Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-07-23
COMMUNICATION.
SPIRITUAL RAppINGs.


FOR NATIONAL IxTELLIGEscEn
The raps and responses which have appeared In the
lntegencer occasionally for the last few months have
aroused who had slept soundy through all the
previous umu among the disturbed spirits of both the
dead and living We have rubbed oqSeyes and looked in
gaping and supplied wonder upon our agitated friends
who have been conversing with departed spirits through
the medium Of tablcegs, pencils and scissors the a. b.
cs and all that sort Of thing and being thoroughly
awake we have begun to cast about what could
be done to ram these agated Ones lest having aroused
all the disc nbodied spirits they should make combined
and irresistible attack upon those of who remain en-
bodied and reduce to meek submission under some
uplifted tabe-leg, send back whimperng to the
study of our alphabet again.
We have had great sympathy great fear for the living
and have had doubts of our own sanity as there
occasionally before visions of oil Bedlam turned
loose, oil sane in sraitackes and these liberated
bedamite with most grave serious and solemn earnest
ness consong u.s. they laced up waistcoats and
shaved our heads Poor fellows! We could not under
stand the racket Of tables Except at dinner and after
the removal of the CLOTH and must not be suffered to
go at large But where, during all this time, has slept
our sympathy for the poor, wretched and tormented
dead some Of whom have been driven with lightning
speed from Boston to Chicago Since the grave closed
over murdered Abel in oil nations civilized and savage
the body the resngplace Of the dead, while disturbing
the spirits Of the dead has been crime inconceivable
as never to have found name among men-I forget
there is name; but implies something grand, re-
spectful sublime than drumming floors lessons in the
ababs We commit the body of our friend to the grave
mournfuy and tendery say to him pace quescds and
before we turn from the little mound that has been heap
ed above him. Fox in Rochester has scented the
prey and the poor fellow is summoned away to thump
out nonsense that we fatterng ourselves he
was already well rid Of Why Messrs Editors the very
audacity of this crime Of disturbing the rest Of dead
friends has SO completely overwhelmed and astonshed
that we have not yet been able rally indignation
against it and meet it with the resistance which it de-
There terrors enough hanging around death
heretofore to make the stoutest hearts among quail
and have founa easy
with hopes of rest at last and WISDOM too purged of all
the foes that cling to here, and augmented beyond
any thing able to conceive Of. But these hopes
are to swept away at last and to understand
that solemn spinster aided by some restless nqu
sitiye, dreamy cobber may deluded spirits
to their teatabe after their daily task is done and keep
humping there till ghosts troop home to church
yards" Has it come to this? Can friends longer
console themselves with the belief that they have buried
our foies with us? Must they be constantly tormented
by the fear that shall be reappearing through
convenient medium and utterng greater nonsense
than did while living and telling secrets too
that you could not have forced from by
Who would wish to die and incur such fate
1t too bad that Henry Clay and Daniel Webster and
John G. Calhoun, and all great and all little po
hticians who while living have been ceaseesy tormented
by all sorts of nterrogaories from Abotioniss and Free
sellers, Antimasons and Antirenters Barnburners and
Hunkers Tariff and Anti-tari men, Unionsts and Seces
ehoaa ~
philosophers cannot be permitted to quietly when
dead but must be handed over to the spiritual philosophers
and summoned to hundred table-egs in single night
to rap out crude sentiment that they would have
been ashamed Of when living Think Of the philosophical
Calhoun's being summoned under their tea-able by
little knot of Boston abotonsts and there meekly and
calmly spelling Of his political rhapsodics We
had fondy hoped that these great statesmen at
length beyond the reach Of their political foes But it
seems that they still within reach and what worse
that they are much wiser about some things than
many living There is danger that to the
celebrated Cleveland question will be exorted yet But
may the brave old hero outline by thousand years the
remorseess nqusitor whom oil that noise and confu-
SION could not silence, and thus disappoin him Of OBJ
tanning answer through any medium" whatever
What them shall be done protect the rest of the dead
Must they be left to defend themselves best they may
against this remorseess host of their dsturbers These
mediums" have fear of ghosts and whistle
did schooboys of DID, to keep their spirits up. But
protest against any of my friends being called upon
thump table-legs for any such coteries.
Can any thing be done for the protection of the living
against all the fearful consequences that to attach
to this tampering with the unknown world this socaed
intercourse with the deads Legislation is out Of the
question this subject for the cry Of "prsecuien
would be deafening, and would only increase the evil
hrr hnot IF " bo1t
Of conscience; if they had conscience when
they ruthessy disturb pretend to disturb, the sleep
of the dead Ridcue they reject with infinite
Argument they pretend to apprecate and they eter
naly challenging to investigation Of facts To facts
and to argument let the appeal be made and the ques
ton be settled to the perfect satisfaction Of the Anne
rican mind.
Then arises the query, how shall this appeal be made
Who shall undertake it, We have Academy Of Science
have the French by which such questions can be taken
up and investigated But have Scientific Associa
tion which would capable of answering all the ends
required in this This association to meet within
a few days in cleveland What would propose then
is briefly this let this association appoint committee
consisting Of first the very best metapbysician in the
association Tor in the United States if they 70 out
of the association to make appointment, and do not
happen have the best metaphyscan Of the country in
atainable third the most profoundly acquainted
with eectrcty fourth the most learned in the his
tory and most familiar with all the phenomena Of animal