Jonnob/the-spiritualist-enriched huggingface dataset:
THE DIALECTICAL SOCIETY. AT a recent meeting of the Dialectical Society, Mr. Holy oake was present, and made a long speech attacking Spiritual phenomena, which speech is published in the Spiritual Maga zine of last Tuesday. At the next meeting a gentleman made a speech in reply, and he has sent us the following cor of it, accompanied by the request that the initials of his name only be attached thereto :  Mr. J. S. B., a member, said—“ One would have thought the histories of some of the greatest of modern discoveries would have prevented a man like Mr. Holyoake from casting a slur on a subject because 'it had not arrived at either dignity or decency in its procedure, nor certitude in its results.' I have a story to tell of a discovery which at its birth was, to use Mr. Holyoake’s own words, undignified, indecent and uncertain, yet which has proved to be one of the greatest blessings of modern An old woman sat cooking her husband’s dinner, it days. consisted of dead frogs’ hind legs, a pair of these legs jumped she told her husband, but he, unbeliever as he was, tried his own conditions, put the legs in a plate, watched for hours and never got a single jump. Weary of this and hearing that with more willing inquirers his wife was more successful, he gave in, and after several watchings, at the kitchen dresser midst knives and spoons, he succecded in seeing a jump, with a lot of witnesses. He goes before a society (I forget it name, we’ll call it the Old Dialectical), and is there told by a Mr. Holyoake sen., that his wife and his maid’s mental capa cities and attainments must first be ascertained before their evidence can be taken, and as for himself he must be mooney minded, otherwise how could he believe that a dead frog’s legs could move when dead legs never moved before ? He asks for investigation and is told by the same Mr. H. that he must accept certain conditions, and adds Mr. H. 'I have been pre sent at some of these experiments and I saw how it was done, the frog was touched—I mean shoved—with a steel knife. Sir,
to the most scientific, the most highly cultivated? One more point and I have done. Mr. Holyoake’s logic is at fault. In what people choose to call the natural, a scientific man will tell you and tell you truly, given precisely the same conditions precisely the same results will follow; if then you find that the same conditions give different results or do not pro duce the same results, then either your phenomena are not natural, or your conditions simply conduce to the production of the phenomena, another necessary element being an independ ent intelligence or what Mr. Holyoake would call supernatural. Thus his very slur 'uncertain’ is the best argument he could use to prove that provided the phenomena occur at all, they are not bound by mere material conditions and are in reality —according to his views—supernatural. It is useless fighting against facts, it is useless to dislike them, and we must take the world as it is and not think we can fight with destiny by hiding our heads, like the silly ostrich, in the sand. If such things be, let us hear them, let us seek for them. Knowledge is power, and may help us, and it can be but blind prejudice and ignorance that cry out to wisdom 'What have we to do with thee, hast thou come hither to torment us before the time?'"
alone, and that one of these executions took place as late as the year 1786. He said that in many English agricultural districts the belief in witchcraft and the “evil eye” is still prevalent, for he knew places in Devonshire where it still lingers. When juries began to give damages against witch finders who were prosecuted in their turn, the gentry rapidly grew scarce, and Mr. Matthew Hopkins was himself at last seized by an angry mob, and drowned in the dirty water of a pond at Manningtree—the water did not reject him. In these days, said Mr. Brock, his hearers need not fear wizards witches, conjurors, nor the greatest rogues, impostors, and mountebanks of all, namely—the Spiritualists. (Applause.) They would be protected from all evil by following the Divine command, “ Watch and pray." The proceedings closed with the usual votes of thanks and prayer.
* 1. This Daily News article contains several statements direetly untrue. 2. It defames the characters of many honest people. 3. It misleads and misinforms the numerous readers it professes to guide. Therefore, it is o great advantage to the publie to be as free as possible from those “ religious feelings" (whatever they may be), which are exemplified by the acts of the writer thereof.—ED. † On page 14 will be found some of the poetical ravings of one of the media, suffering from the dreadful diseases described by this veracious writer. Such ravings, either in poetry or prose, are common enough now among tranee media in London, but, unfortunately, they are not recorded because the world, misled by false teaehers, knows and cares nothing of the boon placed within its reach.—Eb.
CHARGES FOR ADVERTISEMENTS. 1. Advertisements of Public Companies, Half-a-guinea per sixth of a column, or every portion of sixth of a column. 2. General Advertisements, Five Shillings per twelfth of a column, or portion of twelfth of a column. Note.—Advertisements at the foregoing rates will be 'displayed” so as to occupy the full space paid for, but advertisements at the following rates will be in closely set type. 3. General Advertisements, Half-a-crown per first five lines or portion of five lines, and Fourpence for every line in addition. 4. Situations Wanted, or Apartments to Let, One Shilling per first four lines, or portion of four lines; Threepence for every line in addition. Ten words are allowed to the line, and six figures or initial letters count as one word. When five or more insertions of the same advertisement are paid for, twenty per cent. reduction will be made in the above rates. The power is reserved of refusing to insert any advertise ment. Advertisements and remittances should be sent to the Publisher, Mr. E. W. ALLEN, Ave Maria-lane, St. Paul's Church-yard, London, E.C., or to Mr. J. BURNS, 15 Southampton-row, High Holborn, London, W. C.
To Correspondents. All letters should be brief and to the point, as the amount of space available for correspondence is at present small. Communications intended for the Editor should be by letter only, addressed to the care of the Publisher, Mr. E. W. ALLEN, Ave Maria-lane, St. Paul's Church-yard, London E.C. Until the Spiritual movement in England, together with this journal, have both grown considerably, time cannot be spared for personal interviews on subjects connected with the literary work of THE SPIRITUALIST, but all letters will meet with careful consideration. THE SPIRITUALiST is a periodical intended to give great freedom of expression to all the different shades of opinion to be found among Spiritualists. There will therefore be very little uniformity in the ideas promulgated in this journal, more especially in the correspondence columns. Under these circumstances every reader will find occasionally somethine in THE SPIRITUALIST which he or she does not like, but the right of reply remains. This freedom of thought given te others, the Editor claims for himself, and those who do no like the contents of leading articles, can write against them in the correspondence columns. This plan is thought better than that of reducing the contents of the journal to a pale weak mediocrity, by inserting only those contributions which please everybody. The preceding remarks are not intended to imply that those who have crotchets which they cannot get printed anywhere else, can find an outlet for them here, for none but those letters which are considered worth publication will be inserted. Notices of Public Meetings in connection with Spiritualism should be sent to the office several days in advance.
The Spiritualist. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1869. THE PHILOSOPHY OF SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATIONS. THE higher spirits, as well as many of those of a more imperfect order, come back to earth, bearing messages of affection and love to the friends and rela tives left behind; these visitants from the higher spheres also often alleviate sickness and pain, and with kind words comfort those who are afflicted by many sorrows. Their teachings demonstrate also, beyond all doubt, that according to the good or evil done by dwellers in this world, so shall they reap happiness or misery in the next. Such lessons as these coming from those who have passed the boundary of the grave, and sealed with the seal of indisputable authority, are exactly fitted to do good in these hard unfeeling money-worshipping times, when high and low alike are so greedily absorbed in the love of self, that the happi ness of the great bulk of the nation is crucified, and the United Kingdom with its thirty million inhabitants, contains a million paupers, and five or six millions of other persons living in constant fear of the loss of the bare means of subsistence. Knowing that the great power of Spiritualism will in the course of many long years, help to remove those
has great power over the mineral world, and can repro duce many of its phenomena, nay, it can even make artificially the oxalic acid which gives the flavour to common sorrel, and it can manufacture the formic acid which was once obtainable only from the bodies of ants. But at the artificial formation of the minutest vegetable cell, physical science breaks down utterly and entirely, and from this point upwards through the marvellous phenomena of the vegetable and animal worlds, men of science know themselves to be mere ob servers, and not masters. Now, assuming that the spi it world is simply a great step in advance of the animal world, nearly all its phenomena are so high as to be far beyond the reach of the experimental philosopher. Very few of its forces, if any, are likely ever to be shut up in a-bottle, and utilised like electricity, for its phenomena are mostly produced by forces highly vital and organic in their nature. Research, for instance, we think will prove beyond doubt, that the will alone, without acts or spoken words, can influence persons at a distance from the human body. These ideas as to the relation between the animal and spiritual worlds we believe to be entirely new ; they have been formed after two years careful examina tion of the phenomena seen at spirit circles, and they are published here more especially for the education and instruction of the Royal Soeiety.
BIRDIE'S SONG This Spirit song is extracted from Poems of Inner Life, by Miss Lizzie Doten, an American inspirational public speaking medium. With such media the spirits control the vocal organs, which are made to utter words not in the mind of the speaker. This poem was recited by Miss Doten at the close of one of her lectures in Boston, when she was inspired by the spirit of Anna Cora Wilson (a child of the chairman’s), whose career on earth closed at the age of twelve years and seven months. She was known among her family and friends by the pet name of “ Birdie." The poem was taken down in shorthand by a reporter at the time of its delivery upon the platform. With rosebuds in my hand, Fresh from the Summer Land, Father! I come and stand Close by your side. You cannot see me here, Or feel my presence near, And yet your Birdie dear Never has died. Chorus Check then the falling tear; Think of me still as near; Father and Mother dear. Soon on that shore, Where all the loved ones meet, Resting your pilgrim feet, Shall you with blessings gree Birdie once more. Oh no! for angels bright Out of that blessed light Shone on my wondering sight, Singing—“ We come, Lamb for the fold above  Tender young nestling dove  Safe in our arms to love, Haste to thy home!" Mother, I could not stay; In a sweet dream I lay, Wafted to heaven away, Far from the night. Then, with a glad surprise, Did I unclose mine eycs Under its cloudless skies, Smiling with light. O were you with me there Free from all earthly care, All of my joys to share! I were more blest. But it is best to stay There in the earthly way, Till the good angels say  “Come to your rest!"
EVIDENCE AT THE DIALECTICAL SOCIETY. SIR,—On page three of the first number of THE SPIRITUALIST there is a serious error in the statement made under the name of Miss Blackwell. Mr. S. C. 'Hall has informed me “that no incident like that named ever took place at his house, but that Mr. Livermore, banker, America, related to him at his house a singular phenomenon that took place, which had a kind of resemblance to that narrative.” I presume the news paper reporter misunderstood Miss Blackwell. I find the reporters are “not upto the subject of spiritualism, and therefore easily fall into-errors. It is the duty of spiritualists to see to it, that all facts are so reported, that they may have equal weight to a declaration before a magistrate. JOHN JONES. Emmore-park, S. Norwood, Nov. 26, 1869. [As stated at the time, the evidence was extracted from the Eastern Post newspaper.—ED.
A HAUNTED CASTLE SIR,—The following is eopied from the Irish Times Special Commissioner's Report on the Land question :—“ Parsonstown, Oct. 14, 1869.“ It would be strange if Leap Castlel was not haunted. It would not be easy to imagine a more appropriate habitation for ghosts, considering its antiquity, its traditions, the deeds-of violence and blood of which it was the theatre, the quaint and curious apartments in the pre-historic dwelling house attachcd to the castle, now used for kitchen and ser vants’ apartments, the great trees dying of age, and the weird aspect of the whole place. Accordingly while partaking of Mr. Darby’s genial hospitality, and going through the build ing, the ladies told me of scveral most extraordinary and un accountable apparitions and noises of which they were them selves personally the witnesses, and which would afford ample materials for a lot of sensational romances. But even these stories were scarcely more strange than the psychological fact, that the children of the family are all ghost-proof ; even the youngest will go asleep alone, without light, in rooms where women in white have been seen, where loud laughter and awful shrieks have been heard, and the sounds of feet moving about, and of hands cautiously lifting and drawing back bed J. De M. curtains at the witching hour of night." Cork, Dec. 1, 1869 Mr. BURNS, of the Spiritual Library, is now giving a course of Tuesday evenings lectures on subjects connected with man and his habits. He knows how to give plenty of useful information on the best methods of keeping the body and mind in good health.
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. V.—Your friend has twisted the words to make them bear a meaning which they do not convey to the ordinary reader. Dr. Tyndall said that under the action of the chemical rays, clouds were formed by chemical decomposition, and that one of these clouds chanced to take the shape of a fish, with eyes, gills and feelers. G. H.—Both addresses were right, and your newsvendor misin formed you. J. J.—Experience will show what days are the best for the purpose. Why should the two mentioned be easier to recollect? W. N.—We are very much obliged to you for your information/ Your communications should be more statistical and condensed; dates also should not be omitted. It would do no good to us or to you, to print a letter praising this journal. R. P.—A report shall be made of one or both of the next two mect ings you mention. No doubt “they all like THE SPIRITUALIST, and wish to see it reduced in price and published weekly,” but it requires practical knowledge of newspaper work and of the extent of the Spiritual movement to appreciate the exceeding modesty of the request. As soon as the cause is likely to support, or nearly support, a cheaper supply of news of good quality, it will be forthcoming, but such a step as a permanency is utterly out of tho question at present.
* As a general rule, not without exceptions like those of the indisputable Wesley manifestations, ghost narratives of previous times, however well authenticated, are not much desired for THE SPIRITUALIST. Such records have as yet had little influence on the public mind, and as this journal has begun to find its way somewhat largely among non-Spiritualists, we more require authenticated accounts of manifestations now going on in our midst signed with the names and addresses of all the witnesses. Such evidence is best for hard-headed business people, now so numerous, whose practica religion as exemplified in their daily life, is manifestly “cash and landed property." ED.
FACTS FOR NON-SPIRITUALISTS. As this Journal will necessarily often come under the observation of those who are not Spiritualists, it has been thought judicious to reprint regularly on this and the next page, the following condensed evidence that spiri tualism deserves serious investigation. The phenomena witnessed in spiritual circles are so extraordinary, and so unlike those coming within the ordinary range of human experi ence, that it is quite right not to accept them on the testimony of others. Each individual should witness and test them personally, and believe nothing until the absolute knowledge is gained that denial is impossible.
“ Awaiting a reply to this letter, and to the challenge with which it concludes, I am, gentlemen; your obedient servant, G. DAMIANI “Clifton, Oct. 1, 1868. “P.S.—Letters addressed 'Sigr. Damiani, care of Manager of West of England and South Wales District Bank, Corn-street, Bristol,' will always reach the writer." In addition to the above evidence, there is the testimony of numbers that the modern spiritual manifestations are realities. Mr. Hepworth Dixon in his New America estimates the number of Spiri tualists in the United States at rather less than three millions, and this is about the lowest estimate that anybody has made. There are no accurate sta tistics, and different authorities vary in their esti mates from three to eleven millions. All these facts, together with those which follow, prove that Spiritualism deserves serious investigation. Not a few learned men have pri vately been examining the phenomena in order to explode the imposture,” but these extinguishers soon catch fire themselves. In short, in the minds of most of the English public, Spiritualism has to pass through the following five stages : 1. The manifestations do not take place. 2. Spiritualism is a gross imposture. 3. It is a delusion. 4. It is the work of the Devil. 5. It is a great blessing, and we always said so. Experience shows that the feebler the intellect and the lower the standard of energy and educa tion, the sooner does the investigator break down at one of the first four out of the above five steps in the ladder of progress.
HOW TO FORM SPIRIT CIRCLES An experimental trial at home, among famil friends and relatives, often gives the most satis factory evidence of the reality of spiritual pheno mena. At the same time, as no fully developed medium is present among those who have never obtained manifestations before, the probability is that there will be no results. Nevertheless, it is a very common thing for striking manifestations to be obtained in this way at the first sitting of a family circle; perhaps for every one successful new circle thus started without a medium, there are six or seven failures, but no accurate statistics on this point have yet been collected. When once manifestations have been obtained they will gradually increase in power and reliability at suc cessive sittings. The following is a good plan of action. 1. Let the room be of a comfortable temperature, but cool rather than warm; let arrangements be made that
sible to comply with his demand. Faraday also required an answer to the following questions, among others, before attending : “Would he [Mr. Home] be glad if their [the manifesta tion’s] delusive charaeter were established and exposed and would he gladly help to expose it, or would he be annoyed and personally offended? [The italics in this sentence are not in the original.] “Does he consider the effects natural or supernatural? If natural, what are the laws which govern them? or does he think that they are not subject to laws? If supernatural, does he suppose them to be miracles, or the work of spirits? If the work of spirits, would an insult to the spirits be considered as an insult to himself?" Mr. Home took no notice of tho above insults, and, it is believed, never wrote Faraday in the first instance, or took any notice of him whatever. He never even saw his letters Dr. John Tyndall, F.R.S., in a note dated May 8, 1868, commenting upon Faraday's letter just mentioned, wrote: “I hold myself in readiness to witness and investigate, in the spirit of the foregoing letter [of Faraday's], such phenomena as Mr. Home may wish to reveal to me during the month of June." A few days previously Mr. Home had written in the Pall Mall Gazette: “It will give me pleasure to meet Professor Tyndall and any two gentlemen he shall designate. On my side I shall have at least two gentlemen whose names and position plaee them above the suspicion of aiding on a betting a fraud. I will meet Professor Tyndall and these gentlemen when and where they please, and under such circumstances as they may decide on. must only crave their patience if nothing should occur at the first, or even the second, séance." From that day to this Dr. Tyndall has not accepted the above invitation. A demand for a programme where no programme can be given, and the writing of supercilious letters in reply to eivil invitations, amounts prac tically to a refusal to observe faots. Dr. Tyndall, and men who act like him, are recommended to bear in mind the following words of Galileo: “Oh, my dear Kepler, how I wish that we could have our hearty laugh together. Here, at Padua, is the prin cipal professor of philosophy, whom I have repeatedly and urgently requested to look at the moon and planets through my glass, which lie pertinaciously refuses to do. Why are you not here? What shouts of laughter we should have at this glorious folly ; to hear the Professor of Philosophy at Pisa, labouring before the Grand Duke with logical arguments, as if with magical incantations to charm the planets out of the sky!" A little society known as the Dialectical Society, is now investigating Spiritualism. It number among its members many shrewd and intelligent men, belonging chiefly to the legal and medical professions. Spiritualists watch its proceedings with a moderate amount of interest; nothing that any man or body of men may say or do can alter the established phenomena and laws of nature.
THE LITERATURE OF SPIRITUALISM. The literature of Spiritualism now consists of several hundreds of volumes, good, bad, and indif ferent, and almost entirely of American origin. Among the best volumes on the subject are Mrs De Morgan's From Matter to Spirit (Longmans) with a preface by Professor De Morgan, President of the Mathematical Society of London; The Planchette, by Epes Sargent; Spiritualism (2 vols.) by Judge Edmonds and G. T. Dexter, of New York; a History of Spiritualism, by Emma Hard inge; and The Autobiography of Andrew Jackson Davis. An interesting book, consisting simply of narrations of facts witnessed at remarkable seances, is Incidents of My Life (Longmans), by D. D. Home. The Soul of Things, by Denton, is a curious book indirectly connected with Spiritualism, and worth reading. Those unacquainted with Spiri tualism are recommended to read these books in the order in which they have just been mentioned. The only large lending library of Spiritual books in Great Britain is that belonging to Mr. J. Burns 15, Southampton-row, High Holborn, London, W.C. The English periodicals on the subject are, The Spiritual Magazine, Human Nature, Day break, and The Spiritualist.