Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-08-18
Fay g.e F.ye,te5ine Os.srcey.
HumbuggerY.

broad expanse for. the practice of de-
ception and humbuggery. The few
who pretend to Wisdom and intelli
gence, are made the easy dupes of
slmpletons and fools, who IN return,
by their designs, make the simple
more simple, only to be more
thoroughly and disgrscefully duped
themselves As we enter this
world. shumbuggery receives us
ia its arms and nourishes us upon
tho milk OF deception, and ne'er
loosens its clasp till tn, grave claims
US as its own. Downright falsehoods,
sleigbt of hand tricks, bad yet plausi-
ble1 logic. meet US at every step. To
aid these, there seems to be an ele-
ment in the mental constitution of
maliylii,lividuaIs that prompts them
towards the marvellous This ele-
ment, or as the phrenologist would
term it, this organ, is capable Of Gull
/ tivation aud development, and its
powers have. of late, been almost uni
versally put in requisition. These
individuals seem to be dispersed
through every community, and are
ready at any time to stir up their
neighborhood with their newly dis
covered theories. A sufficient ex-
emplification we have had in the eX-
ample of the Aormons. We have
seen that it was possible for a worth
less, ignorant anu, debased individual
protesting a contemplate and degra
ding but nelc doctrine, to gain adher-
ents in degree hitherto unsurpassed
ia the annals of religious excite
ments, and that too in the most in
telligeht and enlightened nation upon
earth. Tie moon hoax gained prose-.
lytes among the lovers of the rniracu-
.lous but few years ago, and now
Spirit Tapping is the all exciting
topic, than which, no more absurd or
degrading delusion ever occupied the
attention of rational and civilized
man, and it. is to this, that Iwould
llirect your attention for a few mo- .
hents.
Let US inquire. why it is that this
Ppirtnsllism has gained SO many adj
herents, / take. it for granted that
| livery one has heard of sleight ofhand
tricks: perhaps some of Us have seen
Pie experiments performed, such as
1atching 4 bullet upon the point Of ,
i knife shot from a pistol, and va ,
] ous other marvellous sights | I
sould respectfully suggest, by way 5
IF Jogging the memory Of some in I
lividuals, that such tricks are not {
confined exclusively to monkey $
shows and circusses. ] would lik e. i
wise suggest for the benefit of those |
anne individuals, that there are some :,
nen gifted with' a faculty usually /
ermed imagination; some of them /
cry vivid. ll,now, here is a crowd Q
ssem bled TO hear the Spirits rap, u
ach individual endowed more or les 5 b
18th that curious faculty, imagina t
on. There stands the man who o.
olds communication with the inhabi- o
4
tnts Of the other world. An homes n
'oking man he is; dresses, neatly is
I'd looks like men do generally; W
1thing very extrao ordinary about al
m. And there too is the table 81
lat reaches clear to the other world. Il,
here is nothing about it, 1t is It
lite neat little thing; beautiful m
ahogany, and well yarnished; 81,
would make d nice candle stand to IN
in your parlor. But see, THE ia lii
: moves; hushl he speaks to the tn
irits. Mercy how they rap that as
Die on the floor. Well, now did M
u everll They answer every thing III
asks them! Well, Ill declare, II 81
yer saw the like Of that before ITO
e crowd at length disperses, with bel
aginations wrought up to white it.
1T The next day Squire B goes mo
see his neigbbor A. "Well, Squire. 70, .el
" tell me spirits were called up mo
night over here otis a fact. mo