The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-01-13
lwsi.tsn for II. Union ~ ches, Peterson, Esa !
'sPiRIT RAPPING EXPOSED.
nni4iloIl llcoNTINutED1 Ilgas

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By what process does that which We pro-
nounee incredible, because impossible, become
credible when removed two. thousand years
into, the qpastY Here, then, we. firmly and
positively stand and affirm, that neither mir
acles nor apparitions ought t., Be discredited,
10 toto. as in themselves Impossible, for We
sioeerely believe they have been. Whether
they ever happen now. is : question Of fact.
depending entirely upon testimony convincing
and conclusive aud If any person sees fit TO
say, that he has met with 1p, Individual case,
in which. the evidence satisfied the mind, be
is for aught we see, at perfect liberty, TO hold
his ipcredulity without incurringl the imputa-
tion of being Atheist, ,or Sadducee. But, on
the other hand, he is not at liberty to decide
a prsori that it cannot be. Likew sc it is alb
solute and sheer impertinence to insist on. first
settling such questions as these. What good
end would It serve? Is it wor by the Divine
wisdom, to act in contraventioa of ordinary
losses for purposes so light? IF we open the
door of Investigation and enter upon the in
qury at all, our business is first with the evil
dence of the alledged facts. IF the thipgsbe
true, doubtless there is reason for it worthy
of the divine wisdom. IF We undertake to
seek an answer to the question, whether occa-
sional interference from the spiritual world is
. reality or deusion, we perceive at once
that it is one of which we cannot afford to
give common fair play to evidence. On
| tive instincts teach us to trust the evidence of
our own senses, but on the other hand, our
education makes us distrustful Of that of all
others. The man who has seen or heard
something whichzhe cannot account for. read
lily suppose it 10 be supernatural but from
the very consciousness of his ownsweakness, if
weakness it is, at least from the knowledge he
has, that the human mind has a tendency to
such beliefs, and has often been mistaken, he
will scarcely rely an other, who relates
similar experience. If the thing has only APP
tion or illusion-if it has revealed something
which proves true. it may have been mere
coincidence--or the prediction may have been
the result. of some natural law, with which
we-are IS yet unacq cquaiuted In this way,
then. The suHject rs tacitfy warded off, no ex-
plar alton is sought for, and he stands where
t-a'
he stood before, none the wiser, believing the
effect, or the phenomena, the result.of an in2a.
accountable cause. In jurisprudence it is ta-
ken forsgranted, that with sss may believe
his senses = there being no allowance made for
the possibility of halIucinatioH or illusion, un-
less that, is proven in the Investigation nor
for fraud unless the motive is shown, or soine
contradiction detected Testimony, however,
is not so easily accepted concerning this sort
of occurances. Trustworthy and substantial
evidence relavent to the case is scahty in
comparison with the amount of allcdged fact
to be substantiaed Criticism and scrutiny
have been remiss, in allowing descriptions OF
difficult and doubtful phenomena to pass un.
needed from lip to lip without even an attempt |
TO set them IN their true light. Most of our
ghost stories are OLD and beyond investigation
because the subject. has beef under ban, at
least during tie life of the present generation |
Few have cared to give publicity to any
strange experience they may have had, and
still fewer would peril their rel utafion for
common sense by looking into it. Half afraid
that TIE phenomena were preternatural, they'[
have shrunk from instituting an examination,
lest no natural explanation should be found,
and they should be shut to con clusions that
would involve them in ridfcu;e.. srgsE'. |
An eminent writer on this subject processes
not to construct theory, but 70 collect facts
those facts consisting chiefly of Spontaneous
phenomena, rather than those which are |
evoked, Neverthless, he affords pretty clear
insight into both the scientific theory and the |
religious belief, which at least in his mind are I
bound up With these phenomena The SUBJ
stance af the former is, t.that there is in man I
aot only a spirit but spiritual body that these
,oexist while earthly life endures in each one
'f us !; that the spiritual body, counterpart |.
d human sight of the natural body, may dur
ng life occasionally detatch itself, to some ex-
ent or other for time, from The material
iesh and blood which for a few years it per
7ades IN intimate association that death is but
he issuing forth of the spiritual body from its
temporary associate, and that it then becomes
ntirely and forever. divorced from i. and pass I,
8 into another state of existence" IF this
writer had SO engaged our confidence that We
ould regard him as orthodox, in these mat
ers, we could have wished, that he had said :,
nore distinctly, whether he considers the ses- {
enee Of this spiritual body to be what is usu- j
llyv called human electricity; whether it is :,
has that forms the inseparable vehicle of tie !,
nmortal spirit, and constitutes the means by ,
,,hieh 1t makes itself seen or heard. without n
be grosser frame of flesh ard blood. We d
honld also have been very glad if he had ex
lained where the connection lies hetween =
lese apparitioDs and modern table tspping. 3
he one he calls the spontaneous and the 9TH 70
! the ssoked phenomena of the .uitra-mup- c