The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-04-19

1
exhibited condition termed coma, trance
or catalepsy; wherein the soul would seem
to have shaken Off lis carnal letters, and ia.
kencognizance of whatever attracted its re-
gard, in absolute defiance Of physical imped
iments is as well established as any fact oI
unusual occurrence. "a,
There are many mental phenomena in the
cases of persons MORALLY diseased, keenly
suffering or partially insane which no philoso-
pheT has yeiexplaned, and yet which we mus,
adnihexisf. And these should admonish usno,
10 deny anything because we cannot under.
stand il at once Electricity is guilty Of many
nnsccounlable pranks, and the manner ia
which our impressions Of external objecis are
carried over our nerves to the mind is very
poorly understood. And yet, because some
strange things are real, it By no means fol.
lows that We must admit every claim under
the mysterious.
The adventurers who call up the spirits OF
Washington and Franklin to beat tattoo on
the table or teach the chairs zig for dol.
lar from each of the audience, are not such
| philosophers as nature generally selects for
her ministers. From these you will learn
nothing TO make you wiser or better. But
table rsppng and the evocaion of spirits is
not the substance of The new philosophy, and
so fat as these go you will agree with me
that we might dismiss the subject. But
there are conditions Of the human mind that
deserve our attention There are times when
il builds world Of spirits within ITSELF
Then again memory uniies with The organs
or nerves of sight, and the past stands re.
ally before us Tor time. Hope aud magi-
nation join with the nerves of sight and the
world of the future is opened TO our vision
until flesh and blood dispel the revere. I'm
pulse and energy then often aid 10 realize
the picture ofthe day dream.
Nicolai Prussian bookseller and gen.
tleman of intelligence, was want to amuse
himself BY watching The phantoms ,ha, arose
before his vision when the action ofhis brain
became dsordered. Sometimes he could
scarcely distinguish them from reality, for
they blended with the company into which
he entered in the most amazing and natural
manner. They appeared TO him as distinct
ly ms if they were alive, exhibiting different
shades Of flesh color in The uncovered parts,
and great variety in the colors and fashions
of their dresses. He also imagined he heard
their voices when they seemed 10 be iaikiug
10 each other. He never pretended there
was any thing supernatural in the phenome-
ma but well knew that his Imagination was
only taking free sweep unfestrained by the
guide of his judgment and comparison
When he wished TO dispel the strange visi-
tors he simply used the means 10 restore the
brain 10 healthy s,aie But Blake, the
painter, seems, according 10 CuHningham's Is
memoirs of him, 10 have possessed the pow
er ofcalling up such phautasms al will, though
still they sometimes so mastered his judg-
ment that he confounded them with realities.
He was in the habit OF conyersirg with an-
gels, demons and heroes, and taking their
hkenesses, for at his request they in general
sat very patiently until he had transferred
them to paper. Yet no petson ever saw any
thing supern atural in this Andrew Jackson
Davis who is the head and front of Spiritual
lem, and has given il all the character ii has,
confesses that he wrote his FIRST and best book
as a Mesmerst and not as a Spiritual medi-
um. By examination we will also find lkst
all the pretended communications from the
sphere of spirits partake of the character of
the medu inns mind, and not oil that mind
from which il is pretended they come This
alone should be enough TO explode all claims
to the pretension of the spiritual or supernat-
ural, Sf
But there are connexions between minds
that have never been defined by human ken.
There are Instances where one mind reads
the thoughts Of another before the words are
spoken, jus, as if each was part Of the 9TH
or. When soul answers soul as by d mag
nelc thrll--when passion and sentiment are
inspired as if by magic--when mind moves
its fellow as If bound by chain or when
will communicates to mind as BY an electric
touch--lhe natural phenomenon seems won
dfous strange 10 us. And yet we see those
things in such way that though unaccount-
able they are common occurrences Wesee
them SO often that by familiarity we cease
TO feel the wonder and mystery there is in
them.
There is nothing supernatural in one
mind becoming the type Of another. The
skeptic can see common illustration of il
if he will watch the power of true affection
--filial, fra,ernal or one closer yet. He can
find cases where one mind moves the other
as by magic thrill--whete the thought is
read before j, is uttered-whsre the same
thought, in fact, inspires two minds until
the very faces seem to grow more like-aye
knit in kindred sympathy until even green
eyed envy shrinks back appalled, at the holi-
nessapf the mystic charm, and only infamy
would loose the tie.
Or go see eloquence inspire the throng
and when the fire flashes from the soul-lit
eve and burns conviction on the unwilling
mind confess the mystery that moves the
will. II is not the smooth utterance of hon
led words in measured phrase and tone that
can calm the turbulent assemblage, or make
stout-hearteG men weep like children, bu,
there is villa soul-an earnestness--a
mario power heilipd the dull. cold words