The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-08-17

Mr. Rel replied that his inquiries Oh them
led him 10 suppose that there were no pal
n,hle ;nspenee from this cause. One oil the
I,o., ;ntsllirent and successful OF these in
nnhI;c nractice, Mrs Hayden, now in Eng
land. assured him that she was conscious OF
no mi ELECTS or feelings beyond the tedium
of nrolopged, monotonous sessions with her
crowd of visitors, whose wonderful recoSni-
tom Of deceased aunts, parents and friends,
although very surprising to them, were
thrice told tales" to her.
DIR, Cutler wished to know il DIR. Bell
sunposed that the medium was passing in
the mind OF the questioner.
DIR. Bell thought such was not tho case.
The mediums all concur land many Of those
in uriyate life, a, least, are OF the highest
worth-and, indeed, be believed that many
Of those who gratifed those Interested by
Maid sessions TO be no less worthy,) in do.
clarinr that they have no consciousness OF
any participation in what il goin. on be-
fore them. Nor could he sec, in the temper
amcn,s or other indications Of the mediums
ANYTHING in common. They run through n
wide expansion OF intelligence, from Judge
Edmonds down to the most moderate intel
lectual development.
DIR. Cutter inquired how DR.. Bell sup
posed the raps to be made.
The doctor admitted his entire inability to
suggest how, any more than why the mag.
netic needle shonld insist upon turning
toward the north instead Of ). ). Z.
DIR. Bell remarked that there were q great
number Of very curious facts connected with
the various branches into which these phe-
nomena had run OF, which he had not time
TO enter into tho consideration Of. lie con-
sidered them all as Of less intense interest
than the great question Ofthe yeritable ex-
istcnce Of the "Spirifs." Tho trance speak
ing. the impressions Of visual panoramic
order. the curious spirit-drawings, and
still other manifestations Of some OF them
Il is very difficult to make an explanation (;
others may hereafter be found in the class
of hysterico. nervous excitements, in which
the Individual. without any intention TO de-
ceigc, is so wrapped up an internal low OF
iancies % 20 lose consciousness oil external
things; vet the intellectual process goes on.
Srll other phenomena may perhaps be
proved 10 DC connected with the quality Of
the brain. II is undoubted that that organ
is like the ear and eye, each OF which Is
one Of two symmetrical duplicates. When
both oct concurrently, but enc class OF ef-
fects is produced. When the ear or eye be-
comes dislocated from its fellow, double WIS.,
ION AMI disturbed addition result. One eye
may be habituall passive, as seems to be
one perfect optic of the cros-eyed, and the
attention is not called to the images which
n presents, although these images may be
NIL distinctly pictured on the retina, and
nav. by some association or diseased action,
be subsequently, reproduced. The analogy
OF tho brain to these facts is shown in the
phenomena OF dreaming, when we do ard
saw and think things which are utterly for
eicn TO our habitual feelings and views, as
much as one mind could vary from another.
Or, again, il is illustrated in not unirequent
examples OF periodical mania, where, Tor
period of weeks, or months, or years, the
naticnt lives in n certain state OF moral, in
iellectual and affective existence, perfectly
unlike tho other remnant Of his life. Were
n new guide or governor known to enter the
sensorium and assume the reins, a more COM
plctely distinct set Of results could not be
expected In inebricty the same facts exist.
Tho phenomena OF impressions made up
on an organ, and aneward reproduced in
disea G, are common in the books.
DIR. Bell admitted that many Of the re-
spon.cs made b. the purportinS "spirits
oil your friends are so odd and unnatural, as
compared with your own thoughts or man
per Of speech, as 10 mako il difficult 10 be-
licvc that thcy ever came from your own
habi;ual brain-that is, that part Of your
l5GP SEMGhh dSiqhSSSffisgye''" "a r'SOoO''h'' tn
lie related an incident illustrative Of his
meaning. lie was once attending a seSs-
ion. or circle, where his position w0 at tho
bsttom Of long table, at the head olwhich
the medium sat, and on each side Of her
were some other persons. All had paper
and pencils in hand to minute down the re-
sponscs, &c. Owing to somo "want or har-
mony " or other cause, the "spirits" failed
in correct replies, and n good deal Of eonlu.
sion and repetition occurred. Often their
reply through the alphabet. was, "we don't
Know "ae can't tell" &c. DIR. Bell was
amusing himself, under these delays, in
drawing with his pencil grotesquc figure
Of an imaginary ANIMAL sort Of grilTn
with horns, tusks, &c. After one OF the re-
plies Of the "spirits" that they "didn't
Know" the doctor rather pettishly lined his
pencil from the paper and said, "Well, DO
YOU know what this Is The response
was at once raped out, Il" It is hard naming
that beast " As he was in q position
where no eye could overlook him, and where
no person beside himself could know what
was drawn, he was at loss to know out OF
whose brain, except his own, the quick rep
artee could originate. lie certainly had no
consciousness Of il.
DIR. Bell also mentioned other cases where
the idea in the qucsticner's mind was repro
duced, but in different phraseology from
that no held. A esprit" for example,
was asked where she had been buried
The true answer was ~. iugiStine. The
letter S was first raped no waited ut A.
having no idea that The contraction would
be used, but Il iras, the rap being made at
4.
DIR. Nichols inquired whether Dr.. Bcll had
any further experiences and observations in
the curious inherited rCrCr1 handwriting, of
which he had given an account last year.
DIR Bell replied that he understood tha.
mat W Nuctt hut
pencil began at the last letter Of the last
word of the last sentence, and run back rap
nly to the beginning, being also upside
doTn 20 the writer, was not uncommon, al
though he had not again met with it. In
che instance in his experience lately the
medium wrote in reversed manner, so that
the writing could be read in mirror, or by
bcin- held M To- the light, back TO the read
er-an obviously very easy thing as COM
pared with that just described.
DR.. Bell had seen many Of the esprit
drawings" which seemed like inconsruous
grotesquc specimens Of Chinese art-ilowers
fiuit and leaves being aggregated against all
precedcnts Of nature or laws Of botanical
philosophy. They were only remarkable
iiom being the production ofpersons unskill-
cd in The use Of the pencil. as wns declared
10 be the case. DIR. Bell concluded by re-
marking that he regarded the question,
whether spirits Of the dead had ANYTHING to