Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-27
Reply to Miss Sprague.

EDITOR FREEMAN.-In the Freeman OF the 9th
inst, your critic says, " If A. S. B. docs not
consider himself answered. there are some who
will, when they read the reply of Miss Sprague."
do not consider the Reply an ansper to my
late article on Funeral Rites. / had decided.
however, to avoid an ALLEGATION with this vain
and deluded female but as some consider the
reply transferable, would briefly review some
part of it.
l. Miss S. says, g That did attend the fun
eral of m : father and through me was given
the discourse, l admit without blush, without
an apology" She then seeks to justify herself
BY the fact, that the Bev. Mr.. Baldwin intend
ed to have oificated at the funeral Of daugh-
ter of his Thus the attempt to justify herself
by precedent which in fact never existed But
suppose Mr.. Baldwin had oficiated at the fune-
raj of his daughter, il would afford her no pre-
cedent, because in order to justify by precedent,
the cases must be analogous Mr.. Baldwin is
pious orthodox minister Then what analo-
gy, or relation between him and a speaking me-
dun? They certainly stand in a very differ
ent relation in view of the Christian commune
ty But she says, g If Ispoke of myself with
out Spirit Power, as many try to believe, there
would have been no more improperly in it than
would have been in his (Mr. Baldwin's) case"
If, because she assumes to speak with Spirit
Po,Der, there was no improperly in her officia-
ting at the funeral of her father, then, because
E Alexander the Great, assumed to be a god,
there was no improperly in his being worship
ped as SUCH But there is a wide difference be-
tween mere assumption and proof. What proof
have we that that Miss S. speaks with Spirit
Power, since many females who do not claim
the special gift, exceed her in public speaking?
If she is SO infatuated as to suppose that many
try to believe" instead of fully believing, thai
she speaks i" OF herself without Spirit Power?'
1t is admitted by the leading Spiritualists that
belief lie involuntary; therefore to speak of try
- ina to believe or not to believe, is their non
4 sense.
O 2. The strange ceremonies at the funeral of
&, Mr.. Sprague, were not only source of regret
9 and modification to some of the friends of the
= deceased, but a subject of general remark.
Miss s. says, Though our friends and neigh
. bors, even those who were shocked at our wide
q departure from common customs, were very
kind to u.s. &c. Then why complain of me
. for stating what she herself is pleased to con-
:, firm? 1t was by the request of some of the
8 friends of the deceased, who were shocked'' at
81, /
Gle that has given so much offence to the Spirit
- ualists. She admits that Spirituallsm :" dries
the fountain of tears, but denies that it serves
6 to harden the heart and eradicate the tender af
fections, as remarked. 1t is a well known
20 fact that wild enthusiasm serves to produce this
;. sad effect. 1t is too obvious to be denied, that
&c Spiritualism is wild enthusiasm, or, an absur
J. dity that leads to nothing but absurdties. The
r, Spiritualists have no settled creed, and their
- doctrines are as contradictory as absurd Har-
: ris, their great bard, sings of 'sthe morning
~ dreams of God" Davis calls Christ "a little
~ parsonage" Gardner says that angels have ma
&c terial and solid limbs but no tongue, and an
other says they have tongues, and converse with
SO mortals daily. One believes that the daguereo-
Mt types of departed spirits may be taken,-an-
9, other believes they might be taken by skillful
no Spiritual artist, but supposes they would be in
it visible to the gross eyes of unbelievers One be-
We leves that we are about to be accommodated
ut with second moon,- another dsbelieves it, be-
in cause he supposes it would derange the solar
nd tbipGo ~ rrohoh1a thof NV
some harmonious arrangement, the moon will
en- be made to rise invariably at sunset
Lrs These " are but parts of stupenduous WHOLE
Whose body error is, and { fraud the sou
~ 8. Although our Savior wept at the grave Of
r lazarus yet Miss S. seems to condemn his ex-
10 ample and quotes scripture in order to prove
that the christian ought not to lament in tears
- the death of relatives and friends. She quotes
Il the following words of David, who had tasted
" long, and wept during the fatal illness of his
!, child sc While the child was yet alive, fas-
~ ted and wept: for said, Who can tell whether
God will be gracious to me, that the child may
live" But now he is dead. wherefore should
Il l fast p The question " wherefore should
!. fast" does not tend to prove that he did not
- ,ceep at the death of his child. If he had said,
~ &C wherefore should FAST and Oeep, it would
not prove that he did not weep after the death
of the child. But David did weep and utter
lamentations on the death of relatives and
~ friends. In his lamentations on tbs death of
;, Saul and Jonathan, he says, " Ye daughters of
~ Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scar
let" At the funeral of Abner, &C David him
:. self followed the bier, and lifted up his voice
and wept at the grave of Abner and all the
hit people wept." On the tragical death of his
in son, Amnon, David's sons came, and lifted up
n their voices and wept; F" and David and all
On of his servants wept very sorely." And again,
-, on learning that his son Absalom was slain,
David " was much moved, and he went up to
b. the chamber over the gate, and wept" 1t
= would seem that Miss S. is very unfortunate in
-, her appeal to the example of David Will she
N, plead her ignorance of the scriptures, or ac-
knowledge her intention to deceive by a gross
perverson of her quotation from David? She
us declares, that's David made no bitter lamenta-
lily lions at the funeral of his child" Is this dec
SITS laration supported by the slightest evidence
70, Did She to use one of her fvorite expressions,
ow Roll back the tide of ages" and have dis
let tinct view of the funeral of his child? Has
nd she received a communication from David, or
or from any one who attended that funeral Spir-
itualists, it seems, are sometimes, favored with
MI very singular views and impressions Davis
nat after DENYING the validity and r;dcunr tho his