The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-10-22

Judgo EdmsaAs On spirituaIis.A.
Judge Edmonds, OF New York, declines being cand.
date for reelection and frankly admits that lbs oppos
ton 10 his peculiar views spiI,uasm sso strong that
his friends iusihabie in desiring his decline. lie ad
heres, however himself With growing pcrinacy, 10 his
spiritual views, and makes il matter Of conscience 10
sacrifice official station rather than his ssyous convc
tons He has published book the subject Of hi.
deIusion. which have not seem but which is under.
stood 10 acknowledge that his action judge-his
method OF arriving at results ia regard TO legal right.
and penalties been influenced and sometimes con.
trolled, by communications from the spirit land Tbs
New York Times makes the following remarks upon the
Judges book;
INDIE Edmonds ia the book referred TO, puts forward
the most authoritative statement OF the claims Of spiritual
ian, vet issued No read il without pronouncing il
one the shaowest impositions ever pacsed on human
crednity IL is boldly put forth new relgionsuper.
sedipp that of Chsi his did that OF Moses and destined
10 effect wha, Christianity has failed 10 accomplish, tho
redemption and regcne alton OF the world pretends
reveal the state occupations habits aud thoughts Of sps
after death and derive i,s knowledge directly from
sta, rncns of the spirits themselves It's evidences Of
three kinds first hs fact Of certain movements Of table,
&c pIicabe. IL is assumed other theory than
Of their being Produced by sprs-a mode Of
ing as ogc that Of those who assert that tho
made Of green cheese because nobody prove beyond
possibility doubt tina, 10 made Of anything else
ond the asserted TACT that future foreold by this
mode with such accuracy proves the knowledge TO BIO
assertion Of which. a. yet, we have ncv
seen hal as much evidence any fortune telling old
man in support of her prophetic skl and.
third the evidence Of III things revealed Judge
Edmonds appeals mainly to the last He has filled thick
book with written down by one Dr. Dexter, and
himself at the dicfattou mainly Of SwedenboY and Lord
Bacon-though communications arc also made By Clay,
Webster franklin. and Calhoun land alleges that they
90 unlike each olherthat each bears 20 unmstakeaby
the marks Of its imputed author, 10 vndicae the spi
us origin claimed Tor it, We have read the book through
and judgment upon 10 that no juggteE evsr attempted
holder experiment on public creduy than u involved
in this petence The alleged differences In style thought
and sentiment do not exists occasionally there 10 an awk
ward attempt vary The forms Of expression. but Il 10
kept ups The whole troop ofspirs all talk alike. In Eng
Itch equally bad, style equally affected and equally stuffed
with attempts poetic ine they all talk abost the
things in the same way aud not ono OF them utters
which any Of ordinary brains and literary prac
tce could shape, of which The great men to whom
they ascrbed in the lesh could possiby have
been guilty This pat Of the scheme the least sk OF
all attempts mposure Heands forgery of Shakspeare
and Rejected Addresses. infinitely better imta
lions any Of these pretended originals Any who
can read whit Judge Edmonds has here deliberately
down as the words Of Bacon. OF Swedenborg, of Webster
Clay and instantly detect the forgery 10 air game
for Peter Funk the himbe Iigger of the
"Grest ioce by way OF argument, is claimed for the
substance of these revelations Judge Edmonds 10 struck
with their beauty their snbliy, The elevated moray
they inculcate the doctrines they reveal and the motives
they furnish Tor upright and holy living In those features
fresh and conclusive evidence is found Of their spiritual
origin, and of their nanscendant importance This is
the merest hallucination. No predetermined to
them And any novelties in these moral nCulca-
tons. Whatever is good in them is stolen. bodily,
OF current moral and religious writings Tho
places OF Chrsany-the doctrines OF brothcIy love- OF
unsefsh charity, Of upright conduct Of faith In The
futue-are bodily put forward ricked of in the diluted
jargon OF the circle, revelations Just made,
through Dexer " Co. by their familiar spirits. Judge
Edmonds is guilty Of the foy-o harshsr tem--of
aging that the doctrine of the sonfs immortality now
tor the first lime, put beyond doubt We have read
book with all reasonable and defy Judge Ed
monds point out in these pretended revelations Of BA
con- Swcdrnbog and the single thought doctrine
now FIRST revealed adding anything substantial and
iu TO the OF human knowledge. The whole collection
is tumble Of common places, pue,ies and absurditiss
and the claim ha, they from The to whom they
ara ascrbed attempt popular creduy toe auda-
cious for the most comprehensive charity.
Throughout this isrrago OF revelations lhore 10
thread which unites them into systematic whole, aad
that's ther steady hostility to the essential elements OF the
Christian faith Sin Is simply misfotunshe result Of
circumstances. The doctrine The redemp expressly
denied. The claims OF Chrsaa revslaoa scoaied.
And distinctive article Of the Chris.
nith negauved by these pretended revelations and
for them 10 substituted simply the belief that the
world only proongs'ion. ascending scale, the
present Tie tendency Of the whole thngof all these
stories Of rpiri,appngs, published widely certain
quarters. where they do command iul cedi--is
10 create doubt and skepuca dsuus and undermine all
religions faith seMsz