Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-07-23
SDiritualis sii1 Revolving Doc.
frineS.

tEIucSs
The friends and advocates of moder1
Spiritualism held a convention Ravenna
on the 4th and 9TH. Among the sayings
and doings of Sunday, we find the follow
ing report in the Portage Sentinel:
'Sunday was a great day at the Fail
Grounds. The weather being fine, graat
number of persons were present. To at
tempt report of the speeches, or the sen.
timents' advocated by the several speakers,
would be toe great a task. Mr.. kellogg
of Newton Falls, was exceedingly desirous
to have it understood that he believed moth
ing in the Bible; that it was all lie, and
that only knaves and fools would pay any
attention to its commands. He believed
reason and intelligence to be supreme, and
was emphatieallya 'higher law" man.
He said that if "Jesus Christ were on earth
and should utter any thing contrary to his
views of right, he would not believe him
any sooner than if the devil had said the
same thing" One of the speakers said he
would not exchange places with St. Paul,
if he would give him heaven TO boot" A
Mr.. Robinson said be ''could live Just as
well without God, as God could without
him. He didn't thank God for anything"
At the close of the Convention, quite
discussion arose on the subject of Free
Love. 1t was advocated with mnch warmth
by several gentlemen and ladies. Mrs.
Coan, protested at length, against the in
corporation of that doctrine into the spir-
itual organization, and said that the Lord
created one man for one woman, and one
women for one man, that they might live
happily together, and concluded her re-
marks by saying that if such was part
and parcel of spiritualism, she wished to re-
nounce it Immediately. She was listened
to with attention, and won golden opinions
from the unbelievers. Mrs. Lewis, of Cleve-
land, replied to her, by saying that she
was in favor of universal freedom, and that
loving whomsoever she chose was part of
that freedom, and to confne her to love
one man was an abridgement of her rights.
She said that although she had one hus-
band in Cleveland, she considered herself
married to the whole human race. All
men were her husbands, and she had an
undying love for them She said also,
that "what business is it 10 the world
whether one man is the father of my chill
dren or ten men are? | have the right to
say who shall be the father of my off
spring"
There seemed TO be contrariety of opin-
ion on the subject, many rejecting the doc
trine as loathsome and Others approving
of it."
Speaking of Spiritualism in the same
article the Sentinel remarks:
The cause numbers among its support
ers many men of eminence anu learning.
The doctrines are embraced by men and
women of worth and character. 1t also
numbers among its adherents those who
are unprincipled and reckless. There were,
no doubt, many correct sentiments uttered |
by the speakers, but we have no hesitancy |
in saying that very many of the doctrines
preached on the fair grounds last Sunday
were disgusting to the Smoral sense and to |
the decency of any civilized community"
Do some men and women need further
proofs to substantiate the correctness, or
TO give additional force, to the following
from the award of the Cam
bridge Committee, Messrs. Peirce, Agassiz,
Gould, and Horsford?
at as the opinion Of the Committee, de-
rired from observation, that any connec-
ton NTH Spiritualisttc Circles, so called,
corrupts the morals and degrades the intel
iect. They, therefore, deem 1t their solemn
duty to warn the community against this
communicating influence, achich surely
tends to lessen the truth Of man and the
rurity of Uoman."