New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-17
MIR. &. Chauncey Barr's Third Lecture @
Spiritual knOckings.

Mr.. BURR's Third Lecture was delivered on
Wednesday evening in Hope Chapel, the audi
ence filling about oneh half Of the room. Mr.. Burr
expressed bis disappointment at finding so small
a number Of persons present. and said that It was
the thnnest audience he had ever spoken to since
the commencement of bis lecturing career. He
regretted that he had been advised by his friends
TO give the Spiritual Knockings such prominent
place in his announcements, as in fact he proposed
t. make them entirely subordinate to his main
object which was the exposition of new phllos-
oPhy of human nature.
The subject for that evening was "The Tenn
permanent of Genius" which he proceeded TO Illus.
trate by facts and instances from the history OF
Shelley, Byron, Keats, Barns, and Mcdonald
Clarke, whom he regarded as endowed with the
greatest poetcal genius originally of any Ameri
can writer. large part of the lecture was occu-
pied with the recitation Of fayorite poeticsl pas
sages from the authors adduced in Illustration Of
the theory.
At the close Of the lecture, several experiments
were performed by Mr.. Heman Burr on different
persons in the audience, showing the control OF
their Imagination by the will of the OPERATOR
The subjects were individuals who volunteered
to exhibit themselves, and apparently stranger.
to the lecturers as well as to each other. These
experiments were attended with great success.
Mr.. H. Burr appeared to have full control over the
muscular powers and mental faculties OF his pa
tients. At his will they were unable 10 rise from
3herseats, exhibiting variety ofgrotesque contor
!ons and fancying themselves in various strange
situationsw which be suggested Among other hallu-
cinations, he made them imagine they were under
tree loaded with ripe oranges, In a small room
infested with rats, and standing over the body OF
the victim on the Alps who persisted chanting
" Excelsior" This exhibition, which produced
great amusement in the audience, was in many
respects as marvellous as the pretended spiritual
phenomena, which 1t is supposed TO explain.
Mr.. Burr then gave a short exposition of his
theory OF the Rochester Knockings He sup
poses that they are made by artificial means In
all cases, and are the direct result of imposture
and deception on the part Of the operators. He
claims to be able TO produce similar sounds at
pleasure, by the movement of his toe Joints
With regard TO the replies which have been
made with apparent correctness, TO the ques-
tons proposed by visitors, he believes that they
are the result OF adlstempered imagination, similar
to the deusion which leads a nan to fancy that
bis WEAKNESS is refreshed by red liquid admin
istered by spiritual hands In a porcelain cup. Mr..
Burr gave some specimens of his power OF pro-
duciDg the sounds, and OF answering questions,
which seemed 10 Us to be total failures. leaving
the Rochester mysteries as much in the dark as
before. The subject Of his experiment was one
of the young men who mad Just before shown the
most sbject submission to the will of the perform
er in the marvels related above. Mr. b arr first
asked the usual question, IL any spirits were
present, when an affirmative was signfed by
three distinct raps" He then asked the young
man to think Of some departed friend with whom
be wished to commune Calling for the alphabet,
Mr. Burr knocked at the letters composing the
name, till he spelt out the word Mary" which
OF course proved to be correct. Here this part OF
the performance closed. without throwing any
light, as we have said, on the phenomena 10 ques-
ton.
In the first place, the sounds were so far from
being identical with the Spiritual Knockings, that
we should be forced 70 the conclusion that they
could not be made by the same means. We
should as soon think Of referring the notes Of a
flute and trumpet to the same instrument Ii
Mr. Burs sounds are produced by the toejolnts
the Rochester sounds are produced In some other
way. There was peculiar roll and ring to those
sounds which Mr.. Burr did not produce on the
occasion, though he said he would be able to do
so hereafter
In the next place, the replies given TO the young
man in a state Of mental hallucnstion bore no re-
semblance 10 those given to hundreds Of persons
IN the coolest possession oftheir senses from Capt.
Rynders to Fenimore Cooper The true parallel
would be 10 receive questions from any individuals
in the audience, who wished to propose them,
and if at approach could then be made to the &C
curscy OF the answers which have been given 10
innumerable instances by the Rochester sisters,
Mr.. Burr's solution Of the mystery might be en-
titled 10 respect
Thus far then we do hot think the cat IL let OUT
of the bag We should be glad 10 see the matter
fully explained. and il Mr. Burr has any tnins
more conclusive 10 Offer, we hope TO nave TUG
chance of hearing it.