The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-24


The city papers Of New York have re-
Gently contained long and circomstantisl ac-
counts of revelations alledged to be made
from the spirit-world through the agency Of
certain females, recently from the city Of
Rochester, where, for some time before, they
astonished and perplexed many people with
similar phenomena.
Meetings Of doctors, lawyers, preachers,
AMI writers have been held, many Of whom
lave been convinced. The process is, for
these females to introduce to a speaker any
spirit he may desire to confer with--as the
Witch Of Endor did to Saul--and when the
spirit is Intercepted, It usually answers by
knocking on or under table in the room.
In recent account Mr.. j. Fennimore
Cooper is stated to have asked concerning
some very peculiar circumstances ola spirit,
and received accurate answers not to be ac-
counted for on any but supernatural princi-
pies. The editor Of the Ne,c York Com
merciai, however, was lately invited to ex-
anime these phenomena, and gives very
unfavorable account OF them. He concludes
as follows:
Snow we do not wish to interfere with any ones
method of getting livelihood. But having been
invited, in our public capacity, 10 investigate this
matter, we suppose we must in the same capacity
give our opinion upon what we heard and saw.
A holder and more contemplate hrn,bug, that had
the least association with respectable parties, we
have never known. Communications were held
with three gentlemen, and with them only two
Of them were known to the performers, and were
evidently well disposed to believe all that the rap
pings or rappers pretended to. The conversation
with the third was bungling affair. The noises
were by no means remarkable as we were led
to believe. We felt no jar upon the table, and in
truth it seemed to that the sound was always
about half way between the floor and the table. II
sounded higher upon the cupboard. The ladies'
were then standing up. There was no pretension
to move any chair or table in the room.
ssAs to the communications by spelling out, one
of the ladies' acting as interpreter and medium or
communication il is really too much Of farce for
grave comment. The lady runs down the scale
Of the alphabet, and can of course frame any
swer she wishes. The rapping itself, meaning the
sound is the only thing worth moments thought
or investigation. II was often done altogether too
carelessly, too much at haphazard, to be imposed
upon any person not predispOsed to such credu-
lily, the deliberate response of an intelligent
spirit The idea of supernatural agency is entirely
out of the question. Had we had the opportunity
and appliances for inueaigatio', we should have
endeavored to ascertain why it was necessary for
the ladies to sit together-why they could not dis
pose themselves promiscuOusly around the room
as well as sundry other things which the gentle
man who invited the COMMITTEE of investiga-
ton must have been well aware could not be in
sent last evening.
" But more than enough Of this We give our
readers the benefit of some four hours loss Of time
on our part. We are firmly convinced that we
have not applied too harsh a term to the Strap
ping" imposition. Those who have dollars to
spare can spend on the rappings for their own
amusement but we assure all that, in our delibe-
rate judgment, not Il cents worth of information
will they ever get for dollar expended to hear the
rlppings."
FREQ Soil Free Speech, and Free Fights.
"The largest liberty" not only Of speech,
but Of conduct, seems, at the present mo-
ment to have taken possession Of some Of our
Free-Soil advocates, and " free-6ghts" seem
to have been supcradded as an articleof their
creed.
Even the {" land Of steady habits" feels
the new impulse Of these levelling doctrines
Of Socialism; and initiating the example Of
New York, substitutes the knock-down ar
gument, for the more peaceful weapons Of
discussion. This was bad enough in poleim-
cal meetings, but when it extends to politi-
cal disputes, and parsons are compelled
s'To prove their doctrine orthodox,
BY apostolic blows and Knocks
the thing is carried too far to make joke Of
From the Boston atlas we extract the fol-
lowing account Of a most disgraceful scene,
enactedin that vicinity, in place Of worship,
the parallel to which the slandcred South has
never furnished
The descendants of the Puritans had bet
ter let their charity begin at home, and
counsel their representatives here not to
throw stones while living in such a glass
house as their own:
Row IN CHuReH--At Saint Luke's Episcopal
Church, in Chelsea, near Boston, on Sunday last,
the N
aPulpit drum ecclesiastic
Was beat with fists instead Of stick,
and most scandalous scene took place, new, we
imagine, to that law-abiding locality and not
usual within the precincts of the Church any
where. II seems that division in the church,
to the right Of two parties occupy it, has for
some time prevailed, but that it had been COM
promised by an agreement that neither party
should occupy it until both should consent. One
of the parties however, obtained possession of it,
and layman proceeded to read the service.
The rector presented himself and claimed his
rights. A strong party of persons supported
each side, and fight would have ensued had not
the rector and his friends withdrawn. They took
their seat and the services were performed by the
usurpng party. In the afternoon the rector, on
entering the church to perform the evening service
was assaulted several violent blows were given
him, and his robes were torn off his back. The |
sheriff interfered and ordered the building to be
closed. .
Ax The Roeton Eouripr contoins mo-