Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-07-02
SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATIONS.
Fosp Du Lac, wis. J MAY 81, 1853.

what have seer and heard from other sources, It IS
refreshing TO be permitted by this writer to pursue our
Investigations of the spiritual manifestations without
the fear Of hangngs" burnings the of
the string arm of the law" hope, hereafter, that
the common will characterize the commune
catous Of others.
Ny Hundley comedies also another point namely,
that these physical manifestations and rappngs
the result Of mposure, of electricity magesm.
He believes them to proceed from Won Rechenbach's
newly-discoyered odic force This may be true. But
does this prove that the of them not spiritual
We have communications saying that these things are
according TO natural laws and that the time viii come
when they will no longer appear mysterious This odic
force may be the medium by which spirits make these
phi steal manifestations The Rev Charles Beecher, in
his elaborate report the hypothesis that spirits
only obtain access through prepared odyl conditions; J"
that this the mode of communication by the pro-
phets and TO substitute any other theory cuts up By Ire
large portions Of The prophetic seipves" And he
adds . heRec odylic conditions right, spirits can no
more be rpressed from communicating Aar Woer from 5es
ting through he crsoices Of dyke" Mr Beecher concludes
by saying:
Whatever ply sioogicalaw accoaasf for odyc phsao
mena in All ages will in the end isevtably carry itself
through the whole Bible where deaswith the phenon
of soul and body mutually related acting and reang
large portion of the Bible its prophecies ecsaces Wis
IONS frances theophanies and angeophanies
less tnged with odyc characteristics physiology the
anthropoogy Of the Bible highly odylic and must be stu
died As sucht will be found harmonizeEith the
general principles of human experience in such matters
in all ages Ii theory be adopted every where else but
in the Bible, excluding spiritual intervention by odyc
channels TOTO and accounting for every thing physical
y then viii the of the Bible prove but pasteboard
barriers Such theory vii: sweep its way through the
Bible and its authority It's penary inspirations will be
annihilated."
This is the conclusion 10 which the Rev Mr. Beecher
mfr apdn of
this subject IT, therefore the Oc force these
physical manifestations, it is only the by which
they produced from spiritual On this prin-
cpe explained the physical manifestations referred to
by your correspondent.
But admitting the of the argument that these
physical manifestations produced by this newly dis
covered odc force without any spiritual agency, still your
correspondent has not yet advanced even beyond
Of spirituaism Even this admission does aid him
all in his opposition to the spiritual theory When intel
ligent answers received questions mentally pro-
pounded what is the of that fngce? 1t is not
the oc force. cannot make intelligent communica-
ton. any more than electricity make which is
transmitted through the electric telegraph In the latter
case the Rrad of the person communicating makes the
communication and electricity is the of conveying
II TO US. 80 IN the former case the communication
from mind 1t is the mind of the medium nor
Of the interrogation it must therefore, from a
spiritual source and the od force like electricity the
would here close what intended to say, were it not
for the extaneous inappropriate and undigfed
which occupies very considerable portion of your
respondents communication. lie has fallen into the
same error with many others, who fancy that
sprituasm IS TO be put down and annihated by harsh
language, gross denuncations, and low and vulgar
ephets Your correspondent may plead the example of
others before he pumed his pen for such But
let him be assured that neither be those who have
preceded him will accomplish their object by such
course This matter 10 be contested the field of fair
npIV
your correspondent is suited the occasion
the subject Ii is too late in the day attempt by such
means to stfe investigation Neither the denuncatons
FROM the press the anahemas from the pulpit
stop it. notwithstanding the self-sufhciency of the
the self complaceney of the other Much less it
be arrested IN Its onward march by the kind of warfare
introduced 10y your correspondent In this land of civil
liberty and religious freedom will think and act for
themselves.
Admitting ali that your correspondent has said Of Won
Rechenbachs neWlydiscovered force backed is by
other high authority, still that does not mpugn the theo-
ry that those manifestations from n spiritual source
and this force the of conveying it to US The
reputation Of these philosophers required defence
his hands much less such defence be has attempted
1t was therefore undignifed it improper and
unnecessary to characterize the spiritual theory the
whims and mnudn iances Of aged grandmothers the
ppan yagares of youthful patrons Of the bandbox and
worshpper of lace and ribands, and its advocates
the weak-mnded excuses for manhood" with asss
appendages TO their heads"
viii not stop inquire who is the denuncator in this
your readers will judge for themselves But may
be permitted ask who those whom this dgni6ed
and gentlemanly language is applied? Why, they are
those who have had the independence and moral
TO investigate this subjectsome Of the brightest intel
lecs II the country, the ablest investigate, and the
last 10 be carried away with delusion Such are the
men brought within the category of this writer. And
what is the subject which he deems utterly unworthy
OF investigation It's the greatest phenomenon of this
or any preceding age. IL has spread throughout this
country and thousands Of mediums being developed
IN every direction IL is spreading in Europe Re-
cent accounts inform that Lord Brougham and DR..
Ashburner, of England and others of the highest rank
and intellect have become it. and that il has
engaged the earnest attention Of the eminent Ger
man philosophers. And when we hear of such aged
grandmothers such youthful patrons Of the band box
and worsppers Of lace and ribands and such weak
minded excuses for manhood" with ASS Appendix
ges TO their heads, Lord Brougham and Dr. Ashburn
er, Of England and Judge Edmonds and others Of the
highest order of intellect in this country becoming con-
verts TO it, gravey called upon to listen to the
dgmhed elevated and gentemany appeals Of your
respondent and others this side Of the Atlantic who
denounce u as unworthy of investigation
After all what is this "borrid monster" against which
these envenomed weapons directed with such deadly
aim Let the chosen and selected language Of your
respondent give his views the subject Referring
your Tallahassee correspondent he says The gentleman
himself cannot have seen, any have
with greater pain than have the wide spread gion
Of the spiritual deusion he deplore more than
myself the long catalogue of evils which have resulted
rom rs prcad-te insanity the lost peace Of mind the
scnla Of the Bible the Book Of God and all the foul
nouthed basphemies and thousand and one crude and
uhdgested ancies with which has filed the hearts and
tivated by - -
AFTER hck-handed compliment to New England for