The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-07-01
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Boston Conricr, April 18th.
Modern SpiI iIitualism.


A few years ago. we were accustomed
on all frstal occasions, to olvbrate the
ln'ellec'ull glories Of the present age.
We have not wholly abandoned tho prac.
tIce now. We listen with complacency
to the statements annually made. by vii.
lage town aud city authorities. as to the
RAPID Progress Of education III our Com.
m"nwcalIh. We look back with con.
tempt ani pity TO the supers,ilions and
deiu IONS uudcr which our less cnli.ht.
eued cc>tors laborcd Mr.. Upham's
admiral book on the wilchcraft impos.
tur's fils US Eith astonishment and
we congratulate ourselves, 10 our over.
weeulnS scIf'estimation, that we live in
later and better age In the midst
OF tins seit'gl"rlica,ion, there springs up
III RAPID growth new uusion--sprcad.
l"g far aud WITHDRAWING the most
hidcous evils In its traiu--more extra
ordinary than ever appeared in the
woriG'a history. 1t may seem a strong
assertion TO make. We make it advi
sedly. We say it deliberately, that any
man, who should twenty years ago have
predicted the present state Of things in
Massachusetts. would have been sco fled
at as a Iibollcr of the common sense of
tho Old Bay State. Twenty years hence
II any one shall describe truthfully what
is now taking place every day and every
night, in hundreds of circles. ho will
scarcely be believed The prevalence
OF the belief in the claims of the so called
ppirltualism, aud the supersttous per.
formance Of its rites. are certainly a.
mong The things that future generations
will find 1t hardest to credit The diff.
Guilty attending this new species of su-
perstitlon lies, not in explaining what is
actually done by the mystagogues aud
witnessed and testified to by the neo.
phytes, but it Is in comprehending aud
-eAl lnu'ng how so many people can-5e
brought uuder So gross and disreputable
a deluson.
We assert it os a fact that the " Fox
girls, MS they are callcd-and rightly
named they ore-who began the impos-
ture, have been many times detected
twice within cur own knowledge in the
nick, BY which they nevertheless con-
lluue to cheat so Many willing victims.
The same is true Of many others. The
female medium, who SO long astonished
the wonder. r.seekers Of Boston, and who
made SO profitable business for short
time by cheating the nobility and gentry
Of London, has been again and again ex
posed Mr.. Hume, the greatest wonder
worker If all, who is said to have lately
puzzled the Emperor # the French by
style OF !egerdemain superior to his
own, could not be induced TO exhibit his
performances. where it was understood
that ga Professor in the Scientific
School " intended to pierce the spiritual
hand with dlsscctiug knife, which he
was known to weld with uunerring pre-.
cision.
We assert it as an ipdisputabe fact,
that where tpi precautions have been tax.
en-, which exclude tue possibility Of fraud
or deception, the pretended phenomena
If spiritualism haue not taken place
Even the most common and easily pro.
duccd result such as tie moving of
table, has not uRDer these conditions,
taken p(Ice. We further assert. that in
all cases where the Phenomena hare oc
curred, the conditions and arrangements
have been made by the medium, or ex
hibitor, which were favorable to fraud
Rooms have been Garkeued tables GOV.
cred with table-cloths, aud the specta
tors not allowed to look under lhem
persous showing disposition to scrutinze
have been denounced as unbelievers, and
politely requested to leave the circle, for
the alleged reason that the spirits re.
quired their absence as a condition pre-
sented to the performances, These ore
facts, known to all who are in the habit
of frequeuting she spiritualst circles.
The uystagoguos Of the new sect have
great advantages allowed them over the
jugglors Houdin of Paris, aud Signor
Bliiz, two Of the most Ingenious aud en-
lertaining OF their class. do not think of
asIing such privileges. The works
they perform are performed under real
difficulties, and how much superior are
lhcy 70 the best Of the performances ex
hh eI by the mediums, Of whatever
s.l.l
We lag down another proposition,
uhicb No ona ,v ho hos lnokah into lha