New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-08-11

N repair damages. We do not risk much in assuming
that 81. Psu had been really present, and anxious to
convince mortas Of the fact he would not have shrunk
rom 70 reasonable test a. this. We might maltipy
such cases, but need We
Again Spirits have repeatedly represented them
selves to be persons who afterwad found TO be
.tll tenants Of this mortal frame. TSe Oseriis EeaH
r.lst awe striking example Of this time ago
ve know another that occurred recently in Massscba
setts. where young lady who Is very low with con
sumption personsted as speaking from the world Of
spirits, and describing her departure from earth and
first experience Of the state beyond when 10 ac' she
was and stll s tsberpaced in the fesh-at all events
we had very intelligent and satisfactory letter from
her written after this had occurred aud We have not
vet heard Of our Old Fogy Post Office bringing any let
tsrs YET from beyond this bank and shosl Of Time
There are more cases like this.
Take another proof Of the unreliable character OF
these communications The Christian Freeman (Boston)
piyes a case wherein Methodist and Universsis'
clergyman we're present at sitting, when the Metho-
dist asked questions respecting the world to come the
state Of those who left this world sinful, &c, and re-
ceyed responses in faithful accordance with his creed
This caused chuckng at the expense Of the Uni
yersaist who thereupon moved TO put some ques-
and directly after the aforesaid responses in complete
accordance with has creed I; plain enough that the
medium did not voluntarily stutiy herself 10 this way
but none the less fact that some OF the utterances
from behind the curtain directly at variance With
others proving that reliance can be placed on an
Ayerment merely because il has come 20 US apparently
from the Spirit Word. The responses are not uni-
formly but to great extent cOnformed 70 the wishes
and opinions Of the interrogation and while the Noun
tain Cove Community, claiming 10 be favored with
direct inu1 from the very highest sources is Trnta-
risn and intensely Orthodox in its faith '@'. ""'
Nethodss Shakers p>i-'"' &C &C are ia'oiou WIN
.suances from disembOdied friends that their creeds
respectively are all right" The most prevalent in
culcsticn through the Rappngs,' however, is Ra-
tonalistc Theism homoeopathcaly charged With Chris
tisni,y, and very nearly akin to Mr. Jackson Dayiss
"Harmonis Philosophy.
But we are following too closely in the track OF
those We have condemned in cri,oising specializing
upon the Manifestations instead of presenting the facts
on which are based their claims to public attention
Let Us briefly present some Of these
1t 10 now some four years since the assumption Of
direct Intercourse with the spirits OF the deceased
through certain living persons termed mediums has
been prominently before the public TO say nothing of
the preceding years in which such intercourse is al
legged to have existed and in these four years it b"
challenged attention 10 almost every part Of the Union,
and been subjected constant and ygant scrutiny TO
repeated formal and searching investigations and to the
most vruent and untiring hostility. Three or four dis
tnct exposures" Of 1t have from time to time been
made, each calculated apparently to explode It In
stantly and forever yet here il s alive and active this
9th Of August, 1853. The mediums are now many thou
sand scattered the greater part Of the Union many
Of them persons widely esteemed and of hitherto unques
toned integrity the original Fox family 80 often ex-
posed and denounced still defy oboquy and challenge in
vestiQation; end hundreds who have read all the pro-
fessed exposures are firm believers in and daily witnesses
ofthe Manifestations made through them now. Among
the more recent converts TO the Spiritual theory ar
numbered many men Of acknowledged acuteness az well
as uprightness who would quite above the posi-
bty Of being duped by shallow and prep0serous jug
gle already exposed TO the public Most certainly, IT
this mere vulgar cheat universal skepticsm as TO
whatever is based on purely human testimony may
henceforth be deemed rational and justifable.
But whatever the true explanation Of the puzzle may
be- IL il not mere jugge There may be ever so many
Juggling pretenders TO Spiritual Intercourse, just as
there are bypocrtes in Religion and knaves in Politics
without proving Pety Patriotism canting pretense.
Whatever Of delusion msconcepton may exist in
the premises s based sort Of reality IL by no
means follows from the fact that certain occurrence or
appearance is inexpcable upoa cur understanding Of
the laws Of Nature Physics that 1t 10 necessarily su.
pernatura-Naure and knosledge Of her being tso
very different things. We have known many instances
wherein persons have said after visiting this or that
medium, There, / knOw my deceased brother or
father or son spoke to me- for nobody knew the facts
abe communicated but he and l." but how the invest
gator came by his positive knowledge that only they
two knew the facts in question is not yet demonstrated
2.We need not rccspituatethe statements which have
been from time to time given through columns but
will be content with recalling a single case-that Of
Hen James +. Simmons of r. L.. widely known as one
Of the most cool headed aud clearsghted men in the
country. He had lost son by death il California and
Mrs. s. was induced 10 make inquiries concerning him
Of a medium in Rhode Island who probably never say
one Of the Fox family. Responses were given TO all
her questions from her most of them evincins
remarkable knowledge Among others, she vas told
that his body had not been buried bu. preserved IN
very extraordinary for future return TO Rhode
Island and this, though unexpected and dscredited,
was afterward proved true. Finally Mr.. Simmons,
who remained scep,ca proposed if his son was indeed
present in spirit that he should write hs name which
be promised to attempt if writing materials we're placed
In a locked TRUNK for the purpose. The trunk was al
terward opened, but. though marks appeared 90
have been made no legible word was written IL
then minated that the son would make the attempt