The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-04-27 00:00:00

SPIRITUALISM INVESTIGATED.

- - ---
The appointment of • Commission to inquire into the
habiti and customs which obtain in the other world is,
even in these times, • novelty. So far as the results of
the inquiry have been published, we do not learn very
mush that is new; but there are several curious points
in the report which are certainly worthy of notice.
Hitherto the anxious inquirer who would fain believe
in spiritualism bris ordinarily mat with the "tumbling.
block about the clothes which spirits wear. A ghost
walking about in • perpetual dress-coat provokes
inquiries about the constitution and origin of the
shadowy garment. Howe Ter, one lady informed the
sitting committee that she had seen a naked spirit.
She failed to describe its appearance, although "the
figure was defined." She remarked, nevertheless. that
this rude ghost produced • noise like the rustling
of silk, from which we are led to infer that a spirit
which walks about clad in silk, is not such • crea-
ture as • lady would care accurately to describe. Imme-
diately afterwards., however, we bear of another lady who
was in the Whit of seeing perverts dreamed in Roman
togas. She also saw a Bcotehmen, dressed to the Soot&
toga we presume, and offering • compromise between
the clothed and the naked ghost. So that on this vexed
queetion the ,nnimittee has not furnished us with any.
thing like definite knowledge ; and we are thrown back
upon the ordinary descriptions of those phenomena
which tilt playful sprites who inhabit the other world
love to ezhlbit in drawing.roonm—." for • eonsideratios.”
The committee, our readers may not be aware, was
appointed by the Dialectical Society—a small body
which has come into presidium°, once or twice of late.
The first meeting of the committee was held last week,
and the statements made at the meting are detailed in
the Engem Morning Post, whence we cull these few
particulars. The first witnese, we are given to under.
stand, was • barrister, and therefore likely to be capable
of valuing evidence. There was no vague hesitation
about this gentleman's attitude; be at once plunged
into an arrangement of spiritual phenomena, and pro.
(seeded to describe the various group'. He was strong
on the subject of " levitations, and evideneed the
"levitation" of Mr. Home, when that ingenious person
was carried out of one window in • house and put
in at another. This Is • form of amusement which
might have serious ease prances. We know that spirits
are imperfect beings. They sornetinsee meet with
difficultses in spelling. They have been known to play
out of tune; and they have produced pictures suggestive
of colour-blindness. Now it is just possible that they
might over-estimate their strength in engaging to
"leviste” an ordinarily stout medium and be compelled
to drop him midway into some Leek-garden. The
barrister also referred to the "leviations" of inanimate
object*, in which the spirits also delight. He bad seen
piano in his horse raised horizontally off the ground
and kept there for two or three minutes. Other
observers have also described their seeing • whole square
of houses being whirled rapidly round accompanied by
• peculiar manifestation on the pert of the lamp-poets,
by which they seemed to be doubled in number. However,
what invariably puzzles us about " levitations" is that
the spirits should so gratuitously throw away their
power upon useless experiment. Since lifting • ton or
two is • matter of no moment to them, why should
they not be induced to give us a helping hand in the
affairs of life? We don't want our pianos suspended in
the air, because they might come down suddenly and
with disastrous results ; but we do want vehicles drawn,
kid stones carried, and scaffolding raised, and so forth.
If, for example, the contractors for the building of the
new Law Courts could engage Mr. Home to prevail
upon a band of willing spirits to assist in that great
undertaking, we should begin to forgive the spiritual
world its sins in the war of bad grammar, imperfect
music, and blundering divination. This band of work.
men would need no food, would waste no hours upon
breakfast or dinner, would go without pay, and never
grumble if oonspelled to work over-time—in short, they
would be most invaluable servants, if they could only
be persuaded to keep in good temper and play no pranks.
Of coarse, the other workmen would have to remain at
a respeatful distance; because, if • cock happened to
crow when a particular company of Write were
" levitating" • block of granite, • catastrophe might
occur. We commend this notion ti Mr. Lowe; if he
insists upon the Embankment, site, he will need all the
cheapening aid he can get.
SOM., other phenomena mentioned by the barrister
are sufficiently singular; and two ladles volunteered
testimony as to his fidelity of description. The barrister
(and the ladies, too, we presume) "witnessed the
elongation and ehortenieg of Mr. Home's person many
times." This does not seem to us a spiritual manifes-
tation; but no matter. "At Mr. S. C. Hall's, about
three months ago, Mr. Home and Mies Bertolacci were
simultaneously elongated." It must be comforting.
when one finds one's-self being slowly drawn out, like a
telescope, to zoo, that if the spirits forget to reverse
the prooess, one will have • companion in that exalted
and unfortunate state. Giants exhibit best in pairs.
The barrister then mentioned instances of persons
having, uninjured, taken liberties with fire. A metal
bell, bested to redness, was placed in • lady's hand
without causing pain. Lord Adam e held in his palm a
live opal. Mr Home put his head into flames
and the dames ran through his hair, without his
receiving any injury. In the days of the
miracle plays, Mr. Home would have been in.
valuable in the character of &mamas, Meehash,
or Abodnego ; the remaining two figures could
have been represented by dummies previously
placed inside the oven. "The Hon. Mrs Li—
now took up the wondrous tale, and described the
events of • certain Sunday evening at her house. She
and her companions were seated in a room "which
would have been dark but for the moonlight." First.
there came a rap at the window ; then • figure appeared;
and, finally, figures came trooping in by dozens. The
first effect of this spiritual visitation was that the
atmosphere grew wonderfully cold, which is a suggestion
that the spirits had not come from below. The spirits
did little beyond glare with bright eyes. However, one