The New York herald., 1864-05-04

fore the war N over, II for nothing else than
to see how it feels to have thousand dollars
bounty.
New Nra I'm Human Deveiopment-
The Davenport Brothers.
As the world grows older it grows wiser
Human development has made greater ad-
vances in every direction within the past fifty
years than during the five thousand years be-
fore. Old things are now passing away. Every
thing is Becoming new Systems Of science,
religion, philosophy, governmental are be-
ing revolutionised. We arc In q transition
state from darkness to light. and every day
brings us nearer to the grand new era Of the
future.
Usually the occurrence Of great changes in
the worlds history s accompanied by great
wars. So it is now There are wars in the
East, in the West, in the North, in the South.
This continent Is devastated by wars. In the
United States, in Mexico and in South America
fighting is constantly going on. In Europe all
the nations are preparing for battle. The war
cloud, which appeared no bigger than q mans
hand in Schleswig- Holstein. is spreading over
all Europe. No one need be surprised to
hear at any moment that France and
England are involved In it. Armies are
being collected and navles equipped by the
great Powers in anticipation Of events Poland
still struggles for freedom. Garibaldi still
shouts his war-cry-" Rome aud Venice 1t re-
quires but triae to make the martial conaa-
| grafton general, and no one can tell how much
longer the catastrophe will be delayed.
| But the revolutions recently accomplished or
| obviously pending, extend not only to philoso-
ply. to science and to government, but also to re-
ligion. The most ancient creeds are at last
dying ont. They are destroying each other, or
are being destroyed in turn. In India and Asia.
in China and Japan. Christianity is pushing
Buddhism and Brahmasm and all other forms OF
idolatry out Of existence. Mabomedansm, which
annihiated 80 many paganisms, is evidently on
the decline. Christianity. divided into thou
sand different, inconsistent and conflicting sects
becomes weaker in its influence at every new
schism. Meanwhile discoveries are being made in
| the laws Of matter and Of mind that, if reliable
| explain away the miracles upon which religions
are founded. and give novel meanings to records
hitherto accepted as supernatural facts. Spirit
ualism itself, which was to eclipse and succeed
| all other creeds, seems about to be superseded
| by these recent discoveries.
| Here, for example, are the Davenport Bro
theirs. They do the most wonderful things In
public and private Perhaps their perform.
ances are more astonishing in private par
ior, where deception appears impossible, than
in public hall, where there may be room for
suspicion of trickery. These brothers make
musical Instruments Goat about the room.
| They cause spectral arms and hands to be-
come visible and tangible. They raise chairs
and tables from the floor to the ceiling. They
| illuminate the room with balls Of blazing fre.
While these phenomena are occurring the bro
theirs remain seated, their hands and feet firmly
tied and incapable of motion, even II any sleight
Of hand or sleight Of foot could suface to per-
form such modern miracles. Yet the Daven-
port Brothers do not attribute these wonders to
| spiritualisn. They say that the power TO pre-
| ducs such manifestations has been bestowed
| upon them; aud it Is perhaps the same occult
power, differently developed - that shows 10
the telegraph and the steam engine. II may
b physical power, or Q mental power, or q
/ mOIsi power, UT y mOlnhttOu Oh tuem 6ll I,
but certainly IL Is a. yet inexplicable.
But, when oil this is admitted, we come to
the question, cut bonol What good Ia all thisf
| To what does II oil amount In this practical
age that Is the inquiry addressed to everything
new. That inquiry gave spiritualism its 6rst
rebuff Tables may tip and rappings be heard;
but II the only use Of spiritualism is 10 attract
people TO public ssances At nfty cents a ticket,
| the manifestations cannot rank much higher
although they are . thousand times more
| wonderful-than those Of so-callsd magicians
and nscromancers. Still we must not forget
that the same query might have been addressed
| 10 the authors Of oil the miracles recorded In
the Bible. the Zend Avesta, the writings Of
Confucius and the Koran. Il II one thing TO
show miracles and another TO form system Of
| faith OF which the miracles are merely the
proofs and illustrations. But on the other
hand, We should be glad TO have the wonders
Of the Davenport Brothers and their colleagues
put to some practical account besides that Of
6lling the pockets Of the performers; and tho
exigsncIes Of this war afford ine opportunity
for such Q test II is evident that We are upon
the threshold Of new era Of human develop
ment; but II ID also evident Mat the new era
will be practical, and not theoretical useful
and not ideal, and that more utilitariap
| pirsniss ara vet 70 come