The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-06-22
Rnarasualisu1.

A p,ston nevvspaper the Ledger, "ou'y 'A"e'
nm the cudsel In behalf Of Spiritua"'ni Hn' ''eA
10 rebukes one Of It's Northern coh'euipo'~'.''
-, "a a.. ,.merity TO recommend the police
...sn.;,,.. .. Law violent hands on the spiritual
- rs. ,edrsr contends that any legal in-
r.. ,he suppression Of spiritualism,
;re,feetual as that employed during
"'..u excitement In New England. The
'ue -, ,rt,ms,es his belief In the supernatu-
-, character of wscheraft and says that some o.
49, ,,,ns related by aohessts at that period seem 70
~ a. R established By the eridence as aas other facts
,r. b,fn ;clich ,oers Of ordinary character And
bs contends that were we to imprson the media of
the present day, there Is reason to believe that
those phenomena, formerly attributed TO witch
craft, aud lately to aesmtric influences, would be
awfuy aggravated.
After this, we are somewhat prepared for the
astounding declaration which be proceeds TO make,
that from facts which have been accumulated du-
RUG the last twenty we years, facts carefully Sc
iected out of those which are most positVe'y
proved by the best of human testimony, we are
obliged TO infer that the human race rs encstopea az
fluid ,ckich establishes a Communication otfTeea
different iadiuidnals at the nearest or most remote
distances from each other that under certain COM
capable of being manifested, and that when the
communication is fairly established, 1t confes upon
one person Me poacer, to certain extent o. S"oOS
the secret thoughts of Others. Certain other powers
are likewise excited by the same influence such
rs the power of moving insnmate objects oy the
force of the will the power of being, tor . time,
possessed of the faculties of some other person,
and enabled thereby to perform operations, which
the patient cannot perform when out OF the sphere
OF this mysterious influence The difficulty lies IN
explaining the cause of these phenomena He 10
doggedly obstinate or incorrigibly stupid who re"
fuses TO assent to the truth of at least half OF the
facts which are recorded. The most intelligent
people In the community admit that tables nave
been moved by some unaccountable agency that
certs in persons in trance have unconsciously
played games of skill, with which, in their wake-
full state they were totally unacQuainted; that
others have received in different ways communis
cation offacts which were before entirely unknown
to them; all tending to show that there Is power
either natural or supernatural above US and around
us, with which some persons have obtained COM
musieation, and by which they are enabled to speak
words and to perform actions that partake of
miraculous character"
1t is some what surprising TO see in q Boston
newspaper an ave wal in the belief of witchcratt
Any swallow which is capacious enough, 1t this
time of day, to receive the exploded marvels OF
the time of Cotton Mather, take down airy
humbug no matter how bold and preposterous.-
So long as there are plenty of knaves in the
world, and plenty of fools for them to operate
upon, we can account for the phenomena Of spir'
itualsm as we'll as of witchcraft without reference
10 supernatural causes.
Will the Ledger explain why this nonsensics
superstition, which assumes the name of science
numbsrs among its votares 30 many weak, cre6u'
Ions, nnpressible people. and so few highly edu'
c,sed persons, whilst the whole scientific world o.
Europe and America, the whole enlightened un'
Outstanding of modern civilization, scouts it as q
shallow and abomuable imposturei