The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-12-15
BALTIMORE.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER Is. 1858

ON Sunday last, Judge EDMoNDs of New York. |
delivered in this city, two lectures Spritualism
resume of the first discourse, published Mon
day morning; a sketch of the second we gave
Yesterday We have spread before our rea-
ders the substance of these two lectures in accord
ance with our rule to leave no matter of general
interest unchronicled and for the reason that
would actuate US in reproducing a discourse by
JOANNA SoUTHCoTE or FANNY WRIGHT or the Nor
mon martyr JOE SMITH, if any of those apostles of
novel but opposite creeds still in the flesh.
Spirtualism is the newest sensation, and Judge
EDMoNDs is its most prominent exponent. 1t is his
hobby He has been moved to write books about
it in conjunction with DR.. DEXTER-a celebrated
medium with a sinister reputation. He has I'M
dertaken various tours through the country, for
the express purpose of spreading knowledge of
its doctrines, and yet strange to say, he PROCESSES
to have no desire to make proselytes. The whole
thing, he admits, is puzzle to him; but while
avowing that his sole aim is to investigate the
philosophy of it, he, at the same time, tells his
hearers that though he don't understand it, he is,
nevertheless, a believer in this great theory
of Spiritualism, and we presume from the
general current of his remarks that, if he could
comprehend it less, his faith in it would be still
greater. Judge EDMoNDs has at least one conso-
lation. 1t is the nature of some minds, quite as
acute as his own, to be troubled with similar
idiosyncrasies. If we may believe tradition, ST.
DUNsTAN was once troubled by bad spirit which
he seized unceremoniously by the nose and after
this summary fashion, escorted from the
premises. Another very ugly spirit with very
pretty face tried its Establishments upon ST. An
THoNY. LUTHER, like a bold warrior of the Church
Militant flung his inkstand at the fend that plagued
him, and CoTToN MATHER complains Of being great
ly troubled by similar visitant DR.. JOHNSON
believed in the Cock Lane Ghost and Lord LYT-
TLEToN, who had lived bad life made passably
good end, from being forewarned by spirit that at
a certain specified hour he would find, what RABE-
LAIs-half jestingly-half fearfully-called ''The
Great Perhaps" But spirits nowadays, never
take upon themselves tangible shapes, like
that adventurous Prince of Darkness whose
nose ST. DUNsTAN tweaked with pair of
tougs; or like the frail beauty ST. ANTHONY so
effectuay exercised Judge EDMoNDs processes to
have seen sprits-but phsychologically only-in
his ''mind's eye'' as HAMLET fancied he saw the
spirit of his father He has walked with them,
o-imaginatively He has conversed with them
likewise but, unfortunately for unbeievers, the
conversation was carried on-mentally. He has
faith, not in what he has really seen, but in what
he thinks he has seen; and expects that others
shall believe, not in the fact of spiritual manies
tatons as witnessed by him-for of that
they can know nothing-but in his report
of that fact. They might just as well be
asked to believe, with DR.. JOHNSON, in the Cock
Lane Ghost. One of the anecdotes related by
Judge EDMoNDs on Sunday last, was remarkably
funny. 1t that of very exemplary gentle
man "who became possessed of an evil spirit
(which made him cruel to his family, and wicked
sin other respects - Now, there is nothing sur
prising in this There are many exemplary gen.
tlemen who, if some AsMoDEUs were to unroof
their houses, would be found quite /" as cruel to
"their families and wicked in other respects"
and quite entirely possessed of % a bad spirit"
as the person referred to by Judge EDMoNDs. But
the curious part of the story is yet to come.
The spirit with which this gentleman was afflicted
was that of "a very bad man who had died in
"California," and who undertook to come all the
way from the Pacific, not to torment the man he
entered into, but to make of him domestic tyrant,
and to lead him into all sorts of immoralities. If
weadmt the truth of this extraordinary revelation,
it follows that all responsibility for crime is at an
end. A Judge, who is spirituast, has but to re-
ceive an intimation from the spirt-world that the
criminal was under supernatural control, at the
time of committing the offence with which he was
charged, to entirely exonerate him from even the
shadow of guilt But the whole of the story of
this rascally spirit is not yet told. Judge Ed
MoNDs further informs us that the possessed"
gentleman waited on him and stated his case. The
Judge listened with all due gravity to the marvellous
narrative, and then, as gravey proceeded to exor-
else the spirit of the bad Californian. BY what
process this was accomplished we not informed.
We learn, however, that the patient was certainly
relieved. The spirit was indeed elected from the
feshly tenement which Judge EDMoNDs had made
too hot to hold him; but in obeying the 'notice TO
"quit" what does the dead Californian do but
enter into Judge EDMoNDs himself and for twenty
four hours harassed him in a similar manner
which we are sorry to learn, if by IA similar
'manner" the Judge means that the tormentor
made him also cruel to his family and wicked in
'other respects" In another part of his lecture
Judge EDMoNDs referred to the physical evidences
of the truth of spiritualism-to the trapping and
other sounds; the moving of chairs, tables, and
other articles, without the aid of human force. But
why should not these lively pieces of dead wood go
a step further? Everybody knows that the first
step, in such cases, is the only difficulty. Why
should not the paror furniture extemporze spirit
ual dancing party, and to the music Of that piano
played by invisible hands-of which the Judge
spoke, to their partners; rot upthe middle and
down again; chassez and dos a dos; change hands;
cross over; and finally, conclude their Terpsy-
chorean amusement by simultaneously bowling
with all due politeness to the Dowager Duchess of
Centre Table? These pieces of inanimate matter,
we are told, have not only charmed select circles
with the unregulated ''poetry of notion" and
with airs from modern operas, but they have also
exhibited a gallantry and garrulity scarcely less
remarkable. They have more than once been
seen to kiss the prettiest girl in the room, which
argues well for their good taste. They speak by
signs in any language answer questions; sometimes
correctly and sometimes by telling downright fbs
from which Judge EDMoNDs concludes that they
have wills of their own, and that they at times
sadly deficient in the moral sense. These are not
all the marvels which are related of spirituaism,
nor are all its mediums equally gifted Some
write-some rap-some tip tables, and some are
said to cure diseases. There are, said Judge Ed
MoNDs at the close of his morning lecture, some
healing mediums who can cure insanity, and cited
instances to sustain his statement. We fear, how
ever, that one form of that sad malady, which is
called 'monomana," not included in his
list.
At special meeting of the Manchester Chess
Club called in compliance with a requisiton numer
ousy signed it resolved ''That this meeting,
while recognizing Mr.. Staunton's right to decline
any chess challenge which he might find inconve-
nent and incOmpatible with his other engagements,