Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-12-24
SpfrftuafisTTs

yails, floors, bed-postS everywhere. The I
world elevated it's nose in scorn at the an
nouncement of the Fox family. There was
something ominous in the very name of the /
individuals subjected to the humping inspira-
ton: the world would not listen to the new |
evangel of celestial acoustics. Nevertheless l
the rapping mania ran like wildfire over the !
land, the whole Republic reyerberated with !
universal and almost uninterrupted DEVILS |
tattoo. Old men and maidens, beldames and |
lads. bond and free, black and white, were |
alike bcset with the demon that dwelt under |
the table. In the cities, towns ard villages,
spiritual circles were organized, and the |
tapping '.insanies" usurped the sway that |
commerce. agriculture and politics had held |
in the public mind. The contagion penetrat-
cd into the most secluded hooks of the coun- |
try. piOus and respectable families were found |
night after night investigating the mysterious |
properties of tables aud chairs, until at last |
negro children were dragged ont ofmnd cabins |
and suddenly raised 10 the giddy elevation OF
prophets and prophetesses.
'The force of folly could no further CO.,
the Alexander of Spiritual theories had con-
quered the American world. Then came a
pause The table-demon held his own for a
year or two, during which time Spiritual So
cieties with their preachers, newspapers and
magazines inundated the country with flood
Of darkness, explaining, interpreting and ex-
pounding absurdity with obscurity. The
church, the press. the entire scientific world,
took up arms against the heresy the theory
and practice of Spiritualism were exposed. ex-
ploded, completely shattered and shredded.
time and again. There was a recession of the
fanatical flood, the dark waters went back to
the Northern and more particularly to the
New England States. TO New York and some
of the States of the Northwest. There they
still remain. a0ithOm much abatement. Less noise
is made. but the work goes on vigorously as
hafpra of flayr chi rio
are greater in numbers and influence than
they have ever been. Within their charmed
circles are found men and women belonging
to the highest positions in society. Many OF
them are persons of extraordinary talent.
DIR. Gray and Judge Edmonds are men of re-
putation and uncommon intellect. The late
Professor Hare, though advanced in years at
the time OF his conversion to Spiritualism,
gave no evidence of dotage, apart from the
peculiar deusion which seduced his naturally
strong understanding.
Lett alone by the world, as unworthy of
notice, the spirtualists pursue the even tenor
of their way, doing all the harm they can in
the way they deem the most beneficial.
Coalescing with free-love. abolitionism
wOmen's rights, and whatever else goes by
the name of Reform. they continue to exert
an influence too scriOns to be despisPd and too
extensive to remain unnoticed. Half ii dozen
newspapers are devoted exclusively to their
cause. Mr.. Partridge, form'r maker of Llt-
cifer Matches. publishes the Spiritual Tele-
graph weekly. 1t is a sheet of six pages.
containing nearly as much matter as any of
the weekly Illustrated papers, and circulates
everywhere. The proprietor proudly displays
the names of his agents in all the principal
cities and towns of the United States, the
Canadas. Cuba, Mexico, South America and
| Europe. Spiritual lecturers advertise their
services as grayely as any lecturer inside or
outside of Massachusetts. Spiritual Lyceums
set forth the attractions Of their Winter
Course" precisely as other Lyceums. Books
enough To fill large library have already
| been published by Spirituaist authors. others
are in press, and magazines and pamphlets
! complete the circle Of Spiritual literature
| The variety of -'m"diumsn Outnumber the
! counts in an indictment or the letters in the
! Chinese alphabet. There are rapping, tipping,
talking, writing. seeing, feeling, hearing.
healing, magnetic, clairvoyant, sympathetic
personating, trance, spelling. test, psycholo-
| gicalpsychumetric and wate-cure mediums"
There are Spiritual apOthCcarics, who adver-
tise Spirit preparations, and proclaim the
virtues of Spiritual eye-watcr' and Spirit
ual cancer-salVes" with all the sincerity and
twice the modesty of Brandreth, Aver, Town
send and other patent medicine men, Indeed
! the Spiritual profession seems equally divided
between fortune telling and quack dnctOring.
Finally. there Spiritual hospitals and
boarding houses Mrs. Levy announces that
! at 23l West Thrty-fifth street, Spirtualists
may obtain board and live with comfort and
! economy with people of their own senti-
meuts." Spiritualists have now only to esta-
! blish colleges and common schools. aud re-
| fuse the use of the Bible and the Lords Pray
| or therein, to make their social structure com
! plete.
| In view Of the fact that system so mon
strous has been built up and is now in ''the
| full tide Of successful operation" in our
| midst the question may well he asked Is
there no truth in it? The impartial answer is,
| there is something uncXplained-but the
! whole annals of Spiritualism do not furnish
a single new principle in morals or one dis
! covery in science. 1t is true that recently
| Dr. j. Boree Dods who lectured in this city
| several years ago. has announced "a new and
| wonderful discovery how to treat and cure
| chronic diseases of long standing by simply
striking over the whole body with an Electro
| Magnetic Bufftinc.' What sort of new dis
| ease "a chronic disease of long standing" may
! be. and what the deuce is to be understood
| ley an ''Electro-Magnetic Bufftine," we dare
| not conjccture-but as the good Doctor takes
| care to add that simple vegetable remedies
are at times required to be taken during the
use of the BufItine," we will venture 10 pre-
sumo that the new aud wonderful dscov-
| cry Is not much, in fact. scarcely patentable,
after all. --
With respect 10 the "unexplained some
thing" whereby the social d spiritual man
ifestations are brought to pass, it is enough to
know thai the more rational of the rappers
refer these phenomena TO the operation of
newly -discovcrcd force in Nature, styled Cd.
The existence of such force may be denied,
but the appropriateness Of its name no one
will call in question.
AsIegard~ the harm spirituasm has done
and is still doing. some consolation may be
derived from the fact that the landmarks of
the new theological domain" as described by
a recent writer on Spiritualism, include all the
fundamental principles of 'ancient spiritual
ISM |. e the Bible, such as mans original
depravity. the necessity ofrepcn:ance, regen-
Grafton, &c, and that ut late meeting of the
most sensible body OF New York spiritual
lists, Mr.. Byrne concluded that as chemist
~ had come out of the hunt after the phi
osopher's stone, and astronomy out of for
.une-telling. SO something good might yet
riginate from the failacies of the rapp,rs,
nd to this end. urged that the infallDle
method of the positive philosophy of Comte
should be brought to bear upon the subject,
and "a board of paid scientists should be or
ganized To investigate the alleged spiritual
phenomena. on the basis laid down by the
great French philosopher, in which case he is
of opinion that the hobgoblins will soon dis
appear" Insanity and suicide will doubtless
continue to follow in the train of sprituaiism,
for which calamitics some little alienation
may be found in the reflection thai the per-
sons whe thus go mad and destroy themselves
would. in all probability, have gone mad and
killed themselves without the aid of spiritn-
alism, and in any case would hardly have
benefited society If they had retained their
senses aud existenccs. Spiritualism, Ike
other mental aud physical epidemics, must
run its course. In past times, Europe was
cursed with the plague, the sweating sickness,
aud the fanatical sccts, the Pastoreaux, the
Flagellauts. aud the Bruirchi. Al q later