Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-05-12
SPIRITUALISM.

Miss Emma Hardinge, whose fame as
lecturer upon subjects connected with
spiritualism, has been noised throughout
the land, has arrived in Virginia. In her
travels, she has visited most of the impor-
tant towns of California-among others,
Nevada. Brother Stidger, under the in
fuence Of some spirit, evidently none of
Miss Hardinge's raising) deyotes couple
of columns of his paper to condemna-
ton and reputation of the doctrine of
spiritualsm. He Classics his objections
under eleven distinct heads, which, taken
all together, amount simply to the one I'M
contradictable fact, that Stidser don't be-
ieve in spiritualiSm. That fact does not
at all d:sprove the theory, any more than
the fact that wiser and profounder men
than he. after making theology the study
of their lives, died in the darkness of athe-
ism. disproves the Christian religion. That
brazen-faced impostors have, by means of
jusglers' tricks, duped thousands Of over
credulous people into belief in spiritual
ism. no more disproves that theory than
Christianity is disproved by the equally
common and notorious fact that asylums
are filed with unfortunateS driven mad
bv religious excitementS caused by char
latans of the order of John Newland Maj
fit and Elder Knapp. Brother Stdger
speaks shghtingly Of Swedenborg. If the
editor is familiarly acquainted with any
considerable number of Swedenborgians,
we think he will freely admit that he has
found them TO consist of a class Of people
of much more than average intellect and
mental culture If he has ever read the
life Of Emanuel Swedenborg, he will
scarcely hazard the assertion that he be-
lieves him to have been other than man
of vast intellect and unblemished mora
character, and diplomatist and states
man unrivaled in an age of celebrated
men. If he does, he will hardly
find himself endorsed by any eminent
theologian of the present day and age.
To be sure Swedenborg was no Upper of
tables, nor player upon invisible banjos
but the theory that he inculcated was
based upon the communication between
the world that is visible to the earthly
eve and the world of the hereafter. What
that world is that lies beyond, is mys-
tery that there IS scarce a thinking man
or woman living, but yearns at heart to
unravel. That the truth of the doctrine
of spiritualism can be established beyond
doubt through the medium of the senses
to every person, We do not believe; and as
those senses are the medium through
which conviction is generally forced upon
the mind, there will always be doubters of
the supernatural. We come within that
category, to a very extensive degree. We
have never yet seen or heard evidences
strong enough to do more than to set US
upon the stool of doubt and indecision.
What Miss Hardinge may have to offer
in addition to or different from that which
we have seen, heard and read we do not
know. But as that lady will undoubt-
edly deliver public lectures while here,
we propose to attend and listen, Wheth-
er she will be able to open our eyes on
the subject or not, we shall feel tolerably
certain of hearing an eloquent exposition
of her views, and can digest and ponder
,,non the same thereafter,