Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-03-09
THE TABLE EXPERIMENT..

". L.
been incredulpus on the subject, writes us ,4u
description of a table experiment at which he .o.-S
as master of ceremonies" He SAYS: O
I" There being no small table in the bons.
drew to the centre of the room large dressinn We
and then placed upon it small IL BY IS pine sue,
Upon that four of placed our hands Aflo,o oneh
OF ten or fifteen minutes the bench began - .aPss
upon the table beneath ordered it to movs t sieak
Ter -" faster still and Sc still faster" and las
great as'onishment It's rotations Were increased u
every command. then ordered it to stoni,i?GG at
1t was then commanded TO rise and paise ;,aoIe So
two egs-t did so, at an angle of about A5o 'H On
OF our hands resting upon except that of one
talI ladies', and that rey, Uery lightly, at or nesr e
OF its corners. What will DR.. Reese say to ,b. V ne
Our Correspondent then dilates at some lon..,
upon the SUI ject, not forgetting to remind y.
Reese that he is fairly entitled to the hupdrod j.,
lars offered by the latter to any one who wonl1
cause table to move by some other than rouscrl,.
power.
Our Correspondent is gentleman of respee.
bility, and distinguished among his neghbors g,
intelligence and strong common sense.
BY the way, writer in the last Tribune A.a-
contradicts "a Buffalo Doctor" lie AYERS tb.
the knocks are produced by the medium a, voT
things as items of speculation and news
"SPIRITUAL kNocKINGs. - To the Editor of u,
Ncw York Tribune: Sir: / see in your nano f. lHe
time to time, advertisements of pretended sp;ri nun
Pers, and occasionally editorial notices recorni:P
the possibility at least of such phenomena, ahonnS
OF late for some reason, these notices have been e.
less frequent than formerly. 'a'
have had good deal experience in these malta.
and knowing the raps" TO be the worst of imNoa
lures, seems high time thai they should come 10 an
end. Ii any one wishes to test the matter either 49,
to the Fox family, any other pretended rapns,
1t IS the easiest thing in the world TO do it, Let the
" rapPer" or " medium sit in a chair in the middi
of the room the heels resting on cushions, and VIM
may call for the spirits till 6oomsday but none will
respond raps will ever be heard in that posinr
but let the medium sit by table, where the motions
may be concealed, and the knees feet come in CON-
tact with some vibrating body, and the visitor will
be accommodated with any quantity of' raps. " So
confident am l OH this point, that | am willing to
oblge myself to pay one hundred or Eve hundred
dollars to any charitable institution in New York
City, for every instance in which the above experi.
ment does not succeed in preventing any audible raps
l give you my name and you know am responsible
for the amount.
The ridicule and dstrust with which the explaps.
ton of the Buffalo Doctors, " as you term them
was received two years ago, were not warranted by
any circumstances facts connected with the case
and those who have carefully examined into the mat.
ter know, that their explanation true. 1t easily
tested. Hundreds of persons kno Rn 10 produce
the same identical sounds in the precise manner thus
pointed out; and where persons ignorant of their
true source there is the mystery connected with
Them; the air of supernaturalness as those produced
BY the Fox family.
AS to ''Spirtual writings - so called, they are
simply cases of sefdelusion if any person is cred.
nous enough to believe that persons hand writing
IS moved by the spirit of some deceased person, in
stead OF his own votion, let him cherish his deu-
SION; only let guardian be appointed to look after
his other affairs. As to table-moyings, &c.. have
nothing TO say no one IF such phenomena exist of
which have no proof, satisfactory TO my own mnd)
presume, now believe that they are caused by de-
ceased spirits. BUFFALO DoCToR.
+. s. am acquainted with female rapper " Of
some notoriety, whose character is SUCH that her hu
band is unable unwilling to live with her, and yet
she Preiends to be (avore with the spirits Of the
great and good, departed of all ages. No one, not
even Washington and franklin, refuse to obey her
call. How is this2 Do explain! Are they always
waiting on her ladyshP ready rap, the first in
tirnaton of her wishes1 Whar digniied employ.
nent! What vocation for Chaning and Webster!
The TABLE EXPERIMENT.. The following para.
graph IS from an editorial article in DR.. Reeses Med
lcal Gazette for February, published in New York:
" Hence, they have gone on from one impostsTe to
another from raPPing and when these be-
come stale, Ito be-ringing, singing dane
ng spirits, healing dseaseseVeal
Ing truths and denouhcing in religion, morals,
science and philosophy, and all professedy from the
g hosts OF the departed. And the public press has
done, and Is doing, much 10 perpetnate the ni9uiy
by recording facts the absurd of these stories
In several of these presses the Of tables
have been alleged capable of being affected by
Circle sitting around H. ard touching il with their
hands, thus giving color to the widest of the ghost
y stories, while discaiming these and alleging cleo
tricity the But they forgot tell that the
tables only in the dark and there will be found
whose muscles furnish tbs locomotive. If any body
alleges the contrary, we have small table in Of
fee which write, and offer hundred
dollars TO any ghost medium, from this world or
the other, who will it inch in daylight by
any supernatural, spiritual, magnetic electric in
fuence, which shall be invisible and intangible TO
our OWE optics; and they may sit in circle around
but will they comet
Some people glory in skepticism, and confidently
1enounce every thing as hunlbuc which cannot be
made paipahe to their finite comprehe nsion Su.
oremey wise, IN their own conceit, they reject
oily what they cannot understand, and esteem every
hing as deusion or illusion that smacks of the
Telous or is confessedly involved in mystery. or
his class seems 10 be DR.. Reese, of the New York
edlca Gazette, whose profound theory in regard
he " table experiment is quoted above. We agres
with the eminent gentleman in the belief thai I" Spr
tual RapPing," as practsed in the Northern cities
md some other portions of the country, is gros!
though incredibly is doubtless based
upon different grounds. The Doctor don't believe
because the physical phenomena are beyond the reach
IT his g optics keen;'' won't believe in such
ptri:uaI phenomena while find consultation of the
lead expressly forbidden in holy writ by the Father
IF spirits himself
Agreeing thus far with the learned gentleman, We
must yet be permitted regard his assault upon those
editors who have said that table may be affected
~ circle sitting around it and touching it win
heir hands, as harsh and unwarrantable. Wemust
.lso pc allowed 10 remark, that his statement in Ell
ut Nh-lKaH ezhI J.