Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-03-16
NUMBER l7O
THE INT.ELLIGENCEK.
From the Pennsylvania.
Suparsfifiona.-rbo ava xxT;kaL.-


This world, like some individuals, seems 10 have
periodical fits of lunacy. Once in every century
ana sometimes oftener, there is an epidemic delu-
SION which RACES for while with excessive vio-
renee compelling all sorts of people to commit
hearo OF extravagances, and then perhaps the
frenzy dies away, leaving no trace of its existence
occasionally, as in the case of Mesmerism, il re-
urSs alter considerable lapse of time. and, as it
IS with most other diseases the reLpse is generally
worse tlian the first attack. sr.IF .sie y u -
There IS something exceedingly curious-some-
thlng almost tunaccountable-in the phenomena of
these hallucinations. A most remarkable circum-
49, that they are not checked in the slightest
degree by the general diffusion of knowledge
among the people. The three .tR's'' as Pat Lyon
called them, (viz: Reading, 'Ritina and 'Rithne.
uc) do not appear TO have much effect in resisting
Inc march OF superstition. Certain facts which
come under our observation, might almost induce
US 10 believe that education is not all that it is
cracked up TO be. Some of our most erudite phi
losophers have gone ghost hunting, and men well
stoc Geek and Latin, believe in the dane
ing tables. In short time, probably, our colleges
VIII have proiessorships of spiritual rapping and
many scholastic tones may be written TO elucidate
the new percuSS:onlst psychology.
| We, who have the happiness 10 live in this
luminous age, have often laughed at corTos
MATHER Tor his grave observations OIL witchcraft
and at Lord BACON for lelieying that rhyme nail
cd to an oak tree would cure the gout IN his big
ioe. Afte: all, our ridicule in these cases. may
| rave been miSaplied. fWltchc1aft is a good old
institution, almost ancient the world itself;
and its venerable age entities it to some nj
| attention. And as for curing the gout and rheu-
matism with rhyme, we Leieve II can be done
just as surely as those diseases can be cured by
som. patent medicines warranted and certified 10
be lnialllble Who does not rejoice TO find that
poetry can be made SO useful at this time when
There is so much of il in the market2 - .-7H
| II strikes us vey forcibly that witch-craft and
The curative effects OF rhyme in inflammation dis
eases, are things which be as easily swallow ed
as the supernatural performances of tie Misses
| tel bJpi al
the world of spirits communicated by MI, Lee Roy
Sunderland and Others
As Tor spiritual rapp:ng-we must not call it a
hnmbug; as'we are always unwilling to say more
thin we can prove, and in this cash, proof would
not be easily comeatable. Not having any direct
intercourse with the spiritual world, knew noth-
ing oil lis manners, customs and social regulations
| Possibly, some of the spirits may have very bad
aSte IN TIE sslecton OF their earthly associates snd
correSpondentS-and with this po- sibility IN view
we will not deny that they may have been in com-
municaton with some Of the Down-Ea Abolition
lists. DC. There is spirit certainly,-who no may
be snspectedof partiality for such company, and,
u we had the power, we should have little iucliua-
ton to separate such kindred souls, in this world
| or any other Should we engage in this contro-
veTsy with the "RapperS," they would have the
advantage over us at the outset, for they can sum-
mon Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Sir Isaac Newton,
ct eeterd. to testify their behaf,-and such test-
nony IN question of science and philosophy,
would be overw helmlng and unansweTabIe.
These prudent considerations make US little
shy and circumspect in our animadYersiens on the
rapping business. We hope it is no offence to say
that we do not believe in it, at present;-but we
are not one Of those who imagine that there is any
show of wisdom in obstinate unbeief. We are
ready to embrace the dancing table doctrine, or any
other tenet of modern psychclogy,-w we see
the experiments fairly tried and know that there
can be emo mistake in the matter. It is quite
possible that mahogany tables. or even pt plar or
pine ones, may possess accomplishments which
have been hitherto unsupported. Theymay dance
dlvinely, when properly encouraged to ''show our'
las we have known individuals of the Human
species whose morbid bashfulneSs prevented them
from exhibiting their gifts and grnces until they
were brought to make the display by kind and per
suasive treatment. Moreover. we would not deny
spirits, the use of malets or carpet hammers,
(Which are cheap article, sod by the boys along
the wharves for six cents each) TO make known
their presence This recreation is innocent enough
for the ghosts themselves, if their interpreters
not prevent it TO purposes of Iascality.
| The chief fault we have to find with spirit rap
ping, is its pretentions to nooely. The truth is
is almost as "old as the hills''-beng mere modi-
fcaiion of witchcraft or nsGromancy. The latter
word, etynologically considered, implies inter-
course or correspondence with the dead and sure
ly no term can be more appropriate for the rapping
business, If it is in reality hat it pretends to be-
FrL