Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1850-02-20
THAT "kNOCk[NG."
From the New York Tribune.
Ex pla nat ion aud History Of the Mysterious
COmmun ion with Spirits, &c.

'ExPja nation and Hl>tOTy OF the Mysterious
Communion with Spirits,' &C.
When that remarkable book. Natures
Divine Revelations. by Andrew Jackson
Davis was published, we saw fit to give
our readers full and lucid summary Of
its contents, with whatever light beside we
were able to shed on the subject. 1t did
not occur to US that we thereby COM
mended its general views. much less en-
dorsed the absolute verify Of all its claims
and inculcations. Beloved. believe not
every spirit, stand in our Bible very close
ly connected with the injunction, try the
the spirits whether they are Of Cod and
we do not see how any are to try that OF
which they stubbornly refuse to have any
knowledge. The subject Of human in
tercourse with or reception of information
from the spiritual world is one Of the very
deepest interest to every intelligent mind.
and is naturally the theme Of innumera-
BILE frauds and impostures. But not Of
these alone: unless History be fable and
the Sacred Record especially a tissue
Of fables, there have been real and mo-
mentous communications from the unseen
world, as well as many more knavish pre-
tences to it or bewildering hallucin ations
respecting it. Whether assumptions Of
spiritual agency in any case of mysterious
or marvellous occurrence are true or false,
is a question Of the highest moment to
rational beings; and. even though it be
conceded that nine hundred and ninety.
nine Of every thousand pretences to spirit
ual communication were and are cheats
orjugg!es, it is still wise and rational to in
vestigate any new claim that may be pre-
sented, with disposition to judge dspas-
sionately and candidly. A very small per
centage Of such mineral as is alleged to
be found here will pay for working the
hardest veins Of rock, and we cannot see
how any one but an Atheist or confirmed
Sadducee can fail to be interested in such
explorations.
Inquiry, investigation, we therefore
commend; credulous swallowing down
Of whatever purports to be dictated from
the Land Of Souls is quite another affair.
We do not hesitate to say that no theory
OF collusion or juggle or ventriloquism or
hallucina,ion sullices to account to our
mind for the conclusions, sounds or
knocking which have been heard bv
hundreds of the most respectable and Sc
date citizens of Western New York. We
have no faith in and hardly patience with
the cool assumption that fraud or falsehood
must he at the bottom Of any phenomenon
which our knowledge Of nature does not
suffice to prove in conformity with her
laws: but we are very far from believing
in the verify of whatever may be uttered
as from a disembodied spirit. because we
cannot account by ascertained natural
laws for such utterance. Investigation
first; candor always; implicit faith is of
slow growth. and not 10 be accorded ex
cept after very careful and thorough scru-
tiny.
One other caution seems required. Let
us agume that there really is something
in this .knocking'-that it is the product
not Of imposture and collusion nor Of
mental illusion, but Of some influence
whereof our established mundane phiIoso-
ply has not yet taken cognizance-and
it still remains improved that no juggle has
been superinduced upon the verify ori-
ginally manifested-in other words. there
is a great difference between admitting 9
that there has been some mysterious
phenomena evinced. and that all which
purported to be such was really what it
assumed to be. Analogy would teach US
that shadow is consequence Of light
that real voices from the spiritual world
have at all times been mimcked and
parodied b. charlatans and jugglers Of the
order Of Simon Magus and ApPollonius Of
! Tyana. Establish the reality of a super.
natural manifestation, or even Of popu
/ lar belief that it is such, and at once
Graft and Creed begin to study how they
can turn it to their private advantage. whe
ther by taking advantage Of the manifesto
ton itself or by counterfeiting it. Sup
posing the verify Of such manifestation
established, and some schemer thereupor
undertakes to acquire money or conse
qence or notoriety by means thereof W.
may readily presume that the influence
whatever if may be, would refuse 10 b,
subservient to such ends, and the scheme
must resort to trick or sleight of hand Il
achieve his purpose. Thus the establish
ment OF. veritable limitations from the un
!, seen world would by no means prove tina
all which claim kindred Herewith ar
verifies, nor would the detection Of a dc