Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-08-21

We hnyo borstofofs given our opinion Of
sp;risu.lisfss, which, inbrief Is that Il is cal
culstod 70 destroy confidence in tho truth Of
man and virtue Of woman. For the benefit
Of 'fTrue Believers" we intend giving week
ly such Intelligence as we can procure from
the spirits and The earthly preachers Of this
doctrine Of easy morals. Read the letter
and comments upon il from the Cleveland
Herald which We give below;
spiritnalism I'm its Advanced stage.
II is tho one great duty Of journalists TO
point out the existence Of crime and deprav-
ity--even although it may be revolving to
good taste TO do so--that those who would
lead proper lives may shuu the pitfalls ly-
ing in their way. As doctor would give
a nauseous dose 10 work an ultimate good,
even at the expense Of a temporarily cap
sized stomach, so we publish letter written
by G.. F Lewis Of this city, TO the Detroit
Free Press, as showing to what depths
spisitualism is leading its votaries. That a
woman should be found, unblushingly, to ad-
vecate the revolving unwomanly doctrines
proclaimed by Mrs. Lewis, is strange indeed.
That husband of such a woman should
yield bis assent to the teachings Of her FREQ
love is "passing strange" When man
claiming responsibility, puts himself in that
position, he has, in our estimation, to take
but one step farther down, to be on level
with him who would make merchandise of
his wife and divide the proceeds.
In publishing this letter, too, we but COM
ply with the wishes of the writer, who, as
notoriety is all he seeks, cannot take excep-
ton to our comments. All he asks is to
have attention called to his letter, and we do
call attention to it as containing the most re-
voting doctrines-not to say beastly-ever
advocated by man. We give the letter as
an exhibition of ''advanced spiritualists." -
Mr.. Lewis claims the position of the "free
lovers" to be that of the inhabitants of Heav-
en-, where they neither marry nor are given
in marriage. It may be an attempt to Hsteal
the livery of Heaven to serve tho Devil in,"
but we hardly fancy the garment will pro
tect them so that the cloven foot if not the
tail and horns, will protrude.
When spiritualism has done its perfect
work in filling our Insane Asylums, in un-
sexing wives, in brutalizing husbands, in
rending family circles, in setting up the
Goddess Of Reason to be worshiped in the
shape of courtesan, then the honest devo-
tees Of this delusion will fee from its inAu-
cnce as from that which poisons soul and
body. Read the letter:
Joel Tiffany, Free Love, and Spirit
t'4 ualism.
To tie Editor of the Detroit Free Press,
observe in your paper an article from
MIR. Joel Tiffany commenting on the above
subjects, in which, among other things, he
says, referring to former article in your pa
per, 'the object is to hold up the advocates
of the doctrine of inter-communication be-
tween this and the spirit world as unbelie-
ves in the truth of the Bible" He AYERS he
has been spirtiualist and public lecturer
on the subject for seven years, during which
time he has become acquainted with tens Of
thousands of the same faith; among them
all he has never found SIR persons Dho ad-
poeoted the doctrine of free love-" Now,
am charitable enough to suppose that if Jo-
ol Tiffany's hand ever wrote this, some 9TH
or spirit controlled it Tiffany has been for
some years a frequent visitor at our home,
and warm personal friend he has been in
dozens of circles with Mrs. Lewis He,
with his friends and daughters have often
spent weeks at our house, and mingled with
out common friends, many Of them free
lovers. Ho knows as we'll as / do the
names Of more than twenty spiritualists in
Cleveland who are free lovers, and Joel
Tiffany knows that not one of them is infe-
rior to himself or his family, or any other
person on earth in moral purity. Why,
by any inuendo, or any other tone or man
uer of writing or talking, convey the i'm
preston that they are immoral, or advocates
of immortality, sceing he knows we are no
such people.
Again, the article signed by Tiffany says,
as to the faith of the spiritualists in the doc
trines Of the Bible, particularly the doctrines
Of Jesus, II can say that am full belize
YER in tho tencbings of Jesus, and so far as
I knoU my teachings meet aoith as general
response among spir;tualists as do the teach
ings Of any particular orthodox dognaas
among protesting christians" Twill not
speak for Mr.. Ts new followers, or those
slightly acquainted with spiritualism. But
that advanced spiritualists, especially those
long and intimately acquainted with Tiffany
and his teachings, believe what he teaches,
and respond to them because he teaches so
and so, with the same response that an
Episcopalian believes in the church doctrine
because the church says the Bible means so
and so, is, in my view, putting Joel Tiffany
up as authority in the place of the church
or the Bible. If this be SO, well might it
be asked, what is gained by this change -
Like the fox in the fable, / say, don't drive
off the old swarm Of priests, lest We be be-
set with more hungry swarm.
When Tiffany or any other man or wo-
mau teaches what we feel and know to be
true, advanced spiritualists meet his views
with a hearty response, and no further than
this. Tiffany is no moro authoity when he
don't teach the truth than any other man.
Again Tiffany says spiritualists have
moro faith ia the truths of the Bible than
any other class in Christendom. Every
man has faith in what he concives to be the
truths in the Bible or any other book.
Soef zyfany himself in common with
most advanced spiritualists. has no more
faith In the divine authority of tic Bible
than he has IN <Esop's faJlss, and was tie
first man on the Western Reseroe, in btis
.9fufe Mt EI,grio' Lorosx ros,,,f,, IN fire. tLe