Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-06-23
The Rapping Delusiom.

The spread of the Rapping delusion is
among the oldest facts of the age. New
disciples, or more properly victims, record
themselves in print almost daily. Under
the impulse of spiritual converse, lndlvldu-
ais meet us constantly proposing to execute
all sorts of difficult and impossible feats,
such as writing editorials, or telegraphing
the latest intelligence from the world to
comes or prognosticating the election of Mr.
Pierce, and all with the gravest faces con-
ceivable. Members go aside and locate
themselves in spirltually-elected commu-
nifty on the mountains. Newspapers, IN
which you might reasonably hope to ind
tidings of the present and future as well as
of the past, greet us from all directlons,-
The abundance of the literature devoted to
the new faith denotes the rapldity and stur-
diness of its growth.
But the oldest feature of all-even going
beyond the canal decision which the spirit
of Mr.. Calhoun recently raped out to an
honorable Judge of Appeals-is the intro
duction of the rappers into the pulpit, and
the employment of ghosts to propagate the
gospel. We read as follows in the .Har-
shall (Wis.) Democrat:
"Some of the clergy in the eastern part
of the county (Clarke) say that they are in
spred by the spirits, ard that their sermons
delivered out ofthe pulpit are not their own,
but that they are the instruments through
which the spirits operate upon the mass of
the people. We understand that these d.
vines, or the spirits through them, say that
the Millennium has commenced, and in less
! than five years the wicked are to be swept
from the face Of the earth, and the righte-
Gus are to inherit it forever. 1t is reported
that one of the diyines SAID, on Sunday las.
while preaching to crowded house. that
not more than dozen his audience would
ever pass through the shades of death. 1t
Is also said that the spirits have informed
the people, through the mediums, that the
old way Of baptizing is all wrong, and that
! they should use water instead of wine for
sacramento purposes; and we are inform
ed that the people are following the direc-
tons to the letter. A new church has been
organized called the Church of Christ, and
meeting is now being held, which COM
menced one week ago, and is to continue
until the spirits tell them to stop. We are
told that some are so infatuated with this
new religion that they do not do single
thing without first consulting the spirits
The excitement in the neighborhood is great,
and some Of the best men IN the county are
strong believers"
Without presuming to comment upon The
fresh development, we would put it to all
religious bodies of consistent faith and Or
der ifthis is exactly the right sort of thing
Does not it amount to heresy? Is there any
reason why unlicensed ghosts should have
access to and rappings in pulpit where
from unlicensed but corporeal preachers
are zealously excluded Indeed, the diff
culties springing from this most heterodox
innovation strikes US so seriously that we
foresee no less than subversion of all re-
spect and devotion to the only true faith,
unless the church door be firmly shut on
the demons. There is rational suspicion
about that the ghosts are at best no better
than they should be, and many of the most
communicative of them were once men of
notorious loose opinions. Neglect decid-
ed stand against them at once, land we shall
be favored presently with pious homilies
from Vanini Holbach, and Paine.-N Y.
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