The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-03-03

No SpirituaiSt of America Is Il irmrr believer IN th'
agency Of disseminated spirits, or in oar power of com
municat;ng with Them, than are the Chinese. They
have mediums, circles, table. turnings, AMI spirit writ
:ngs, and 20 through all these processes with as much
gravity, sincerity, and pecuniary profit, as do an,
modern American nccromancers The common mode
If practising the art, we learn from the Rev. MIR. Cul
bertson, of the Presbyterian mission at Shanghai. in his
book entitled, Darkness in the Flowery Land is that
n which the spirit takes possession If the body OF the
necromancer. and utters through his or her organs the
desired response. In this case the performer is wrought
upon by lamentations, until thrown into a kind of frenzy,
or into something like the mesmeric sleep, and while
thus in a state of insensibility, his utterances are re-
gardcd as infallible. The inquiry may relate to th'
issue of a disease, or the means by which it may oe
healed. Perhaps the inquirer wishes to know where
certain lost or stolen property is to be found or Vt may
be-, seeks some general Information as to his future pros
pects, or AS IT, the best means of speedily making his
f,rtune. In other cases it is desired to obtain some in.
formation as to the condition, or wishes, Of a deceased
relative.
The operation of spiritual writing is performed in this
way A table is s~prinkled with some kind of powder,
or -four, or bran, or dust; then a small basket, without
4 handle, is armed with a pencil or ~chopstick, which is
tied to its edge, or thrust through its in~terstices. The
basket is then turned upside down, its edges resting
upon the tips of one or two fingers Of two persons
Standing on opposite sides of the table, and in such .
manner that the pencil touches the powdered surface
10 a short time the pencil moves, leading after it the
basket, and the finger on which 1t rests, and tracing
upon the dusty table lines and figures in which a good
Iinguist easily recognizes the characters # the Chinese
language. In this way information is c mmunicatei on
,ubjects Of which the operators have no knowledge
sometimes, indeed, q ghost thus invoked, may be unable
te-write Chinese, 'r may be unwilling to exercise its
powers and then nothing can be discovered but un-
meaning lines and angles. But ip general the com'
position is good, and the information valuable,
Had these facts been first made kp,wn twenty wears
ago, they would have been charged to the influence of
heathenism, which, in the lack Of the true object and
mode OF worship, lays men op n to the iuroads Of every
kind Of absurd AMI degrading superstition. But alas !
recent and painful experience teaches that even ln tue
noon OF the niuetee nth century, and under the blaze OF
gospel light. persons of Intelligence and education eau
60 81 Ok to the puerile aud AFFECT f'ilies Of necromancy.
Misled by a prurient curiosity, or by a love for tue
mysterious, or by = pas>io" for singularity, or by the
hope Of becoming wiser than it is gwen man to become.
they begin by attempting that which, it it were posi-
Die, is strictly forbidden by the Divine law AMI end IN
righteous retritution -[ChriStian lnteiIigencer.
--~-
A Fat Woman at Sea-.
A c%orpulent lady, on her way to California, writes
bark to her acquaintance her experience iu travelling.
Here is all extract from her letter =
Our cabin has two boxes in it called berths, though
%cofins would be nearer the thing, for you think more
Of your latter end ut sea 4 great deal. One o! tEese 10
situated over the other like shelves, aud these together
make what is called a state rooi,. My berth is the up
prrmost one, and have to climb up to it, putting one
OFT on the lower .ne, and the other away out o., the
xaslstanI, which is "a great stretch, and makes it very
training then | lit one knee tn the berth and roll
"to it sideways. This is very announcement for a w."
nan Of my SIZE, and very dangerous. Last nslght !
rat my foot IN Mrs. Browns isee a. she lay asleep
i"sc to the edge u the i"wer one, and nearly put ou'
or eye, AMI | have torn nea'ly all the skin off my
.nees, an then have u &c III .ck spnt where hav
~eu hurt, aud my head is sweIled. IL di,mouni IL
! -uotLsr feat Vt horsemaush'g, only lit for a sailor. You