The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-29
ORIGINAL REVIEWS.

Assss sSssesS, ANSPRSkSS, 1mu8s, &C.
An octave volume Of one hundred and seventy
six pages, entitled The Philosophy of Spiritual
Intercourse, being an explanation Of modern mys-
teries. by Andrew Jackson Davis, author Of Ma
lures Divine Revelations,' The Great Harmonia,'
etc. etc, published in this city, by Fowler Wells,
has been laid on our table.
We have given it o very hasty, and of course,
superficial perusal It is credtably printed, ana
some p. rtions Of il written in beautiful style.
In our judg ment, it ought to have been in verse
instead Of prose. The production could then, at
once, have been given q distinctive character by
every reader Had Millions Paradise Lost" or
"Paradise Regained," or Dante's Inferno" or had
"Festus," OF "The Angel World" of Bailey, (the
modern Milton,) been adopted as model this
book might have been received ethereal, po-
etical. rhapsodical fiction, emanating from a fer
wildly religious imagination, and would have
regarded it ''inspired;' and orthodox dyines
could have quoted from it, for the adornment of
their sermons, or establishment Of other writings,
without risk Of an impeachment of their piety.
Had Byron's ''Vison Of Judgment" been taken,
and the accounts that Mr.. Andrew Jackson Davis
gives, Of sundry instances of his personal associa
tion and converse with the ghosts ofDocor Franklin
and OF Scion, Pisstratus and other dead men, and
uau WRITINGS ana uoUSs ol lHest
s. disembodments," been narrated in the jingling
rhyme Of the s. Lord Poet" the book would GER
tanly have been denounced by the pious portion of
christendom, was the production named, and
other fsncifuI poetic fetions of the s'noble bard
a very wicked, and, indeed, blasphemous produc-
ton. Lord Byron's 'Vision of Judgment was
meant to be travestie and in ridcule Of Mr.
Southey's poem, bearing the same title, (written
uhe lauraata Of ENGLAND nm ha moi
of George the Third) but such object was not re-
garded paliiation of its wickedness. Nor were
the brilliant hexameters with which Southey's work
was sppareed, nor the loyal motive that prompted
him, allowed to exempt it from the deserved sem
tence OF the British public, that it " an unpar-
donably profane" and a very vicious burlesque of
sacred and things" But had the dress either
of Byron. or of Southey's fiction, been chosen 10y
MIR. Davis, for this work, il would have been much
less mischievous than it is in the garb in which il
Is presented. The chief difference between the two
DIVISIONS and the explanation is, that the for
admitted fablcs-mere poetic fctons-whilst
the latter with startling because impious audaeity,
processes to be a veritabe statement, in truthful
prose OF sober realities and of actual occurrences
and facts
II may be that the versifcation of Byron's. and
Of Southey's "Vision of Judgment" was avoided,
lest the critical public might fancy the detection
Of plsgiaIy OF of the ideas Of the English
poets in several parts Of this book Certainly. quo
tations from the poems named, and from the nara
tons Of MIR. Andrew Jackson Davis Of his 50 spir
tual intercourse" compared together, show a
Striking similarity of sentiments in all of them and
especially in those of profane and blssphemous
character.
From the close resemblance in style and matter
that some parts Of this book has o sundry cdito-
rails and published lectures and essays Of the chief
FourieIite editor of Gotham, we shrewdly suspect
he may have had some agency in this thing. The
1i1bpss, Of Saturday last, contains copious and
choice extracts from il, accompanied, not a. they
ought to have been, with just condemnatory criti-
cism, but wAh somewhat Mandatory notice, Ger.
tanly quite encomiastic as n modest man
could well give, if it was his own production
though published under the name Of another
The selections made from the book are il Shout
be noticed artfully limited to quotations that do
not disclose the real character of the work. and Of
those identical portions which, there strong ground
for conjecture were introduced in it, to gloss over
and conceal It's real tendencies and object. from the
superficial reader. They are the swectmcats that
cover the poisonous pin. Every one who has read
much Of the Fourierite editors writings, a., for
example, that efuson wherein he fancifuy calls
railroad steam-engine The Iron Horse" and
describes the animal a. snorting and prancing AMI
dashing under the excitement Of fiery passions and
as if Il had soul, cannot fail TO recognise some
Of the same kind Of ,ranscendcntal folly sublime
wickedness, and crack-brained idiosyncrasv in
thls 'eXplanation Of modern mysteries" How
-utcn have we seen, in the called philosophical
productions Of this gentleman, evidences that he
has been deuded by ardent Imagination intb the
belief Of theories akin 70 tho pantheistical doc.
trines OF SpinosS Those doctrines are attempted
TO be.b''eld in this book, We would not. however,
s"D our contemporary har-hly, and we freely con-
cede that the sole evidence have at present, of
his participation in this work, arises from the re-
sembisnces and ahinities we have adyertcd to.
We may, perchsnce, BE- mistaken, and we desire il
be t.,inctly understood that DO not ascribe the
profanity to be found IN il, to his pen
Nor 4. the Fouricrite editor suspected Of being
the sole sdiunc, Of Andrew Jackson Davis in usher
ing this book into existence. Sine portions Of il
have sucb remarkable Likeness 10 speeches In and out
Of Congress, snd to letters, etc etc, by the coll
league Of Hamilton Fish, in the Untcd States Sc
nate, that are constrained to suspect that he ha
finger in the PEE and ii IL due to truth, aud justice,
and impartislity that we should also cay, that i
seems 10 u there are visible, throughout the one
hundred and sevcniy-ix pages q the Explain
ton" unmistakcable car-msrks Of the subtle AMI
willy editor Of the Albany Ercnfag Journal In
finishing and polishing q the political portions of
this book-we mean the humbug II promulgates-
which can in anywisc b. employedby adroit politi
clans 10 influence the result Of political contest. 40
In our judgment exhibit the handiwork and skill q
the tribune psntisocracy Of this state, composed
the distinguished gentlemen referred t.. Even th
vsgarics and delusons that possibly be used,
(not excepting the "ylI-sodes.') IN our opinion
have been encouraged for such purpose Wy the tire
political Thug" chiefs Of New York, the /" Goo