Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-09-13
spIrIIaaI RappInEa.

Mn. ENRON, 1 would not think OF tfoub-
ling youwi,l, This epis,le, were Il not 'hai !
have beep requested to present in your co.
lumns my experience in relation to the spifi-
,'lol rappings.
J would irst premise that The mapifes,a-
lions / Witnessed were copdncted under The
auspices Of Father Abraham. The circle
over which he presides has recently boen
established, and is not very gsee, distance
from auburn, N. Y. where Paul Is tho great
expounder, and where is published tho pa
per which Is edited by tho prophets and
apoailes and solely devoted 10 tie psomnl-
gailoa Of their present. sicws. Paul and
Abraham are oilen both present At The circle
where attended, and we're so on tho eve
ming was there, 90 that IL the responses
were less satisfactory than might be, Il was
because the powers that be did not choose
10 have them otherwise.
The rappings were confined to one pInco
Ito tho floor il tho neighboshood ol the
medium. asked Abraham if he could rpp
where he pleased- if hc conldrap where I
mentally requested him. he said he could,
bu, that no would MOI. The place mental
" selected would have been difficult one
for any b'', spirit to have reurhsd, brs !
wns obliged 70 content myself with tho xeps
as iley were asked af,er the spirit Of q
deceased liiend, 30 Describing her, tlst
though Abraham would know who meant,
no embodied spirit then present ccuId.--
Wishing 70 have Q response thas would IN
dcnte more intelligence in regard TO her
than WINS possessed by those around me,
asked him to spell her name by alphabet
which he would not do, nor would he con-
sent TO give an affirmative response to her
name if should call it over together with
several others, and the reason assigned was
that It already existed in my own mind I;
which, however satisfactory il might be to
those of the household of faith, was not
equally SO to the skeptical. When Iqueried
if the spirit of my brother was present,
obtained an affirmative response, which was
Immediately followed by an alphabetical
communication Of al WATCH OVER you
EVERY DAY." lie said he was acquainted
in the body with two persons who were
present, but would not tell who beside my
self Said he could tell how many persons
were in the room, and would do SO. There
were some thiriy-more or less-present; |;
the raps that followed numbered sixteen, and
then stopped. The stop was full one, and
it was not until some one exclaimed there
are more than that" That they were resum-
ed, but in so confused and rapid manner
it was impossible to number them; and
though he was requested TO repeat them, he
refused to do so, and assigned as reason
for the pause after The sixteenth, that he stop
ped to count those persons who were crow
ded together; so this test, partial as il was,
could not be obtained. My brother refused
to tell how many years had elapsed since
he left the body, or at what age he died.
The question in regard TO his age was then
asked Of me by some one present, but did
not then give it. lie said he had grown in
intellect since entering the spirit lsnd--had
changed his religious views. My religious
views he says are not correct, nor were my
fathers, though his were nearer right than
mine. His views of the Atonemept have
| changed since he left the body, and he is
certain that those he now holds are correct.
Christ did not die as other martyrs in the
cause of truth have died-he died and suf-
fered for others, who ought to have suffered
for their own transgressions. After some
further conversation, in which vainly tried
to introduce test, he spelled by alphabet
"SToP NOW OF YOUR TALKIEe." 81 ylsE
Before the circle separated informed
those present, that the children of Quakers
did not generally as seotarian an
education as many others, and that especial
ly, abstruse points Of doctrine are not at
tempted to be taught; that however much
my brothers ideas of religion had changed
since he left the body, however materially
had altered his views of the Atonement, the
raps had not convinced me that he had any
well defined opinions at the time Of his
death upon theological questions in general
Or the Atonement in particular, seeing that