Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1853-04-16
For tie Southern Standard.
"Spiritual RappingS.H

Mr.. EDITOR Il am pleased to see the columns
of your paper being filled with original articles,
and treating as they do upon the good and bad
practices of your citizens, will give the Stan
dard somewhat the quality of looking glass in
to which good many persons will have curiosity
to take peep. These original articles have also
a tendency to give your paper a new and lively in
terest, and when the spirit of kindness and mode
ration is observed towards the victims of public
discussion they will not have reason to quote the
sentiment in the fable of the boys and frogs. l
find however that some of your correspondents
have not been as lenient as they might have been,
or at least, they have aroused one or two individ-
uals who thought the cap fitted, and I am told
that they have offered reward of ten dollars for
the name or names of your correspondents, who
burlesque ithe worthy professors of the dancing
mania calling them the 'ecat-gut pedlars'' DC
Now, Mr.. Editor this is too-bad If you will in
dulge me with an entrance into the ring" 1 will
promise YOU that will leave the dancing man.
ia" to the care OF :" Primitive, . Wandering
Scribe, 2 ''Horatio'' "Anti-ProfessOr" and ecu
gene" They may fight their way OUT if they
have not been frightened from the track by the lib
eral reward of ten dollars.
And now propose copartnershp with your
honorable self in discussing the merits of spiritual
rappings From contrast of your last article
with that of previous issue, am not certainly
mistaken with the true meaning. There is evil
IDENTIFY something behind the curtain--what you
have said is like drops from leaky bucket. Let
us have it all-show your hand. !.
take the open ground that this spiritualism is
grand magnificent, shamefully disgusting, Dew
Humbug. The last and most
perfect of the age-out-doing the very devil him.
self 9d, ~4EIHi s6
Look at the absurdity Half dozen gentlemen,
sensible men, lawyers. doctors and politicians,
seat themselves around cherry table, and make
circle you direct, and begin their exercises in
this wise: "If there be spirit present it will
manifest itself by moving The Table in the direcl
ton Of Mr.. A.. Move ! move move! move %
Perhaps the table does not move as the operator
has directed He says then that there is no spirit
present. He then puts another question eff
there be spirit present acquainted with Mr. B.
who is at the table, t will manifest itself by rails
ing the table once-move novel novels The
table, viii perhaps rise slowly. There is then a
medium. The medium then with all the enthusi-
asm of ArchemIdes when he cried out Eureka
Eureka; proceeds to put various questions to the
spirit he has called up-asking him1if heis in hea-
ven or hell--How the times are there dsc.sak
ask where is the man of common sense that he
can entertain for single moment such absurd
and wicked nonsense It is certainly true that
the "Devil IS going about like roaring lion seek
ing whom he may dsyour. : d That there are me-
dsans for sarits and plenty of them too, this
very town, no one viii for moment question:
But that they commune with the spirit land is an
outrageous Humbug ~. .,. $ '.s4,.s p
s What are the consequencesso of such conduct be-
ing tolerated by an intelligent community 2 bsWe
see already that seed planted here only week ago
are springing up among US. Our children Al
school are daily turning up the pine desks and
shuek bottom chairs calling up departed spirits ~
1t is an outrage upon the memory Of our cherish.
ed dead. The negroes are even calling up spirits
through tin buckets and water-paiIs. Shame up
on Us 4BsE ~ 5 AZ z kEagsNz'9 .ssEEaeTA 49,
There is evil ID this matter Let US turn our
face against this infamous humbug. Il IS hand
maid Of magieian- twin sister Iof qinnoeeni