times 
 to effect a cure. A person in one of our western 
 states ran a pitchfork into his hand, and he applied a 
 plaster to the cold iron as well as to the fresh wound. 
 When people run a nail into their foot, they frequently 
 save and polish the rusty iron to facilitate the recovery. 
 Some time since, in the State of Maine, the body of a 
 female was taken from the grave, her heart taken out, 
 dried, and pulverized, and given to another member of 
 the family, as a specific against the consumption. 
 And the same thing has more recently been done in 
 the town of Waltham, Massachusetts. The heart was 
 reduced to a powder, and made into pills, but they 
 did not cure the patient ; while the person who took 
 up the remains from the grave, and removed the heart, 
 came very near losing his life, from the putrefactive 
 state of the corpse at the time. 
 15* 
 
174 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 We could relate many other cases, equally foolish 
 and disgusting. All such things should be classed 
 under the general name of charms, and be looked upon 
 as relics of the grossest superstitions. Why not as 
 well have the touch of a slave as a king ? Why not 
 as well apply your plaster to a tree as to a pitchfork ? 
 Why not as well drink the heart of a lamb as a woman ? 
 You may say that God has determined certain cures 
 shaU follow certain applications. No such determina- 
 tion is published in his word, and no such conclusions 
 can be inferred from facts. You may pretend that a 
 special miracle is wrought in such cases. But this 
 is incredible; for the object is not compatible with 
 the miraculous interposition of Deity. And the few 
 cures which are reputed to have taken place can be 
 satisfactorily accounted for, on the influence of the 
 imagination, and other natura,l causes. So that such 
 a belief is not only superstitious, but calculated to 
 lead people to neglect the proper means of recovery, and 
 thus injure themselves and the medical profession. 
 
 In the years 1808, '9, and '10, a Mr. Austin of 
 Colchester, Vermont, gave out that he was a gifted 
 person in the art of healing ; and if the patient would 
 describe to him, by word of mouth, or by letter, the 
 true symptoms of his malady, he would receive heal- 
 ing at his word; if indeed his disease was curable. 
 In a very little time the obscure retreat of Austin was 
 thronged with invalids, coming from almost every 
 section of the country; and Colchester was scarcely 
 less in favor than Ballston or Saratoga. The mail 
 carriers gi'oaned under the burden of maladies de- 
 scribed. Bar rooms at public inns, on roads leading to 
 Colchester, were decorated with letters directed to 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 175 
 
 the " Prophet of Colchester ; " and vagrants were 
 found travelling over the country, collecting of in- 
 valids their evil symptoms, to be truly and faith- 
 fully delivered to the prophet in a given time, at 
 the moderate price of fifty cents per letter. We 
 were soon referred to cases wherein the most invet- 
 erate deafness was removed ; the blind saw ; drop- 
 sies and consumptions, in the last stages of them, 
 were cured ; and the patient, it is said, in many in- 
 stances, would tell the day and the hour whfen their 
 letters were received by the prophet, although they 
 might be some hundred miles distant from the de- 
 liverer, because, at such an hour, they began to mend. 
 The prophet, however, did not long enjoy his far-famed 
 celebrity. His house, after a while, was deserted of 
 invalids. The people discovered their folly, and per- 
 mitted him to sink into his former merited obscurity. 
 It was just the same with the celebrated rain-water 
 doctor, as he was called, who established himself at 
 one time in Providence, and at another time in the 
 vicinity of Boston. Many of those now living can 
 recollect the accounts of marvellous cures, and the 
 flocliing of invalids of all descriptions to his temple of 
 health. But the community at length discovered the 
 imposition of his practice, and left him to the undis- 
 turbed enjoyment of his rain water and his gruel. 
 
 The most recent case of medical imposition pactised 
 upon the public, that has come to our knowledge, is 
 that of a practitioner in New York city, who, by 
 receiving a letter from sick or diseased persons, giving 
 the year, day, and hour of their birth, immediately for- 
 wards them a package of medicine suited to their case. 
 It seems to be a matter of astonishment to many how 
 
176 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 he arrives at a knowledge of their state of health, so 
 as to be able to adapt his remedies to their several 
 conditions. But it is probably done on the principles 
 of astrology — by finding the planet under which the 
 patient is born, the diseases appertaining to that planet, 
 and the plants belonging to the same, which are sup- 
 posed to have a special effect upon the relative 
 planetary diseases. Culpepper, in his English Herbal, 
 if we mistake not, arranges or classifies all plants and 
 diseases in this wny, and contends that astrology is 
 the only true key to medical science. Fortune telling 
 is practised upon a similar plan, through the agency 
 of astrology. But the whole is a deception, entirely 
 unworthy the age in which we live. The fortune 
 teller may hit upon an incident which is correct, once 
 in a whUe, and it would be strange if he did not. 
 And the astrological physician may prescribe some 
 little tonic, or stimulant, that will raise the drooping 
 spirits for a time, and actually lead the hopeful patient 
 to believe that he or she is fast recovering from their 
 long-afflictive maladies. But the sequel too often 
 teaches them the lesson of their sad mistake. 
 
 The history of Valentine Greataks, the son of an 
 Irish gentleman, who lived in the time of Cromwell, 
 is very similar to what we have related of the prophet 
 of Colchester. And about the same time, Francisco 
 Bagnone, a Capuchin friar, was famous in Italy, 
 having a gift of healing, principaUy by his hands 
 only. Multitudes of sick people attended him wher- 
 ever he went, to obtain healing mercy. And here, 
 perhaps, we may find the true principle on which all 
 the impositions of Popery have been maintained for 
 centuries gone by. It cannot be a matter of surprise 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 177 
 
 that, if men, of more information than they, can be 
 made to believe that they are delivered from disease 
 by experiments of magnetism, tractors, or the mere 
 touch of the hand, these should believe that they are 
 healed by visiting the tombs of saints ; by standing 
 before their statues ; being touched by nails from 
 their coffins, rings from their fingers, or by the bones 
 of the fingers themselves. 
 
 We aVe by no means authorized to say that none 
 of these persons were relieved of pains and diseases 
 by seeking relief in this way. So great is the influ- 
 ence of the imagination on the nervous, vascular, and 
 muscular systems, as has already been shown, that it 
 would be no more than probable that obstructions, 
 causing pain and sickness, should in some instances 
 be removed, and lay a foundation for recovery. And, 
 moreover, that in a still greater number of instances 
 the power of the imagination on the origin of the 
 nerves within the brain should counteract the motion 
 to the brain by disease acting upon the extremities 
 of the nerves; and thus the patient for a season 
 might experience relief from pain, and even feel pleas- 
 ure, as was the case with an artist upon the Pont 
 Royal, mentioned by Dr. Sigault, and in the gambols 
 of the rheumatic patient, as mentioned by Dr. Hay- 
 garth. But in all these cases, experiment and illus- 
 tration, like those of the commissioners at Paris, 
 and like that of Dr. Haygarth in England, would dis- 
 close the real ground of these effects. The patients 
 would no longer attribute them to a supernatural in- 
 fluence. They would learn why, in most cases, the 
 relief supposed to be obtained was only momentary, 
 and why all those gifted persons, both in Europe and 
 
3.78 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 America, have had no more than an ephemeral celeb- 
 rity, and, in most instances, lived to see themselves 
 neglected, and their pretensions become the subjects 
 of just satire and reproof. 
 
 5. Popular superstitions have greatly injured the 
 cause of religion. That superstition which allows 
 any substitute for personal holiness is very pernicious. 
 The Pharisees considered themselves holy, because 
 they were the descendants of faithful Abraham. 
 They fasted twice a week; paid tithes of all they 
 possessed ; made long prayers in public places ; and 
 were strict observers of all sacred days and religious 
 ceremonies. At the same time, they neglected the 
 weightier matters of the law — justice, mercy, faith- 
 fulness; devoured widows' houses; were proud, bigot- 
 ed, and self-righteous. 
 
 Some people think they lived only in the times of 
 the apostles. "But we should recollect," says the 
 Bev. George Whitefield, " that vipers and toads have 
 the most eggs, and most numerous progeny. If you 
 were to look at the eggs of a toad through a micro- 
 scope, you would be surprised at the innumerable mul- 
 titude ; and the Pharisees are an increasing genera- 
 tion of vipers, which batch and spread aU over the 
 world. If you would know a Pharisee, be is one 
 who pretends to endeavor, and talks about keeping 
 the law of Gtod, and does not know its spirituality. 
 There are some of them very great men, in their own 
 estimation, and frequently make the greatest figure in 
 the church. One of them, a gentleman's son, be- 
 cause he had not broken the letter of the law, thought 
 he was right and without sin. " O," says he, " if I 
 have nothing to do but to keep the commandments, I 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 179 
 
 am safe. I have honored my father and mother ; I 
 never stole ; what need he to steal who has so good 
 an estate ? I never committed adultery." No, no ! he 
 loved his character too well for that: but our Lord 
 opens to him the law — This one thing thou lackest ; g-o, 
 sell all thou hast, and give to the poor : he loved his 
 money more than his God ; Christ brought him back 
 to the first commandment, though he catechized him 
 first in the fifth. So Paul was a Pharisee. He says, 
 " /was alive without the law, once ; I was, touching the 
 law, blameless." How can that be? Can a man 
 be without the law, and yet, touching the law, be 
 blameless? Says he, "I was without the law 5 that 
 is, I was not brought to see its spirituality. I thought 
 myself a very good man." No man could say of 
 Paul, Black is his eye. " But," says he, " when God 
 brought the commandment with power upon my soul, 
 then I saw my specks, and beheld my lack of true 
 righteousness." 
 
 Some Roman Catholics perform tedious pilgrim- 
 ages ; lacerate their own bodies ; abstain from meats 
 on certain days ; and some have paid the pope or 
 priests for the pardon of their sins, or purchased in- 
 dulgences for the commission of wickedness. Some 
 Protestants, too, attend punctually upon all religious 
 meetings, subscribe liberally to the charities of the 
 day, observe aU gospel ordinances, and profess great 
 attachment to the cause of Christ ; and yet are fret- 
 ful, unkind, and disobliging in their families ; censori- 
 ous in their conversation ; uncharitable in their judg- 
 ment ; grasping in their dealings, and unhappy in 
 their dispositions. Some have thought that, because 
 Christ died for the sins of the whole world, they 
 
180 EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 could commit sin with impunity; or, if they were 
 elected, they could do what they pleased, and be sure of 
 heaven at last. But all these things have no founda- 
 tion in reason, experience, or revelation, and may 
 therefore be considered superstitious. A belief in 
 them is exceedingly injurious to the cause of piety 
 and holiness, because it leads to the neglect of the one 
 thing needful — a uniformly sober, righteous, and god- 
 ly life. God wiU certainly render unto every man 
 according to his deeds. Be he Pharisee or Sadducee, 
 Catholic or Protestant, elect or non-elect, he can es- 
 cape the punishment of no sin but by repentance and 
 reformation. And no sin is ever removed, no virtue 
 is ever given, by miracle. Our iniquities must be for- 
 saken, and our goodness acquired, by our own exer- 
 tions, aided by the promised influence of the Holy 
 Spirit. And, until we have accomplished these ends, 
 we cannot rationally expect pure and permanent 
 happiness. 
 
 There have been opinions respecting the devil, tinc- 
 tured somewhat with superstition, that have contrib- 
 uted to bring reproach upon the Scriptures, which 
 were supposed to teach the existence of just such a 
 being as many believed him to be. Martin Luther, 
 in speaking of his confinement in the castle of Wart- 
 burg, says, " The people brought me, among other 
 things, some hazel nuts, which I put into a box, and 
 sometimes I used to crack and eat of them. In the 
 night time, my gentleman, the devil, came and got 
 the nuts out of the box, and cracked them against 
 one of the bed posts, making a very great noise and 
 rumbling about my bed ; but I regarded him nothing 
 at all : when afterwards I began to slumber, then he 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 181 
 
 kept such a racket and rumbling upon the chamber 
 stairs, as if many empty barrels and hogsheads had 
 been tumbling down." 
 
 Dr. Cotton Mather, in the time of New England 
 witchcraft, took home one of the possessed damsels, to 
 learn the ways and works of Satan. When the doc- 
 tor called the family to prayers, she would whistle, 
 and sing, and yell, to drown his voice, would strike 
 at him with her fist, and try to kick him. But her 
 hand or foot would always recoil when within an 
 inch or two of his body; thus giving the idea that 
 there was a sort of invisible coat of mail, of heaven- 
 ly temper, and proof against the assaults of the devil, 
 around his sacred person. She seemed to be greatly 
 displeased at the thought of his making public the 
 doings of her master, the evil one ; and when he at- 
 tempted to write a sermon against him, she would 
 disturb and interrupt him all manner of ways. For 
 instance, she once knocked at his study door, and said 
 that there was somebody down stairs that would be 
 glad to see him ; he dropped his pen, and went down : 
 upon entering the room he found no one there but his 
 own family. He afterwards undertook to chide her 
 for having told a falsehood. She denied that she told 
 a falsehood. " Did not you say that there was some- 
 body down stairs that would be glad to see me?" 
 " Well," she replied, with great pertness, " is not 
 Mrs. Mather always glad to see you ? " She even 
 went much further than this in persecuting the good 
 man while he was writing his sermon: she threw 
 large books at his head. But he struggled manfuUy 
 at these buffetings of Satan, as he considered them to 
 be, finished the sermon, related all these and other 
 16 
 
182 EVIL EFFECTS OP POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 kindred circumstances in it, preached and published 
 it. Richard Baxter wrote the preface to an edition 
 printed in London, in which he declares that " he who 
 will not be convinced, by the evidence Dr. Mather pre- 
 sents, that the child was bewitched, must be a very 
 obdurate Sadducee." 
 
 A few years since, a house in Maine was said to be 
 haunted. The building and furniture were shaken, 
 dreadful noises were heard, dismal sights were seen, 
 and heavy blows were received. The occupant of the 
 house had lately left a Calvinistic theological semina- 
 ry. He afterwards became a settled Universalist 
 preacher. " A neighboring family informed me," says 
 the late Bernard Whitman, " that he now considered 
 it the Spirit of God, haunting him to forsake Calvin- 
 ism, and proclaim universal salvation." His explana- 
 tion, though satisfactory to himself, may not be 
 equally so to our readers. 
 
 The devil should never be made a packhorse for 
 our sins, nor should our thoughts be turned from 
 within, causing us to neglect a watch upon our own 
 lusts and passions, in looking for the assaults of some 
 outward tempter. The effect sometimes produced 
 upon the minds of children has a very unfavorable in- 
 fluence. A pious mother, not finding it convenient to 
 attend her little son to rest, told him to omit his pray- 
 ers for one night. " Mother," said the child, " will 
 the devil forgive me if I neglect my prayers ? " 
 
 " What shall we say," says the late Professor 
 Stuart, " pf the excessive use that has been made of 
 the passages that speak of his influence and domin- 
 ion ? Because, in reference to the wide-spread influ- 
 ence of Satan, he is called the ' prince of this world,' 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS, 183 
 
 and even the ' god of this world,' are we literally to 
 interpret passages of this nature, and thus in a clan- 
 destine manner introduce effectually the old dualism 
 of Zoroaster and the Persians ? This, indeed, has of- 
 ten, very often, been substantially done ; done, I ac- 
 knowledge, for the most part without any direct in- 
 tention of such a nature. Still there is an impres- 
 sion, wide spread among the lower classes of people, 
 even in our own country, that Satan is a kind of om- 
 nipotent being ; and he is often represented as the 
 successful, or rather the invincible, rival of the great 
 Redeemer. 
 
 " Yet the New Testament is full enough of instruc- 
 tion relative to this subject to correct any erroneous 
 views in relation to it, if it be duly examined. I 
 need only appeal to the large class of passages which 
 represent Satan as a conquered enemy ; as ' falling 
 like lightning from heaven ; ' as being reduced to a 
 state of impotence in respect to that deadly power 
 which he exercises, (Heb. ii. 14;) and all the evil 
 principalities, and powers, and magistrates (1 Cor. xv. 
 24, Eph. vi. 12, Col. ii. 15) as being subdued, or to 
 be subdued and utterly discomfited, by Christ ; for 
 ' the prince of this world is cast out,' (John xii. 31 ;) 
 ' the Son of God was manifested that he might de- 
 stroy the works of the devU,' (1 John iii. 8 ;) and 
 Christians are every where spoken of as being liber- 
 ated from his dominion and power, (1 John v. 18—44.) 
 "When the apostle, therefore, calls Satan ' the god of 
 this world,' and the Savior calls him ' the prince of 
 this world,' it is the world of the wicked which is 
 meant ; for such is the usual idiom of the Scriptures. 
 And as to the power of Satan over the wicked, it is 
 
184 EVIL EFFECTS OP POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 every where presented in the New Testament as 
 something that will wholly cease after a time, and the 
 reign of the Prince of Peace become universal. 
 
 " How deeply these considerations intrench upon the 
 long-practised methods of exhibiting Satan as om- 
 nipotent and omnipresent every thinking mind will 
 easily perceive. Especially has the Romish church 
 erred here beyond all bounds of reason or modera- 
 tion. According to the doctrines which they sedu- 
 lously inculcate, Satan has not only irresistible power 
 over the world of the wicked, but, next to such a 
 power, even over Christians. Nothing but exorcisms, 
 and holy chrisms, and lustrations with holy water, 
 and incantations, and the like, can keep off evil 
 spirits, or disarm them of their fatal power. And as 
 the consummation and chief end of all the doctrine, 
 nothing short of the interposition of the priesthood 
 can secure any one against destruction, either in this 
 world or the next — an interposition, however, which is 
 not freely given, as the Savior commanded the disci- 
 ples to impart the blessings of the gospel, but to be 
 purchased at whatever price the church may fix upon 
 it." — Bibliotheca Sacra, February, 1843. 
 
 Language sometimes used in times of excitement 
 is prejudicial to the cause of religion. It is some- 
 times said that the Almighty is visiting such a town ; 
 that he is coming this way ; that he has taken up his 
 abode in a certain village ; that he will remain but a 
 few days ; that he has been driven away by unbe- 
 lievers, and that he cannot be expected again for 
 some months or years. Now, it should be remem- 
 bered that God is every where present, and that his 
 spirit is always striving within the soul ; and its voice 
 
BANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 185 
 
 is drowned only by the strife and tumult of our own 
 discordant passions. The Spirit is ever ready to as- 
 sist us, whenever we resolve to use our own efforts in 
 hearty cooperation. And if revivals of religion seem 
 to be of a periodical nature, it is because our own 
 zeal or engagedness is too fitful. The church can en- 
 joy a constant season of refreshing from the presence 
 of the Lord, only let its members be ever active, ever 
 diligent, ever devoted and persevering. God works 
 not by miracle, but through the agency of common 
 means or efforts. We must not, therefore, defer at- 
 tention to the duties of religion, in expectation of 
 some special interposition of Heaven. We should re- 
 member that a sober, righteous, and godly life is the 
 best evidence of true conversion ; and that we are 
 called upon to work out' our own salvation with fear 
 and trembling, God himself having vouchsafed to 
 work within us both to will and to do of his good 
 pleasure. 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 BANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 Seeing the evils of popular superstitions, what 
 course shall we adopt for their banishment ? Or, in 
 other words, how shall we best lend a helping hand 
 to hasten the downfall of ignorance, error, and sin ? 
 
 1. We must deliver ourselves from their domination ; 
 for we are all more or less under their influence. When 
 16* 
 
186 BANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 any of the common signs of good or evil forttine 
 appear before us, our thoughts involuntarily recur to 
 the thing supposed to be signified. Sometimes a 
 momentary shudder is communicated to the whole 
 system ; unpleasant sensations are often excited ; and 
 frequently a depression of spirits is produced. And 
 how can we free ourselves from this thraldom? By 
 the exercise of our reason. A prope r use of j aur reason- 
 ing faculties will enable us to accomplish this under- 
 taking. We must endeavor to convince ourselves 
 that all these things are the offspring of ignorance; 
 that they have no foundation in reason, philosophy, 
 or religion ; and that they are exceedingly pernicious 
 in their consequences. When fully persuaded of these 
 truths, we must strive to make our feelings coincide 
 with the dictates of our understandings. And this we 
 can effect by persevering self-discipline. Such exer- 
 tions, with the blessing of Heaven, will eventually 
 deliver us from the inconvenience, vexation, and sla- 
 very of popular superstitions. And as such a consum- 
 mation is most ardently to be desired, we must enter 
 upon the duty with a zeal and earnestness commen- 
 surate with its importance. 
 
 2. We must also assist our fellow-men in the per- 
 formance of this great and good work. When we 
 meet with those who believe in ghosts, in signs, en- 
 chantments, and divination, we must try to persuade 
 them that no dependence whatever can be placed on 
 any of these vanities — that they are all fictions, ab- 
 surdities, and abominations. And perhaps, in some 
 cases, if we cannot produce conviction by sober sense 
 and sound argument, we may be justified in resorting 
 to ridicule. 
 
BANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 187 
 
 It is a lamentable consideration that so much time 
 should be criminally wasted in many families in ex- 
 plaining tricks, relating and expounding dreams, tell- 
 ing fortunes, and in detailing stories of haunted houses, 
 hobgoblins, and spirits of the supposed uneasy dead. 
 In this way, the evil is cherished, and transmitted from 
 generation to generation. But if we can succeed in 
 giving an opposite direction to conversation; if we 
 can induce people to reason upon these things, and 
 inquire into their origin, causes, and effects, and inves- 
 tigate the evidence on which they are imagined to 
 rest, and adopt rational conclusions, we shall be use- 
 fully employed. A course like this would eventually 
 lead to the banishment of popular superstitions, with 
 their baneful effects upon our peace and happiness; 
 especially if we labor to impress upon the minds of 
 others the existence of an all- wise Providence, that 
 controls and governs all things for the highest good of 
 all, calling upon us to place our trust in Him, with- 
 out whose notice not even a sparrow falleth to the 
 ground. 
 
 3. We must likewise attend to the early education 
 of our children. It is during infancy and childhood 
 that our heads are filled vsdth "nursery tales" and 
 marvellous stories. They are told us by those to 
 whose care we are early intrusted, either to frighten 
 us into obedience, to gratify our thirst for the new 
 and wonderful, or to while away a tedious evening. 
 They sink into our confiding hearts, and leave impres- 
 sions the most pernicious and the most lasting. Could 
 a child be educated without any knowledge of such 
 things, he would never be troubled with their baneful 
 
188 BANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 influence. Our duty is therefore plain. In taking 
 the principal care of our children at home, we should 
 not permit them to learn any such things from our 
 own lips ; and we should evince, too, by our daily con- 
 duct, that they exert no influence on our own feelings, 
 character, or happiness. In intrusting our offspring 
 in early life to the care of other persons, we must 
 charge them, as faithful guardians of the young, to 
 conceal every thing of the kind from their knowledge. 
 And after our children become of sufficient age to 
 associate with others, we must caution them to avoid 
 believing or relating any superstitious tales as they 
 would shun known fsilsehoods. By persevering in this 
 course, we shall save them from the degrading influ- 
 ence of popular superstitions. 
 
 4. We must, moreover, endeavor to increase the 
 means of public education. We generally find that 
 the most enlightened are the most free from supersti- 
 tion ; and it therefore follows that a high degree of 
 mental cultivation wiU effect a general deliverance. 
 And how shall this great object be accomplished? 
 We must reason with them upon the immense value 
 and importance of knowledge. We must show them, 
 by an appeal to facts, that aU our civil, social, domes- 
 tic, and religious blessings depend on the inteUigence 
 and virtue of the people. But perhaps many will 
 complain of the scarcity of money and the want of 
 means. If so, we must also show them, by an appeal 
 to incontrovertible facts, that more money is annually 
 wasted, in all our towns, in extravagant living, dress, 
 furniture, and equipage ; squandered in shows, amuse- 
 ments, balls, and parties; in gaming, dissipation, public 
 
BANISHMENT OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 189 
 
 parades, and intoxicating liquors, than is expended 
 for the instruction of the rising generation. No, there 
 is not a lack of funds. Where there is a will there is 
 also a way. The value and importance of the subject 
 is not generally understood ; or, if understood, is not 
 properly appreciated. Almost every thing else seems 
 of more consequence than learning and wisdom. Yet 
 this will never answer. The world is growing wiser. 
 Those who will not employ the requisite means must 
 rest Contented with comparative ignorance. Let us 
 not be of this unworthy number. If we feel the im- 
 portance of the change in these respects, let us perse- 
 vere in our laudable exertions, leaving no objections 
 unanswered, no measures untried, until we succeed 
 in giving our children a high degree of education. 
 And if the Father of spirits shall see fit to prolong 
 our lives to witness the results, we shall look upon 
 the almost universal banishment of popular super- 
 stitions. 
 
 5. Finally, we must labor for the diffusion of pure 
 and undefiJed religion, adhering alone to the teachings 
 of Jesus. We shall then believe in one perfect, aU- 
 pervading Spirit, who regulates all the events of this 
 world which are above our control, and that all his 
 various dispensations originate in perfect wisdom and 
 goodness. We shall believe that we have no worse 
 enemies than our own sinful lusts and passions, and 
 that power is given us through faith to conquer these, 
 even in this state of existence. We shall believe that 
 it is as much our duty to be always happy as it is to 
 be always honest and virtuous. We shall have the 
 assurance that our heavenly Father has commissioned 
 
190 BANISHMENT OP POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS, 
 
 no fate nor chance, spectres nor devils, to torment u& 
 And if we live up to this belief, we shall secure a large 
 share of temporal enjoyment, and be prepared for the 
 increased and increasing felicity of the spiritual world. 
 If we produce -this state of faith and practice in our- 
 selves and in those around us, we shall have done 
 much for the banishment of popular superstitions — for 
 the downfall of ignorance, error, and sin. 
 
MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 191 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 
 MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 Four gentlemen in Springfield, not long since, 
 publicly attested to a " miracle," performed, as they 
 believed, by spirits, at a "circle" where they were 
 present. It consisted in moving a table, and a num- 
 ber of chairs in the room, and in shocks, resembling 
 distant thunder, or cannon at a distance, causing the 
 persons and the chairs and tables to tremble in such 
 a manner that the effects were both seen and felt, the 
 room being well lighted at the time, and an opportu- 
 nity afforded for the closest inspection, so that the 
 company unitedly declare that they know they were not 
 imposed upon nor deceived. 
 
 Now, there is nothing very remarkable in this affair, 
 for all might have been done by the medium himself, 
 by first pathetizing the persons present, as it might 
 be done without their knowledge, and while in that 
 state could be made to see and hear any thing ima- 
 gined by the operator. We are assured, by one who 
 knows, that it is impossible for those who are fit sub- 
 jects to be present at a circle without being more or 
 less under the mesmeric influence. And, in such 
 cases, they can be willed to remember or forget what 
 they have seen or heard. We do not consider such 
 persons as competent witnesses in such a case as they 
 have testified to. It may all have been induced, or 
 
192 
 
 MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
 
 it may all have been real; And if real, there was no 
 need to refer it to the agency of spirits, since such 
 things have been done without spirits, as in the ease 
 of Joe Collins, or others which we shall refer to, in 
 this pEirt of our volume. But Tiere we may be told, 
 that a thousand doUfirs has been offered to any one 
 who will prove that such things are produced by any 
 other power than that of spirits. But the same sum 
 has been offered to any one who will prove that spirits 
 move tables, chairs, and the like, or that spirits pro- 
 duce the .noises and other manifestations ascribed to 
 them. 
 
 We have heard the case of a person who went to a 
 medium and wished to know if he could be put in 
 communication with his father, who had died several 
 years before. He was answered in the affirmative. 
 But the inquirer desired, as proof that it would actually 
 be the spirit of his father that would be introduced to 
 him, that a pencil and paper should be laid upon a 
 table, and that the spirit of the father should come 
 and write his own name upon the paper, the son feel- 
 ing assured that, if this were done, he should at once 
 recognize both the name and the writing. Accord- 
 ingly, the spirit in question came, and did as was 
 desired, and the son declared it to be the real name 
 and handwriting of his father. Now, the philosophy 
 of the case is this : The inquirer was first pathetized, 
 although ignorant of the fact at the time — a thing very 
 common, though not generally understood. Thus the 
 medium became acquainted with the name of the 
 father as it existed in the mind of the son ; but did 
 the pencil actually write the name upon the paper 1 
 No. It was only made to appear so to the mind of the 
 
MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 193 
 
 inquirer. As to the handwriting, the inquirer's mind 
 was directed to a piece of paper, and to look at the 
 writing. Of course, he saw his father's name, and 
 the handwriting, for he could see nothing else for the 
 time being, his mind being impressed with that one 
 idea or object, and closed to every thing else. It was 
 in fact, to him, his father's name and chirography, and 
 no one's else. It could not be otherwise while his 
 mind was under the control of the operator. 
 
 We have been told of a lady, who, in a magnetized 
 state, sits at a table and writes down information that 
 is imparted to her, as is said, from the world of spirits. 
 Her hand and pen glide over the paper with astonish- 
 ing speed and velocity, far more rapid than the most 
 expert penman in a normal state. And what aston- 
 ishes many is, that she cannot stop writing when she 
 wishes to, and sometimes becomes so exceedingly 
 fatigued as to beg of the spirit or spirits to grant her a 
 little repose from the wearisome task. But the whole 
 matter is easily accounted for, without referring it to 
 the supposed agency of spirits. The lady's arm is 
 first paralyzed — deprived of motion by the will of the 
 medium or operator, so that her own mind or will has 
 not the least control over it. She thus becomes a 
 mere machine, under the will and control of another, 
 whose will directs the movements of the arm and pen, 
 and dictates what is written in answer to inquiries 
 made of things appertaining to the spirit world, just as 
 Miss Martineau declares, in her letters on magnetism, 
 that " the volitions of the mesmerist may actuate the 
 movements of the patient's limbs, and suggest the 
 material of his ideas." Many singular effects are pro- 
 duced upon the minds and feelings of subjects in a 
 17 
 
194 MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
 
 sleep-waking state, by Professor Williams, Dr. Cutter, 
 and others, such as being made drunk with water, eat- 
 ing cayenne as sugar, exercising complete control over 
 their mental as well as physical condition. 
 
 We have been assured by a pathetist, who is a 
 thorough adept in the profession, that he can and often 
 has put persons in communication apparently with a 
 deceased father, mother, brother, sister, or friend. The 
 individual is first pathetized (another name for mes- 
 merism) by him in a wakeful state, though uncon- 
 scious, it may be, that he is under such an influence. 
 His mind being in the possession and under the con- 
 trol of the operator, a person is now either actually or 
 mentally (for it makes no difference) presented before 
 him, and he is told of the fact, and asked. Do you not 
 see your father ? The idea of father is so presented 
 to the mind, through the organ of form, that the organ 
 can take cognizance of none other than the father. 
 The person, if an actual person is employed for the 
 occasion, is then shifted or changed for another per- 
 son ; yet the subject perceives no difference, even if 
 changed successively for a dozen others ; it is all 
 the same ; it is father, and no one else, through the 
 whole exhibition. The father speaks, the son recog- 
 nizes his voice, and they converse together. The sub- 
 ject can be willed to hear any sound, as that of music, 
 artillery, thunder, and the like, though no sounds what- 
 ever are in reality made. A niece of ours was op- 
 erated on in this way, and she was told to look abroad 
 and behold the majestic waves of the ocean, the 
 pageantry of a military procession ; and she saw and 
 was delighted with the scenes that were willed to pass 
 before her. Apples were oranges to her, and she 
 
MIRACLE IN SPKINGPIELD, MASS. 195 
 
 sucked their juice with a delightful zest. An apple 
 paring held before her was a beautiful bird, then a 
 squirrel, a rabbit, or whatever the operator willed it to 
 become. The mind of the operator and the subject, 
 in such cases, become as one, and they then hear, see, 
 taste, and feel the same thing at the same moment. 
 Miss Martineau says that, while in a mesmeric state, 
 she saw " things out of other worlds — not the things 
 themselves, but impressions of them." " They come," 
 says she, " from my brain. The influence does not 
 sepEirate soul and body, but it sets the body at rest, 
 whole it exalts and elevates the thinking powers." 
 
 " A striking incident," says Miss M., " occurred in 
 one of my earliest walks after recovery from a pro- 
 tracted illness. My mesmerist and I had reached a 
 headland nearly half a mile from home, and were rest- 
 ing there, when she proposed to mesmerize me a little 
 — partly to refresh me for our return, and partly to 
 see if any effect would be produced in a new place, 
 and while a fresh breeze was blowing. She merely 
 laid her hand upon my forehead, and in a minute or 
 two the usual' appearances came, assuming a strange 
 air of novelty from the scene in which I was. After 
 the blurring of the outlines, which made aU objects 
 more dim than the dull gray day had already made 
 them, the phosphoric lights appeared, glorifying every 
 rock and headland, the horizon, and aU the vessels in 
 sight. One of the dirtiest and meanest of the steam 
 tugs in the port was passing at the time, and it was 
 all dressed in heavenly radiance — the last object that 
 my imagination would select as an element of ji vision. 
 Then, and often before and since, did it occur to me, 
 that if I had been a pious and very ignorant Catholic, 
 
196 MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
 
 I could not have escaped the persuasion that I had seen 
 heavenly visions. Every glorified object before my 
 eyes would have been a revelation ; and my mesmer- 
 ist, with the white halo around her head, and the illu- 
 mined profile, would have been a saint or an angel." 
 
 We know not whether, in this instance, the mes- 
 merist willed her subject to behold things as she did, 
 yet as to the general truth tJiat the will of the operator 
 can produce in the subject mesmerized those states of 
 mind and body which he wills him or her to experience, 
 there is abundant evidence. O. S. Fowler, editor of 
 the Phrenological Journal, says he " can bear ample 
 testimony to the fact, as he has seen, experienced, and 
 induced similar states by the thousand." And many 
 others testify to the same effect. 
 
 Persons can be made to travel to other countries, 
 and even to other spheres, and come back and tell 
 what they have seen. And as persons vary in the 
 talent of description and observation, in the normal 
 state, so do they vary in a semi-abnormal condition. 
 Some are found to be better travellers, and will see 
 more than others, and in spiritual things will differ in 
 their descriptions as they differ in religious creeds and 
 sentiments. Thus a Swedenborg, or a Fishbough, 
 sees a hell in the future state, where sinners suffer the 
 penalty of their earthly sins ; while an Ambler, or a 
 Davis, discovers that all. men are alike joyful and hap- 
 py. Mr. Davis has seen fit to caution the public not 
 to believe too quickly or too fully the things excitable 
 persons relate ; " because some minds are naturally 
 inclined to exaggerate or enlarge upon every thing 
 which they may feel, see, or hear." The state alluded 
 to is merely induced. It is not real. 
 
MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 197 
 
 Persons are frequently made to do what they be- 
 lieve is done by others, as in the case of a son of Dr. 
 Phelps, of Stratford, Connecticut. The boy, on one 
 occasion, was found (with a rope passed under his 
 arms) suspended to the limb of a tree, having been 
 taken, as was supposed, from his bed in the evening 
 by spirits, and thus treated by them. The boy de- 
 clared that when it was done, he " screamed at the 
 top of his voice ; " but it was ascertained that he 
 made no noise at all, for if he had, the domestics, 
 who were in the kitchen when he passed through it, 
 must have heard him, which they did not. We have" 
 the testimony of A. J._ Davis, himself, that the boy 
 " really supposed that he had called aloud ; and so 
 far from having been tied to the tree by spirits, he had 
 been made unconsciously instrumental in tying himself 
 to the tree I " " I have heard," says Mr. Davis, " in- 
 stances of mischief cited, as occurring in Dr. Phelps's 
 house, in evidence of satanic agency, which I now 
 discover to have been caused or accomplished by one 
 of the children in sport, sometimes by electrical dis- 
 charges and magnetic attractions, and sometimes by 
 the almost unpardonable mischievousness of persons 
 unknown to the family. The wanton destruction of 
 property alleged to have taken place on this gentle- 
 man's premises is referable, in most cases, to emana- 
 tions of vital electricity, seeking its equilibrium in the 
 atmosphere. In this manner window panes were 
 broken and furniture injured. In Woodbridge, New 
 York, some few years ago, a young lady was affected 
 with a disease which gave rise to similar phenomena. 
 Mysterious sounds were heard in her presence ; window 
 panes were frequently ■ broken in her vicinity ; and, 
 17* 
 
198 
 
 MIRACLE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
 
 in like manner, door panels were burst out, some- 
 times falling towards her, sometimes from her, and 
 quick, concussive, and very loud sounds were heard 
 under her feet as she ascended a flight of stairs. Ul- 
 timately, the mysterious phenomena frightened her 
 into an illness which cured the malady." 
 
 " People cannot be too cautious how they receive 
 the doings of those who profess to be in connection 
 with spirits of the other spheres; and to those who 
 wish to inquire into the matter, we would say, Go and 
 hear, but try to keep your wits about you, and not 
 swallow bodily either the preachers or their strange 
 affirmations." — Horace Greely. 
 
 " Under an impression that whatever is communi- 
 cated by a spirit must, of course, be true, many per- 
 sons are receiving these communications as the truth 
 of God — as a new revelation from the spirit world. 
 But if these communications are from spirits, we 
 have no proof that they are good spirits. The pre- 
 sumption is, that they are bad spirits — lying spirits. 
 At my house they often accused each other of lying 
 — contradicted at one time what they affirmed at an- 
 other; inflicted injury upon property in the most 
 wanton manner ; and have given conclusive evidence 
 throughout that the discipline of heU, which they pro- 
 fess to have experienced for several years, has not 
 been whoUy effectual in improving their characters, 
 and qualifying them for the ' higher spheres ' for 
 which many suppose that the discipline after death 
 is a preparation." — Dr. Phelps. 
 
 " Many of the doings of the rapping spirits are too 
 nonsensical and absurd to be believed. They spoil 
 all our notions of the dignity, the spirituality, of the 
 
PERSONS TRAINED BY A LECTURER. 199 
 
 spiritual world. That a messenger should come from 
 the spirit land to tell an old woman that her black 
 cat did eat another old woman's white rabbit, is not 
 in accordance with the ideas most people have of the 
 doings and missions of beings in the enjoyment of an 
 immortal state." — Puritan Recorder. 
 
 PERSONS TRAINED BY A LECTURER. 
 
 We have been informed, by a certain mesmerizer, 
 that a distinguished lecturer upon magnetism fre- 
 quently trains persons to enact certain parts in his 
 public exhibitions. He first puts them under mes- 
 meric influence, and while in that state they are in- 
 structed to say certain things, or to perform certain 
 acts, which he wishes to exhibit at some subsequent 
 lecture. To this they severally agree, and thus a reg- 
 ular programme, or series of performances, is made 
 out. They are then brought out of the mesmeric 
 state, having been previously willed by the operator 
 to forget all that has passed while in that state. At 
 the next meeting appointed, these persons are pres- 
 ent, and are again put into the same state as be- 
 fore, when they immediately perceive, and are ready 
 to perform, the several parts assigned to them. In 
 fact, they are so completely under the will and control 
 of the lecturer, that they must do or say what he wills 
 them to do or say, and they cannot help it, neither can 
 they have the least recollection of what has trans- 
 pired, after being restored to the normal state. 
 
200 SCENE AT EAST BOSTON. 
 
 SCENE AT EAST BOSTON. 
 
 We were present at a " circle," at the house of a 
 medium in East Boston, on the 30th of April, 1852. 
 Inste,ad of that decorum and seriousness that might 
 be expected while holding intercouse with departed 
 spirits, we were surprised at the levity and sport in- 
 dulged on the occasion. The spirits were laughed at, 
 and scolded, because they made so many blunders in 
 spelling out names, and were urged and coaxed to do 
 better. A lady, who had buried a friend, was told 
 that the name of the deceased was Hannah. But 
 she informed the medium that it was a brother she 
 had buried, and that she had never lost a sister. But 
 the medium said it made no difference, as the spirits 
 often gave the name of a sister for a brother, and 
 sometimes a cousin for either, .as they were all in the 
 family connection, and all such dwelt together in the 
 Love Circles. 
 
 In spelling out the name of any deceased friend, 
 you are presented with a card containing the alpha- 
 bet, and are required to commence with the letter A, 
 and go through the alphabet some one, two, or three 
 times, touching each letter with a pencil as you pass 
 over it. On touching some particular letter, a rap is 
 given, indicating that it is the first letter of the name 
 of your departed friend. And sq of the other letters 
 comprising the name. The spirits often made mis- 
 takes in rapping at the wrong letter, and were re- 
 quired to try again till they got the spelling right. 
 We were very particular to observe that the spirit 
 was sure to rap whenever the inquirer stopped or hes- 
 
SCENE AT EAST BOSTON. 201 
 
 itated in passing over any letter. Five or six would 
 be eagerly watching the movement of your hand, 
 and the least possible hesitation upon any one letter 
 was sure to be accompanied with simultaneous raps. 
 And as the inquirer was frequently cautioned to pro- 
 ceed slow, it was natural enough to hesitate on those 
 letters comprising the name as it was spelled in their 
 own mind. In this way the alphabet became an 
 interpreter to the supposed spirits. 
 
 We requested that some demonstrations sTiould 
 be given in the art of table lifting, but were told that 
 the gentleman through whose agency the feat is per- 
 formed was not present this evening. We inquired 
 if it was necessary that any particular gentleman 
 should be present that tables or chairs might be 
 raised, and were told it was, and that the gentleman 
 in question seemed to carry a large amount of elec- 
 tricity in a circle about his person. 
 
 We have been informed by another person, who 
 says he has, and often does, raise tables and other 
 articles, by request of others, that he does it by control- 
 ling the vital electricity of individuals present at the 
 time. He says he " s^eaZs " their vital electricity, and 
 appropriates it to his own use, although those from 
 whom he thus takes it are not conscious of the fact. 
 The more persons there are in the room, the larger 
 the amount of electricity obtained, and the greater the 
 effects produced by it. There is nothing as yet per- 
 formed by those alleged to be in connection with 
 spirits but what he can successfully imitate, such as 
 producing effects upon persons at a distance, imitat- 
 ing the handwriting of absent or deceased persons 
 unknown to him, causing persons to write music. 
 
202 
 
 SCENE AT EAST BOSTON. 
 
 poetry, &c., who, in a normal state, are incapable of 
 doing either, as well as many other exploits, at the 
 option or desire of those who are present ; inquirers, 
 oftentimes, in such cases, becoming the operators, 
 transferring their own impressions, ideas, sentiments, 
 and knowledge to the acting medium, and yet entirely 
 ignorant of the fact, and astonished at 1;he results pro- 
 duced. The gentleman referred to discards the agency 
 of spirits in these transactions, and declares that the 
 whole is done by the power of his own will in using 
 and controlling the amount of electricity present at 
 the time; thus proving that the mind or spirit in 
 the body has as much power and control over elec- 
 fcricity as the mind or spirit has otd of, or separate 
 from, the body. And he is of the opinion that if 
 scientific men would investigate the powers of elec- 
 tricity, and the laws by which it is controlled, they 
 would no more think of attributing the phenomena of 
 the times to the agency of spirits, than to the Pope of 
 Rome. Many engaged in producing these phenom- 
 ena are themselves ignorant of the power or means 
 by which they are produced, and therefore attribute 
 them to spiritual agency, which is, in fact, transferring 
 the whole matter to a point beyond human investiga- 
 tion, where no mortal being can possibly explore. 
 
 Some seem to think that these modern develop- 
 ments must be the work of spirits, because, amid all 
 the opposition arraigned against them, they stUl con- 
 tinue to progress, and are becoming more and more 
 wonderful every day. Yet the same argument is as 
 conclusive and convincing in favor of Mormonism, 
 and other foolish and wicked extravagances, as it is in 
 favor of the alleged spiritual manifestations. But 
 
EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 203 
 
 while hundreds, and perhaps thousands, are marvelling 
 at the strangeness of these developments, we find that 
 several who have been engaged in them for months or 
 years, and believed them to be emanations from the 
 spirit world, now declare their convictions to the con- 
 trary, as will be seen by the following account from 
 the pen of a distinguished writer, Professor Pond, of 
 MEiine. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 
 
 " The feats of the ancient jugglers were many of 
 them mere acts of deception. They were known to 
 be such by those who performed them. And the same 
 is true of many who practise the like things now. 
 Their rappings and writings, and other strange per- 
 formances, are secretly, artfully got up by themselves. 
 I do not say that this is true in all eases ; but in some 
 cases we know it is true ; because the matter has been 
 fully investigated, and public confession has been 
 made. For example: A young woman, who had been 
 instructed by the Rochester rappers, and practised the 
 art with them for a time, afterwards renounced it, and 
 exposed the delusion to the world. 'All who saw her 
 and heard her,' says my informant, 'were entirely sat- 
 isfied of the truth of her statements, and that she had 
 revealed the actual method in which the deception 
 was effected and the deluded were blinded. Another 
 young woman in Providence, Almira Beazely, who 
 was noted for her rappings and revelations, and who 
 murdered her brother to accomplish one of her own 
 predictions, confessed, on her trial, that she made the 
 
204 EXTRACT FKOM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 
 
 noises herself, and explained the manner in whicli 
 they were produced. She also confessed to the remo- 
 val of certain articles in the house which had strange- 
 ly disappeared, and which she pretended had been 
 taken away by spirits, Drs. Lee and Flint, of Buf- 
 falo, assisted by two gentlemen by the name of 
 Burr, have very thoroughly investigated the matter, 
 and explained the manner in which the mysterious 
 noises are made. Mr. Burr has himself made the 
 rappings, and made them so loud as to be heard by a 
 congregation of fifteen hundred people. 
 
 " These instances are sufficient to prove that the 
 spiritual manifestations of our times, like those of 
 ancient times, are in many instances a sheer decep- 
 tion — a vile trick, palmed off upon a wondering and 
 credulous community, for the sake of money, or for 
 other sinister and selfish ends. K there is any thing 
 more than trick in these spiritual manifestations, — 
 and I am inclined to think that, in some instances, 
 there may be, — I should refer it, as in case of the 
 ancient wizards, to the influence of occult natural 
 causes — perhaps elecfaricity, or animal magnetism, or 
 something else, operating upon a nervous system of 
 peculiar sensibility. I incline to this opinion .for sev- 
 eral reasons. 
 
 " In the first place, if the noises and other manifesta- 
 tions were reaUy the work of spirits, why should they 
 not be made through one person, as well as another ? 
 Why should not all mediums be alike ? Whereas it 
 is confessed that only persons of a peculiar nervous 
 temperament are capable of becoming mediums. 
 
 "Again : if the disclosures which are made are really 
 firom the spirit world, it might be expected that they 
 
EXTRACT FEOM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 205 
 
 would, at least, be consistent with themselves. Where- 
 as it is well known that they vary endlessly. In 
 numerous instances, they are directly self-contradic- 
 tory. ' Some of the communications,' says one who 
 had been a medium, 'were orthodox; others were 
 infidel. Some would acknowledge the truth of the 
 Bible ; others would condemn it. Some would be in 
 favor of virtue ; others would encourage the grossest 
 crimes.' 
 
 "Another man, who had been a noted medium, but 
 who was beginning to get his eyes opened as to the 
 character of the proceedings, told his audience one 
 night, ' Now, any one present ask a series of ques- 
 tions, and I pledge myself that the answer shall be, 
 every time, yes.' Some one in the company asked, 
 ' Is John Thompson alive ? ' The answer was, ' Yes.' 
 ' Is John Thompson dead ? ' ' Yes.' ' Does John 
 Thompson live in Vermont ? ' ' Yes.' ' Does he live 
 in Massachusetts ? ' ' Yes.' And so the spirits went 
 on contradicting themselves times without number. 
 After this, a like series of questions were answered in 
 the negative, exhibiting the most glaring contradictions, 
 just as the operator pleased. 
 
 "But this brings me to another reason for supposing 
 that the answers are not from departed spirits, but 
 rather from the mind of the operator, or from some other 
 mind in communication with his, under the influence of 
 an electric or magnetic cause. It is an admitted fact 
 that these answers coincide very generally with the 
 opinions or wishes of the medium, or of some one 
 present in consultation with him. I knew a very 
 respectable man, who discovered that he was a me- 
 dium, and who practised various experiments upon 
 18 
 
206 EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 
 
 himself. Upon being asked what he thought of it, he 
 replied, ' If the answers are from the spirits, they must 
 be very silly spirits ; for they always answer just as I 
 wish to have them.' Another medium informs us 
 that he can obtain any answer he pleases, by fixing 
 his mind strongly upon it at the time. Now, does 
 this look as though the answer came from spirits ? If 
 the spirits of the dead spoke, they would be likely to 
 ^peak out independently ; to speak just what they 
 thought, and not what those thought with whom they 
 were consulting. 
 
 " There is another circumstance to be noted in this 
 connection. When the requisite preparation is made, 
 there is no need of consulting the spirits at all, in order 
 to secure answers. You may consult with the chairs 
 or the table just as well. This experiment was tried, 
 not long since, at WUmington, Vermont. A Mr. 
 Kellogg was the medium, and he had succeeded in 
 consulting the spirits to the satisfaction of all con- 
 cerned. At length he remarked that he was about to 
 let the company into an important secret. ' We will 
 interrogate the table,^ said he, ' and have nothing 
 more to do with spirits.' He did so ; and the table 
 talked and answered, just as the spirits had done before. 
 At the same time the table was made to stand on one 
 leg, and to move about, as is usual in such cases. 
 This experiment demonstrated, to the satisfaction of 
 all present, that the strange appearances could be pro- 
 duced just as well without the spirits as with them. 
 ' The calling for spirits,' to use the language of my 
 informant, ' is mere garnish and fog, by which the real 
 agency in the case is concealed.' 
 
 " On the point now under consideration, viz., the 
 
EXTRACT PROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 207 
 
 possibly electric character of these manifestations, I 
 am happy to introduce the testimony of Dr. Samuel 
 Taylor, a respectable physician of Petersham, Massa- 
 chusetts, whose article on the subject may be found 
 in a late number of the Boston Medical and Surgical 
 Journal. Dr. Taylor discovered accidentally that he 
 was a medium, and he proceeded to make experiments 
 upon himself. The manifestation, in his case, was 
 not by rapping, but by writing — a much more conven- 
 ient mode of communicating with the spirit world. 
 On taking his pen, and holding himself in a peculiar 
 attitude, and proposing mentally some question to the 
 spirits, his pen would begin to oscillate in his fingers, 
 and very soon would write out an answer ; and this 
 without any voluntary effort of his own. And what 
 is particularly to be noticed is, the pen would always 
 write an answer which accorded with his own opinion 
 or wishes, that is, if he had any wish on the subject. 
 For example : Dr. Taylor inquired of one of the spirits 
 about the different forms of religion. ' I asked which 
 was the best religion, at the same time fixing my mind 
 sternly on the word Protestant. My hand immediately 
 w^rote Protestant. In the same manner, and by direc- 
 tion of the same spirit, my hand wrote successively, 
 Methodist, Unitarian, and I believe one or two others. 
 While in this state,' Dr. Taylor says, ^Ifelt a sensation 
 like that of a light galvanic current passing through me. 
 Sometimes it appeared to be a steady thrill, and some- 
 times it was intermittent, resembling light shocks of 
 electricity.' 
 
 "After, numerous experiments, Dr. Taylor comes to 
 the conclusion, that the strange phenomena of which 
 he was the subject were not tricks of his own, neither 
 
208 EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 
 
 did they come from the spirit world, but were the 
 result of what he calls detached vitalized electricity. 
 When this conclusion had been formed in his own 
 mind, it occurred to him that he would put it to the 
 test of the spirits themselves. 'Accordingly I asked 
 them,' says he, 'if this was the work of departed 
 spirits. Tlje answer was, " No." I asked if it was the 
 work of the devil. Again the answer was, " No." I 
 asked if it was the effect of detached vitalized electri- 
 city. The answer was, " Yes." ' So the spirits con- 
 firrned the conclusion to which the doctor had^come, 
 as they did, in fact, all his conclusions. 
 
 " We have the testimony of another medium, of the 
 same import with that of Dr. Taylor. Mr. Benjamin 
 F. Cooley, who had long been a believer and operator 
 in the spiritual rappings, states that his mind is now 
 entirely changed. This change was brought about in 
 consequence of ' a deep and earnest study of the na- 
 ture, power, and application of electricity, and of the 
 susceptibility of the mind to electrical or psychologi- 
 cal changes.' These things, he says, will produce the 
 same mysterious and startling phenomena which have 
 been produced throughout the country, and attributed 
 to the operations of departed spirits. (Mr. Cooley 
 has recently published a work entitled An Exposi- 
 tion of Spiritual Manifestations, to which we would 
 refer the reader.) 
 
 "A part of what is done by those who claim to have 
 familiar spirits, may be the result of unknown natural 
 causes. This is the most plausible and excusable 
 view which can possibly be taken of these practices ; 
 and yet, even in this view, they are frightfully evil. 
 The persons who alone are susceptible to the influence 
 
EXTRACT PROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 209 
 
 of these natural causes are generally those of a dis- 
 eased or delicate nervous temperament ; and the effect 
 of experimenting upon their nervous system is usually 
 to shatter it the more. They become excitable, fan- 
 tastic, and often insane. Diseases are engendered, 
 both of body and mind, which lead on to the most 
 fearful consequences. But a short time ago, the 
 papers gave an account of a man in Barre, Massa- 
 chusetts, who had been much given to the rappings 
 and other spiritual manifestations, who became, in 
 consequence, a raving maniac, threatening the life of 
 his faftiily, and was committed to the Lunatic Asylum 
 at Worcester. Other like instances are occurring fre- 
 quently, from the same cause. Almira Beazely, the 
 Providence rapper, who murdered her brother in fulfil- 
 ment of one of her own predictions, was cleared on 
 the ground of her insanity. 
 
 " But this is not the only evil of the practices in ques- 
 tion, when viewed as the result of natural causes. For 
 the truth is, that, in most cases, they are riot so viewed 
 by those who engage in them. They regard them as 
 the work of spirits. They are, therefore, deceived ; 
 and those who follow them are deceived. Both sup- 
 pose they are receiving utterances from the other 
 world, when nothing is uttered but vain fantasies from 
 their own minds and hearts. Such a deception is, 
 manifestly, a hurtful one. It is full of danger to all 
 concerned. To mistake one's own fancies for divine 
 revelation, and feel conscience-bound to obey them as 
 such, is the very essence of fanaticism. It is fanati- 
 cism in its most frightful form. Under the influence 
 of such an impression, persons may be led to perpe- 
 trate the greatest cruelties, and the most horrid crimes, 
 18* 
 
210 EXTRACT PROM THE PURITAN EECORfiEE. 
 
 and vainly think that they are doing God service. The 
 wretched man in Barre was led to attempt the life of 
 his family, in obedience to a supposed revelation from 
 the spirit world. 
 
 " The practices which have been considered are of 
 heathen origin. They originated with the ancient 
 heathen ; they were spread over a greater part of the 
 heathen world; and they continue to pervade and 
 curse it to the present time. Among numerous hea- 
 then tribes at the present day, scarcely a calamity 
 occurs — a death, a flood, a fit of sickness, or an in- 
 stance of death — but some poor creature (and often 
 more than one) is accused and put to death, as being 
 the cause of it. ' The sick man is bewitched : who 
 has bewitched him ? His death (if he chance to die) 
 has been brought about by evil spirits : who has sent 
 the spirits upon him ? ' To get an answer to these 
 questions, some old hag or conjurer is consulted ; the 
 cause of the mischief is quickly discovered, and an inno- 
 cent person is put to death. Probably hundreds die 
 every year after this manner, among the heathen, even 
 in this nineteenth century ! And the case would soon 
 be no better among ourselves, if we were to go, exten- 
 sively and confidently, into the practice of consulting 
 with familiar spirits. The spirits would unravel all 
 mysteries for us ; they would reveal all secrets ; and 
 not a man, woman, or child would long be safe from 
 their malicious accusations. 
 
 " Something more than a year ago, the Lunatic Asy- 
 lum in Maine took fire, and a portion of its inmates 
 were smothered and consumed. And there are hun- 
 dreds of persons now in the state, who affirm that the 
 building was set on fire by the keepers, with a view 
 
EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECOEDER. 211 
 
 to cover up and conceal their own wickedness. 
 These persons know it was so ; they have not the 
 shadow of a doubt on the subject. Why? Not 
 that they have a particle of evidence to this effect 
 from our world, but because the spirits have so in- 
 formed them. Now, let these utterances become 
 common, and be commonly received, and in three 
 months' time those keepers might every one of them 
 be dragged to the gallows, or the stake, while they 
 'were as innocent of the charge laid against them as a 
 child unborn. 
 
 " I refer to this instance just to show the sin, the 
 evil, the exceeding peril, of indulging in those prac- 
 tices which have been exposed. Let all those who 
 read these things, then, beware of them and shun 
 them. If any of us are capable of becoming me- 
 diums, as they are called, we had better not know it ; or, 
 if we know it, we had better refrain from all experi- 
 ments. To tamper with such a power is to tamper 
 with an already shattered nervous system, the only 
 effect of which will be to shatter it the more. 
 
 " There is nothing more striking than the difference 
 between those representations of the future world 
 which are made known in the Bible, and which we 
 know are true, and those which are put forth by the 
 revealers of our own times. The former are solemn, 
 exciting, impressive, some of them awfully so, others 
 gloriously. While the latter, as Professor Stowe 
 says, are ' so uniformly and monotonously silly, that 
 we are compelled to think, if these are really the 
 spirits of the dead, in dying they must have lost what 
 little of common sense they ever possessed. If these 
 are actual specimens of the spiritual world, then this 
 
212 EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 
 
 world, hard and imperfect as it is, is altogether the 
 most respectable part of God's creation.' 
 
 " In the Bible, we have frequent accounts of per- 
 sons who were raised from the dead — who actually 
 returned from the spirit world to this. But they re- 
 turned uniformly with sealed lips. In not a single 
 instance did they make any disclosures. But our 
 modern revealers pursue a very different course. 
 They practise no reserve. They go into the minutest 
 particulars, — sometimes into the most disgusting de- 
 tails, — and publish, as one expresses it, ' a penny mag- 
 azine of the spiritual world.' " 
 
 In the language of the Puritan Recorder, " The 
 worst of the evil is the soul-hardening familiarity they 
 produce with the most awful subjects ever offered for 
 human contemplation. We know of nothing in hu- 
 man experience so fatally destructive of all that rev- 
 erence for the spiritual, that awe of the unseen, that 
 tender emotion, as well as solemn interest, which con- 
 nect themselves with the idea of the other life. Who, 
 that has a Christian heart, would not prefer the 
 silence of the grave to the thought of the dear de- 
 parted one in the midst of such imaginings, and such 
 scenic associations as are usually connected with the 
 performances of the spirit rappers ? ' They are not 
 dead, but sleep.' ' They enter into peace,' says the 
 prophet. And then the precious and consoling addition 
 — ' They sleep in Jesus ; ' meaning, beyond aU doubt, 
 a state of rest, of calmness, of security, of undis- 
 turbed and beatific vision — far removed from all re- 
 semblance to this bustling life — a state in aU re- 
 spects the opposite of that which fancy pictures as 
 belonging to the scenes presented in the manifesta- 
 
EXTRACT FROM THE PURITAN RECORDER. 213 
 
 tions of spiritual rappings, and spiritual table liftings, 
 and all those spiritual pantomimes, which seem to be 
 becoming more and more extravagant and grotesque 
 in proportion to the infidel credulity with which they 
 are received." 
 
 Should any think, by reading what we have offered 
 upon this subject in the preceding pages, that we 
 have imputed guilt and deception to mediums, who 
 are believed to be, many of them, above such trickery, 
 we w^ould merely refer such to page 29 of the Reply 
 of Veriphilos Credens to the communications sup- 
 posed to have been written by Dr. Enoch Pond, pro- 
 fessor in the Bangor Seminary, as published in the 
 columns of the Puritan Recorder. The reviewer 
 says, " To suppose that mediums could practise de- 
 ception on men of shrewdness and caution implies a 
 greater credulity than does a faith in the most star- 
 tling of their performances." " There is not the 
 slightest degree of evidence," says this writer, " that 
 such a case has ever occurred ; " and yet on the self- 
 same page he says, " There is no doubt that some me- 
 diums, when the sounds and motions have failed to come 
 in the usual mysterious way, have counterfeited them by 
 some sly motions of their feet and hands. I have seen 
 such things done, in some instances ! " 
 
 The same author says, page 63, " I have not at- 
 tempted to justify any reliance on disclosures made to 
 us in the way of rappings. I think it altogether un- 
 safe to do so, for the declaration has already come to 
 us, from what purports to be the spirits themselves, 
 that all these manifestations are of a low order, and 
 are produced by the lowest grade of spirits." 
 
214 EXTRACT FRON THE PURITAN RECORDER. 
 
 , As to the plea that " spirits must make the sounds," 
 to account for the intelligence communicated, it being 
 impossible for mere " electricity to originate facts," 
 we reply by aflSrming that there is no intelligence 
 given beyond a certain limit ; i. e., the mind of some 
 one or ones in connection, either present or absent, for 
 it makes no difference. For available purposes, a 
 person a thousand or ten thousand miles distant may 
 yield all the amount of intelligence required in a 
 given case. Distance is no obstacle whatever. Elec- 
 tricity counts neither time nor space. For instance, 
 the transmission of electricity through a conducting 
 substance is instantaneous. A wire, or other con- 
 ductor, may have motion communicated to its whole 
 length at the same moment, whatever that length may 
 be ; and it is stated that an electro-magnetic impulse 
 may be transmitted at the rate of one hundred and 
 eighty thousand miles in a second, thus outstripping 
 the sun in^its march ! 
 
 A large number of intelligent individuals, who, for 
 a year or two past, have instituted a series of experi- 
 ments upon this matter of " intelligence," have found 
 that in no case has information been imparted be- 
 yond what existed in their own minds or that of some 
 kindred or friend. Finding this to be the case, they 
 have wisely come to the conclusion that spirits have 
 never originated a solitary idea ; that is, disembodied 
 spirits ; and as to the spirit within a man, in his cor- 
 poreal state, why cannot it command as much influ- 
 ence over vital electricity as in its disembodied exist- 
 ence ? Since both parties claim to perform by the 
 same agent, and both claim this agent to be that of 
 
EXTRACT FROM THE HOME JOURNAL. 215 
 
 vital electricity, we have also come to the same con- 
 clusion, with a host of others, that the " calling for 
 spirits is mere garnish and fog, by which the real 
 agency in the case is concealed." 
 
 EXTEACT FEOM THE HOME JOUENAL. 
 
 " A CONSIDERABLE heap of books, pamphlets, ana 
 periodicals, some against, but most of them for, the 
 * spiritual phenomena,' has been accumulating upon 
 our table, and now looms up large before us, demand- 
 ing notice. That departed spirits have any thing to 
 do with them is an explanation that we have 
 never been able to accept for one moment. We 
 should as soon think of asserting that an apple, roll- 
 ing suddenly at our feet, must necessarily have fallen 
 out of heaven, because we could not see the tree it 
 had blown from. To bring such an astounding theory 
 to explain such trivial phenomena is like sending a 
 frigate to pick up a champagne bottle that might be 
 floating down the bay. 
 
 " By some of the works before us we are informed, 
 among many other things, that in the other world 
 every man has his name upon his front door; that 
 Swedenborg is a great man, delivers lectures, and has 
 a street named after him ; that in heaven parties, con- 
 certs, and converzationes are frequent ; that at some 
 of the concerts, star singers of great celebrity perform, 
 attracting inconceivable multitudes of spirits to hear 
 them ; that children take lessons in French and 
 Italian every morning; that the space allotted to 
 
216 EXTRACT FROM THE HOME JOURNAL. 
 
 some of the spirits is as large as New York ; that the 
 'seventh sphere' (the highest heaven) is about five 
 thousand miles from the earth ; that the beds are of 
 roses, and when the spirits recline upon them, the 
 birds sing joyfully around, and mingle their music 
 with the perfume of the flowers ; that the celestials 
 (not the Chinese) wear white robes, edged with pink ; 
 that a man generally attends his own funeral ; that 
 spirits, on their arrival in heaven, are set to studying 
 geology, chemistry, and other duU subjects, which 
 they soon begin to like, and say their daily lessons 
 with an excellent grace ; that parchment is in exten- 
 sive use ; that spirits are allowed to visit ' earth ' 
 once a day only, and have the privilege of staying 
 one hour ; that they have books, rings, newspapers, 
 robin redbreasts, fruit, lakes, streams, diamonds, and 
 drawing masters in the next world. ' Dora's dress,' 
 says one of the revelations, ' was of blue satin, with 
 a white sash; half sleeves, full; a pink velvet rib- 
 bon round her throat, fastened by a cameo. Her 
 hair was in curls each side of her face, and fastened 
 in a knot behind.' Dora, be it observed, is a depart- 
 ed spirit. 
 
 " If it could be shown that all these things were real- 
 ly revealed, as they are said to be, we should stiU 
 think them unworthy of notice. The greater part of 
 the ' supernal theology ' is utterly Mvolous ; aixi 
 whether frivolous or not, it bears very plainly the im- 
 press of the medium's own mind, or of the unknown 
 desires of those by whom he is surrounded. If we 
 were called upon to minister to a mind diseased, or to 
 find pabulum for a soul hungering after moral excel- 
 lence, we should as soon think of offering a copy of 
 
EXTRACT FROM THE HOME JOURNAL. 217 
 
 the Arabian Nights' Entertainments as a book of the 
 ' supernal theology.' For the practical guidance of 
 life, there is more help in any two maxims of the 
 Sermon on the Mount, than in the whole literature of 
 supernaturalism. 
 
 " The manifestation mania would have died away 
 long since but for one unfortunate circumstance. 
 We have in our land a large number of men who 
 may be termed semi-clergymen, or, as they are fre- 
 quently called, ' outsiders,' or ' come-outers.' These 
 are they who, either because they know too much or 
 because they know too little, or from superfluity of 
 naughtiness or redundancy of virtue, find it difficult to 
 obtain a ' settlement.' These are the men who fos- 
 ter delusions; who, because they cannot find^a way 
 to serve the public, are reduced to prey upon it. 
 They embrace the new lig^t — whatever it may be — 
 with a degree of sincerity, and commit themselves to 
 it ; then they push it, stimulate it, make a business 
 of it, and live by it. O the multitude of spiritual de- 
 lusions that in every age of the world have originated 
 and derived their strength solely from the fact that 
 the bodily necessities of certain individuals depended 
 upon theii perpetuity ! That, at this moment, there 
 are men most diligently engaged in the new spiritual 
 line, for the purpose of securing by it a reprieve from 
 starvation, (or work,) is a fact which we do not mere- 
 ly believe, but know." 
 19 
 
218 fOKETELLING FUTURE EVENTS. 
 
 FORETELLING FUTURE EVENTS. 
 
 Many devices have been resorted to in order to 
 foretell the events of the future. Some pretend to do 
 it by cards ; some by the settlings of a tea or coffee 
 cup ; some by astrology ; some by tables of letters and 
 figures ; some by the lines of the hand ; and some by 
 spirits of the dead. Strenuous advocates of these vari- 
 ous modes are found, who recount the wonderful pre- 
 dictions that have taken place. Some spirit hunter 
 recently prognosticated that the ship Staftbrdshire (re- 
 ported to be lost) would arrive safe at San Francisco 
 on a certain day, as she did. Professor Anderson had 
 a glass bell at the Melodeon, in Boston, in September, 
 1852, that answered questions pertaining to future 
 events. In deciding upon who would be the next 
 president, it gave six distinct taps for Pierce — the 
 number agreed upon if he was to be the successful 
 competitor. This was done without any aid from 
 spirits. We very much doubt whether Robach or 
 Lester would refuse a challenge firom A. J. Davis him- 
 self, to test their respective claims to correct predic- 
 tions. Yet we do not believe that any reliance can be 
 placed upon the prophecies of either party. Events 
 may sometimes transpire in accordance with their 
 predictions ; and it would be strange if they did not, as 
 they are always predicting, and events are ever occur- 
 ring. But they never think of naming the multiplicity 
 of failures that take place. Not long since, the spirits 
 said that a distant friend would never live to reach 
 home ; but he soon after arrived,^afe and well. Mr. 
 
FORETELLING FUTURE EVENTS. 219 
 
 Lester told a young man of Woburn that in two 
 years he would marry a certain young lady ; but in 
 two months he was a corpse. Hundreds of such fail- 
 ures are constantly occurring, but are kept out of sight. 
 If generally known, they would spoil the trade. We 
 are surprised that men professing to high attainments, 
 as A. J. Davis and some of his coadjutors, should fall 
 back and plant themselves upon such stale trash. 
 Some two years since, while lying apparently near 
 our end, a lady suggested to us that, if we desired, she 
 would consult Mr. Lester upon the probability of our 
 recovery. We declined the offer, choosing to leave 
 all with the Sovereign Disposer of events, believing 
 that he would permit nothing to take place but what 
 would be for our best good, and that of all concerned. 
 
 " Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate, 
 All but the page prescribed — their present state ; 
 From brutes what men, from men what angels know; 
 Or who could suffer being here below ? 
 The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day. 
 Had he thy reason, would he skip and play ? 
 Pleased to the last, he crops the flowery food, 
 And licks the hand just raised to shed his blood. 
 O, blindness to the future ! kindly given, 
 That each may fill the circle marked by Heaven. 
 Bope humbly then ; with trembling pinions soar ; 
 Wait the great teacher death, and God adore ! 
 What future bliss he gives not thee to know, 
 But gives {hat hope to be thy blessing now." — Pope. 
 
220 VISIONS, MIRACLES, AND WONDERS. 
 
 VISIONS, MIRACLES, AND WONDERS. 
 
 The writings of the spirit rappers abound with 
 accounts of sights, sounds, visions, and wonders. We 
 are forcibly reminded of a similar display in the writ- 
 ings of the Adventists, previous to the predicted end of 
 the world in 1843 — an overwhelming array of facts, 
 calculations, signs, visions, wonders, miracles, maps, 
 pictures, drawings, and hieroglyphics,- aU going to show, 
 in the most positive manner, that in that year the world 
 would be annihilated. And stiU it remains ; and the 
 works containing the omens and facts to substantiate 
 the prediction are called to share the fate of a Farni- 
 er's Almanac quite out of date. Some few still hold 
 on to a semblance of the theory, like him who, in the' 
 spring of 1851, declared that a talking cow, somewhere 
 in Maine, had prophesied that the world would be 
 burned up the following June. How lamentable to 
 view the numbers of men and women who have given 
 heed to such things, when assured that the day and 
 the hour is not known even by the Son himself. 
 (Matt. xxiv. 36.) Many of these persons were once 
 active in the church, and exerted an^ influence for 
 good ; but by remaining in their present position, their 
 influence in the cause of Christ is palsied, and their 
 talents buried in the earth. And yet we have pro- 
 pounded to us another " New Church," which, ac- 
 cording to the predictions of its adherents, is destined 
 to destroy all other churches, as it was to be, according 
 to the predictions of Miller, Fitch, Himes, and others. 
 
 In conclusion upon these things, we would add, 
 that it has been our belief from the first, that there 
 
CLAIRVOYANT PHYSICIANS. 221 
 
 is nothing supernatural in the so-called spiritual mani- 
 festations. They all bear the marks of earthly origin. 
 The public not knowing how to explain them, the first 
 Tappings were attributed to the " spirits ; " and the idea 
 having been set afloat, it has been adopted without in- 
 vestigation, being the easiest way of accounting "for it. 
 To the common mind, three hundred years ago, it 
 W9s plain and easy, that the world was /ai, and rested 
 , on something — on the back of Atlas, and he stood on 
 a tortoise, and the tortoise again on something ; and 
 the fact that nobody could tell what, was not allowed 
 to stumble any one ; it rested on a foundation, and 
 that was enough for any one to know or believe. 
 Motion, space, attraction, and repulsion were not 
 understood, and Galileo came near losing his Ufe, and 
 did lose his personal liberty and character, for intelli- 
 gence. When the world is as fully instructed in cer- 
 tain principles connected with our existence as it is in 
 the laws of the physical universe, the "rappings," we 
 think, will cease to be a wonder. 
 
 CLAIRVOYANT PHYSICIANS. 
 
 Persons in a clairvoyant state, by being put in con- 
 nection with a diseased person, feel, by sympathy, the 
 pain and disease of the patient. But to be qualified 
 to describe the locality of the disease; or be able to 
 tell what organ or part is affected, the practitioner 
 must first have studied anatomy and physiology. 
 The more perfect they are in these branches, the more 
 accurately can they describe the seat of the disease. 
 19* 
 
222 CLAIRVOYANT PHYSICIANS. 
 
 Their remedies are mostly botanical, and are generally 
 safe in their operation. The regular " clairvoyant phy- 
 sician," so to speak, does not pretend to be in league 
 with "spirits;" but there are those who profess that 
 their prescriptions come from the other world — from 
 those who, though dead, rest nof ixora their labors. 
 Notwithstanding the extreme simplicity of their rem- 
 edies, such as any common nurse would advise, <yet 
 such is the profound sanctity and mystery thrown 
 around them by an unseen spirit, that some profess 
 to have received " wonderful healing mercies." To 
 believe that a medicine (however simple) is prescribed 
 by a spirit from above, is enough to perform a cure in 
 any case. Imagination alone is equal to the task. A 
 very eminent allopathic physician informs us ttiat he 
 often rolls up brown bread pills, which, in certain 
 cases, perform unmistakable cures. In fact, history is 
 full of recoveries wrought out by aid of the imagina- 
 tion. We will subjoin a case by way of illustration. 
 
 " Sir Humphrey Davy, on one occasion in early 
 life, was assisting Dr. Beddoes in his experiments on 
 the inhalation of nitrous oxide. Dr. Beddoes having 
 inferred that this agent must be a specific for palsy, 
 a patient was selected for trial, and placed under the 
 care of Davy. Previously to administering the gas, 
 Davy inserted a small thermometer under the tongue 
 of the patient, to ascertain the temperature. The par- 
 alytic man, wholly ignorant of the process to which 
 he was to submit, but deeply impressed by Dr. Bed- 
 does with the certainty of its success, no sooner felt 
 the thermometer between his teeth, than he concluded 
 the talisman was in operation, and in a burst of en- 
 thusiasm declared that he h^d already experienced the 
 
STYLE OF SUPERNAL COMPOSITIONS. 223 
 
 effects of its benign influence throughout his whole 
 body. The opportimity was too tempting to be lost. 
 Davy did nothing more, but desired his patient to 
 return on the following day. The same ceremony 
 was repeated, the same result followed; and at the 
 end of a fortnight he was dismissed wholly cured ; no 
 remedy of any kind, except the thermometer, having 
 ever been used." 
 
 STYLE OF "SUPERNAL" COMPOSITIONS. 
 
 In the ■" supernal " productions we are presented 
 with a pedantic display of high-sounding words and 
 phrases. To use the language of inspiration, "they 
 speak great swelling words of vanity." A work has 
 recently been announced with this imposing title : 
 " Macrocosm and Microcosm," containing, among 
 other things, " The Potential Media," " The Diastole 
 and Systole of Nature." A writer in the Spiritual 
 Telegraph,, of October 9, says, " There are very 
 many fancy-captivating, and depravity-flattering pub- 
 lications — some of them filled with indications, the 
 most specious and subtle, of a refined atheism. And 
 I have seen a copy or two of a certain ' Journal,' os- 
 tensiljjy advocating the great truths (?) of spiritual 
 manifestations, but containing some articles in which 
 there was a congregation of words superlatively un- 
 meaning and transcendentally ridiculous." The same 
 writer says, " I do "not believe one half the communi- 
 cations which are said to come from George Wash- 
 ington, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Clay, John C. Cal- 
 
224 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 houn, John Wesley, and a host of other great names. 
 What affinity can these spirits have with many of the 
 thoughtless, light, and trifling circles, formed to pass 
 off an hour, and perhaps ending with foolish mounte- 
 bank scenes of psychology, falsely so called ? " 
 
 Davis, in his Great Harmonia, page 206, ex- 
 poses a class of " mercenary practitioners, who claim 
 extraordinary or supernatural powers f6r their sub- 
 jects, who give public and vulgar exhibitions, who em- 
 ploy chicanery and ignorant plans, who trifle loith and 
 play fantastic tricks with their subjects." He speaks 
 of a class of " doctrinal practitioners, who prevert and 
 misinterpret principles and results ; who labor to make 
 the phenomena subservietit to, and illustrative of, the 
 theological dogmas ; who receive, modify, or reject, 
 as a sectarian education and prejudice may sanction ; 
 who conceal, misstate, and magnify disclosures." 
 Enough, in all conscience, to condemn the whole 
 farce. 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, WITH THEIR 
 AGENTS OR CAUSES. 
 
 A WORK has recently been issued in Boston, by E. 
 C. Rogers, containing an exposition of mysterious 
 agents, and dynamic laws, or science of moving 
 powers. It is a very valuable work, and, with his 
 consent, we shall take the liberty of introducing some 
 of the principal facts adduced ; and at the same time 
 would advise every inquirer to purchase the work for 
 himself, which he will never have cause to regret. 
 
 On page 22, the author says, " Light and heat 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 225 
 
 have always been kn'own as agents by the common 
 sensation of their more palpable phenomena. But 
 electricity and magnetism were not known until their 
 phenomena were specially observed. Many of the 
 facts of these agents, before the latter had become 
 known, were referred to spiritual agencies. It is the 
 tendency of ignorance, in every age, to do the same 
 thing. Reason demands an agent adequate to the 
 production of every phenomenon. If she has not 
 been furnished with sufficient data by which to arrive 
 at a correct conclusion, imagination, influenced by a 
 blind marvellousness, will refer the phenomena to 
 some supernatural cause. Hence the early super- 
 stitions about chemical operations, the appearance of 
 comets, eclipses, meteors, the ' bog lights,' and a 
 thousand other phenomena. But as the agencies of 
 nature have become known, and their laws and con- 
 ditions of action discovered, the domination of super- 
 stition has given place to the triumph of reason and 
 the reign of truth." 
 
 " Reason determines that, for every phenomenon, 
 there is an agent ; but never, without sufficient data, 
 does she determine what that agent is. The imagina- 
 tion often assumes this prerogative, and gives conclu- 
 sions without facts, or furnishes the false data from 
 which the logical faculty draws false principles. We 
 mention these things to show how easy it is to be de- 
 ceived, by our imaginations, with regard to the causes 
 of outward phenomena, and that the only legitimate 
 and trustworthy process in arriving at a solution of 
 the mysteries of nature is, to furnish the reason with 
 facts, and exclude the influence of imagination. A 
 blind precipitation of faith is also a fatal influence 
 
226 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 to all correct reasoning ; for it rouses the action of the 
 imagination, and long before the reason can possibly 
 give a correct deduction, credulity and imagination 
 have conjured one up ; and this will be the more in- 
 sisted upon as the only correct conclusion, as it is the 
 least possessed of the real truth and the action of 
 reason. Hence it is that those persons who are most 
 ignorant of the principles of nature are the more 
 positive and precipitate in their decisions upon any 
 question of mystery. They know that there is no 
 natural explanation, and the man is a fool who ai- 
 tempts to find one." (Page 34.) 
 
 The first case we shall quote from the above work 
 occurred in Woodbridge, New Jersey, and was pub- 
 lished at the time in the Newark Daily Advertiser. 
 The phenomena made their appearance in the family 
 of Mr. J. Barron, consisting, for the most part, of un- 
 usual sounds accompanying a servant girl. 
 
 " The first sounds were those of a lovd thumping; 
 apparently against the side of the house, which com- 
 menced one evening, when the family had retired, and 
 continued at short intervals until daylight, when it 
 ceased. 
 
 " The next evening it commenced at nightfall, when 
 it was ascertained to be mysteriously connected with 
 the movements of a servant girl in the family — a 
 white girl, about fourteen years of age. While pass*- 
 ing a window, on the stairs, for example, a sudden jar, 
 accompanied with an explosive sound, broke a pane of 
 glass, the girl at the same time being seized with a 
 violent spasm. This, of course, very much alarmed 
 her ; and the physician. Dr. Drake, was sent for, who 
 came and bled her. The bleeding, however, produced 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 227 
 
 no apparent effect. The noise still continued, as be- 
 fore, at intervals, wherever the girl went, each sound 
 producing more or less of a spasm; and the physi- 
 cian, with all the family, remained up during the 
 night. At daylight the thumping ceased again. In 
 the evening the same thing was repeated, com- 
 mencing a little earlier than before ; and so every 
 evening since, continuing each night until morning, 
 and commencing each night a little earlier than be- 
 fore, until yesterday, when the thumping began about 
 twelve o'clock at noon. The circumstances were 
 soon generally spread through the neighborhood, and 
 produced so much excitement that the house was 
 filled, and surrounded from sunrise to sunsat, for near- 
 ly a week. Every imaginable means were resorted 
 to, in order to unravel the phenomenon. At one time 
 the girl would be removed from one apartment to 
 another, but without effect. Wherever she was 
 placed, at certain intervals, the thumping would be 
 heard in the room. She was taken to a neighboring 
 house. The same result followed. When carried 
 Out of doors, however, no noise was heard. Dr. 
 Drake, who was constant in his attendance during 
 the whole period, occasionally aided by other scien- 
 tific observers, was with us last evening for two hours, 
 when we were politely allowed a variety of experi- 
 ments with the girl, in addition to those heretofore 
 tried, to satisfy ourselves that there is no imposition 
 in the case, and, if possible, to discover the secret 
 agent of the mystery. The girl was in an upper room, 
 with a part of the family, when we reached the house. 
 The noise then resembled that which would be pro- 
 duced by a person violently thumping the upper floor 
 
228 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 with the head of an axe, five or six times in succes- 
 sion, jarring the house, ceasing a few minutes, and 
 then resuming as before. We were soon introduced 
 into the apartment, and permitted to observe for our- 
 selves. The girl appeared to be in perfect health, 
 cheerful, and free from the spasms felt at first, and en- 
 tirely relieved from every thing like the fear or appre- 
 hension which she manifested for some days. The 
 invisible noise, however, continued to occur as before, 
 though somewhat diminished in frequency, while we 
 were in the room. In order to ascertain more satis- 
 factorily that she did not produce it voluntarily, 
 among other experiments we placed her on a chair on 
 a blanket in the centre of the room, bandaged the 
 chair with a cloth, fastening her feet on the front 
 round, and confining her hands together on her lap. 
 No change, however, was produced. The thumping 
 continued as before, excepting that it was not quite 
 so loud. The noise resembled that which would be 
 produced by stamping on the floor with a heavy heel ; 
 yet she did not move a limb or muscle, that we could 
 discover. She remained in this position long enougH 
 to satisfy all in the room that the girl exercised, vol- 
 untarily, no sort of agency in producing the noise. 
 It was observed that the noise became greater the 
 farther she was removed from any other person. We 
 placed her in the doorway of a closet in the room, the 
 door being ajar, to "allow her to stand in the pas- 
 sage. In less than one minute the door flew open, 
 as if violently struck with a mallet, accompanied with 
 precisely such a noise as such a thump would pro- 
 duce. This was repeated several times, with the 
 same effect. In short, in whatever position she was 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 229 
 
 placed, whether in or out of the room, similar results, 
 varied a little perhaps by circumstances, were pro- 
 duced. There is certainly no deception in the case. 
 The noise was heard at least one hundred yaj-ds from 
 the house." 
 
 In this case, no suspicions were entertained by the 
 investigators that there was any supernatural or spir- 
 itual power manifested, as there was no manifesta- 
 tions of intelligence. They were purely physical phe- 
 nomena. 
 
 The next case we shall notice we copy from the 
 Spiritual Telegraph of July 3, 1852, taken from an 
 old New York paper, dated March 10, 1789. The 
 extract is as follows : — 
 
 " Sir : Were I to relate the many extraordinary, 
 though not less true accounts I have heard concerning 
 that unfortunate girl at New Hackensack, your belief 
 might perhaps be staggered and patience tired. I 
 shall therefore only inform you of what I have been 
 an eye-witness to. Last Sunday afternoon my wife 
 and myself went to Dr. Thorn's, and after sitting for 
 some time, we heard a knocking under the feet of a 
 young woman that lives in the family ; I asked the 
 doctor what occasioned the noise : he could not tell, 
 but replied, that he, together with several others, 
 had examined the house, but were unable to discover 
 the cause. I then took a candle and went with the 
 girl into the cellar: there the knocking also contin- 
 ued ; but as we were ascending the stairs to return, 
 I heard a prodigious rapping on each side, which 
 alarmed me very much. I stood still some time, look- 
 ing around with amazement, when 1 beheld some 
 lumber, which lay at the head of the stairs, shake 
 20 
 
230 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 consiaeraDiy. About eight or ten days after, we visit- 
 ed the girl again : the knocking was again heard, but 
 much louder than before. , Our curiosity induced us 
 to pay tiie third visit, when the phenomena were still 
 more alarming. I then saw the chairs move ; a large 
 dining table was thrown against me, and a smaU stand, 
 on which stood a candle, was tossed up and thrown into 
 my wife's lap ; after which we left the house, much 
 surprised at what we had seen." 
 
 Catharine Crowe, in her Night Side of Nature, men- 
 tions several well-authenticated cases of this character, 
 and other writers have noticed the same phenomena. 
 A case is given on the 410th page of Miss Crowe's 
 work — that of a young officer in the English army, 
 who, wherever he went, whether in camp or at home, 
 or among strangers, was liable to be tormented with 
 these noises at night. Although they gave no partic- 
 ular marks of intelligence, yet they were regarded by 
 his relatives with an abundance of superstition. They 
 considered him " haunted." 
 
 When these sounds commenced, he would sit up in 
 bed, and express his anger in strong execrations. If 
 a cage bird was in his room, it was certain to be found 
 dead in the morning; or if he kept a dog in the apart- 
 ment, it would make away from him as soon as 
 released, and never come near him again. 
 
 The phenomena in Dr. Phelps's case, already men- 
 tioned in this volume, consisted in the moving of arti- 
 cles of furniture in a manner that could not be ac- 
 counted for. Knives, forks, spoons, nails, blocks of 
 wood, &c., were thrown in different directions about 
 the house, when there appeared no visible power 
 by which the motion could have been produced. A 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 231 
 
 writer in the New Haven Journal and Courier testifies, 
 that while he was present, " the contents of the pantry 
 were emptied into the kitchen, and bags of salt, tin 
 ware, and heavy cooking utensils were thrown in a 
 promiscuous heap upon the floor, with a loud and 
 startling noise. Loaves of delicious cake were scat- 
 tered about the house. The large knocker of the out- 
 side door would thunder its fearful tones through the 
 loud-resounding hall, chairs would deliberately move 
 across the room, heavy marble-top tables would 
 poise themselves upon two legs, and then fall with 
 their contents to the floor — no person being within 
 six feet of them." 
 
 On the 1st of October, 1850, Mrs. Phelps and her 
 two children left home for Pennsylvania : with this 
 the phenomena ceased. The doctor remained at his 
 house five weeks after, without disturbance. It was 
 ascertained that these and other manifestations were 
 less frequent and feebler when but one of the children 
 was in the house ; and that they were more frequent 
 in connection with the lad, (one of the above children,) 
 eleven years of age. 
 
 These children had frequently been mesmerized into 
 the trance state by their father ; and one of them was 
 subject to spontaneous trance, and at one time was 
 found in the barn in a cataleptic state. Since the 
 return of the doctor's family, in the spring of 1851, he 
 has kept the two children separate, the boy being 
 away, lest his presence would occasion a recurrence of 
 the same phenomena. Simultaneous with the phe- 
 nomena, the boy would frequently start while asleep 
 in bed. 
 
 Analogous to the above are the wonderful occur- 
 
232 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 rences which took place at Stockwell, England, in 
 January, 1772, as related in the work entitled Night 
 Side of Nature, page 370. We shall only give the 
 most important particulars of the case, leaving the 
 reader to consult the work itself. 
 
 " On Monday, January 6, 1772, about ten o'clock 
 in the forenoon, as Mrs. Golding (the hostess) was 
 in the parlor, she heard the china and glasses in the 
 kitchen tumble down and break ; her maid came to 
 her, and told her the stone plates were falling from the 
 shelf ; Mrs. Golding went into the kitchen, and saw 
 them broken. Presently after, a row of plates from 
 the next shelf fell down likewise, while she was there, 
 and nobody near them : this astonished her much, and 
 while she was thinking about it, other things in differ- 
 ent places began to tumble about, some of them break- 
 ing, attended with violent noises all over the house ; 
 a clock tumbled down, and the case broke." The 
 destruction increased with the wonder and terror of 
 Mrs. Golding. Wherever she went, accompanied by 
 the servant girl, this dreadful waste of property fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 Mrs. Golding, in her terror, fled to a neighbor's, 
 where she immediately fainted. A surgeon was called, 
 and she was bled. The blood, which had hardly con- 
 gested, was seen all at once to spring out of the basin 
 upon the floor, and presently after, the basin burst to 
 pieces, and a bottle of rum, that stood by it, broke at 
 the same time. 
 
 Mrs. Golding went to a second neighbor's, as the 
 articles she had conveyed to the first were being de- 
 stroyed. And while the maid remained at the first 
 neighbor's, Mrs. Golding was not disturbed ; but when 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 233 
 
 putting up what few things remained unbroken of her 
 mistress's in a back apartment, a jar of pickles, that 
 stood upon a table, turned upside down, and other 
 things were broken to pieces. 
 
 Meantime the disturbances had ceased at Mrs. 
 Golding's house, and but little occurred at the neigh- 
 bors', while Mrs. Golding and her servant remained 
 apart. But as soon as they came into each other's 
 company, the disturbance would begin again. 
 
 About five o'clock on Tuesday morning, Mrs. Gold- 
 ing went to the chamber of her niece, and desired her 
 to get up, as the noises and destruction were so great 
 she could continue in the house no longer: at this 
 time, all the tables, chairs, drawers, &c., were tumbling 
 about. In consequence of this resolution, Mrs. Gold- 
 ing and her maid went over the way to Richard Fow- 
 ler's. The maid returned to Mrs. Pain's, to help this 
 lady dress her children. At this time all was quiet. 
 They then repaired to Fowler's, and then began the 
 same scenes as had happened at the other places. It 
 must be remarked that all was quiet here as well as 
 elsewhere, till the maid returned. 
 
 When they reached Mr. Fowler's, he began to light 
 a fire in his back room. When done, he put the can- 
 dlestick upon the table in the fore room. This apart- 
 ment Mrs. Golding and her maid had just passed 
 through. This candlestick, and another with a tin 
 lamp in it, that stood by it, were dashed together, and 
 fell to the ground. A lantern, with which Mrs. Gold- 
 ing had been lighted across the road, sprang from a 
 hook to the ground. A basket of coals tumbled over, 
 and the coals roUed about the room. 
 
 Mrs. Golding and her servant now returned home, 
 20* 
 
234 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 when similar scenes were repeated. Mr. Pain then 
 desired Mrs. Golding to send her maid for his wife to 
 come to them. When she was gone all was quiet. 
 When she returned she was immediately discharged, 
 and no disturbances happened afterwards. 
 
 The account gives us the following particulars, 
 namely : that the phenomena always depended upon 
 the presence of the servant maid, and that they always 
 occurred with the greatest energy when the mistress 
 was in the company of the maid; also that, when 
 the maid passed through a room alone, there would 
 be little or no disturbance of its contents, but if she 
 was soon after followed by Mrs. Golding, various 
 articles would begin to play the most singular pranks. 
 Very often one article would be attracted by another, 
 or they would fly towards each other, and striking 
 together, fall upon the floor as if both had been 
 charged with some physical agent which made them 
 act like opposite poles. Then, also, they would fly 
 from one another, as' by repulsive forces. Every thing 
 which Mrs. Golding had touched seems to have been 
 in some way affected, so that afterwards, on the ap- 
 proach of the maid, it would be broken to atoms, 
 sometimes, even, without her touch. The blood of 
 Mrs. Golding was highly susceptible under the same 
 circumstances, and the bowl in which it was contained 
 and the glass ware standing by it burst to pieces. 
 
 " In the year 1835, a suit was brought before the 
 sheriff of Edinburgh, Scotland, for the recovery of dam- 
 ages suffered in a certain house owned by a Mr. Web- 
 ster. Captain Molesworth was the defendant at the 
 trial." (See Night Side of Nature, page 400.) The 
 following facts were developed : Mr. Molesworth had 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 235 
 
 seriously damaged the house both as to substance and 
 reputation. 
 
 First. By sundry holes which he cut in the walls, 
 tearing up the floors, &c., to discover the cause of 
 certain noises which tormented himself and family. 
 
 Second. By the bad name he had given the house, 
 stating that it was haunted. Witnesses for the de- 
 fendant were sheriff's officers, justices of the peace, 
 and officers of the regiment quartered near; all of whom 
 had been at the said house sundry times to aid Cap- 
 tain Molesworth detect the invisible cause of so much 
 disturbance. 
 
 The disturbance consisted in certain noises, such 
 as knockings, pounding, scratching sounds, rustlings 
 in different parts of a particular room ; sometimes, how- 
 ever, in other parts of the house. Certain boards of 
 the floor would seem to be at times infected with the 
 noises; then certain points in the walls, at which 
 Mr. Molesworth would point his gun, or cut into with 
 an axe, all to no purpose. 
 
 The bed on which a young girl, aged thirteen years, 
 had been confined by disease, would very often be 
 raised above the floor, as if a sudden force was applied 
 beneath it, which would greatly alarm her and the 
 whole family, and cause the greatest perplexity. The 
 concussions which were often produced on the walls 
 would cause them visibly to tremble. The force that 
 produced these results was soon discovered to be in 
 some strange way connected with this invalid, and 
 wherever the young invalid was moved this force 
 accompanied her. 
 
 It is plainly exhibited, in the cases just given, that 
 no characteristics of spiritual agency are exhibited, 
 
236 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 but those, on the contrary, of a mere physical power, 
 associated with the organism of certain persons. 
 " "We have not," says Mr. Rogers, " the least possible 
 evidence that any spirit, demoniacal or angelic, had 
 any hand in performing the wild antics among crock- 
 ery and furniture which we have seen performed in 
 the accounts given. For it is admitted that a spir- 
 itual agent is an intelligent agent. Its characteristics 
 are those of inteUigenee, as every one admits. Wher- 
 ever, therefore, these characteristics are wanting in a 
 class of phenomena, it is blindly absurd, greatly super- 
 stitious, even to draw the inference that they are spir- 
 itual phenomena. But what shall be said when it is 
 asserted as a veritable certainty, and the crowd is 
 made to stretch their throats and swallow the absurd- 
 ity without a moment's examination ? " " Is it possi- 
 ble we are to be driven to the conclusion that the 
 ground of faith in spirituality is identical with that 
 of ignorance, superstition, fanaticism, bigotry ? " 
 
 We shall now proceed to give the case of Angelique 
 Cottin, as reported in the Night Side of Nature, and 
 in the Courrier des Etats Unis, and the investigations 
 of the case as reported by M. Arago, before the Paris 
 Academy of Sciences, 16th of February, 1846. 
 
 "Angelique Cottin was a native of La Perriere, 
 aged fourteen, when, on the 15th of January, 1846, 
 at eight o'clock in the evening, while weaving silk 
 gloves at an oaken frame, in company with other girls, 
 the frame began to jerk, and they could not by any 
 efforts keep it steady. It seemed as if it were alive ; 
 and becoming alarmed, they called in the neighbors, 
 who would not believe them, but desired them to sit 
 down and go on with their work. Being timid, they 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 237 
 
 went one by one, and the frame remained still till 
 Angelique approached, when it recommenced its move- 
 ments, while she was also attracted by the frame. 
 Thinking she was bewitched or possessed, her parents 
 took her to the presbytery, that the spirit might be 
 exorcised, or cast out. The curate, being a sensible 
 man, objected, but set himself to work to observe the 
 phenomenon, and being satisfied of the facts of the 
 case, he bade them take her to a physician. 
 
 " Meanwhile, the intensity of the influence, whatever 
 it was, augmented; not only articles made of oak, 
 but all sorts of things, were acted upon by it, and 
 reacted upon her, while persons who were near her, 
 even without contact, frequently felt electric shocks. 
 The effects, which were diminished when she was on 
 a carpet or a waxed cloth, were most remarkable when 
 she was on the bare earth. They sometimes entirely 
 ceased for three days, and then recommenced. Metals 
 were not affected. Any thing touching her apron 
 or dress would fly ofl^ although a person held it; and 
 Monsieur Herbert, while seated on a heavy tub or 
 trough, was raised up with it. In short, the only place 
 she could repose on was a stone covered with cork. 
 They also kept her still by isolating her. When she 
 was fatigued the effects diminished. A needle, sus- 
 pended horizontally, oscillated rapidly with the motion 
 of her arm, without contact; or remained fijced while 
 deviating from the magnetic direction. Great num- 
 bers of enlightened medical and scientific men wit- 
 nessed these phenomena, and investigated them with 
 every precaution to prevent imposition. She was often 
 hurt by the violent involuntary movements sh"e was 
 thrown into, and was evidently aflflicted by chorea, 
 
238 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 or St. Vitus's dance." — Night Side of Nature, page 
 382. 
 
 The French paper mentions the circumstance that 
 while Angelique was at work in the factory, " the cyl- 
 inder she was taming was suddenly thrown a consid- 
 erable distance without any visible cause ; that this 
 was repeated several times ; that all the young girls in 
 the 'factory fled, and ran to the curate to have him 
 exorcise the young, girl, believing she had a devil." 
 After the priest had consigned her to the physician's 
 care, the physician, with the father and mother, 
 brought Angelique to Paris. M. Arago received her, 
 and took her to the observatory, and in the presence 
 of MM. Laugier and Goujon made the following 
 observations, which were reported to the Paris Acad- 
 emy of Sciences : — 
 
 "Mrst. It is the left side of the body which appears 
 to acquire this sometimes attractive, but more fre- 
 quently repulsive, property. A sheet of paper, a pen, 
 or any other light body, being placed upon a table, if 
 the young girl approaches her left hand, even before 
 she touches it, the object is driven to a distance as by 
 a gust of wind. The table itself is overthrown the 
 moment it is touched by her hand, or even by a thread 
 which she may hold in it. 
 
 "Second. This causes instantaneously a strong com- 
 motion in her side, which draws her towards the table ; 
 but it is in the region of the pelvis that this singular 
 repulsive force appears to concentrate itself. 
 
 " Third. As had been observed the first day, if she 
 attempted to sit, the seat was thrown far from her, 
 with such force that any other person occupying it 
 was carried away with it. 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 239 
 
 "Fourth, One day a chest upon which three men 
 were seated was moved in the same manner. An- 
 other day, although the chair was held by two very 
 strong men, it' was broken between their hands. 
 
 "Fifth. These phenomena are not produced in a con- 
 tinued manner. They manifest themselves in a greater 
 or less degree, and from time to time during the day ; 
 but they show themselves in their intensity in the even- 
 ing, from seven to nine o'clock. 
 
 '^ Sixth. Then the girl is obliged to continue stand- 
 ings and is in great agitation. 
 
 "Seventh. She can touch no object without breaking 
 it or throwing it upon the ground. 
 
 "Eighth. All the articles of furniture which her gar- 
 ments touch are displaced and overthrown. 
 
 "Ninth. At that moment many persons have felt, by 
 coming in contact with her, a true electrical shock. 
 
 " Tenth. During the entire duration of the paroxysms, 
 the left side of the body is warmer than the right side. 
 
 "Eleventh. It is affected by jerks, unusual move- 
 ments, and a kind of trembling which seems to com- 
 municate itself to the hand which touches it. 
 
 "Tioelfth. This young person presents, moreover, a 
 peculiar sensibility to the action of the magnet. 
 When she approaches the north pole of the mg.gnet 
 she feels a violent shock, while the south pole pro- 
 duces no effect; so that if the experimenter changes 
 the poles, but without her knowledge, she always dis- 
 , covers it by the difference of sensations which she 
 experiences. 
 
 " Thirteenth. The general health of Angelique is very 
 good. The extraordinary movements, however, and 
 the paroxysms observed every evening, resemble what 
 one observes in some nervous maladies." 
 
240 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 " The great fact demonstrated in this case," says 
 E. C. Rogers, " is, that, under peculiar conditions, the 
 human organism gives forth a physical power which, 
 without visible instruments, lifts heavy bodies, attracts 
 or repels them according to a law of polarity, over- 
 turns them, and produces the phenomena of sound. 
 So far as the mere movement of objects, even of great 
 weight, in connection with certain persons, is con- 
 cerned, whether in the phenomena of the so called 
 ' spiritual manifestations,' or out of them, the imme- 
 diate agent is a physical one, and is identical through- 
 out. None but the most ignorant can deny this." 
 For a further delineation of the facts in this case, and 
 deductions therefrom, we refer the reader to the work 
 of Mr. Rogers, on the Dynamic Laws and Relations 
 of Man. 
 
 The next case we shaU refer to is that of Frederica 
 HaufFe, of the town of Prevorst, in the mountainous 
 parts of Germany. It was found that in her hands, at 
 a very early age, the hazel wand pointed out metals 
 and water. It w^s also found that, in certain local- 
 ities, the influences from the earth had a very powerful 
 effect upon her susceptible nerves. It was frequently 
 observed by the one she often accompanied in his 
 walks through solitary places, that though she was 
 skipping ever so gayly by his side, at certain spots a 
 kind of seriousness and shuddering came over her, 
 which for a long time he could not comprehend. He 
 also observed that she experienced the same sensations 
 in churchyards, and in churches where there were 
 graves ; and that, in such churches, she never could 
 remain below, but was obliged to repair to the gal- 
 leries. Superstition, it is true, has always claimed 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 241 
 
 such facts as parts of her ghostly superstructure ; but 
 they are too material for this. 
 
 Frederica was almost constantly in a magnetic 
 state, and in this condition frequently eommunicated 
 what was taking place at a distance, and was aware 
 of producing sounds in space, and some ways off; but 
 this being found to materially injure Iftr, the habit was 
 abandoned. She had a very high degree of suscep- 
 tibility to mundane influences, and the effect was, that 
 mineral loads and subterranean currents acted through 
 her upon a simple stick held in her hand. 
 
 At one time she was attacked with nervous fever, 
 which continued fourteen days with great violence. 
 This was followed by seven years of magnetic life, 
 interrupted only by very short and merely apparent 
 intervals. After the fever, she was attacked with 
 spasms in the breast, which continued three days. 
 On the second day, a peasant's wife came from the 
 village, and seating herself beside her, said, " She 
 needs no physicians ; they cannot help her ; " and laid 
 her hands on her forehead. Immediately she was 
 seized with the most direful spasms, and her forehead 
 was as cold as if she was dead. During the whole 
 night she cried deliriously that the woman had exer- 
 cised a demoniacal influence upon her; and whenever 
 the woman returned she was always attacked with 
 spasms. On the third day they sent for a physician ; 
 and being then in a magnetic condition, she cried to 
 him when he entered, although she had never seen 
 him, " K you are a physician, you must help me ! " 
 He, weU understanding her malady, laid his hands on 
 her head ; and it was remarked that, as long as he 
 remained in the room, she saw and heard him alone, 
 21 
 
242 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 and was insensible to the presence of all other persons. 
 The same kind of exclusive attachment has been seen 
 in cases of persons who have fallen under the pecu- 
 liar influence of the magnet or a crystal, thus showing 
 the relation of mundane agencies to the psychological 
 nerve centres, as well as to the nerve centres in the 
 spine, and among the viscera. 
 
 After her physician had laid his hands on her she 
 became calm, and slept for some hours. Some in- 
 ternal remedies and a bath were prescribed for her ; 
 but the spasms returned in the night, and for eighteen 
 weeks she was attacked by them from twice to five or 
 six times a day. All the remedies prescribed proving 
 inefficacious, recourse was had to " magnetic passes," 
 which, for a time, relieved the spasms. It was amid 
 such sufferings and such influences that, in the month 
 of February, 1823, after extreme tortures, she gave 
 birth to her first child. This event was followed, for 
 some time, by additional ills. The following is a 
 somewhat curious circumstance, and goes to show 
 the influence which one organization will have upon 
 another, when a certain relation is established between 
 them. It is this : The woman who, on a former oc- 
 casion, had exerted so unhappy an influence upon the 
 mother, produced precisely the same effects upon the 
 child. Her contact with it threw it into spasms, and 
 the convulsions became periodical until its death. 
 
 About a year after the birth of her child, being 
 laughed at for her superstition, she was thrown into 
 a state of rigid spasm, and became as cold and stiff' 
 as a corpse. For a long time no respiration was 
 visible. She lay as in a dream. In this peculiar 
 condition she spoke for three days entirely in verse ; 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 243 
 
 and at another, she saw, for the same period, nothing 
 but a ball of fire, that ran through her whole body as 
 if on thin bright threads. And then, for three days, 
 she felt as if water was falling upon her head, drop by 
 drop ; and it was at this time that she saw her own 
 image. She saw it clad in white, seated on a stool, 
 whilst she was lying in bed. She c6ntemplated the 
 vision for some time, and would have cried out, but 
 could not ; at length she made herself heard, and her 
 husband entering, it disappeared. Her susceptibility 
 was now so great that she heard and felt what hap- 
 pened at a distance, and was so sensible to external 
 agencies, that the nails in the walls affected her, which 
 obliged her friends to remove them. The least light 
 had a powerful influence upon her nervous system, and 
 could not be endured. 
 
 She was now induced to take a medicine which 
 made her more calm, but threw her into a deeper 
 trance. Still she could not endure the sunlight. She 
 was taken in a darkened carriage to her home on the 
 mountains. " Here she existed," says her physician, 
 " only through the nervous emanation of others, and 
 it became necessary that some one should always hold 
 her hand ; and if the person was weak, it increased 
 her debility. The physician prescribed magnetic passes 
 and medicines, but she fell into a magnetic sleep, and 
 then prescribed for herself. Her greatest suffering 
 arose from the sensation of having a stone in her 
 head. It seemed as if her brain was compressed, and 
 at every breath she drew, the motion pained her. At 
 this time a large magnet was applied to her forehead ; 
 immediately her head and face were turned round, and 
 her mouth distorted as by a stroke of palsy. On the 
 
244 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 28th of December she gave birth to her second child, 
 which was followed, as before, by a long and severe 
 illness. She continued constantly in a magnetic state. 
 Persons of various tempers now became her mag- 
 netizers. The effects of these different nervous tem- 
 peraments upon hers were very serious. It brought 
 her into special relation to so many persons, that, even 
 at a distance, they affected her, visions of whom would 
 appear to her like visions of spirits. This, inoveover, 
 brought her into a deeper magnetic condition, and 
 rendered her more dependent on the nervous energy of 
 others. Another physician was employed from a 
 distance. He gave her an amulet to wear, composed 
 of certain substances, and a small magnet, all arranged 
 together. Occasionally this amulet, untouched by any 
 one, would run about her head,, breast, and bed cover- 
 ing, like a live thing." 
 
 It has already been remarked, that, in the earlier 
 stage of her magnetic state, she was aware of making- 
 sounds at a distance. This she repeatedly performed, 
 so that her friends at a distance, as they lay in bed, 
 heard distinctly the sounds. This fact being com- 
 municated to her physician, Dr. Kerner, he, by actual 
 experiment and observation, confirmed it. This was 
 not performed by her will, which was inactive in her 
 somnambulic or cataleptic state, as well as her con- 
 sciousness. Every nerve centre was in a most in- 
 timate rapport or relation with the mundane agencies, 
 especially that which acts in conjunction with the 
 nervous force, and holds every animal in a certain 
 connection with every thing out of the organism. 
 
 The father of this unfortunate woman inhabited a 
 house which formed a part of an old cathedral, where, 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 245 
 
 it had been reported by former tenants, strange sights 
 had been seen, and strange sounds heard. It was in 
 this house, at the time of her somnambulic state, 
 already spoken of, that there were heard unusual knock- 
 ings on the walls, noises in the air, and other sounds, 
 which, as Dr. Kerner remarks, " can be testified to by 
 more than twenty credible witnesses." There was a 
 trampling up and down stairs by day and by night to be 
 heard, but no one to be seen, as well as knockings on 
 the walls and in the cellars ; but, however suddenly a 
 person flew to the place to try to detect whence the noise 
 proceeded, they could see nothing. If they went outside, 
 the knocking was immediately heard inside, and vice 
 versa. The noises at length became so perplexing, 
 that her father declared that he could live in the 
 house no longer. They were not only audible to 
 every body in the house, but to the passengers in the 
 street, who stopped to listen to them as they passed. 
 Whenever there was playing on the piano, and sing- 
 ing, sounds would commence on the walls. 
 
 We have not room to mention all the facts in her 
 case ; but will add a few of the most remarkable. 
 She was very suceptible to electrical influences, and, 
 what is almost incredible, she had a preternatural 
 feeling or consciousness of human writing. Various 
 minerals seemed to have a specific effect, when brought 
 in contact with her. Glass and rock crystal had a 
 powerful effect in waking her from the somnambulic 
 state, or in exciting the force within her organism, 
 This fact, and others of this character in abundance, 
 point to the peculiar tendency of this force, in some 
 cases of disease, to act outwardly from the nerve 
 centres upon glass ware, window gls^ss, &c, '* We 
 21* 
 
246 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 have known a child, eight years old," says Mr. Rogers, 
 " who seldom, at one period, took hold of a glass dish 
 without its soon bursting to pieces." In the case of 
 Frederica, a rock crystal, placed on the pit of her 
 stomach, and allowed to remain there for some time, 
 would produce a deep state of catalepsy. She was 
 affected in the same manner by silicious sand and 
 gravel, or even by standing some time near a glass 
 window. If she chanced to seat herself on a sandstone 
 beach, she was apt to become cataleptic; and once, 
 having been for some time missed, she was at length 
 found at the top of the house, seated on a heap of 
 sand, so rigid, that she was unable to move away from 
 it. Whenever she was placed in a bath by her 
 medical attendants, it was with a great deal of labor 
 they could immerse her body beneath the surface. 
 Her specific gravity seemed to be more like cork, or a 
 bladder of air, than that of muscle, nerve, and bone. 
 Something seemed to pervade her body, or to act 
 upon it, so entirely opposite to the centripetal action 
 of the earth, as to counteract this law of force in the 
 most marked manner. This fact suggested to Dr. 
 Kerner a curious experiment, which resulted in the 
 development of another important phenomenon. He 
 had concluded, that as all these phenomena had taken 
 place more or less in conjunction with those usually 
 termed magnetic or mesmeric, there might be some 
 relation of the forces in both, or indeed they might be 
 identical. To test this matter, he at one time placed 
 his fingers against hers, when he found at once there 
 existed a mutual attraction, as between two magnets ; 
 and now, by extending his hand upward, he raised her 
 clear from the ground; thvs she was suspended, as a 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 247 
 
 magnet suspends a piece of iron, or another magnet, 
 simply by a polar force. This was repeated several 
 times, and afterwards his wife did quite the same 
 thing. 
 
 " We have already spoken of the action which the 
 sun's light had upon her in producing physical effects. 
 Among others it was observed that the different 
 colored rays produced each a specific effect. The 
 light of the moon, also, when she looked at it, pro- 
 duced coldness and shivering, with melancholy." 
 The effects of these agents on the human organism 
 are clearly explained, in the numbers of an as- 
 tronomical paper, by Mr. Chapman, of Philadelphia. 
 
 *' On touching Frederica with a finger, during an 
 electrical state of the atmosphere, she saw small 
 flashes, which ascended to the ceiling ; from men these 
 were colorless, from women blue ; and she perceived 
 emanations of the same kind, and of the same varia- 
 tion of color, from people's eyes." 
 
 Concerning the power possessed in the nerve centres 
 of this woirian, to produce sounds at a distance. Dr. 
 Kerner remarks as follows : " As I had been told by 
 her parents, before her father's death, that, at the 
 period of her early magnetic state, she was able to 
 make herself heard by her friends, as they lay in bed 
 at night, in the same village, in other houses, by a 
 knocking, — as is said of the dead, — I asked her, in 
 her sleep, whether she was able to do so now, and at 
 what distance. She answered that she could some- 
 times do it. Soon after this, as we were going to bed, 
 (my children and servants being already asleep,) we 
 heard a knocking, as if in the air over our heads. 
 There were six knocks, at intervals of half a minute. 
 
248 
 
 It M'as a hollow, yet clear sound, soft, but distinct. 
 We were certain there was no one near us, nor over 
 us, from whom it could proceed ; and our house stands 
 by itself. On the following evening, when she was 
 asleep, (we had mentioned the knocking to no- 
 body whatever,) she asked me whether she should 
 soon knock to us again ; which, as she said it was 
 hurtful to her, I declined." And yet, not long after 
 this, Kerner relates the following, as having taken 
 place at his house : " On the morning of the 23d of 
 March, 1837, at one o'clock, I suddenly awoke, and 
 heard seven knocks, one after another, at short inter- 
 vals, seeming to proceed from the middle of my 
 chamber : my wife was awakened also ; and we 
 could not compare this knocking to any ordinary 
 sound. Mrs. HaufFe lived several houses distant 
 from us." 
 
 On the 30th of the same month, Rev. Mr. Hermann 
 came into rapport or special relation with Mrs. H., 
 through the medium of psychological sympathy, as 
 well as through the physical influence. Previous to 
 this he had not been troubled with strange sounds at 
 his house, but after that period he was awakened 
 every night, at a particular hour, by a knocking in 
 his room, — sometimes on the floor, and sometimes on 
 the walls, — which his wife heard as well as himself. 
 In a great part of her magnetic state, Mrs. H. was 
 under a strong state of religious feeling, and was often 
 engaged in prayer. Rev. Mr. Hermann sympathized 
 with her in this, and with the commencement of the 
 rapping in his room, he experienced an involuntary 
 disposition to pray. (See Mr. Rogers's work, where 
 many such cases are given.) 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 249 
 
 In elucidation of the effect of glass, sand, gravel, &c., 
 upon her organism, we will state an additional fact, 
 as related by her physician : " On the 21st of April, 
 Dr. K. was at the house of Mrs. H. The window being 
 open, he saw a quantity of gravel come in the window, 
 which he not only saw, as he says, ' but picked it up ! ' 
 To be certain that no one threw it in, he immediately 
 looked out. On comparing it, he found it to be such 
 gravel as lay in the front of the house." 
 
 Now, let the phenomena we have related be put 
 side by side with those which occurred at the house 
 of Rufus Elmer, in Springfield, Massachusetts, on the 
 5th of April, 1852, as witnessed by Professor Wells, 
 of Cambridge, and others, and alleged to be the work 
 of spirits. 
 
 First. The table was moved in every possible direc- 
 tion, and with great force, when no cause of motion 
 could be perceived. 
 
 Second. The table was forced against each one 
 present so powerfully as to move them from their 
 positions, together with the chairs they occupied, in 
 all several feet. 
 
 Third. Mr. Wells and Mr. Edwards took hold of 
 the table in such a manner as to exert their strength 
 to the best advantage, but found the invisible power, 
 exercised in the opposite direction, to be quite equal 
 to their utmost efforts. 
 
 Fourth. In two instances, at least, while the hands 
 of all the members of the circle were placed on the 
 top of the table, and while no visible power was 
 employed to raise the table, or otherwise to move 
 it from its position, it was seen to rise clear of the 
 floor, and to float in the atmosphere for several 
 
250 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 seconds, as if sustained by a denser medium than 
 the air. 
 
 Fifth. Mr. Wells was rocked to and fro with great 
 violence, and at length it poised itself on two legs, and 
 remained in this position for some thirty seconds, 
 when no other person was in contact with the table. 
 
 Sixth. Three persons, Messrs. Wells, Bliss, and 
 Edwards, assumed positions on the table at the same 
 time, and while thus seated, the table was moved in 
 various directions. 
 
 Seventh. Occasionally we were made conscious of 
 the occurrence of a powerful shock, which produced a 
 vibratory motion of the floor of the apartment. It 
 seemed like the motion occasioned by distant thunder, 
 or the firing of ordnance far away, causing the tables, 
 chairs, and other inanimate objects, and aU of us, to 
 tremble in such a manner that the effect was both 
 seen and felt. 
 
 In conclusion, it was observed that D. D. Hume, 
 the medium, frequently urged the company to hold 
 his feet and hands. The room was well lighted, and 
 a lamp was placed on and under the table, and every 
 possible opportunity afforded for the closest inspection. 
 They were therefore positive that there was no decep- 
 tion in the case. The conclusion was, that it must be 
 the work of spirits — a singular conclusion, indeed, for 
 men of such standing and acquirements. It might all 
 have been accomplished, biologically; but admitting 
 the whole to be literally and substantially true, they 
 fall far short of well-attested phenomena, where it was 
 not so much as conjectured even to be at all super- 
 natural. 
 
 The fact is incontrovertibly evident, that physical 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 251 
 
 agents, subtile and unseen, are every where at work. 
 " Force shows itself," as the elegant Somerville re- 
 marks, in his Connection of the Physical Sciences, 
 " in every thing that exists in the heavens or on the 
 earth." There is a physical power which not only 
 binds satellites to their planet, and planets with suns, 
 and sun with sun throughout the wide extent of crea- 
 tion, which is the cause of the disturbances, as well 
 as the order of nature, but it physically binds man to 
 man, and man to nature. And as every tremor it 
 excites in one planet is immediately transmitted to 
 the farthest limits of the system, in oscillations, which 
 correspond in their periods with the cause producing 
 them, like sympathetic notes in music, or vibrations 
 from the deep tones of an organ, so every vibration, 
 thus excited, is transmissible to the delicate centres 
 of every organic being, provided the repulsive agent 
 of those beings is changed in its relative condition so 
 as to admit its influx. (See Geometry and Faith, 
 by Rev. T. ffill, of Waltham.) 
 
 It is well known to every chemist, that wherever 
 there is chemical action going on, there is a constant 
 evolution of some, force. Now, that there is a con- 
 stant chemical action taking place is certain, and the 
 sources of this action are very numerous. Among 
 others, we have that of water, (often holding in solu- 
 tion saline ingredients, thus increasing its action upon 
 metallic substances,) which, percolating through the 
 surface, acts upon all those surfaces whose materials 
 have a strong chemical affinity for the oxygen or 
 hydrogen of the water. 
 
 Wherever there is a mineral load the development 
 of force is in some instances very great. For instance, 
 
252 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 Mr. E.. W. Fox was able, by connecting two lodes 
 with copper wires, and conducting the latter to the 
 surface of the earth, and immersing them in a cell 
 which contained a solution of sulphate of copper, 
 to obtain an electrotype copy of an engraved cop- 
 perplate. 
 
 Thus "the earth itseK may be made a battery" 
 as Robert Hunt says. " We know," he repeats, 
 " that, through the superficial strata of the earth, 
 electric currents circulate fi"eely, whether they are 
 composed of clay, sand, or any mixture of these with 
 decomposed organic matter ; indeed, that with any 
 substance in a moist state, electric currents suffer no 
 interruption." The electricity of mineral veins has 
 attracted the attention of some of the first philosophers 
 of Europe, and has led to some highly-interesting ex- 
 periments with regard to the action of this important 
 agent in the formation, disposition, and direction of 
 rocks and mineral veins. M. Becqueral and others 
 have made use of these currents successfully in imi- 
 tating Nature in her processes of making crystals and 
 other mineral formations. 
 
 It is not, however, necessary to suppose that the 
 agent of which we are treating particularly requires 
 a chemical action to develop it, or the action of the 
 electric force. Experiments have proved that it is 
 developed in every form of material action — that 
 even the substances of the earth, without sensible 
 alteration, exert this force. To this agent the sensitive 
 nerve centres are extremely susceptible. The celebrat- 
 ed Ritter, of Germany, devoted much time to an in- 
 vestigation of this subject, and, in 1809, published 
 Supplementary Treatises upon it, together with 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 253 
 
 Amoretti's celebrated work on the same subject — 
 Physical and Historical Inquiries into Rhabdomancy, 
 &c., in Germany. (See Dr. Ashburner's Translation 
 of Rheinbach, first American edition ; Redfield.) Schu- 
 bert, in his work on Natural History, says, " It seems 
 clear, from many observations, that the whole mineral 
 (and much of the vegetable) kingdom has a profound 
 and mysterious relation with the organism of man." 
 " This relation," says Rogers, " is that of matter with 
 matter connected by an imponderable agent." " The 
 phenomena which betray this, as a fact of nature, 
 have been observable from the earliest ages. It is 
 certain, however, that local causes often give de- 
 velopments to such strange phenomena, that it re- 
 qnires all the science that can be mustered to keep back 
 the tide of superstition which will be thus aroused in 
 the breasts of those unacquainted with the action of 
 these agents." 
 
 Some will ask the question, "If these things be 
 true, why have we not heard of them before ? " We 
 confess that we know of no other possible reason than 
 that such inquiries are not '•'posted up" as they should 
 be, in matters of history and science. But, before 
 closing this part of our subject, we propose to relate 
 a few more incidents, by way of illustration. 
 
 " In the year 1849-50, certain highly-respectable 
 houses in the city of New York seem to have been all 
 at once unaccountably beset with a strange power, 
 which seized upon particular parts, and would not 
 allow any one, not even the members of the families, 
 to touch those seemingly consecrated things. When- 
 ever this was attempted, a loud, sharp sound would be 
 instantly given, accompanied with a sharp and spiteful 
 22 
 
254 
 
 flash of light, as if the agent was determined to pro- 
 tect that which it had seized upon. But this was not 
 all ; it would smartly shock the intruder with a blow, 
 as if with an unseen fist, or the like. It even seized 
 upon the members of these families at times, and 
 would — so to speak — make them apparently strike 
 one another, in an unseen manner, simultaneously. It 
 was often the case that a stranger could not call at 
 the door without being instantly struck on the wrist or 
 elbow, on touching the knob of the door bell ; and he 
 would see, at the same instant, an angry flash of light, 
 as if from some demon's eye. The ladies were not 
 allowed to kiss each other without each receiving, on 
 the approach of their Ups, a fiery smack, as from a 
 spirit's lips. The dear little ones of these families 
 were prevented from giving their mothers the parting 
 salutation on retiring for the night." 
 
 " There seemed to be a great deal of cunning shown 
 by this agency. If the lady of the house did not think 
 to pay all due deference to its rules, when she wished 
 to give orders to the servants below through the 
 metallic speaking tube, she was sure to receive an 
 unseen blow in the mouth, almost sufficient to stagger 
 her : at the same instant she would see the flash of 
 what might have been taken for a ' fiery,' if not for an 
 ' evU eye.' " 
 
 Professor Loorais visited these dwellings, (see 
 Annual of Scientific Discovery, 1851, page 129,) 
 and observed these phenomena. He perceived the 
 flash whenever the hand was brought near to the knob 
 of the door, also to the gilded frame of a mirror, the 
 gas pipes, or any metallic body, especially when this 
 body communicated freely with the earth. " In one 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES, 255 
 
 house," says this scientific gentleman, in his descrip- 
 tion before the American Scientific Association, at 
 New Haven, " in one house, which I have had the 
 opportunity to examine, a child, in taking hold of the 
 knob of a door, received so severe a shock that it ran 
 off in great fright. In passing from one parlor to 
 the other, if the lady of the house chanced to step upon 
 the brass plate which served as a slide for the folding 
 doors, she received an unpleasant shock in the foot. 
 When she touched her finger to the chandelier, there 
 appeared a brilliant spark, and a snap." After a 
 careful examination of several cases of this kind, Pro- 
 fessor Loomis came to the conclusion " that the elec- 
 tricity is created (excited) by the friction of the shoes 
 of the inmates upon the carpets of the house." " If 
 the professor is correct in his conjecture, it would 
 follow that every house," says Mr. Rogers, "with 
 similar carpets, should become electrized, and exhibit 
 similar phenomena, in which case we should have 
 observed their appearance at a much earlier period, 
 and the occurrence would have been presented much 
 more frequently and extensively." Yet the phenomena 
 is every whit electrical ; hence we are led by them to 
 see, that when local circumstances are favorable, an 
 agent may be developed in our midst, which may play 
 the most singuleir pranks, which, it is more than pro- 
 bable, may be attribut-ed to supernatural, arid even to 
 SPIRITUAL ji7oi«;e?'s, if the witnesses should be ignorant of 
 those characteristics which identify them with a well- 
 hnown agent. Had the characteristics in the above 
 been contrary to those of any known agent, although 
 the phenomena had been entirely physical, how many 
 would have leaped to the conclusion, without a mo- 
 
256 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 ment's thought or investigation, that the force was a 
 power of the invisible spirit world ? With regard to 
 the phenomena of the present day, reason has been 
 entirely set aside ; hence the precipitate conclusion 
 concerning them, even by many who lay great claim 
 to its use and application to all other subjects. We 
 have been truly astonished at the course of such persons. 
 
 We shall now present a few cases that bear a closer 
 analogy to electricity, perhaps, than those we have 
 been considering. The first we shall speak of is that 
 of the two Smyrna girls, who visited France in 1839, 
 and exhibited what was called their electrical powers, 
 in moving' tables without contact. The account was 
 published in the Boston Weekly Magazine, of De- 
 cember 28, 1839. The two ^Is landed at Marseilles, 
 about the first of November, 1839. In hopes of realiz- 
 ing a splendid fortune, they intended to exhibit them- 
 selves in France, and other parts of the continent. 
 Immediately on their arrival, several persons, including 
 several men of science and professors, visited them, 
 and ascertained, the following phenomena : — 
 
 First. " The girls stationed themselves, facing each 
 other, at the ends of a large table, keeping at a dis- 
 tance from it of one or two feet, according to their 
 electrical dispositions. 
 
 Second. " When a few minutes had elapsed, a crac- 
 kling, like that of electric fluid spreading over gilt paper, 
 was heard, when, — 
 
 Third. " The table received a strong shake, which 
 always made it advance from the ei>der to tbei younger 
 sister. 
 
 Fourth. " A key, nails, or any piece of iron placed 
 on the table instantaneously slopped the phenomena. 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 257 
 
 Fifth. " When the iron was adapted to the under 
 part of the table, it produced no effect upon the ex- 
 periment 
 
 Sixth. " Saving this singularity, the facts observed 
 constantly followed the known laws of electricity, 
 whether glass insulators were used, or whether one 
 of the girls wore silk garments. In the latter case, 
 the electric properties of both were neutralized." 
 Such was the state of matters for some days after 
 the arrival of the young Greeks ; but, — 
 
 Seventh. " The temperature having become cooled, 
 and the atmosphere having loaded itself with humidity, 
 all perceptible electric virtue seemed to have deserted 
 them. One may conceive the melancholy of these 
 girls," the writer continues, " and the disappointment 
 of the two Greeks, their relations, who came with 
 them to share their anticipated wealth." 
 
 In this case we have the " manifestation" of a force 
 greatly analogous to that often witnessed at the pres- 
 ent day. In one important respect it acted differently 
 from electricity, in that it was broken by simply laying 
 a key or a small piece of iron on the object the agent 
 had acted upon, &c. " It must be adriiitted, how- 
 ever," says Mr. Rogers, " that the fact of the influence 
 of glass insulators and the sUk dress, causing a ces- 
 sation of the phenomena, shows that the agent that 
 acted upon the table was, in some way, a form of 
 electricity, though greatly varying, in its laws of 
 action, from that usually known to science. We 
 have," says Mr. R., " some curious facts relating to 
 this modified agent, to present from Matucci and 
 others," (in the second number of our work.) 
 
 " From the effects of the humidity of the atmosphere, 
 22* 
 
258 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 some may conclude that the agent must have been 
 electricity, inasmuch as the same state of the atmos- 
 phere produces a like effect upon the action of friction 
 electricity. Let us allow this, and turn to precisely 
 the same phenomenon, as it has been manifested in 
 the cases of numerous 'mediums' for the so-called 
 '^ spiritual manifestations.^ " 
 
 " We will not state it upon our authority alone, but 
 also upon that of a large number of intelligent be- 
 lievers in the spiritual origin of these phenomena, that 
 the electrical condition of the atmosphere enters into 
 the circumstances of their evolution ; that in a humid 
 state of the weather it is not only difficult, in many 
 instances, but sometimes it is absolutely impossible, to 
 obtain them under such a condition." We know that 
 many of the less informed " mediums " attribute these 
 failures to the capriciousness of the spirits, and fre- 
 quently scold them soundly for their misdemeanors, 
 though at other times they seem to pity them because 
 they get so weary and fatigued in answering so many 
 inquiries, and being so long " on duty." 
 
 It was thought by some who witnessed the case of 
 Angelique Cottin, that the agent which acted so 
 powerfully from her organism, overthrowing tables, 
 twisting chairs out of stout men's hands, raising a 
 man in a heavy tub, was electricity. C. Crowe says it 
 did cause the deviation of the magnetic needle ; but 
 M. Arago, who knows more about this abused agent 
 than a nation of theorizers, could not detect the least 
 signs of it by the nicest tests. And yet it would give 
 the person who touched her or her dress a powerful 
 shock, as if it were electricity. Still, it may be the 
 same agent that is ground out of plate glass, that 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 259 
 
 propagates news from city to city on iron wires, and 
 that thunders in the material heavens. 
 
 - " It has been supposed that because, in many in- 
 stances, ' mediums ' have given shocks like those given 
 by electrized bodies, the two agents must be identical. 
 Not long since, a young lady, about sixteen years of 
 age. Miss Harriett Bebee, was placed in a magnetic 
 state, in company with Mrs. Tamlin, both being of a 
 clairvoyant character. The sounds were heard while 
 they were in that state. Every time these occurred a 
 very sensible jar, like an electric shock, was experienced 
 by Miss Bebee. In answer to a question, she stated 
 that at each sound she felt as if there was electricity 
 passing over her. Several of the persons, in whose 
 presence these sounds are heard, always receive a 
 slight shock, so that there is a slight jar, which has 
 sometimes been so plain as to lead persons, ignorant 
 of the facts and the phenomenon, to accuse them of 
 making it themselves." Says a writer upon this 
 subject, " This feeling of electricity seems to pervade 
 nearly every thing connected with these phenomena. 
 When the rapping is heard, the peculiar jar is felt, 
 differing from the jar produced by a blow; and in 
 various other ways we are reminded of the use of this 
 subtile agent. We often see, in a dark room, bright 
 electric flashes on the wall and other places." 
 
 The same vsn-iter observes, " Persons sometimes feel 
 a sensation of electricity passing over their limbs when 
 they stand in the vicinity of those who get the sounds 
 most freely, although the particular persons who 
 seem to be the mediums feel no sensation at all. 
 In one or two instances we have seen a perceptible 
 shock, as if caused by a galvanic battery, especially 
 
260 
 
 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 when the- persons were under the influence of mag- 
 netism." 
 
 In a work published in Cincinnati, by William T. 
 Coggshall, the author says, " We have felt positive 
 electrical influences from clairvoyants. At the present 
 time," he continues, " what is termed ' electrical 
 circles ' are being formed every week in Cincinnati, 
 for the benefit of persons whose systems require ad- 
 ditional electrical power. We have seen several 
 women so powerfully electrized in these circles, that 
 the same effects were produced upon them which 
 would have been had they been isolated in connection 
 with a galvanic battery." So it has been seen that, 
 on touching Angelique Cottin, a person would receive 
 a " true electric shock." This kind of shock was ex- 
 perienced by Campeti and Bleton, in passing over 
 mineral veins and subterraneous streams, as mentioned 
 by Dr. Ashburner. " Many somnambulic persons," 
 says C. Crowe, " are capable of giving an electric 
 shock ; and I have met with one person, not somnam- 
 bulic, who informed me that he has frequently been 
 able to do it by an effort of the will." 
 
 " When an iron plate was brought near to one of 
 Reichenbach's patients, and a crystal brought in con- 
 tact with it, the effect upon it was like an electric 
 shock, which even ascended from the elbow to the 
 shoulder." Many other cases might be cited to the 
 same purpose. The magnet and iron have a specific 
 action upon the nervous system ; and the same agent 
 acts also from crystals, vegetable substances, and the 
 human hand, nay, from the earth itself. The second 
 number of Mr. Rogers's work contains some interesting 
 facts of this character. 
 
WITH THEIR AGENTS OR CAUSES. 261 
 
 » Vitality," says Dr. W. E. Channing, in his Notes 
 on Electricity, " is dependent on physical conditions, 
 and performs its functions by the agency of physical 
 forces." The Rev. Thomas Hill, in his Fragmentary 
 Supplement to the Ninth Bridgewater Treatise, ob- 
 serves that " all bodies are moved through the agency 
 of other bodies, and we see nowhere a motion which 
 is not dependent upon physical causes, that is, which 
 is not produced hy physical agents. Our will employs, 
 unconsciously, the aid of nerve and muscle ; the su- 
 preme will employs, with wise designs, the interven- 
 tion of the laws of impulse, attraction, and repulsion." 
 " When, in the course of ages, the comparative easy 
 problems of astronomy were solved, problems of more 
 difficulty were brought to view. Phenomena which 
 were not obvious, not pictured alphabet, but the fine 
 print of creation, electrical, optical, and chemical 
 phenomena, led men into more hidden knowledge." 
 
 " The agents employed by the animal organization," 
 says Dr. Channing, " are principles found universally 
 IN NATURE, and, in addition to these, a force which is 
 peculiar to living structures — 'the special agent of 
 vitality." Now, it might reasonably be expected, that 
 if electricity, among other agents found " universally 
 in nature," is also associated with the agent of the 
 animal economy, it might, under favorable conditions, 
 exhibit its characteristic phenomena. These condi- 
 tions would, of course, be owing to a variation of the 
 organism from its normal standard. The following 
 case, given by Dr. Ennemoser, of Germany, exhibits 
 some of these characteristics : — 
 
 The case was that of a young woman, sister of a 
 professor at Strasburg. Immediately on a sudden 
 
262 MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA, 
 
 fright, she was seized with a nervous malady, which 
 continued for a long period, and finally terminated in 
 her death. Among the remarkable symptoms in her 
 case were the following : — 
 
 First. Those of somnambulism, with more or less 
 lucidity. 
 
 Second. Her body became so highly charged -wdth 
 electricity that it was necessary to conduct it away 
 by a regular process of conduction. 
 
 Tliird. Her body would impart powerful shocks to 
 those who came in contact, and even when they did 
 not touch her. 
 
 Fourth. She controlled its action so as to give her 
 brother (the professor) a " smart shock when he was 
 several rooms off." (The account states, that when 
 the professor received the shock, " he started up and 
 rushed into her chamber, where she was in bed ; and 
 as soon as she saw him, she said, laughing, ' Ah, you 
 felt it, did you ? ' ") 
 
 Fifth. She was sul^"ect, also, to spasms and parox- 
 ysms of rigor and trembling. 
 
 Some of the phenomena, in this case, resemble those 
 we see exhibited by the electric fish. The case is an 
 important one in considering the command which 
 the nerve centres possess over the general agents 
 associated with them. 
 
 We shall now present another singular case, which 
 occurred in this country, in the month of January, 
 1839, an account of which was given in Silliman's 
 Journal, by a correspondent : — 
 
 First. That " on the evening of January 28, 1839, 
 during a somewhat extraordinary display of the 
 northern lights, a respectable lady became so highly 
 
WITH THEIR AGExNTS OR CAUSES. 263 
 
 charged with electricity, as to give out vivid electrical 
 sparks from the end of each finger, to the face of each 
 of the company present." 
 
 Second. That this did not cease with the heavenly 
 phenomena, but continued several months, during 
 which time she was constantly charged and giving 
 off electrical sparks to every conductor she approached. 
 This was extremely vexatious, as she could not touch 
 the stove, or any metallic utensil, without giving 
 off an electrical spark, with the consequent twinge. 
 
 Third. That "the state most favorable to this 
 phenomena was an atmosphere of about eighty 
 degrees Fahrenheit, moderate exercise, and social 
 enjoyment. It disappeared in an atmosphere ap- 
 proaching zero, and under the debilitating effects of 
 fear." 
 
 Fourth. That, " when seated by the stove, reading, 
 with her feet upon the fender, she gave sparks at the 
 rate of three or four a minute ; and under the most 
 favorable circumstances, a spark that could be seen, 
 heard, or felt, passed every moment." 
 
 Fifth. That " she could charge others in the same 
 way, when insulated, who could then give sparks 
 to others." 
 
 Sixth. " To make it satisfactory that her dress did 
 not produce it, it was changed to cotton, and woollen, 
 without altering the phenomenon. The lady is about 
 thirty, of sedentary pursuits, and delicate state of 
 health, having, for two years previously, suffered from 
 acute rheumatism and neuralgic affections." 
 
 For further investigation into the cause of singular 
 phenomena evolved from secret agents, and the true 
 philosophy of biology, magnetism, trance, &c., we 
 
264 EXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY. 
 
 would again refer to the numbers of a work by Mr. 
 Rogers, now in process of publication. His principles 
 and deductions challenge successful contradiction. 
 
 EXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY. 
 
 Biology, so called, is one peculiar feature, or form, 
 of mesmerism. " These experiments," says Dr. Rich- 
 mond, " attracted much attention some three years 
 since, in Ohio, and other places, and such was the 
 intense excitement of the public mind that, in some 
 places, parents and the public were obliged to inter- 
 fere and stop children from biologizing each other." 
 It was found that not only muscular motion, but the 
 exercise of the senses, could be destroyed by the will 
 of the operator. Taste was obliterated, or changed, 
 memory destroyed, and any picture presented to the 
 mind of the subject would be seen. TeU him he saw 
 snakes, and he would become frightened, and rush 
 with violence over the seats and benches. Tell him 
 he was sleigh riding, and he would instantly seize the 
 reins, and drive the horses with great glee. Tell him 
 he was a witch — an old woman in rags — and he 
 would own the character, and confess all the crimes 
 with which you had charged him. Tell him he was 
 a gay young lady, and another subject was about to 
 court him, and a love scene would commence. Tell 
 him he was cold, and he would shiver, his teeth chat- 
 ter ; he would stamp, and thresh his hands to keep 
 them warm. Tell him it was summer — very hot, 
 
EXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY. 265 
 
 and he would begin fanning himself, fling off his coat, 
 and, unless prevented, would divest himself of all 
 garments ; tell him that a tree of fruit was before him, 
 and he would begin to fill his pockets. Sweep the 
 room before him, and open the sky, and say that the 
 river of life and a white throne were before him, that 
 the judgment was set, and instantly he would assume 
 the attitude of devotion ; he would gaze with burning 
 eye and rapt delight into the scene of glory. Take 
 him to a lake side, tell him a child was drowning in 
 the water, and he would wade in, take it in his arms, 
 and lay it carefully down, and weep over it in deep 
 pity. Bring before him the lightning's flash, the 
 thunder's roll, or proclaim a God in grandeur, and a 
 world on fire, and, as once actually took place in Cov- 
 ington, Kentucky, a dozen subjects fell in intense 
 fright : some on to the floor, some on benches, others 
 sought to fly, and all declared to the audience that a 
 shower of fire seemed to be around them. Any im- 
 age the operator sees fit to plant in the subject's mind 
 is readily done ; any passion readily assumed ; rever- 
 ence, revenge, vanity, love, hate, fear, mirth, joy, grief, 
 or ecstasy, are all imitated at his bidding, and safely dis- 
 persed and reproduced with the rapidity of thought, 
 changing in an instant both the actions and motions 
 of the subject. Tell the person he is suffocating in 
 water, and he will suffocate, unless you prevent him. 
 Tell him he is struck on the head, and he falls, as if 
 stricken down with a hammer. No doubt a subject 
 might be killed by a mental impression — by saying 
 to him he was shot through the heart, or was strug- 
 gling in water. This is the opinion of all operators 
 in the art. The subject at the time is, to all appear- 
 23 
 
266 
 
 •EXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY. 
 
 ance, in a perfectly normal state ; his mental, moral, 
 and physical powers seem unchanged, and he thinks 
 at the time he can resist your power over him ; he but 
 gives you his eye, and you lead him captive by men- 
 tal impressions. The only perceptible variation from 
 the normal state is, that the eye, in most subjects, is 
 clear' and glassy, the same eye that is observed in 
 some maniacs, and in consumptive patients — clear, 
 sharp, and fearful to look at. The hidden fires of the 
 soul seem to burn through it, with intense force. I 
 have watched it for months, and years, in consumptives, 
 under the wasting of vitality ; and the eye kindles 
 and sparkles with more intensity as they near their 
 end. All impressible subjects have this eye, to a 
 greater or less extent; all consumptives have it, as 
 well as those who in early life are inclined to con- 
 sumption. 
 
 The facts and incidents under the effects of biology 
 are truly singular and wonderful ; and yet the advo- 
 cates of the " spirit mania " admit there is nothing 
 supernatural in them. For aught we can see, the 
 phenomena put forth by the " rappers " differ not ma- 
 terially from the biologic developments. They seem 
 to be identical with each other. 
 
 I know it is affirmed that the developments of elec- 
 tro-biology do not cover the whole ground in dispute, 
 inasmuch as men and women only are found to yield 
 to its impressions, whUe chairs, tables, and other inan- 
 imate objects remain unimpressed. But if chairs and 
 tables are not moved by one form of magnetism, they 
 • are by another, as we have abundantly shown. And 
 any one with half an eye cannot but see that it would 
 require less effort to move a table, or other inanimate 
 
EXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY. 267 
 
 object, than living, intelligent beings, capable of exert- 
 ing their wUl in opposition to the effort. Dr. Rich- 
 mond says he has " seen an operator draw a dozen 
 persons from their seats, by the magnetic force of his 
 hand, at the distance of many feet. The first move 
 of the hand would bring the head forward, then the 
 body, and by adding his voice, ' You will stand up,' 
 they would, while resisting with the will, in spite of them- 
 selves, stand up, and follow his hand around the room." 
 If biologists have not usually exerted their power upon 
 inanimate things, it has probably been because they 
 did not deem it of sufficient importance. We have 
 seen, however, a biologist raise a table to the ceiling 
 of a room, kindly permitting it to stick there a while, 
 to the no small amusement of the spectators ! And it 
 can be done again. By the way, we would inquire 
 what biologist is it that has sometimes lent his aid in 
 the raising of tables, at a " circle " in East Boston, 
 himself an unbeliever in " spirit table-liftings ? " 
 
 The editor of the Spiritual Telegraph says, that 
 "in the biological experiments there is a visible human 
 operator,^' but, "in the spiritual manifestations, no 
 human operator can be found, or demonstrated to 
 exist." But, pray, what is the "medium," in these 
 manifestations, but a visible human operator ? Some- 
 times it takes three or four persons to produce a single 
 demonstration. And sometimes they cannot muster 
 force enough to do this, especially if the weather be 
 rainy. And this is probably the reason why the rap- 
 pers at Poughkeepsie have resolved not to admit 
 unbelievers, nor at any time more than two or three 
 new-comers, at a "circle," making, with the believers, 
 ten or twelve in all — successful results never being 
 guarantied to those invited to attend. 
 
268 
 
 FACULTY OP IMITATION. 
 
 Mr. Brittan himself asserts that it is "the same 
 power that moves the human medium that also moves 
 the wooden table," &c. Here we have a human medium 
 that is moved to do something, and wooden tables, also ; 
 and if we can discover the secret agent in the one case, 
 we shall likewise in the other, for there is a perfect 
 sameness or coincidence in their operations. It is the 
 same unseen power, in both cases, moving chairs, tables, 
 tiibs, troughs, bedsteads, and piles of lumber, besides 
 other gross, ponderable bodies — cutting up an infinite 
 variety of pranks to the consternation of some, and the 
 amusement of others, as A. J. Davis says of the dan- 
 cing plates, knives and forks, shovel, tongs, and poker, 
 moved by " electrical dischajges and magnetic attrac- 
 tions," or emanations of vital electricity seeking its 
 equilibrium in the atmosphere. 
 
 FACULTY OF IMITATION. 
 
 The faculty of imitating signatures, of writing 
 music, poetry, specimens of foreign tongues, &c., is 
 no more strange than imitating the voice and gestures 
 of those we never heard nor saw. Persons of scarcely 
 any education or talents, while under biological influ- 
 ence, have been made to imitate the voice of Web- 
 ster, Everett, Fillmore, and others, delivering off-hand 
 speeches of most impassioned diction and eloquence ; 
 whUe, in their normal state, they could scarcely frame 
 a paragraph in the king's English, much more de- 
 liver a formal address, embellished with a profusion 
 of metaphors, tropes, and figures, accompanied with 
 
FACULTY OP IMITATION. 269 
 
 the finished attitudes and movements of a Choate, a 
 Sumner, or a Banks ! These mesmeric imitations 
 refer also to mechanical and artistic power, and every 
 talent that characterizes us as intelligent beings. Some 
 assert that mediums are in a perfectly normal state 
 during the exhibitions of the " spirit " phenomena ; 
 and yet, to the practical mesmerizer, nothing is plainer 
 than that they are most absolutely mesmeric persons. 
 The power of imitation among mediums is various, 
 but distinct. Some draw maps, purporting to come 
 from a deceased schoolmate. Others draw likenesses ; 
 others speak in voices imitating the dead — but they 
 can imitate the living just as well ; others hear sounds 
 — the voice of a wife, or child, or friend. Walter 
 Scott relates the case of an English gentleman who 
 was ill, and was told by his physician that he had 
 lived in London too long, and lived too fast; and 
 advised him to retire to the country and ruralize. 
 One of his troubles was, that a set of green dressed 
 dancers would enter his drawing room, go through 
 their evolutions, and retire. He knew it was an illu- 
 sion, but could not resist the annoyance, or the 
 impressions made on him. He returned to his coun- 
 try seat, and, in a few weeks, got rid of his visitors. 
 He concluded to remain out of town," and sent to 
 London for the furniture of his old parlor, to be placed 
 in his country house ; but when it came, and was 
 arranged in the room, the corps de ballet, dressed in 
 green, all rushed into the room, exclaiming, " Here we 
 are all again!" He had associated in his mind the 
 furniture and the dancing apparitions, and when it 
 returned, they came with it, and, as he thought, spoke 
 with voices. We recollect of reading in a medical 
 23* 
 
270 
 
 FACULTY OF IMITATION. 
 
 paper, published in Boston, an account of a man who 
 believed his house to be haunted by the devil, in con- 
 sequence of which he resolved to vacate it and remove 
 into the country. His goods were packed into a 
 wagon, and he was just upon the point of starting 
 with his load, when to his surprise he heard a voice, 
 seesmingly among the goods, crying out, " We are all 
 going together." " If that is the case," said the man, 
 " I wiU unload again ; for if I am to have the devil's 
 company, it may as well be in one place as another." 
 
 The excessive use of wine wiU induce a state . of 
 the brain, in which the person thinks he hears voices 
 and sees spirits ; but on close examination it will be 
 found that it is the work of the abnormal powers, 
 developed in the brain by stimulating agents or in- 
 tense thinking. It will be recollected that Sweden- 
 borg, after eating a late, heavy supper, heard a voice cry- 
 ing outto him in terrible accents, " Eat not so much." 
 (See chap. 5.) Such phenomena may unravel the 
 voice Judge Edwards heard. His long-continued 
 meditation on death, with night, solitude, loneliness, 
 and grief, had so impressed him that he thought he 
 heard a sound in exact imitation of the voice of his 
 wife. In the case related by Scott, hearing was not 
 only aflected" but the organ of color was involved in 
 the hallucination, and the green figures were as plain 
 before him as real persons. This is always one of the 
 phenomena of ghost-seeing that the seer associates 
 with the spectre, namely, form and color, voice and 
 action. 
 
 The cases of imitation referred to, and others of the 
 same class, are the results of the imitative mechanic 
 power of the individual, brought out by the abnormal 
 
FACULTY OF IMITATION. 271 
 
 magnetic state existing at the time. For instance, 
 if the individual has time and tune — the faculty of 
 music within lying undeveloped — it may be brought 
 out, and made to act, by the effects of magnetism. 
 Last winter we listened to a lecture delivered in 
 Newark, New Jersey, by the Rev. Mr. Harris, from 
 New York city. He stated that there was a lady in 
 Providence, who, by the agency of spirits, produced 
 musical compositions equal to the productions of the 
 best masters, as Haydn, Beethoven, and others, and 
 that a volume of these pieces were soon to be issued 
 from the press. And although the said work has not 
 been heard of as yet, still we doubt not that a person 
 in a magnetic state might write very good music, even 
 if totally ignorant of its rules, as this young lady was 
 said to be. 
 
 Phrenologists often tell persons that they would 
 make excellent tailors, dressmakers, poets, painters, 
 musicians, &c. — persons who never attempted to oper- 
 ate in these callings. " All they need," it is said, " is 
 an opportunity for the development of their powers." 
 Now, magnetism tends to develop or rouse these 
 dormant faculties into action. It also gives a far-reach- 
 ing, a far-seeing grasp and perception of things, as in 
 the case of Miss Martineau, who, be it remembered, 
 was too intelligent to attribute such effects to the 
 agency of spirits. 
 
 A marked case of the increase of the imitative power 
 of persons in the magnetic condition, is found in the 
 case of Fredefica HauflFe. In one of her magnetic 
 moods she informed Dr. Kerner that she would make 
 a diagram of the spheres. " The sun sphere," as she 
 called it, is very complex ; but " she spun out the com- 
 
272 FACULTY OF IMITATION. 
 
 plicated web with unerring precision," and a pair of 
 compasses given her to facilitate her labor only em- 
 barrassed her. It is made up of circles within circles, 
 and sections and points, amounting to thousands, 
 related and connected ; and yet the " whole was ex- 
 ecuted," says Dr. K., " in an incredible short space of 
 time." An engraving was made of this sphere, and a 
 year after she was shown the engraving, and said it 
 was not correct ; a point on one of the lines was want- 
 ing. On referring to the original, they found she was 
 right. This diagram contained many curious things, 
 and in some parts related to the highest departments 
 of mathematics. This faculty she only possessed in 
 the magnetic state, being wholly incompetent to the 
 task when not clairvoyant. No living artist can exe- 
 cute that diagram with a pen, with a fac-simile before 
 him, with the rapidity with which that ignorant, un- 
 lettered child of nature did it. " I have, in many 
 cases," says Dr. Richmond, " witnessed this imitative 
 power of mediums with the pen, dashing off figures 
 and images with a rashness and rapidity almost in- 
 conceivable." As far as we can see, there is no more 
 proof of the agency of spirits in owl case than in the 
 other ; and we are sure no such claim was ever set up 
 in the case of Mrs. Hauffe, though living in a less 
 enlightened region, perhaps, than these United States. 
 We might multiply cases of this kind, but space will 
 not permit. 
 
UNSEEN LETTERS AND SIGNATURES. 273 
 
 UNSEEN LETTERS AND SIGNATURES. 
 
 The operator in biology or magnetism often lays 
 hold of the inquiring spectator, and uses him or her 
 to imitate unseen letters, signatures, and sentences, in 
 foreign languages. And no doubt but what Professor 
 Bush has been made unconsciously instrumental in 
 executing a few specimens of languages, his eyes wide 
 open, it may be, all the while. It can be no more 
 strange than that the son of Dr. Phelps should have 
 been made unconsciously instrumental in tying himself 
 to the limb of a tree in his father's yard, supposing it to 
 have been done by spirits. (See the version of the 
 affair by A. J. Davis.) 
 
 A biological mesmerist assures us that he finds no 
 difficulty in raising beds, chairs, and tables ; and in 
 the case of Mr. Kellogg it is shown that such things 
 are easily done without any aid from spirits. In the 
 case of Dr. Taylor, the writing medium, it is shown, 
 by the testimony of the spirits themselves, if their word 
 is to be relied on, that the phenomena in his case were 
 not done by sp^ps, but were the results of vital 
 electricity. Such things are getting to be so common 
 that we may expect soon to see the time when little 
 ragged boys even (like those in Egypt, who went 
 through the streets offering to show the spirit of any 
 deceased friend for a penny or a piece of cake) will 
 offer to lift tables, or imitate handwritings, at a penny 
 a sight. We know of several " mediums," now engaged 
 in these things, who confess they do not understand by 
 what power it is they raise tables, or write sentences, 
 &c., yet they do not believe it to be done by the agency 
 
274 
 
 A DANCING LIGHT. 
 
 of disembodied spirits. In many schools, the children 
 have been forbidden by their teachers to indulge in 
 these foolish practices. This power may be electri- 
 city, in some of its forms, or some other agent, that has 
 some relation or affinity to it, as in the cases related 
 by Mr. Rogers. 
 
 A DANCING LIGHT. 
 
 A FEW years since the inhabitants of Southboro', 
 Massachusetts, were excited and alarmed at the ap- 
 pearance of a light, about the size of a star, which for 
 several successive nights was seen moving over a spot 
 of land in the westerly part of the town. Upon ex- 
 amining the premises by daylight, it was found that a 
 quantity of bones that had been buried in the earth 
 had been thrown upon the surface by the roots of a 
 tree, the trunk of which had recently been prostrated 
 by a gale of wind. By many, these bones were sup- 
 posed to belong to some human being, who, it was 
 conjectured, had been murdered, and buried beneath 
 the spot. And the light seen ho^^Bng near was con- 
 sidered indicative of such an event. But if the 
 reader wiU turn to the second chapter of this work, he 
 will learn that these dancing lights, so called, arise 
 from an inflammable gas, evolved from decayed 
 animal and vegetable substances, which take fire on 
 coming in contact with atmospheric air. This ignis 
 fatuus, Jack-with-a-lantem, or Will-with-a-vnsp appear- 
 ance is generally seen in dark nights, over boggy 
 and marshy ground, and generally in motion, at the 
 height of five or six feet, skipping from place to place, 
 
A "dancing light. 275 
 
 and frequently changing in magnitude and form. 
 On some occasions, it is observed to Be suddenly ex- 
 tinguished, and then to reappear at a distance from 
 its former position. Those persons who have en- 
 deavored to examine it closely have found that it 
 moves away from them with a velocity proportioned 
 to that of their advance — a circumstance which has 
 had no small influence on the fears of the ignorant 
 and superstitious. Dr. Denham once saw an ignis 
 fatum in a boggy place, between two rocky hills, in 
 a dark and calm night. He approached by degrees 
 within two or three yards of it, and thereby had an 
 opportunity of viewing it to the best advantage. It 
 kept skipping about a dead thistle, till a slight motion 
 of the air — occasioned, as he supposed, by his near 
 approach — caused it to jump to another place ; and 
 as he advanced it kept flying before him. He ob- 
 served it to be a uniform body of light, and concluded 
 it must consist of ignited vapor. These appearances 
 are common on the plains of Boulogne, in Italy, where 
 they sometimes flit before the traveller on the road, 
 saving him the expense of a torch on dark nights. 
 Sometimes they 4P^^^ ^^^''7 wide, and then contract 
 themselves ; and sometimes they float like waves, and 
 appear to drop sparks of fire. They shine more 
 strongly in rainy than in dry weather. 
 
 An appearance of the same kind is sometimes met 
 with at sea, during gales of wind, and, of course, has 
 become connected with many superstitious notions 
 of sailors, who call it a corpusant. There are some- 
 times two together, and these are named Castor and 
 Pollux. The following is a description of one, given 
 by the voyager Dampier ; " After four o'clock the 
 
276 sailors' omens. 
 
 thunder and the rain abated, and then we saw a cor- 
 pusant, at our maintopmast head. This sight rejoiced 
 OHT men exceedingly, for the height of the storm is 
 commonly over when the corpusant is seen aloft ; but 
 when they are seen lying on the deck, it is generally 
 accounted a bad sign. A corpusant is a certain small, 
 glittering light ; when it appears, as this did, on the 
 very top of a mainmast, or at a yardarm, it is like a 
 star ; but when it appears on the deck, it resembles a 
 great glowworm. I have been told that when the 
 Spanish or Portuguese see them they go to prayers, 
 and bless themselves for the happy sight. I have 
 heard some ignorant seamen discoursing how they 
 have seen them creep, or, as they say, travel about, in 
 the scuppers, telling many dismal stories that happened 
 at such times ; but I did never see any one stir out of 
 the place where it was first fixed, except on deck, 
 where every sea washeth it about. Neither did I ever 
 see any but when we had rain as well as wind, and, 
 therefore, do believe it is some jelly." 
 
 The origin and nature of the lights above described 
 have not yet been satisfactorily explained. More 
 accurate observations than havil been made are 
 required to furnish the basis of a correct theory 
 respecting them. 
 
 SAILORS' OMENS. 
 
 Sailors, usually the boldest men alive, are yet not 
 unfrequently the very abject slaves of superstitious 
 fear. Nothing is more common than to hear them 
 
LOVE CHARMS. 277 
 
 talk of noises, flashes, shadows, echoes, and other 
 visible appearances, nightly seen and heard upon the 
 waters. Andrews, in his Anecdotes, says, " Super- 
 stition and profaneness, those extremes of human 
 conduct, are too often found united in the sailor ; and 
 the man who dreads the stormy effects of drowning a 
 cat, of whistling a contra dance while he leans over 
 the gunwale, will, too often, wantonly defy his Creator 
 by the most daring execrations and licentious beha- 
 vior." Dr. Pegge says that " sailors have a strange 
 opinion of the devil's power and agency in stirring up 
 winds, which notion seems to have been handed down 
 from Zoroaster, who imagined that there was an evil 
 spirit, called Vato, that could excite violent storms of 
 wind." To lose a cat overboard, or to drown one, or 
 to lose a bucket or a mop, is, at the present day, a 
 very unlucky omen with common sailors. 
 
 LOVE CHARMS. 
 
 Theocritus and Virgil both introduce women into 
 their pastorals, using charms and incantations to re- 
 cover the affections of their sweethearts. Shakspeare 
 represents Othello as accused of winning Desdemona 
 " by conjuration and mighty magic." 
 • 
 
 " Thou hast practised on her with foul charms ; 
 Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals 
 That waken motion. 
 
 She is abused, stolen from me, and corrupted, 
 By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks." 
 24 
 
278 
 
 LOVE CHARMS. 
 
 In Gay's Shepherd's Week, these are represented as 
 country practices : — 
 
 " Stl-aight to the 'pothecary's shop I went, 
 And in love powders all my money spent. 
 Behap what will, next Sunday after prayers, 
 When to the alehouse tubberkin repairs, 
 These golden flies into Tiis mug ril throw, 
 And soon the swain with fervent love shall glow." 
 
 In Love Melancholy, by Dr. Ferrand, it is said, 
 " We have sometimes among us our silly wenches, 
 some that, out of a foolish curiosity they have, must 
 needs be putting in practice some of those feats that 
 they have received by tradition from their mother 
 perhaps, or nurse ; and so, not thinking forsooth to do 
 any harm, as they hope to paganize it to their own 
 damnation. For it is most certain that botanomancy, 
 which is done by the noise, or crackling, that box or 
 bay leaves make when they are crushed between one's 
 hands, or cast into the fire, was of old in use among 
 the pagans, who were wont to bruise poppy flowers 
 betwixt their hands, by this means thinking to know 
 their loves." Speaking of the ancient love charms, 
 characters, amulets, or such like periapses. Dr. F. setys, 
 " They are such as no Christian physician ought to use, 
 notwithstanding that the common people do to this 
 day too superstitiously believe and put in practice 
 many of these paganish devices." 
 
 Miss Blandy, who was executed many years ago 
 for poisoning her father, persisted in affirming that 
 she thought the powder given her by her villanous 
 lover, Cranston, to administer to him, was a " love 
 powder," which was to conciliate her father's affection 
 to her lover. Sheipnet her death with this assevera- 
 
EFFECTS OF A BELIEF IN A GHOST. 
 
 270 
 
 tion ; and her dying request, to be buried close to her 
 father, seems a corroborating proof, that though she 
 was certainly the cause of his premature death, yet 
 she was not, in the blackest sense of the word, his 
 wilful murderer. 
 
 We quote the following lines from Herrick's 
 Hesperides : — i 
 
 A CHARM OJL AN ALLAY FOK LOVE. 
 
 " If SO be a toad be laid 
 In a sheepskin newly flayed, 
 And that tied to a man, 'twill sever 
 Him and his affections ever " 
 
 EFFECTS OF A BELIEF IN A GHOST. 
 
 Whenever a real ghost appears, — by which we 
 mean some man or woman dressed up to frighten 
 another, — if the supernatural character of the appari- 
 tion has been for a moment believed, the effects on 
 the spectator have always been injurious — sometimes 
 producing convulsions, idiocy, madness, or even in- 
 stantaneous death. The celebrated AUston, the 
 painter, when in England, related the following in- 
 cident to his friend Coleridge, the poet : " It was, I 
 think," said he, " in the University of Cambridge, 
 near Boston, that a certain youth took it into his 
 wis6Ml|ead to convert a Tom Paine-ish companion of 
 his by appearing as a ghost before him. He accord- 
 ingly dressed himself up in the usual way, having 
 previously extracted the ball from the pistol which 
 always lay near the head of iiis friend's bed. Upon 
 
280 THE INVISIBLE LADY. 
 
 first awakening, and seeing the apparition, the youth 
 that was to be frightened very coolly looked his com- 
 panion, the ghost, in the face, and said, ' I know you ; 
 this is a good joke ; but you see I am not frightened. 
 Now you may vanish.' The ghost stood still. 
 ' Come,' said the youth, ' that is enough. I shall 
 get angry ; away ! ' Still the ghost moved not. ' By 
 heavens ! ' ejaculated the young man, ' if you do not, 
 in three minutes, go away, I'll shoot you.' He 
 waited the time, deliberately levelled his pistol, fired, 
 and with a scream at the immovability of the figure, 
 became convulsed, and soon afterwards died. The 
 very instant he believed it to be a ghost, his human 
 nature fell before it." 
 
 THE INVISIBLE LADY. 
 
 In the year 1804, an invisible lady and acoustic 
 temple were exhibited in Boston, as an " Extraordinary 
 Aerial Phenomenon." Its body was made of glass. 
 It gave answers to questions asked by visitors. In 
 London, a few years ago, there was shown an ap- 
 paratus consisting of a four-footed stand, and several 
 trumpet-mouthed tubes, fi-om any one of which spec- 
 tators received ready answers to questions. The 
 answers were said to come from the " invisible girl ; " 
 but the true explanation of the puzzle was, that a 
 secret tube, in the legs of the apparatus, commpgicat- 
 ed the sounds to a girl in a neighboring apartment. 
 Probably something similar was arranged in the glass 
 body exhibited in Boston ; and if we mistake not, 
 daring the sojourn of Joice Heth, of more recent 
 
SORCERERS IN THE EAST. 281 
 
 notoriety, at the Albany Museum, a shrewd Albanian, 
 after a minute and diligent examination, made the 
 wonderful discovery that the old lady, or nurse of 
 Washing-ton, was composed of India rubber, and was 
 made to breathe, speak, cry, sing, &c., by the aid of 
 ventriloquism ! 
 
 In a case of spirit rappings, Professor Grimes dis- 
 covered that the party had contrived to have some 
 levers concealed beneath the floor, and by means of 
 certain little pegs coming through where the rappers 
 sat, connecting with the levers, aU nicely poised on a 
 balance, they placed their feet upon them, and pro- 
 duced the raps at pleasure. And in the case of the 
 Rochester rappers, when their ankles were firmly held 
 by the committee of investigation, it is said a servant 
 girl rapped with her knuckles under the floor. Mrs. 
 Culver, who had been instructed by the Fox family, 
 and had practised with them a while, afterwards re- 
 nounced the craft, and exposed this among other 
 deceptions to the world. " The girl," she says, "was 
 instructed to rap whenever she heard their voices call- 
 ing for spirits." 
 
 SORCEEEES IN THE EAST. 
 
 The operations of the men sorcerers in India are 
 quite scientific. They set about their work in a busi- 
 ness-like manner, and in sight of the house of their 
 intended victim the mystic caldron begins to boil and 
 bubble. The victim, however, is not to be terrified 
 out of his senses. What are his enemy's fires and 
 24' 
 
282 SINGULAR METAMORPHOSES. 
 
 incantations to him ? He takes no notice, and con- 
 tinues to live on as though there was not a sorcerer in 
 the world. But that smoke : it meets his eye the first 
 object every morning. That ruddy glare : it is the last 
 thing he sees at night. That measured but inartic- 
 ulate sound : it is never out of his ear. His thoughts 
 dwell on the mystical business. He is preoccupied, 
 even in company. He wonders what they are putting 
 into the pot, and if it has any connection with the 
 spasm that has just shot through him. He becomes 
 nervous ; he feels sick ; he cannot sleep from thinking ; 
 he cannot eat for that horrid broth that bubbles for- 
 ever in his mind. He gets worse and worse, and 
 dies ! But this empire of the invagination is beaten 
 in Java, where it is supposed that a housebreaker, by 
 throwing a handful of earth upon the beds of the 
 inmates, completely incapacitates them from moving 
 to save their property. The man who is to be robbed, 
 on feeling the earth fall upon him, lies as motionless 
 as if bound hand and foot. He is under a spell, which 
 he feels unable to break. 
 
 SINGULAR METAMORPHOSES. 
 
 In the East, men are believed to be frequently met- 
 amorphosed — sometimes voluntarily, sometimes in- 
 voluntarily — into tigers. The voluntary transforma- 
 tion is effected merely by eating a certain root, where- 
 upon the person is instantly changed into a tiger ; and 
 when tired of this character, he has only to eat an- 
 other, when, as quick as thought, he subsides from a 
 
SINGULAR METAMORPHOSES. 283 
 
 tiger into a man. Bat sometimes mistakes happen. 
 An individual of an inquiring disposition once felt a 
 strong curiosity to know the sensations attendant on 
 transformation; but, being a prudent man, he set 
 about the transformation with all necessary precau^ 
 tion. Having provided himself with 
 
 "the insane root 
 That takes the reason prisoner," 
 
 he gave one also to his wife, desiring her to stand by 
 and watch the event, and as soon as she saw him fairly 
 turned into a tiger, to thrust it into his mouth. She 
 promised, but her nerves were not equal to the per- 
 formance. As soon as she saw her husband fixed in 
 his new form, she took to flight, carrying in her hand, 
 in the confusion of her mind, the root that would have 
 restored him to her faithful arms. And so it befell that 
 the poor tiger-man was obliged to take to the woods, 
 and for many a day he dined on his old neighbors of 
 the village, but was at last shot, and recognized I 
 
 In this superstition will be seen the prototype of the 
 wolf mania of mediaeval Europe. In Brittany, men 
 betook themselves to the forests in the shape of wolves, 
 out of a morbid passion for the amusement of howl- 
 ing and ravening; but if they left in some secure 
 place the clothes they had thrown oft' to prepare for 
 the metamorphosis, they had but to reassume them 
 to regain their natural forms. But sometimes a catas- 
 trophe, like that above related, took place : the wife 
 discovered the hidden clothes, and carrying them home, 
 in the inftocent carefulness of her heart, the poor hus- 
 band lived and died a wolf! 
 
284 PERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH. 
 
 PERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH. 
 
 In a former part of- this Tolume, we have spoken 
 of several impositions upon the credulity of the public, 
 in matters appertaining to health. The astrologists 
 have told us that " some plants are only to be plucked 
 at the rising of the dogstar, when neither sun nor 
 moon shine, while others are to be cut with a golden 
 knife, when the moon is just six days old." To some 
 particular plants " a string must be fastened, a hungry 
 dog tied thereto, who, being allured by the smell of 
 roasted flesh set before him, may pluck it up by the 
 roots." At one time, the vegetable oil of swallows 
 was considered a potent remedy. It was prepared 
 " by compounding twenty different herbs with twenty 
 live swalhivs, well beaten tc^ether in a mortar." 
 Another medicine was prepared from the raspings of a 
 human skull ; another from the moss, growing' on the 
 head of a thief, who bad been gibbeted and left to 
 hang in the air. In addition to these, we have had 
 '^he powder of a mummy ; the liver of frogs ; the blood 
 of weasels ; an ointment made of sucking whelps ; the 
 marrow of a stag; and the thigh bone of an ox." And 
 we have numerous modern nostrums scarcely better 
 than these, by which the gullible public are often 
 sorely victimized. 
 
 There are many opinions among the people, which 
 prove highly deleterious in being carried into practice. 
 For instance, that we must " stuiT a cold to cure it," 
 when the reverse of the case is the only safe mode of 
 procedure. In a cold, the lungs are already loaded 
 and congested with accumulations of muco-purulent 
 
PERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH. 285 
 
 matter, which is increased by taking large quantities 
 of food. 
 
 Erroneous views, in regard to cleanliness, often 
 lead to great mischief. There is a notion with some 
 that dirt is really healthy, especially for children. 
 This idea probably originated from the fact, that 
 those children who are allowed to play in the dirt are 
 often more healthy than those who are confined in the 
 nursery or parlor. But it should be remembered that 
 it is not dirt which promotes their health, but active 
 exercise in the open air. This more than compensates 
 for the injury sustained by the dirt. There is, how- 
 ever, something deceitful, after all, in the ruddy ap- 
 pearance of these children, who, like some four-footed 
 animals, are allowed to wallow in mire and dirt ; for 
 they actually suffer more, not only from chronic, but 
 from acute diseases, than children whose parents are 
 in better circumstances. The pores of the skin, as we 
 have shown in the Family Physician, published by us 
 a few years since, cannot be closed with filth for any 
 length of time, and the subject remain uninjured. It 
 is true, some years may pass away before the bad 
 effects appear ; but in after life, scrofula, rheumatism, 
 jaundice, and even consumption, often arise after the 
 cause which first gave rise to them is forgotten, if 
 indeed it were ever suspected. It is our candid 
 opinion, that a larger part of the deaths that occur 
 among children by typhoid, scarlet fever, and other 
 baleful diseases, is owing to some defect in manage- 
 ment, as to diet, air, dress, or exercise, which we will 
 briefly show in this connection. 
 
 There are some, in adult life, who abstain wholly 
 from external ablutions, and never think of washing 
 
286 PERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH. 
 
 their bodies from one year to another. Now, such 
 persons must be considered, to say the least, to be of 
 an uncleanly habit; and such a habit is not only 
 unfavorable to health, but to morality. Mr. Wesley 
 reckons cleanliness to be second only to godliness. 
 "We venture to affirm that he who is most guilty of 
 personal neglect wiU generally be found the most 
 ignorant and vicious. I am well acquainted with a 
 whole family who neglect their persons from principle. 
 They are a sort of new lights in religious things, and 
 hold that the true Christian should " slight tbe hovel, 
 as beneath his care." But there is a want of intel- 
 ligence, and even of common refinement, in tbe family, 
 that certainly does not, and cannot, add much to their 
 own happiness or comfort, aside from the fact that it 
 greatly annoys their neighbors. 
 
 We do not pretend to say but that there are some 
 great and good persons who are slovenly in their 
 general appearance ; but these are only exceptions to 
 a general rule. On the contrary, common observation 
 teaches us that it is a distinguishing mark of low-bred 
 rowdyism, and of vicious and intemperate habits, to 
 see young men dressed in the most loose and careless 
 manner. A person of refinement and cultivation 
 would feel ashamed to appear in such a manner 
 before the public gaze. 
 
 Neglect of proper ventilation leads to incomparable 
 mischief. There are many persons who live through 
 tbe day in closely confined and excessively heated 
 apartments, and also sleep in small contracted bed 
 rooms, without the least opportunity for a current of 
 fresh air. Who can wonder that they rise in the 
 morning with wearied limbs, languid and listless, 
 
PERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH. 287 
 
 with a furred tongue, parched mouth, and headache ? 
 They are continually subjected to inhaling, over and 
 over, the poison, the miasma, of their own bodies, 
 which cannot but result, in the end, to the great detri- 
 ment of health. We are perfectly astonished, often- 
 times, to see to what an extent such a thing is carried. 
 Take this, in connection with eating improper and 
 badly-cooked food, fat meats, gravies, and pastries, 
 the want of suitable protection against atmospheric 
 changes, and active exercise in the open air, and who 
 can marvel at the prevalence of deadly fevers, con- 
 sumption, or cholera even ? It is only a matter of 
 surprise that there are not ten deaths where there is 
 now one. 
 
 Look at the quality of the meats purchased for use. 
 It is now a common practice with farmers (in order to 
 save the milk) to sell their calves for market as soon 
 as born ; and people eagerly purchase this immatured 
 meat because afforded at a low price. Then look at 
 the enormous quantities of pork consumed. Go past 
 the sausage factories, in the cities of Jersey, and you 
 behold it heaped in piles, ready for the work of the 
 hundreds of " choppers," driven by steam. Then look 
 into the groceries, see the array of pound sausage 
 meat, and cheese heads, so called. A grocer in 
 Newark city informed us, last winter, that sausage 
 meat and buckwheat cakes formed three quarters of 
 the aliment of the citizens. And in Paterson, New 
 Jersey, in the hottest of the season, calves were lying 
 upon the pavements, ready to be slaughtered, and 
 almost as momentarily devoured, as occasion de- 
 manded. Even the poor fowls, their legs swollen 
 with inflammation from the cords with which they 
 
288 PERNICIOUS ERRORS RELATING TO HEALTH. 
 
 were bound, and half famished for water and food, 
 and fevered by fright and exposure, were readily pur- 
 chased by men and women, to satisfy the cravings of 
 a perverted appetite. "When we behold such practices, 
 we cannot think it strange that mortality should be so 
 rife as it is at times, especially when the atmosphere 
 is in a condition to affect the body in a predisposed 
 state, favorable to the development of diseases, such 
 as that of smaU-pox, cholera, fever and ague, scarlet 
 and typhoid, (i. e., decomposing fever,) which is the 
 concentration of all others. The food we eat may 
 convey the disease within, and unless the state of our 
 system is healthy and harnjonious, the resisting power 
 will not be equal to the force and action of the exter- 
 nal elements, and consequently we shall become a 
 prey to the contagion, whatever type or form it 
 assumes. We are somewhat inclined to think that 
 A. J. Davis (who is a physician by profession) is 
 correct, when he says, " The atmosphere has had the 
 cholera, more or less, for thirty years, and will continue 
 to have it until there occurs a geological change in 
 many portions of the earth ; and from the atmosphere 
 the disease has been, and is, communicated epidemi- 
 cally to the predisposed potato plant, and also to the 
 human system." A late English writer remarks, that 
 " certain diseases prevail at the approach of the 
 equinoxes."