The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-01-23
FACTS AND FANc1Es ABOUT TOWN.
The Spiritual Humbug.

MR.. EDIToR:-lt seems to me, that When
humbuggery in every possible FORM by It's
profusion and it's apparent connection with
almost every actor and action IN the lie
around us has become disgusting to the human
heart, men set deliberately to work humoug-
ing themselves. Some pursue one wild pnan-
tasy and some another. One follows the
beckonings ofa phantom in science, another
in politics and third in religion. One con-
fines his self.delusion to things material and
of earth, earthy-another boldly steps beyond
the portals of earth and humanity, and hum
bugs his very soul. We look with astonish-
ment and pity, at neighbor pursuing some
scientific impossibilty by which he calculates
upon upsetting ancient notions and startling
even modern progress, but we regard with
mingled feelings of contempt and indignation,
that other neighbor, who but month since a
man of the world and a despiser ofreligion, has
suddenly built up or taken to himself as his
own, some equal impossibility in religion, by
which new kind of Heaven is to be created
or the old one reached by some patent means,
with the one result in both, cheating the devil
ofhis just dies.
j We pity the poor selfdeluded or selfhum-
plugged man, who is wasting precious time
and probably rare genius in trying to invent
that mechanical impossibility the perpetual
motion-but we must loathe that soul hum
bugger, who under the name of Wakemanite,
believes an old insane bag has been raised
from the dead to represent Omnipotence itself
So long as this selfhumbuggery is innocent,
or but confined to individuals, and seeks not to
strengthen itself and its influence by deluding
others into it's fatal meshes, it is no matter Of
public interest, and certainly should be nc
matter of public censure. But when it as
sumes the form of regular organization, and
the few have the strength of unity and method
to forward their designs or to widen and
deepen the evil influence of their decisions
and one apparent design of the organization is
) to propagate their dangerous beliefs and tc
} secure more adherents, then, not only is it q
matter of public interest, but pre-eminently
calling for public investigation, and if necessary
} Tor severe pubic condemnation.
1t has been probably two years since
''Spritualism'' first made its appearance il
this city, and it was discovered that Evans
| vile had its Foxy mediums as we'll as Roch
ester a ''circle' was formed, and it had al
ready occasioned some excitement and wal
promising a wide and dangerous influence
when we'll aimed editorial from your pen, Mr.
Editor, exposed it's deformity and exhibited it
perils, and for a time the serpent appeared
killed. then thought, and now think, yol
made some persons ashamed of themselves, ant
, although the belief within them might no
: have been disturbed, they feared public ridicul
= and public opinion too much to openly seel
:, the further strengthening Of Spiritualism her
= at that time. But lately, Spiritualism ha
made new start in this city, and now ''circles
are held at stated intervals, and privat
: house can no longer accommodate the 'medi
ums'' and their deluded followers.
The evil is spreading, and men and womel
who have heretofore been regarded as at leas
sensible people, though not as educated persons
have given themselves up to belief which
true, would stamp all interpretations of tn
= Bible held by the prominent religious sects {
= the day, as monstrous lies. But, my dea
y sir it is needless to charge that man VIII
" believes in Spiritualism is necessarily an il
: fidel. One Of their leading members in this cit
. has already bored an audience three hours 6
- one sitting to prove that Spiritualism is sus
. tanned by the Bible, and to deny that it is, ma
be to invite a similar infction on another aud
. ence, fer the same one he can never get t.
gether again, even though golden dollar az
= companed each invitation. 1t has only bee
~ comparatively recently, that these monstrou
- doctrines have been referred to the Holy Boo
o for solution. 1t was only after the religion
world had become shocked by the very nor
:. strosity of the tenets of Spiritualism, tia
Spiritualists boldly declared that the Bib
itself sustained them. Now, men too gnorar
- to correctly write any mortal language of maj
are expoundng the immortal words Of tn
= :. Scriptures, to prove that Holy Book give
: authority for the most ridiculous tom-fooler
= and absurd nonsense that ever drew forth tn
= contempt and pity of civilized men.
Is it not singular, that there is spirit Ian
of different spheres, with the spirits of whic
j. this world can have direct communication, an
t. on the most trivial subjects; and yet the di
IS covery of this spirit land and its immortal 81
E. crets have been left to this age, and to ju!
,e such persons as are called 'Spiritualists''
st Evansville! Is IL not singular, that the spl
l. ;tc of the invisible world Should have for anl