New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-23
JUDGE EDKoKDS COMMANDMENT
THE CiRCLny.

Bat a. u hsppeas that sone are already induced ~
taeee papers 10 invesg ste the matter oasht to uss
Q word OF two Of caution.
Ia the first plsce then remark that the evitencs
Is Generosity personal in its character tast 1t Is quits
nprsctcsbls fer any one TO convey it to another as
vvdly ard forcibly il ealzsiby him Who receives
il directly. Thus, WREN my person IS toached, osn
know i. certainly. but language that can use can
convey to others the same realizing sense that have
Of tie fact. Ard so when my secret thought is RS
vesled OF something is Eaa tina. is known only TO me-
and Que WHO dead it is quite oa. OF the question that
car make any know the fact as Enthusiastically as
anov il. And we are thus warned 10 be patient
with thoss who are obliged to receive our testimony
rse ed Of obtaining It for themselves sad are sdnen
ished not to be too rss1y to receive that of Others
especially when the direct evdence is so sttainable
by all.
In the second place remark great is the variety
Of forms in which the manifest atoms come that ~e caa
not SAFELY reach conclusion until after long and patient
investigation. / was ever two years investigating be-
fore became a believer, and even now, after more
than eight years experiences, l find am all the time
learning something new. Six, or twice or thrice SIX
times beholding q ought not to sufcs Let ms Illus
trste: once hsd Reverend Bishop at my house,
who witnessed the manifestations for several hours
and apparently to bis satisfaction till asked him how
he knew that all he had heard bsd not come from the
mind of the medium So the medical professors g.
Buffalo after few sittugs, attributed to the toe or
knee joints Of the medium, while little pstience
would hsys shown them the power displaying itself by
ripgitg bell The Harvard Professors, after five or
six Interviews pronounced it injurious 70 virtue, when
they bad not behed enough to determine that 1t eI'
sted, much less to know what it taught. How much
even Of my eight volumes Of manuscnptthe record OF
only three years resesrch-coUld have been raped
out, letter by letter, in hslf dozen sittngs! And
Professor Fsrsdsy would not have sscrbed the move
ment of the table to the magnetism Of the hand resting
on it, he hsd only waited long enough to see it move
without hands touching it. Such hssty conclusions
are always painful to me- and are never, in my opin-
ion, safe.
But to come to the Circles
In the earlier stages OF nvestig son the asssmblage
of few persops-from four to tEeve-is very sivsn-
tageous and often Necessary. IL is now as it WAS OF
old-where two or three gathered together, that
the spirit power can most readily descend in their
midst 1t was when four were together that Moses
and Elias appeared again on EARTH and 1t Is now Of
common occurrence that q Circle Of q few persons
grestly aids the manifestations.
It's generally best TO hsve an equal number Of both
sexes and the advent Of the power is often fastened
by taking bod Of hands or lsyirg them on table.
1t often occurs that the display of the power s inter-
ruped by the withdrawal the addition Of come one
after the manifestations begin.
So. too it is 10. little advantageous that al the
Circle should have cslm gentle aud devout feeling
and hence is that music and prayer are always benz
fetal and sometimes Indispensable.
Nov. why is this? Who can tell 80 long az we are
az ignorant as we are of what is the power that is a,
work
We know q lttle-s very Ittle-sbout it, and until
science shsll aid us with its researcher it is almost
idle to speculate about it, Bat what We do know may
a. well be stated.
Electricity i, ore element used. This we know ffom
various experiments and the use Of electrical MS
chine has at times been ssrviceaOle.
MAGNETISM. both animal and mineral, is another.
Sometimes the use Of large magnet has fastened the
display as has the presence of those who possess much
animal magnetism.
But there is something more than these elements,
and among other things Is that which the German
writer Rsiche1bach css Cd or Odic force This is an
extremely subtle Huid-nvisible to most persons
which is emitted by the magnet, by chrystals and by
the human body, being the product in the latter, OF
the chemical action of respiration digestion aud de-
competition. / have myself beheld it issuing from
both ends of magnet and forcing itself out, like
pale, shsdowy smoke, from under ito srmature. L
have seen it Issue from the human head and triggers.
On one occasion saw it plainly that in dark room
ssv my own hand in that which Issued from tue heed
of the person who stood by ny side.
Itis that which artists have go long been painting
around the heads of their saints and gorifed ones.
It is ever, Is understand il, generating in the hu
man form, and its natural flow can be disturbed or
interrupted by strong emotion.
As We can see electricity and magnetism only by
their effects 70 We often know Of the existence of this
element only by the distress which its interruption
causes
have tried very hard to learn more about this, bat
the answer to my inquiries has been tina. science must
discover IT, and that until il does il Ill be in vain to
attempt to describe il to me. Something has, how
ever been done TO enlighten little On one occa-
sion, through very reliable medium, was displayed
the manner in which pondersble objects were moved.
published the account Of il in the appendix to my frat
volume on SpiItuahsm." On another occasion l
saw the process Of preparing Circle for manifestations.
From each member Of il saw stream Of this fluid
issue and slowly ascend to the ceiling. At the same
tine from the surrounding spirits, | saw similar
streams issu. bat in greater quantities and with more
force. The streams united and gradually filed the
room from the ceiling down as smoke would. could
trace it in It's gradual descent BY the pictures on my
wall ard the book, my shelves and observed that,
az soon a. it descended 60 far to enveop ths heals
and breasts of the Circle the medium was Influenced,
and the manifestation began
This is q. far as my knowledge ex.ena'i and how
earnestly would that they VINO, from their scientific
Attainment are far better fitted than for the in