The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-03-25

We simply suggest that when the free cleo
tricity of Heaven transfers to a human body
the perfect picture of neighboring objects it is
believed to be fact, but when by the refined
electricity of this wonderful human machine
in which mortals live, some unseen forces pro
duce an electrical hand. because whatever
mat electrical hand touches must in accord
ance with a fixed law of nature be transferred
to the mortal organism from which the cleo
tricity Is drawn, how ready are We to cry
humbug, deiusion, cheat, without investiga-
ton. Investigate this as reasonable men
would any other phenomena in nature, ami
when this is done, make up candid Judgment.
-EUening Paper. COZ 4M
Who knows but the new Electrical" law
may yet explain ten Thousand phenomena
heretofore regarded as crimes or tricks, and
prove them to have been only the natural Sc
| quences of fixed laws? A man at euchre
party is found to have all the bowers in his
boots, but instead of a trick, who shall say
that they were not transferred there by some
"fxed law of nature" under which an cleo
trical hand transferred them from the pack
and placed them in the bootleg, the natural
hand having no agency lin the matter, farther
thanl being the innocent "moital organism
from which the electricity is drawne'
Who will dare say, without running the risk
Of being set down as prejudiced man, that
bank locks and safe bolts have not been le-
moved by electrical HANDS, or that what we
call burglars are anything more than the me-
diums through which electricity is conducted
to the electrical hand?" Surely, the wor-
ders of nature are marvellous, and past find
ing out-so long as . person employs all his
senses and faculties in the work.
The theory in the above paragraph has q
slight hitch in it, which may trouble some OBJ
stinase people; It 00es-uoG sEvuA,le ~. As-~a-s
er. We "cave ino-boots and all. The hitch
is this: Though ''the free electricity OF hea
aven," or something else, does transfer to the
human eyes "the perfect picture of neighbor-
ing objects,1 it transfers only q picture, never
the object itself; hence it does not follow that
when the electrical hand touches grease and
lampblack, it should transfer, not picture oil
| them, but the veritable grease and lampblack
| Themselves "to the mortal organism from
which the electricity is drawn" This break
in the analogue chain may,prove stumbling
block to some perverse minds, bat they will
get over their trouble bravely if they will
comply with the conditions" and consent to
allow some of their powers to remain in abey-
ance when pushing their Investigations. Let
them investigate this as reasonable men
would any other phenomena in nature" and
the result viii be satisfactory. True, in all
other investigations men prescribe their own
conditions, remove all screens, call to their
aid the brightest light, take for granted every
fact madeipalpable to the senses, doubt every
thing that is Improbable, and admit nothing
that is not proved by positive testimony
Formerly men chose darkness rather than
light to do certain deeds because the deeds
were evils but that was gross and material
age, when the laws Of nature were not under
stood. o7a ,9a ss91ss10 aat aas4