New-York daily tribune., 1859-06-04
JUDGE RDBoNDs ON sPLRITUALISk... v
yuysrcAL MANIFESTATIONS

l
sssA,ions which witnessed were addressed. wss
thes 10 situated that the thought uppermo-t in my
mind wa in regard 10 the dead Shall we ever meet
assin1" am bound 70 confess that all have heard
Of religious ,eaehngs for Fifty years had ensen
Sered in NE doubts IL there q future Deyond lhe
grave, II was not my fault that this was So o'd
not want 10 be an iDhdel but they who were my the
syeal teachers were full Of sbsurdties and eon-
>r.lctions that in spite Of myseh could not believe
TIE futare they taught was revolving alike to my
Indictment and my instincts, and, unable to conceive
q apy other, was led to doubt whether there was
s.y; yet the idea Of an eternal separation from the
departed wss eIquisitely painful 10 me.
II was in this mood of mind and while was search
ias for the truth this topic, that one evening when
alone in my library, voice spoke TO me ID tones
which / feared had been silenced forever, and an
swered the quertion, Shall we meet again.
The voice wAs soft and gentle, but distinctly audi
BE, and oh how familiar TO my ear
was startled, and Of course the first thought was
what hslucinationl / could not conceive It to be
anything else. Yet as knew whether could hear or
rot could not get nd Of the idea that 1t was reality
Ipeyer dreamed then Of such thing az the spirit oi
the aeads being able thus TO speak and for several
weeks debated the matter in my mind, trying TO
convince myself Of the falsity Of whst was Obliged
70 know wss fact.
Tbenn was heard the Rochester knockings," at
,eaxee or interview, lasting only ten or fifteen min
rtes but crowded full of interest. In that interval it
sppesred that the sounds were not made by mortals
but by some unknown power that was intelligent
enough 10 spell and TO write, to hold conversation
70 read thoughts and questions not uttered, to
know what minute was making Of the occasion, to
aspsy the characteristics of the person protesting TO
be present and 10 show emotions Of joy and affection
Here was enough TO awaken my curiosity, and l
entered upon course Of investigation. For several
months ] heard the sounds in great variety OF
SCANS.
heard them on railroad car while travelling; on
The floor in an eating house by the wayside on the
xround when standing outside the car; door high
above our reach on a Hoor, following two or three
feet behind the medium when walking; alone in my
bedroom, in different places; on door standing
open 20 that both sides of it could be seen; On a
window and a looking-g glass; On my person and that
of Others the chords of piano; on the strings OF
. violin; besides the oft-repeatcd displays ON the
Roor and the table. have known the sounds made
with the hand, a har-brush, a fdde-bow and chair
and have heard them initiate the whistling OF the
wind, the creaking of ship laborng in heavy sea-
saving and planning boards the falling Of sods on a
coffin the sound of an olian harp, of soft and distant
music, and once a scream as of persons in agony.
And in all these forms conveying intelligence not
merely that Of the peculiar sounds made, but spelling
ont words and sentences letter by letter.
This spelling out words done by some one call
ing over the alphabet and the sounds being made at
the proper letter. with certain sounds to designate an
idea To facilitate the work. this intelligence
devised set of signals by the aid of which my earlier
conversations with them were had.
Inxat thatr oh
dot in it stands for sound, and made more or less
heavy or more less to each other as indicated
by the size or position Of the dots:
End Of sword. ..-..-Yca;
..-ssmioolon. e-onahscation
'.Comoma '.Io"fD'''' Succession Of rsps-Go back.
....-DoDe.
1t has been supposed by many that the sounds were
such ss mortals could not make So far as my expe-
rience goes this is mistake, for have never heard
one that could not initiate and have known that
mediums, failing to get the sounds, would make them
But the fact was clearly demonstrated that most fire.
quenty they were not made by mortals, nor merely
foruitous, but by an intelligence which had will and
purpose, and could express them, and which, when
ssked, who and what are you who do this could
answer to the satisfaction Of any rational mind, and
establish identity.
g Seeing. II was not long after the mode Of CON-
municating by rsps had been discovered, that table
tippings came into vogue. do not know where or
how they originated. They seem to have grown up
from circumstances. Half a dozen persons sitting
around table with their hands upon it, was the
method most commonly used to obtain the rappngs or
any other physical manifestations. Moving the table
was often one of these and it was soon found to be
even easier to do that than TO make the sounds and
signals were concerted in like manner, whereby diff
ferent motions Of the table used to convey ideas
Thus, o. with the rsppngs, words were spelled out
Some one would call the alphabet, and the table
would give the concerted signal at the proper letter
In Spain a different mode Of using the table was
devised The alphabet reduced to "a letters, aud
each letter was numbered. The of the table
were numbered l. 2, 3, A. and the would move
to indicate the letter. Thus, if corners No ! and
were moved il was their fifth letter, and so on
In this simple manner though awkward and tedi-
ous, did the intercourse begin with hundreds and
thousands Of people, who thus learned the great
truths which il teaches. II was our primary school,
and we began with our alphabet
There were embarassments about it, Sometimes,
when the spirit had learned 10 read il could not
spen out words Sometimes when its education had
been poor it would spell wrong; and, sometimes,
when unscqusnted with our language, il could not
frame sentence in English.
Still this mode Of communication was used, and
became the moS common Of all
The sense Of seeing was appealed TO mostly in the
moving Of ponderable matter, and it was not always
for the purpose of spelling out words. Occasionally,
il was chiefly with the view Of showing the presence
of the power.
Ibaye seen a chair run across q room, backward