The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-11-11
Spiritualism.

Spiritualism.
EE- Some little interest has been Gre
ated in our village. the past week, by the
advent among US Of several travelling
Spiritual Mediums. Mediums, as most
Of our readers are probably aware, pro-
fess to be endowed with various gifts
Some claim to be thrown into trance
state, and in that state to have the organs
OF speech and power Of motion controlled
by the spirits, and thus to lecture or to
write. Others are said to speak by i'm
preston, the spirit impressing the
thoughts upon their minds, and giving
the words to their tongues. Others are
seeing. and still others, healing mediums.
Others are rappins mediums, and others
claim the possession Of the power to pro-
duce marvellous physical phenomena.-
We have had opportunities before of see
ing in our village individuals Of pretty
much all the classes spoken OF but the
last, and during the past week we have
had an exhibition Of that phase of the
phenomena.
SPiritualists confidently claim that
there are in this country alone, some 6
or 8 millions of believers in their doe
trine. This would be one-fourth of our
whole population. an estimate, we believe,
to be good deal beyond the fact. But
probably we give them no undue credit
for strength, in putting their numbers at
three millions. Among them are un-
doubtedly TO be found learned, scientific
gentlemen and intelligent ladies. They
are not generally the ignorant or credu-
lous, nor is it truth to charge them with
being dishonest pretsnders or charlatans.
The social standing, the moral worth,
the general intelligence and good sense
of the mass of the believers in our own
village, should alone be proof against any
such aspsrsions. 1t is undoubtedly the
religion of many families, entertained
as sincerely and cherished as highly and
as reserently as are the religious systems
of any people. 1t is absurd, then, TO
charge the millions of devotees of Spir-
itualism with willfully and knowingly
attempting to deceive their friends and
the world. If there is deception. it is
self deception--their own minds are de
ceiyed, their own judgments taken cap
tive.
For ourselves, while chcrshing no
doubt Of the sincerity and good inten-
tons oil the great mass of Spiritualists,
We could never avoid the conclusion
that they were self-deceyed. While
fully acknowledging the existence Of
much of the phenomena they speak Of
we could never resist the conviction that
they attributed false origin to them
Tns capacities OF the human mind, the
power of the human will, are not vet
known, aud until we can mark the limits
OF human resources and human power,
we should not be in haste to attribute
anything TO agencies above ourselves.
We are free to admit, however, that
the phenomena OF Spritualism are puzz
ling and mysterious. And not the least
puzzling have we found the physical
developments made by the Davenport
and Fay boys, in our village, during the
past few evenings. As mere item Of
news for such readers as have not had
the opportunity TO see their exhibitions,
We will detail few of their proceedings
The first exhibition was given by
MELVILLE FAY, young man Of probably
% years Of age. Ii was at the residence
OF Esquire CHANDLER, the company con
sis'ing.of about dozen persons. They
wero ranged in two rows, across the
room, and during the performance were
required TO sit with hands Joined. Tho
windows were thoroughly darkened, the
fire extinguished in the stove, tho doors
locked. and every effort made to exclude
ray OF light. The necessity for this,
the medium said, was, that the spirits re-
quired negative condition of tho els-
ments, and that light being positive and
darkness negative, they could exhibit
their power only in the darkness. The
medium sat nearly in the centre of the
room. beside small table. upon which
were placed violin brought by one of
the company, large dinner bell, and
several ropes. When the lights were ex.