The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-04-29

The Spiritual Rappcrs in Congresses
Speech OtGcn. shields Upon Spirit
nj Manifestations.
We publish below theycry interesting and
amusing speech delivered by our Senator,
General Shields, in the United States Senate
Oh Monday last, in relation to the spiri,ul
manifestation phcnomcua,
Mr. Shields dcm.j Of III! beg leave to
present to the Senate petition, with some
fifteen thousand names appouding to II, upon
a very singular and novel subject. The pc.
,iioncr- represent that certain physical and
mental phenomena, Of m,,,,,..15 import,
have become 50 prevalent in this country
and Europe as to cngross large share Of
public attention. \ partial analysis of these
phenomena attest the existence -. OF an
occult force which is exhibited in slidius.
raising, arrosting, holding, m.pcnding. and
otherwise disturbing poudcrablc bodies, ap-
parcntly in direct opposition to the ackuowl-
edged laws Of matter, and uansccuding the
accredited power at the human mind -
1aughtcr) ,, Lights of different degrees
of intensity appear in dark rooms where
chemical action or rhosphurlc illumination
connot be developed, and where there are no
means of generating electricity or producing
combustion. daughter,
..,,,......'.,. ,.', ~ "a w.
.;,,.,,,,.,. "'''' W,
mysterious rapping, indicating the presence
ui invisible intelligence. Sound. are often
heard like those produced hy the prosccu-
ton of mcchunical operations, like the hoarsc
mHrmnr Of the winds and waves, mingled
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~ -" p9 ~" " cur re-
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nave '''' i''''''''' "'''o"' az! ''''o'e a-
.'i 'n' i','''"h' oI inc human hod!
ana 'n'"l are lhii"'",'H ~ what appears I"
we '''V''" "'hoF"n' '",'S 81 the sy't,in'
-! ''.','I ,,o' 5,' '''' '"",E UNDERSTOOD or
,,o,, ",,',. ~, VI II''','''
In,,' NC 'l'' '''' "''H'"' "i-
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.,.;l.'i ''''' .'''' nun
I;,Ii. .''' '''" WIZ! ~!
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'',,.'' ,,,;, S'''. ''.'' WV oPnc
,,,.,i ,L,'.,,','', ,',,i ,'. '',I o''s'i VI
,'a,,., and ,l,. i,,lI;,..,',. ~ .u,rt"d .,ir.
i. onc,,,,,., , u,,o, ,L. element. ,,bicb n,r.
,.,In ,u ,,1,,,,,.I ,.,,,s, ,hr o,h,r ,rir,,s
,L;e ,orclu.i,p and ,uu,r,ds that all those
result. ,,o, bc ,,,.utt.J f,r ia \ r,tio,,l
,,d s,ti.,,,tor, ,n.pr,r Tl,r mrunri.,Ii,t.
wLiI. tbu. li..',,.,iu,, "a, f., tlr ra,,.r ron.
cur in ,ririnr -. tn tlr orr,,rr,nr. ot mi.
allr,od ph,pomcuo. and in yirv Of the ofigin
nnt,,rc and hcorir. ur,u the interest, Of
mankind demand for them a paiicrt, ririd.
scientific investigation. and r,qucs, the ap.
pointrncut Of a scientific commission loT that
purpose. have given faithful syi,cvsis Of
thi, petition. which. however unprecedented
in itself has hrcn prepared with singular a.
bilitv. presenting the subject with great deli.
cary aud moderation. make it a rule 10
present n petition to the Senate which is res.
pcct(ul in its terms, bat having DISCHARGED
this duty. NAV be- permitted to say that
The prcyaIcncc of this r,plu>iou ot this ace of
the world. amongst any considerable portion
Of our citizcus. mus, Originate. i'm my otinion.
in defective system of education. or in n
partial arrangement of the mental faculties,
produced bv a diseased condi' on Of the
physi,al organization. | cannot. therefore.
believe that il prevails to the extent indica
ted in this petition.
Different ages of the world have had their
peculiar d,lu,ione Alchemy uccupicd the
attention of eminent men for several ccntu-
ricS; but there was something ,ublirc in al.
chc,nv. The rbilosophcr's stone. or the
trunsmutatiun uT base metal into pold-thc
elixir vitae. or water of life which would
preserve yo,,th nud beauty npd pr,ycrt old
nrr. decay. and death. were blessing which
poor humanity arlcntlv desired. and which
alchemy sought to discover by perseverance
and pic,y
Roger Bacon, one Of the greatest alchc-
mistS and greatest men Of the thirtccnth cen
ury, while searching for the philosophers
stone, discovered the telescope, burning gIaS-
SeS' ana guhpoWder' Inc prosecution "l
tLat Ielusion Ieh therefore l" II number ct
useful discoveries. In the SiNtccnthc"ntu
n"urlshcd cornelius Agrlppa. aStrPloEcr and
magician-.onc oi the greatest professors OF
htfm,'c plni"N"phy 'hat ever hNch lie had
all the spirits "t the air and demons OF the
earth uud'r his command paUius JoylouS
says that the devil, IN the shape OF large
black dog, attended Agrippa Wherever hc
went Thomas Nash says, that ut the re-
guest oi Lord SUR Erasmus n ot' er
learned men, Ag1pla called up from the
grave several oi the great philosophers OF an
tiqnlty; among others, luly, whom he cauS'
ed to re.dclivcr his celebrated Grafton for
RoS'ious, to please the Emperor Charles the
Fourth. Tie summoned klng David and
kng Solomon from the tomb, and the En-
pcror convcrNcd with them long upon TIE
science oi government, This was glorious
exhibition OF spiritual manifestation OF the
present day.
will pass over the cc.cl rltcd parcclsus,
for the purpose of making alusions to an
fnglishman with whose ycracious history
every one ought tomahc himself acquainted
In the sixteenth crn,,,",::v ". Dee made such
nr,,,r,ss In ,hr ,,lisr,,ni, .,,,irs ,L,, Lao