The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-06-25

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Now. if the motion of my hand was
produced by the influence Of spirits ex-
ternal to my body and mind should the
effect have been so great. How should
the mere exercise of moving my hand,
when produced by the agency of another
person, thus affect me2 1t may be said
that was frightened. and that my nerv-
Gus system Vas thus operated upon but
this was by no means the case. 1 could
talk as familiarly with the supposed spirit
as with an intimate acquaintance. I could
joke as much as l pleased, and really en-
joycd those conversations remarkably.
Secondly, always knew what vas
writing and although the thoughts pass.
cd through my mind unbidden, l could
always tell before | finished sentence
what it was to be. and often when asked
a question, could answer it just as we'll
without writing it at al as after writing
the answer.
Some may say that these were impress
sions made upon my mind by the spirits.
| reply. it is an assumption to say that
the spirits bad any thing at all to do
with these impressions, and shall show,
further on, that they may be accounted
for far more philosophicaily, without re-
ferring them to any such source.
Thirdly. if | was requested to write a
name which I did not know, l could not
do it. | was told to call upon the spirit
of Lewis Hancbctt, and request it to
write its name. 1t was Immediately
written, Lewis Hanchett. He had
middle name, says the person tell him
to write it. "Lewis George Hanchctt"
d" Not correct" Lewis William Han
chett" "Still wrong; the namc com
menced with b." Lewis Benedict
Ilanchett." Not right" Lewis Bur.
ION Hanchett" Wrong again the
name was Lewis Beebce Hanchett" 1t
was then Immediately written correctly.
Numerous other experiments of the
same kind were tried. and always with
the same result showing that it was ab-
solutcly necessary that should have the
idea in my mind before it could be writ
ten2 If it could. why did it not write it
without being told what it was?
Here is another fact bearing upon the
same point. which l have just been illus.
tating: In regard to the signatures
which | wrote, whatever idea l had in
my mind of those signatures. was faith.
fully written out. If | had formed a
correct image within, that image was i'm
mediately transferred to paper. and in
this Instance the autograph was correct
On TIE contrary, if | had a wrong i'm.
preston of tho handwriting, the auto.
graph would be wrong. If / never had
seen the signature, the writing would be
noarer like my own than any body's else
Hence it was that, although some Of the
signatures were strikingly correct great
majority bore not the loast resemblance
to The true one. Upon this principle we
may account for the fact (if fact it be)
that children, and persons not knowing
how to write, will make very good auto
graphs while calling upon the spirits II
is tho idea which Influences the muscles
aud thus imprints its image upon the
paper
Fourthly to test the reliability Of the
prophecies, record of the weather for a
week 20 come, was called for and written.
The sequel showed that the spirits were
most Infamous liars. or else they were
miserable almanac makers, for they did
not come within forty rods Of the mark.
In fact, my spirit friends never gaze nc
one particle Of affirmation, IN regard
10 matters Of achich I,eas ignorant, mp.
on ach,ch I coufd place the least dcpen-
dencc. need not say that the whole
story about the legacy was n fabrication;
the letter which | was to receive, some
how, never reached me, and the dead re-
lative was only spirituality dead, for he
is now alive aud we'll. All !" says tho
spiritualist, ] see you have been impos-
ed upon b. lying spirits" Very likely;
but how, in the name Of all tha. is sa-
cred, am / to decide what the character
Of my communicating spirit is ! call
upon the spirits of those whose character
for veracity aud candor on earth was un.
impcachablc, and, relying upon their
statements, | find myself most egrcgiouS-
~ deceived BY their fruits ye shall
know them," says the spiritualist. True
spirits speak of things divine false spir'
ITS talk Of things of time" What you
mean to say then is this, that those spiT-
its who tell US of any thing we arc capa.
bio of testing arc liars while those who
tell us Of something Of which We shall
never learn the truth or falsi,y till We
pass to that bourne from which no trav
eller returns, are true spirits, But how