The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-01-23

TeIatlols, anu SPEAK hui Ol lneln DuI Will IeaIS,
and our hearts are aching with the void of their
absence, these now sacred ones are making
sport for Circles of fanatics-that these holy
ones, in their immortality, are appearing Sin
spirit' through the person of a medium"
and gibbering nonsense, for which, if they
spake it in literal body, there would be no ex-
cuse except downright insanity. And yet
how often do we hear frena the "circle' in Ev
ansville that the spirit of such departed
friend has spoken to this "circle," and lament |
ed the unbelief of friends, and rebuked them
for not swallowing this greatest humbug of the
10Th century, the century of humbugs?
And not only the precious memories of these,
our late friends, are thus ruthlessly violated,
but the spirits of the great departed, whom
nations have mourned, are made to contribute
to the follies of circle of fanatics.
There is something in this, and in the thought
that any dear one now living may few days
hence be the spirit-tool of these weak-minded
persons, to abuse those who are weeping their
departure which create different feeling from
mere sorrow-a feeling of indignation at the
rude familiarity taken with the names and
memories of the loved and lost.
While mere Spritualism in itself may be
comparatively harmless, except to those whose
minds are crazed on the subject, it is the father
of other humbugs. Under it new race of
quacks have started, who are called Healing
Mediums" These profess to cure all man.
ner Of diseases, and by spiritual agency. There
is no doubt but that faith and a kind of animal
magnetism have worked cures in some cases,
under the handsof these spiritual quacks. But
faith alone has worked greater wonders and so
has animal magnetism alone. We have two
of these Healing Mediums among us-and
both females. One, being united to ''Water
Cure establishment, has harp Of two strings,
Ipure water ITSELF and the "sperits of just men
made perfeck'' to help. The other has ANNOUNCE
ed herself in a pamphlet as a professional
Healing Medium" and being thus before the
public cannot complain of the further adver-
tisement Of Incog's notice. She assumes the
position of a second Christ come to heal the
sick. She claims to have received her author
lily from the great Holy One himself In other
words, God has sent her here as he did His
Son in part, to heal the sick and perform mir
aclesi Was there ever more arrant blasphe
my? Is the widow Wakeman herself claim
ing to be a messenger sent to this world from
God, and that when she dies the world will
at once die and come to judgment-any more
lunatic than this female, who claims to be a
messenger Of God sent here to heal the sick
Not a bit more if our messenger is sincere-but
this doubt. She is a shrewd, smart woman,
and | cannot think believes one half the hum
buggery she practices But the reader may
not think it possible she claims her authority
from the Great and Holy One. All can say
is, if she do not, her friends have misstated
her claims-while the very quotations from
, Scripture on her pamphlet, claim about the
same thing. Now, how does this messenger
of Him proceed to heal the sick? Not much
like His Son, it is true. In one case have
heard of, and presume in others, she assumed
the spirit of an old Dutch Physician, who pal
6 avered around the patient at great rate the
messenger feeling her own body to find the seat
3 of the disease. But the Dutch gentleman be-
ing unable to effect cure, the spirit Of an In
dian Medicine" took possession of her body
and kicked up a terrible rumpus, chatterng
vehemently, occasionally dancing, and nearly
setting the neuralgia patient distracted by his
rough pats on the head through the messenger
This did not cure either, and probably the poor
sufferer would have had doctors of every ma
ton take his case into consideration, if he hat
not left. [ leave readers to make their owl
comparisons between this manner of healing
the sick, and Christ's, merely remarking thai
this latter-day messenger requires a fee from
those able to pay. How long this "Healine
; Medium" humbug will last in our community
: depends upon the amount Of superstitious g
u norance in our midst more than anything
e else
II My remarks have already extended far long
> er than had intended, yet have only touched
{ on this most iniquitous humbug of Spiritual
. ism. One evil which has grown out of it il
J New York, is the Free Love association.
{ hear runners of a Free Love society about be
ing started here. Let it be done, and there
d will be a rafting among the dry bones of those
h engaged in it, which will shake them out o
d this community, or my name is not Incog.-
j. But when man or woman so far bids farewell
: to sanity as to believe in Spirtualism, there j:
It no other species of fanaticism for which they
n are not ripe.
: In conclusion, [ will merely remark, that