The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-11-09
GhOstOlOgys

The philadelphia Bulletin says it is now four
ears since table turning and spirit rappings, with
their results of spiritual communication, hrst eX-
cited the laughter the wonder of the community.
Since that time it has steadily increased, and now
numbers among its adherents many thousands
who have gradually formed its dogmas into sepa
rate religion which directly conflicts with Chris
,ianity both in doctrines and in morals. The idea
that multitudes of people in America can believe
in such unmitigated nonsense as spirit rappng, Is
dscreditable in the extreme to the Boosted intell
gence Of our age and country. In all the pseudo
revelations of these humbug ghosts, not one truth
in religion, morals, science or anything else has
hqen disclosed which the world did not know before
No tact of any kind has been revealed which could
not have been obtained from other sources. The
most magnificent opportunities have been giver
she ghosts to establish their supernatural character
airing the progress of the Eastern war. VIVA
AS to keep them from giving daily bulletins of thu
progress of the siege at Sebastopol, towards which
nil ewes in the United States have been directed
with such intense anxiety. What was to proven,
them from daily communicating during the past
season to the farmers and business men of America
the most prompt and reliable information on those
absorbing topics the state of the crops abroad the
nation on these important subjects, would have at
once established the truth of their pretensons But
they never gave it. They were dumb as oysters.
They have afforded us no information worth hay
ing which we did not already possess, and they
have given us nothing new which is worth having.
What do sensible and practical Americans care
for NIL the nonsense about seven Spheres" and
the various occupations of departed spirits which
look like falsehoods ON the face of them, and
which even if true are of no sort of Importance
Let the ghosts tell us something which does not
rest on a mere sayso Amy one can declare he has
seen ghost, and ingenious persons can very east
ly, like the juggler Heller, perform marvellous
periments in spiritrapping, but, what reason have
we to believe spiritrapping to be i'll any case,
than iugglel Where are the miracles performed
in evidence of supernatural missionl Where
the prophecies fulflledl Where the new and val.
liable truths disclosed. Not one!
VIII some great philosopher explain to us why
these humbugs and isms of various kinds invaria-
bly, originate and are almost exclusively confined
to the North. Whatever may BIO the reason, such
is the unquestionable fact. This is very strange,
considering the magnificent pretensions they set up
to universal education, and infinitely superior EN-
lghtenment to the outside barbarians" south of
Mason & Dixon. Witchcraft, Mormonism, Fourier
ism, Socialism, Spirit Rapping, Anti-Rentsm, Free
Love-all find a congenal climate in the atmos.
phere of the Free States, whilst we never hear of
them in the wicked and ignorant South Will some
Free Soil philosopher explain this marvellous phe.
Perhaps one of the spirits would be
kind enough to rap out a solution?