New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-04-16
DIR. Pond on swedenborg and b. r. ID.

book 10 80 dspeasng 10 Mr. B. and especially do regret
that has put mia wonted csndor fairness and courtesy
to say nothing Of his integrity and sefrespect-to
severe q test
He begins BY wondering that should undertake to
view the mere rawlings Of monomaniac the bah
blings of Bedlamte the writings Of crazy
One who had taken leave Of his senses" was be-
re Of his senses and absolutely insane the subject
Of theology To this answer, tina, have under
taken to review the writings of such have
made 'eh representations in regard TO Swedenborg,
but very different representations Mr.. B. well knows.
if be has read my book After expressing the opinion
that swedenborg was not perfectly sane sum up my
conclusions respecting his state as follows
But in sscribing 70 Swe 1borg some degree Of in
sanity, we not Of cours, suppose him demented
IDIOT, or a raving mailman. He pas neither The one
The other. He was a laborious student in his Ways
calm, quiet and benevolent man. He was az capable Of
reasontng most subjects, ne rds and retained
the vgor of his faculties 10 old age in remarkable de-
gree" My own opinion In regard to swedenbors Is,
that at the time OF his supposed illumination, he fell into
species Of s0nomania. that sometimes denominated
id0lomanfd II any choose 10 consider II state of
natural somBam5Elisn / shall not quarrel with them
about name AT any rate, It was state In which he
seemed 10 himself 10 look in upon the other worlc 10
behold around him spirits and angels and to have inter
course and conversation with them" The
state into which suppose Swedenborg fell would imply
some disorder Of the BRAIN and of The nervous syrn and
yet not such degree of disorder 10 deprive hin of
son. or The free use Of his faculties subjects not connected
sotth that Of his arrangement Nothing is more common
than to persons insane some one particular sub
ect and sane In regard 70 everything else Nor 10 II At
all uncommon TO find persons insane precisely he
subject with Swedenborg and in almost precisely
The same condition.. (P PAD Swedenborg was as "a
fonal ere, all subjects except OF and when
these were not introduced touched upon he wrote
he published, he appeared in society, much usual.
But in reference to these subjecs-l mean those per-
tanning to his reyelations-bs mind disordered
become unbalanced.
STILL there neth0d even in his insanity. His spec
tres did not riot with him They followed chiefly
in the train of his natural thoughts giving sort of per-
sonal existence and reality to what were before the
theories the distractions the conceptions OF his
own mind" (P. 2s2)
Such, Mr. Editor, are the opinions set forth in my
Review. in respect to the mental condition of Sweden
borg-opnions with which Mr.. B. must be well
quainted. Yet he represents charging Sweden.
borg with having taken leave Of his senses being
"bereft eff his senses and being absolutely insane
the subject of theology" He would make your read
ers believe that regard the writings Of Swedenborg
the mere rarings Of nGnidc'-the "babbNss Of Bed
lame! 2" leave it to yourself Mr. Editor and to your
readers, to Judge of his fairness
state in my Preface that have read nearly all the
works Of Swedenborg that have been rsnslated-some
of them several times. OF the works Of his principal
commentators and apoogsts, have read almost forty
Volumes Ipresent, also, list Of the volumes which
have read, and of which have taken nots But here
Mr. B. gives the lie direct: We have no idea that
he ever gave one of the volumes mentioned in his Pre-
face anything like attentive perusal' Again; 1--WE
have not the slightest reason TO believe that DR. Pond
has eur read the books he names for any other purpose
or in any other manner than the carping infde reads
the Bible. Indeed have abundant for believ
ing he has not" And now for the One Of
of.1f Naff1r
of Influx of the Intercourse between the Soul and the
Body Now In different editions Of this work, We find
the title slightly altered sometimes the former and some
times the latter clause being placed first In conse-
quence of this Dr. Pond II ambitious to make his list
of books read appear large possible has mentioned
this volume % giving his readers to suppose that it is
two separate works of Swedenborg" In reply to all
this have only say to Mr. B. that the treatise on In
ux which read and the tract the "Intercourse be-
tween Soul and Body not The same They very
different books. The treatise on Influx is literal roi
me CT some 10 pages containing beside the work on
Influx long Preface, still longer Appendix and CO
pious notes by the translator DR.. Hartley The tract
referred to is q tract, containing part and but
very small part of what is In the other volume.
Another of Mr.. Bsrretts reasons for discredtng my
statement is that borrowed nine volumes of the Area
ma Of friend of his and dispatched them in single
n
sumed so much notorieiy must take the liberty of
stating precisely how 1t As we have three vol
umes of the Arcsna In the Seminary Library, had no
occasion TO borrow but seven. | had several other
books however of the same individual. But they were
borrowed at co separate times How long they
tanned at each tune am not able 10 say possibly not
more than a week. They were retained, however, till
had been through with them, and until OF some OF them
had taken copious notes.
Itis wonderful Mr.. Editor to see how much some Of
my swedenborgisn friends profess to know, Mr. b
knows exactly where was born and and that
is rough region amid athicket OF stones and stumps
He knows also better than do, what have read and
what not read and A0r read, and with iohdt 0tiues
Now this Mr.. Editor. Is amazing One would think
truly, that Mr. B. must be inspired whether swedenborg
not
The next point of importance noticed Is that Of swe
denborgs fever and delirium In regard to this mat
ter our New Church friends sadly perverted. Dr.
Hartley contemporary and intimate friend OF Sweden
borg says that {" he seized with fever attended
with delrlum. Mr. Noble in his appeal denies that ne
had fever P 255 SO also do the Editors OF the
Facts and Documents" Up q, l45) SO also does Mr.
Wilkinson Of understand hin) in his ruy courteous re-
marks on my Review. 1t seemed 10 be admitted how
ever by Mr. B. that there seas fever as stated by Dr.
Hartley but have not dated the fever right have
supposed to occur Just previous to Swesenborgs
tended illumination, whereas Mr.. b. thinks 10 occurred
some or eight years stterwsrd On this point MI
B wakes warm and charges me with downrign false
hood yea than this, with ril slsehood. But
/ see no occasion for much heat nor am conscious
Of having merted such outrageous abuse. For in the
Hartley does not decide prectscy wnen
the fever occurred; be says about twenty years
before Swedenworg died" consequently il may have
been more or less without invsdstihg the testimony OF
Dr. Hartley Then Thsve not undertaken 10 decide posi-
lively when the fever say "the probability IL that
this sickness occurred near the close OF the year 1854
early in the following year pretend only TO state the
probability My for regarding this as the prooa-
bly, date of the fever the following I'll Mr.. Wesley
says il occurred when Swedenborg about nftyhve
years DID, which would bring II to the year l745 the
rely year when. according to Mr. Barrett Ia his lie OF
Sweienbors his Illumination took place. a. 49, Mr.
Robert and others date his illumination year or two
lar-2 Mr. Robsam OF Swcdenbers after his HUI
minaton says he lera ~. except when suffering
states of temptation" This testimony includes the
poss bilty OF fever and delirum during this part OF
his hfe-3 All the witnesses who have anything 10 say
about the fever seem connect IL directly impiedy
with Swedenborss change OF state For these reasons
REGARDED |; as probable dor pretend TO absolute
,sinty) that the fever occurred as before stated
Mr.. b. says that the language or statement which
ascrbe to Dr. Hartley Is given in quotation marks
neither do tell where DR.. Hartley says IT," Now just
the opposite of all this IL Ny statement from Dr.
Hartley 10 given In quotation marks" accompanied
with correct reference to volume and page. (see 7.
l7-Note)
Mr. B charges me with unfairness in referring swe-
denhorgs conscious change IN th<bra'H TO the time OF
supr osed illumination whereas Il occurred some twelve
years serwsrd. To this reply tha, did aof refer TINS
char &c to the time OF his Illumination did not so IN
tend H. neither is there word In the connection which
implies it. (See p. 253)
In proof that Swedenoorg was generally considered ~