The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-08
From Buehanans Journal Of Man.
WONDERS OF TUE SJSETEEsTH CENTURY

few OF my readers, perhaps, may give me no
| thanks for introducing TO their acquaintance a
great many things which they are not prepared
to believe, and possibly some which they are not
even willing to investigate. But trust there
are very few who are not disposed TO sympathize
with free, bold, and patient inquiry-very few
who wish to sfe investigation or to scott at those
who believe more than themselves At any rate,
shall 90 on publishing freely whatever Of interest
these eventful times produce.
The greatest wonder Of these soul stirring days
is the widespreading conviction Of intelligent
men, that the spiritual world is coming into free
and open connection with our everyday life, and
that spiritual. beings are beginning to become
audible and tangible to our gross and earth-mixed
senses. The wonderful developments of Auburn
and Rochester, related by Messrs. Capron and
Barron, are beginning to display themselves in
holder and more conspicuous manner. The par
ties to these displays, Mrs Fish and the Misses
Fox, have visited the city of New York, where
they have been holding spiritual communications
in the presence of number of our distinguished
literat whose reports have been highly favorable.
They were invited to party at the house Of
the Rev. DIR. Grswold, where among the distn-
guished gentlemen present were the poets Bryant
and Willis, the novelist Fenimore Cooper, Mr..
Bancroft, Rev. DR.. Hawks Gen Lyman, Dr.
Francis, DR.. Marcy, Mr.. Tuckerman, Mr. Ripley,
Mr. Bigelow, and other literary gentlemen. The
experiments, rappings, and answers, on these &C.
casions as described by gentlemen present, lin the
Tribune Home Journal, and Evening Post,) were
about the same as usual The answers were given
freely and correctly to Mr.. Cooper, DR.. Francis,
and Mr. ruckermsn, describing deceased persons
whom they had in their minds. DR. Hawks did not
succeed well in getting answers and with the rest
of the company the spirits declined communicating
The physical manifestations, however, were
very striking, and we are much indebted TO NJ p.
Willis, OF the Home Journal, for the direct and
frank way in which he has spoken out of what he
saw. The following extract from his leading
editorial in the Home Journal is quite inter-
esting
"The two Misses Fox, as well as their married
sister, have nerves so plumply clad in health and
tranquility that it is difficult to reconcile their
appearance with the fact that they have been
worked upon, for two years, by the phenomena
of unexplained visitations; and, indeed, through
out the evening, we were struck with their CON-
bined good humor and simplicity and the ease and
unpretendingness with which they let their visit
ers from both worlds) have their own way They
evidently won on the respect and liking of all
present as the evening went on.
Gone little PECULIARLY, hitherto unremarked,
came to our notice. The questioners seat to
give him access to paper and pencil, was on one
side Of the table, and, CHANGING to occupy the
place between him and the ladies, we had accident
ally thrown our arm over the back of his chair
Whenever the knockngs occurred, we observed
that his chair was shaken, though our own inter-
mediate chair, and the two standing Immediately
behind were unmoved We called attention to IT,
and ID was corroborated by the other gentlemen.
With such heavy weight in the chair as Mr..
Cooper's, or DR.. Francis's, it would have taken
blow with heavy hammer to have produced so
much Of vibration. That spirits can exercise
mechanical force at all, is something new to be-
lieve. And the law Of mechanics would be equal.
ly puzzled cavaliers insisting that the ladies them
selves produce these noises and vibratous) TO ex-
plain how Mr.. Cooper's chair was shaken, when
we aver, that, between their petticoats and him,
we sat unmoved positively cutting off all physical
and mortal communication We may add that
the ladies gave no particular attention TO the
phenomens, talking willingly to any one while
the knockiugs were going on. Later in the
evening, 1t was proposed to the Spirits TO let us
see them move the table across the room-a feat
they are said to have done-but they were not in
the humor.
AN experiment was tried as to what the In
visbles would do with one of the ladies alone or
with two without the third, or with gentleman,
and one or two Of the ladies' The strongest
knockings were on the floor beneath, when the
widow and her two sisters stood ere together
With two Of them the knocks were fainter. We
placed ourself between the widow and one of the
young ladies' and the spirits would have nothing
to say to them in our company. one Of the
virgins or to the widow singly, there was no de-
monstration. The spell, evidently is in the COM
bination and close locality of these three Yet it
seems communicable, with neighborhood and time
Mrs. Fish mentioned that, in Rochester, the
knocking visitation had spread extending, at pres.
ent to twenty or thirty families. IL it Is to
spread the world over, and If we are all to have
spirits at our command, meh as are already PROVED
10 be able 10 shake chairs and more tables, there will
soon come Fulton or Morse, who will put this
ghostpower into harness, and 1t will follow Steam
and Electricity in doing mans work for him,
Things really look like remvoal Of mars curse,
at the Fall, labor; and, If chloroform do as much
for momons curse, 30 that she will no longer
bring forth in sorrow we do not see much him
derance in the way Of an early Millennium. 1t
would be wise, we fancy, pretty soon, to wash our
hands aud take HOLIDAY little oftener, that all
play, and no work, may not prove rather tedious
than otherwise, when II comes after all
with three men on the outside Of door and
three on the inside watching II closely, that door
could not be so violently Knocked upon as to trem
bic, though no visible force approached 1t, without
giving one something to believe We witnessed
this, with one hand upon the panels, and what
can it be, but tho exercise Of power beyond any
thing Of which We have hitherto known the laws2
That il Is to be subject to human control seems
probable, for 1t acts at present In certain ODE
dience to human orders, and is most obedient to
those who have used II longest There seems an
alphabet 10 learn, In this as in other fields Of
knowledge and, indeed, considering the confu.
sion of ideas in the minds Of those who visit and
try to talk, of-hsnd, with these newly discovered
natives It IL wonderful that the Knockers make
themselves ~ we'll understood as they already do
II Providsuos dssigned to subject an Daelhgem
power to our ssrvios-fn addition TO the uniaieih.
gent miracle workers, Steam and Electricity
which have SUCCESSFULLY been given us)-the be-