The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-06-01

From tie Bols;mors Patriot. Nh

Ject
Ia the first place, it ia not to be denied that this
spiritual business 10 extending itsef II has found
believers Of it in the South that is srange,-and
1t hnds believers or dupes everywhere-rnep in
our own city, though that belief is here given
with hesitation that condemns itself Bet here
as IN many other places the spiritual part of the
affair is denied, and the pretended pbepomens ;e
accounted for BY most of them by assigning il to
| electricity. "
A writer in the National Intelieencer. who es,ds
his letter from Cambridge. Massachosetts and
signs bis name I'D. r. Hurdlev disnutes ho,h
the spiritual and electrical influence, and insists
that the rappings are produced by new force
'power hitherto unknown" "more subtle than
magnetism, more powerful than electricity ,,
which force he tells US is called "Col,' or
"Ordy le"-fwe should go for the fret name for II
tells lite story, in taking it odd!1
The writer in the inteliigencer gives the follow
ing the reason which prompted him, q native of
the South, to write about it,
ssWhile it confined to New England did
not apprehend great danger from its spread; for
was well aware of the nature of her citizens, and
of their fondness for higher laws than the enact.
ments of human tribunals, even those penned by
the finger of the Everlasting God. / well knew
that theiI fathers had been before them, and
that they, dutiful children, ever followed the
footsteps of their verify progenitors of wtcbcraft
memory. Knowing this, could not well be sur
prised to the descendants of Puritans
fashioning the dogmas of Cotton Mather, and cast
Ing aside the somewhat antquated title of acrh for
that of medium, in order to meet the etherialized
tastes OF the nine eenth century. But, that
the cool-headed and placid minded citizens of the
South are becoming the dupes of these modern
commandments with the devil, am reluctantly
forced to contemplate the evils the great
social and moral arrangement wnicn must inev-
tably result from permitting su7h a monster of
absurdlty to stalk in our midst, unshorn of its
gorgon locks, which turn and common
sense into stone, and make the immortal part of
man bow down before its shapeless hideousness,
and give 10 Itself that alteration due only to the
Father of Spirits.''
The reason is good one for treating the matter
seriously; but how is it that be seeks dispel the
deluson? By assigning the rappng power to the
new agent-Od-and this he undertakes to prove ii
by reclting two cases, which he says "cannot be
galnsald as regards the facts therein contained;
for they have come under the examination of the
first philosophers of the age.''
One OF these cases is reported to have taken
place in WOODBRIDGE New Jersey in 1884 and the
account oft published in the Newark Advertiser
of that day. As this was, however, news naper
account, be quotes it, not TO show that such things
have been reported "without special wonder" but
ra Their to corroborate a case which was examined
before M. Arago, of the French Academy Of Sci
ence. The case is related in Mrs Groves "Nisht
side of Nature but is not the only wonderful
story she tells; and it also published in the
Courier des Flats Uis. The writer in the IntelG-
gencer, after referring to these publications, goes
on to say:
sTaking the two versions together, we have the
following history OF the case, reported by NM.
Arago, Tangier, and Goujon, to the Paris Acade.
my Of Sciences, on the 10th February, 1876:
"'Angelique Coffin was native of La Perriere,
aged ID, when, on the 18th of January, 1876, at
eight O'Clock in the evening, while weaving silk
gloves at an oaken frame, in company with other
girls, the frame began TO jerk and they could not
by any efforts keep it steady. 1t seemed if it
was alive; and, becoming alarmed, they called in
the neighbors who would not believe them, but
desired them to sit down nd go with their work.
Being timid, they went one by one, and the frame
remained still till Angeique approached, when il
recommenced it's movements, while she also at
tracted by the frame; thinking she bewitched
or possessed her parents took her the presbytery
that the spirit might be exercised, The curate,
however, being sensible man, refused TO do it,
but set himself, on the contrary, to examine the
phenomenon, and, being perfectly satisfied of the
fact, he babe them take her TO a physician"
After her consignment to the physician by the
priest, the Courier DIES Flats. Unis proceeds TO
cay:
''rhe physician, with the father and mother,
brought Angeque to Paris. Nj. Arago received
her, and took her to the observatory, and in the
presence of MI Tangier and Goujan made The
observations, which were reported to the
Paris Academy OF Sciences:
'lst 1t is the left side of the body which appears
TO acquire this sometimes attractive, but fire.
ouently repulsive, property. sheet of paper a
pen, or any other light body being placed upon a
table, If the young girl approaches her left hand,
before she touches it the object is driven TO
distance as by gust of wind. The table itself is
overthrow the moment it is touched BY her hand,
or even by thread which she may hold in it.
"'2d This causes insta unanimously q strong
commotion in her side, which draws her toward
the table.
''3d. As had been observed, the first day, if
she attempted TO sit, the seat thrown far from
her with such force that any person occupying il
was carried way with il.
18th One day chest upon which three men
were seated was moved in the manner. An.
other day, although the chair was held by two
very strong men, it was broken in their hands
"And thus does nj. Arago go on in his enume-
ration of the phenomena OF this case, until he has
numbered thirteen. And yet there is hardly one
Of the whole thirteen which any man at all ac-
quainted with the laws of electricity would for
moment hold TO be produced by that subtle agent
Then, if it is not electricity, what is it, NJ Ara
go COZ cluded that it was the working of rsso
agent entirely unknown to science; and DIR. Ro.
gers, of Boston, speaking on the subject in his
work on the Dynamic Laws and Relations of
Man. says:
"sThe great fact demonstrated by the case of
Angeoue is, that under peculiar conditions the
human organism gives forth a physical power
which tcithout riside Instruments ifts heavy bod
les, attracts or repels them, according 70 law of
polarity, and overturns them"
From this and the Woodbridge case, the CORE
spondent of the Inteuigencer concludes that they
have enough to prove that there is ''new agent,
power hitherto unknown which may rap ia
bes, and even knock people down. And the cor
respondent is right supported, as he seems TO be-
by the opinions of DR.. Rogers, of Boston, in draw.
ing such conclusions from these facts-fhat ia ~
the question! Well. we must answer it. and thus
by opposing the notions which spring from the as.
sumption that the alleged facts are really facts,
''end them" We take the stick which The Inteli.
gencer used to break the head of It's correspondent
when 1t published bic communication. Ii is the
official report of the sittings of the Academic dcs
Sciences" in Paris for the fret half of the wear
1885, the entire report Of the commission Of which
M. Arago was president, and by which under
direction of the academy, the of Mile Coffin
was examined. 1t is as follows:
Declaration of the Commission NAMED on the oeco,
sion of tso0 Communications made TO the Acade,ny
concerning the extraordinary faculties attributed 10
young girl. Angeiiqae Cottin.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Arago, BecouereI. Isl
dore, Godfrey Saint Hillaire, Babbinet Raver,
Pariset.1
Gin its sitting of the 10th Of last February, the
academy received from NJ Choet and Dr. Tan
chou two notes relative to extraordinary faculties
which. it was said, had developed themselves for
about month in young girl of the department
of L'Orne, Angchque Coffin aged fourteen years
The academy, coniormably TO its usage, charged
commission to examine into the facts announced,
and TO report to ii an account of the results We
SHALL in very few words, acquit ourselves of this
duty.
owe had been assured that Mile Coffin erer-
cised an action repuisive, and very intense, upon
bodies OF every nature, at the moment when any
part OF her clothes in contact with them.
They spoke even of candle stands being ever