New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-06-01
The Connection Between Modern Spiritual
Ism and Electro-BIology.

An article translated from the Independence Beige
for the New York Evening Post attempts to explain
the startling performances Of Mr. Hume, the great
spirualist upon natural principles, referring it to
class of phenomena not much less inserutabe than
anything ever produced by the rappers, Electro
Biology. We extract the following:
As somnambulism exists spontaneously in certain
individuals, so we firmly believe that the abnormal
state, which is called electrobioogy can also exist
spontaneously, or, at any rate from causes unknown
to those who enter inyoluntariy into this peculiar
state. We have shown, by experiment. that less than
two minutes suces sometimes to produce this state,
without touching the person and even without en-
ploying galvanism and that sometimes it resembles
normal state much that it cannot with certainty
be recognised, except by its effects.
Let us imagine meeting OF men and women
whose minds are more less affected by the super
natural. A species Of terror at once seizes upon
the majority of women when the hero Of the occa-
sion, the operator, arrives. His appearance is
strange, his mien grave and self possessed he eau
tons the ladies not to be alarmed, and to prepare
themselves beforehand with vinaigrettes and other
specifics against fanting physical debility. The
room is darkened and all the accessories induce
physiological condition of fears, curiosity and belief
that certain supernatural and unknown things are
about to become visible.
THIS condition is, in our belief, nothing else than
certain phase of the biological state Some OF the
company believe and will anything; others partly
believe and will see something's Others do not believe
at ALL nor wish to believe are not moved and conse
quently see nothing. This is the reason of the dis
crepancies of opinion which prevail among persons
present on such occasions The following statement
is related by a trustworthy person who assisted at
one of Mr. Hume's reunions. All the candies except
| one were put out, and many spirits summoned, the
greater part of whom failed to appear but this per-
| son saw distinctly Lamartine, who had been sum-
moned, with many personageS of antiquity. Lamar.
tine seemed to him less material than actual man;
his face perfectly distinct but his body less So
and OF blue color. The majority of those present
saw Lamartine more or less distinctly because they
knew him, and could imagine his presence, but they
did not know the faces and costumes of the ancents
1t may be objected that people bioogized, when
they return to the normal state often forget part of
the things they have seen We believe that the rule
is to remember and to forget the exception. But it
is possible that the archaeological state produced
by manipulaons may differ from the same state pro-
duced spontaneously in intensity, and by being sue
ceeded by a species of torpor which affects remem-
brance OF certain facts. The fact that Mr.. Hume
| found a greater number of persons who experienced
this slight forgetfuness shows the large proportion
of those who are susceptible of eectrobiology.
Electrobioogy presents certain phenomena analo-
gous to those of magnetism, but the differences are
anumerousand decided-the principal one being thata
person biologzed is perfectly awake. One of he per
sons upon whom we were experimenting, said, Ii
should remain SO for few minutes, believe should
go to seep;' and yet, without knowing it, he was
completely in the archaeological state.
When we read in history of the apparitions and
feats of sorcerers, enchanters and witches, are
struck with their similarity to the phenomena of som.
vandalism, and particularly of electro-bology. At
the present day, we can produce at will the most ex-
traordnary Illusions accredited to the of the
middle ages, such as changing human being into
| brute, and making him believe himself wolf or
dog, and walk all fours and bark. Can wonder,
after this, at the number of those unhappy persons
who confessed to wandering by night in the form of
wolves, or that they We're burnt by dozens? 1t is
time that these things should be understood.