New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-08-20
Davis. ReveIatiops-A Test Proposed.

This remarkable work is evidently attracting a.
Justly it may. large share Of the public attention
The sale in one week Of 300 copies Of so high
priced volume, is an indication at leas; that the
general mind of the community is prepared in some
way. to admit the possibility that the book may be
what it claims to be the production Of an inlet
tered young man given forth in an abnormal state
But for somewhat OF widespread disposition to
credit things strange and mysterious, by far the
larger part OF the edition would doubtless be at this
time, and for q long time to come, numbering the
shelves Of the publisher II IL not necessary 10 assume
that this proclvity large belief rests upon adequate
grounds II may IL msy not But the fact itself
substantive one that there general pronene to con
csde that what IL marvellous may yet be true lshows
tina, the evidence Of the Mesmere phenomena has sc
tualy mastered large portion Of the Incredibly that
repuIsed their first and that there
vastly greater number Of private believers than OF pub
lie vouchers of these singular developments. Thou
sands have witnessed much that TO their conviction
is true that they ready to grant that great deal
more may Be true. Their experience and ooserva'
ton having laid basis for rather tall supersructure
of faith they are willing to look with mind open to
evidence even the most astounding displays OF the
protested experience Of others
eOchIed
though they may not have mainly answered 10 Kind to
what anticipated, yet such as they are they have
believe rather exceeded than disappointed expectation
especially the Of style method, conference and
general ability Such has been decidedly the effect
upon my mind To whatever source 1t be referred,
no one, think, who hiss examined the book with COM
mon attention can refuse admit that in point OF talent
II 10 quite above the average Of works dealing In the
of and hil0sDphV-thst
reference 10 s grand object II Is well dgested and ably
reasoned And this may be said consistently with tbs
admission that II contains some things from when most
mind, would dissent. But had the work appeared IN
the ordinary course Of things like other works on sin
lar topics Il would undoubtedly have been said that II
was the production of scholar and ihnker-that the
author had Thoroughly studied his subscts-that 1t
bodied the results Of extensive reading and deep renec
tOn-thst the variety of its themes ntermeodling az u
does with nearly all wisdom evneed an unusual VIDE
ness of mental grsfp-and that after having raversed
broad field OF research both In and foreign Ian
guaaes writer had returned laden with rch store
Of inductons and conclusions which be had been en-
aed to convey In clear and pleasing style TO his read
ers All this might safely have been said OF the work
had II been ushered to tho world without preenson TO
anything extraordinary In Its origin 1t would have
been accounted respectable effort for any Of the most
respectable names the list OF our scentinc authors
Now the claim is-and Il 10 surely startling enough
that the work TO- from beginning to end the unsded pro
duction of a youth OF 90 recently from mechanics
,hop who was previously ignorant OF every science
wholly unaccus,omed TO the consecutive use OF the pen
Unparalleled In dictation-ot general habits entirely
foreign from literary compostOn-snd, Ia word, ut
tery incapable In his ordinary state OF writing one sin
ole maze of the which make mp the present volume
This the claim which encounter In the outset and
which If valid would give deep interest TO work OF far
inferior merit 10 the present This claim isput forth In
long clear consistent and apparently truthful state
inent forming what is termed the Scroes lntroouc.
zion 10 the book. Whatever may be raid OF H. II
cannot be set aside by any alleged errors fssces or
hereses contained in the body Of the volume, nor can
IL be by any other than process OF the sheerest soph
that the reader shall be mysthed In the attempt OF mo
skepicsl critic 10 confound these two dsunct depart
ments of the work The statement must stand BY ltsei
and be tried on its merits consists OF chain Of
asserted facts sustained by documentary testimony from
various sources which cannot be impeached without
Allowing ADEQUATE cause. Names dates. places creun-
stances are all distinctly given. and unless these are
disputed and dsproved by countervsing testimony no
one has right 10 pronounce sentence OF lmposuon
ag.ins, the parties concerned One may ssy that Ne Is
not satisfied or convuced-vbich IL very Possiole-ouf
be affirm that the testimony Is Iase without
testimony can only be invaidated By nvalidanDg tne
truth of the testimony Sad havoc will be made OF all
the lava Of evidence II the Internal enaracter OF sn
document 10 be allowed to nullity the external proof
of its genuneness when that proof IL such az would be
deemed sufficient establish any other point before any
impartial tribunal An opponent may say WIN tne CON-
/ of the whole business And what tnenf vi ~ns'
value are such doubts when reason s given Tor them
when specific objections, are ursedEsnd no an i'e n
of the testimony IL charged with alsiiy or deiectt
the Scribe" has not told the truth In hs Introduction
le him be convicted Of alsehood which can easily ot
done as the whole matter 10 In the mor accessible com
mass and nve cation and refutston are openly chal
ienged lie assumes to stand upon the truth Of tacts
and II the alleged facts facts then the asserted su
uernstura origin OF the book must be admitted II me
facts cannot be denied dsproved, young DAVIS ha
heen thrown into the mesmerc state-in that state hs
has evinced faculties of most extraordinary nature
he has shown himself capable OF scanning the ntero
| Of the human body-of detecting and prescribing To-
soundy and profoundly on scien
tHc subjects with which he was before unacquained-
in a word the state has developed phenomena whicl
make II entirely credible tnst De may nAvs
hook before US wonderful H. Can oil the evidence
10 this effect be neuraliZed by mere snse tnat tnei
has been gross deception at the bottom OF the who'll
matter L., $1,000. 4, 81,
deyelooment from the outset principally from hs oov
Gus relations with the psychological disclosures oil swe
denborg apart from which am eonndent II can ne1e
he exnlsiped but In counexion with which the soluto
a ea.v and obvious The odus ofths 10 not my put
pose at present to dwell upon whoever forms an AZ
auaintsnce with ssedenborg will soon nnd himself
the track of solving only this but all other psychoC
rica problems My object 10 TO advert TO Psrtcula
In the Lectures and examine is bearings upo
he question Of the from which the tnformato
siyen by the so-called Clsirvoysnt was derived.
. 5s7 he has entered into detailed and very sceurs'
analysis Of OF Swedenbore scientific works enute
The Economy Of the Animal Kingdom" In vols sv'
He gives minute account Of the scope OF eac
volpme and he could not well have been more col
rect had the volumes been open before him for u
express purpose of exhibiting summary view
their contents. Ine Leisure cOhthlhint WIS PassA-o
heard read shortly after It's delivery Il struck me-
very remarkable the work in question had but recen
ly arrived in ths country. and was confident from
rious reasons that neither Mr. Davis nor bis associate
could have seen H. put several interrogA'ores on IN
head and received the positive assurance that the
had not only never IT, but had never even heard
IN and as proof Of this the part OF the scribe he
marked that be had noted the word Economy ss pr
badly mistake - he bad heard OF work oil S~edei
, borg . entitled simply The Animal Kingdom, "hic
wss translated and published In English year or t~
before though he had never seen H. let THIS ne 81
, posed TO be meant
, NV acquaintance with those gentleman was SUI
Client 10 satisfy e that their disclaimer on this score
entitled TO i'm pics belief but as was aware that u
would not be enough TO satisfy others At once dete
mined 20 institute inquiry the result OF which shou
put the matter beyond all cav. saw clearly mat II
could be shown that this young man had gwen core
account of work which neither be nor his sssoeiat
! hsd ever seen or heard OF, II must be strong pol
gained toward confirming the truth OF his general ca
10 ureternaiura insight Tor the estsoshnen oil ~nis
was indeed anxious, but yet as subordinate TO o.
/ accordingly wrote TO Mr.. o. ClsPP, bookseller
Boston whom knew to be the only person IN this eou
- - rNuuTfr Ia n