The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-07-31

conversation between tho pufls oftobac-
co smoke, "from the natural bius Of US
north country folks to give some lali.
tude 10 the excursions Of our organs Of
wonder. When | wns child had n
very firm belief in fairies, brownies,
kolpics, wrai,hs, and all tho rest Of
them; and though they have now, Of
course, vanished, like the mist on the
hills, ,hc faith that was once capricious
enough to contain such things may,
without very great difficulty, stretch SO
far as TO embrace subject that is sup.
porlcd by name standing so high in
the scientific world as Or. Elliotson's
Still, look you, | canno, positively be-
lieve in mcsmerisn till | have had full
proof of its reality; ! merely suspend
judgment"
You must see something Of it; you
must try some experiments yourself,
cried Tom Dunsford eagerly the was
the only believer present, and warm
advocate Of mcsmcrism.) "It is impos>
siblc 10 learn anything Of il from public
exhibition; there are SO many counter
influences at work--so many things 10
distract the mind Of the operator, and TO
draw the Influence from the patient
In short, The only way thoroughly TO
convince yourself Of the facts in the
case is 10 have patient all 10 yourself,
in quiet room. where you know you
WON'T be disturbed, and try there all
sorts Of lodges 10 tcs, The reality Of the
trance. Truly marvellous things como
ou, in this way. You can hardly be-
lievc the evidence Of your own scnscs
sometimes"
"Ilumph!" responded Cnmcron-not
contcmp,uouslv, but as though some.
thing had jus, occurred 10 him tha, he
meant to keep 10 himself.
81 one could believe in that" said
another Of the friends 81, would induce
more ready belief in the existence oc
soul and future stntc-two things,
by the way, that have had no faith in
for some years past.
!. .'Yes; &c Won could ailalr ssisn,,
you might swallow anything" obscrv.
cd Arthur Leigh (,he chairman.
Cameron here feels. disposed 10 crcdi,
this hum5ug because his childhood was
spent amids, the misls, literal and meta.
PHYSICAL Of the Scotch mountains.
Why, could make ont a much strong.
or claim for a belief in ghosts and hob.
COLLINS Of every description, although !
was reared amid the sunny wales Of
Devonshirc. might make out an
hereditary title to the power Of seeing
visions; for my mother ar d al. her IN.
ccs,ors, us far as we can trace them
back, had al Of them this peculiar
privilege. Nay, | might even assure
you that had seen ghost or wrath
mysclrwhcn was abou, ten years old,
but that prefer giving more rational
explanation to The circumstance"
"What was ,?" ask cd two or three
at once.
"We lived in Dcvonshirc, on account,
Of my mothers health, rs she was con-
sumptive," continued the pale student.
"The night that she died, awokc sud
denly, from consciousness that some
one was near me, and saw her stand.
ing by my bedside. was little sur
priscd, rs she had not been strong
enough TO leave her bed for some weeks
past; and asked her il she felt better.
oh, yes, she answered, Il am quite
well now She then went slowly on,
OF the room. The next morning they
told me that she had died during the
night; and when | related the visit she
had paid me, they looked at each other
in alarm, and | afterwards understood
that | was supposed 10 have seen my
mothers spirit. But the affair admits
OF so easy an exp plana,ion, that ans such
idea is perfectly prcposicrous. In ono
OF those acccsSions Of strength SO com
mon before death, my mother had ma.
iurally felt n wish TO sec her only child.
and had risen from her bed to come and
see me-
"But was no one sitting up with hcr?'
asked Dunsfcrd.
"Yes-an old nurse. But nurses
always go 10 sleep, and never will own
it. She said she had been wide awake
all the time, but that's all rubbish. /
dare say | could hnvc heard her snor
ing if had listened
Was your room close to your moth.
cr's? said Cameron, ,houghlrully.
mo; il was at the end Of a long pas.
sage and fligh, of stairs"
"And do you think lha. any person
who hnd been for weeks unable to rise
from her bed could traverse that pas