Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-09-23
VOLUME 20, NO. A.
Mr Reecher on spiritualilm.

The spiritualis,s havo claimed Henry
Beecher as a believer in their doctrines, aud
some Of them having gone so Tar as TO de-
clare that he was medium, and preached
by inspiration Of the spirits, that gentleman
thus diselaims the impuiation in tho last
Independent
1--WE are sorry to inform Mr.. E'arts that
we are quite unconscious Of having bad any
personal intercourse with the departed 'pir-
its Of any men nor, from the fruits oi such
alleged intercourse in other cases. have No
any particular desire TO do %. We have
noticed at,enti,ely, for some years. the mes-
sases sent h,her. as !. said. from the other
world, from some Of the most eminent
names, and we are satisfied that, II they are
genuine. then either death has been q great
injury to them. or else their wisdom ismuch
damaged by refraetion in being transmitted
to this sphere.
{" But we DO not interfere with other peo-
ple's business. We do not attack ihe faith
Of any man in modern spiriiuali'm. But
when they insist upon 1t that We do believe
IN spiri,ualism ourselves; nay, that We are
mediums. and, unless dishonest, eon,eious
mediums, We do think that We ought TO
overhaul our faith, experience and eonsei-
business, to see what we are. Now, II any
spirit, or any corps Of associated spirits, are
employing Us as q line by which to tels-
graph truth from that sphere TO this, they
are doing it without our knowledge or con.
sent. We protest against the operation.
And. a. we can imagine no way In which
to take the law against them for trespa.,
we take the newspaper. And we here bring
no railing accusation against any or sundry
spirits that have quirIed Mr. Chase or Mr.
Avery: but we eIpo.tula,e with those mis-
chievous spri,es that amuse themselves At
the expense Of those sober and honest gen.
tlemen. II il not fair. IL would not bc
regarded as square in the body. and We
don't believe IL is out Of the body. And,
as for using US Us go.betweon on such lu-
dcrous errands, the spirits know very well
that IL is on the .ly. II a, all. And II 1t 10
NJ, stopped Immediately, We will find ous
some way TO cut the wires.
I'VE are far from denying that these
messages did not come from the disembod-
/ ied spirits Of jefferson. Franklin, Washing
ton, Jonathan Edwards, Napoleon, Bacon.
voltaire, Webster, Calhoun, etc, etc. But
We may be permitted, We hope, to mourn
over the result. to which greatness comes.
and to throw new and melancholy light
upon tho meaning of that Scripture which
ay. that the first shall bc last. Certainly.
IL there is lower depth Of inani.y than
that out Of which these new philosophers
speak, our surprise must wait for some aug.
manntion OF being before 1t can gain any
further expression.
The only thing that connects us with
Spirituali.m j. the publication OF every ser
mNu NNNNN w lANfSht ~ NFN ~ ~"''N' -
tho Spiritual papers. But this is their ar
ranrement, and not ours II they can stand
our sermons, we can stand their papers.
And, as yet, we have seen no messages from
the spirit world alongside Of the sermons
which put US to the blush. Bot this put
ting every sermon into type i' handling
minister rather too severely. 1t gives him
no chance Tor poor sermons. IL gives him
no chance to preach his sermons over again.
IL keeps him to the necessity OF good sound
work; for there j. many snowy sermon
that would do well enough II only hard.
that would III bear careful reading. Bot.
IL SPirituali'is choose to build paper pull
pits for Orthodox preachers. why should ~o
finch at mounting them before su audience
OF hundred thousand peOpleH"