The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-09-01
The SpIrItuRIIHIS---ThcIr Recent PRO.
CCCtIIMga...Wh0I They Said ami What
They Did,


delegates of both sexes, hnilinE from
seventeen States of tho Union, were
present on this momontuOus occasion.
The hall in which the convention met
was fitted up i'll mannor appropriate
to tho purpose for which 1t was to bo
used. "CpOn tho platform was the in
eVitNblc hybrid between II pulpit and II
desk, with its inevitable purple velvet
trNppinEs. On tho floor was II hurmoni-
um, and behind it was young lady
EorgcOuSly decorated with blue ribbons
OF startling magnitude. IN the eX-
treme rear was II luxurious lounge"
Among tho delegates were quite IL num-
Der of womnnly men, with long hair,
ana OF manly women with hair clip
ped close to "thO short wnrriOr cut"
Ono of tho distinguishing chHrNctUriS-
tics of both mon and women is said to
hnvc boon certain "wildnesS of cye,"
which Is attributed, on the part OF the
former, to "eXCeSSiVo Smoking," and
on the part of tho latter, to inOrdiuuto
"tcU-drinking." Another wns an in
consistency of costume, with an OccaS-
iOnRl attcmpt mt originality.
MIR. John PicrpOnt took the chair,
and Hflcr n fcw remHrkS, in the course
of which he solemnly promised to visit
them in spirit whom he had left them in
tho flesh, the Convention proceeded to
business. The business WIS to exhibit
the capacity of the delegates for MAX
ing "lLNN Ill NIllCu Things
sacred and things profanc, transGen-
dental nonsense, metaphysical nbsudi-
ties, rchushcS of old jokes, bluSphem-
GUS illusions to the Deity, and sneer-
ing comments upon all Creeds but
their own, formed tho staple OF the
Pcirpont "had personally received
messages from his father and his wife
upon matters known only TO himself
and the departed. If St. John COM
muncd with spirits, "heard with car
nal voices, and saw with Carnal eyes
the forms of the Celestial world, why
should not he uhe speakerl do the
Mr.. Picrpont "believed his eyes and
ears to be ms good as those of st. John,
or any other Saint" MIR. T.. l.. Wads-
worth, of Chicago, "H gentleman dress
ed in clerical costume, and of u very
wild appearance about the eyes" in n
speech. which lasted for about half an
hour, dived deep into metaphysics.
Fundamentally" said hc, "spirituul.
ism was the idea that there was spir-
ituul nativaliSm in the idea of the di-
vine in nature" and upon this text he
rang the changes until the greater part
/ OF his auditors 'loOked puzzled" and
"a few who were weary of attempting to
fathom the profoundly of his reason
ing, went fast asleep. Great relief was
experienced when the speaker con-
cluded, and Miss Susie johnson, "a
young lady of prepossessing appear
nnce, with short hair" " succeeded him.
She mOdestly declined to venture on
prophecy, but she "felt convinced that
the time would yet come when thev
| would be in the majority, and would
! be recognized by legislative authority"
/ She did not expect churches to be built
for them out of the public purse, for
churches "had too long opposed be-
nighted humanity. She had laborcd
I for ten years testifying to the truth.
I She was willing to work in any posi-
ton. She was ready to work if they
( put her in the gutter, &c, &c" Some
I faCetiouS stories by Mr.. EOOS closed the
4 exercise of the evening.
The next day the attention of the
! brothers and sisters was called to pa
/ tent window fastener, the invention of
which had been communicated to Miss
Emma Hnrdinge by spirit. "IHe ar
tctc irdS for sale chedp." After this lit
tie episode, the session opened with the
presentation of IL series of resolutions
denounclng rum, tobacco, churches,
President Johnson, Sunday schools
and hanging. Tie preamble declares
that as 'a large, intelligent portion OF
the people of this country have out
grown the forms, ceremonies, creeds
dogmas, fables and superstitions of the
Christian Churches, it is therefore re-
solved, that spirituAlists will have no.
thing to do with creeds and formulas
and all that sort of nonsense; that re-
ligion docs not consist in faith, hope,
belief, conversion, or Il change of heart
but in knowledge, facts, science, philo-
sophy, &c, &c, that alcohol is deStruc-
tive, and tobacco injurious TO health;
that nobody ought to be hung by the
neck, or shot in battle, or in duel, or
deprived of life in any manner; that all
men and women are born equal; that
or to r. In Ii,
the eating of Swine's flesh promotes
scrofulous and cutaneOuS diseases, &C.,
&C., &c. To these resolutions were su-
peradded others denOuncing the South
ern people, and advocating negro suf-
frage. Specch-making followed in due
course. Mrs. HutChinYs, of MaSsaChu-
sets, was ashamed of the fact TINT spir-
itualists were as scarce as Christians.
She did not want resolutions, she
wanted work. "If any body was cx-
cluded from the Convention she wanted
to be excluded with him. If anybody
was to go to hell, she wanted to go with
him. She would work for humanity in
hell. What had been done by the Con-
vention2 Nothing! What good did
resolutions do when people were suffer-
| ing in their stomachs? She wanted TO
do something"
devil was necessity IN his day, but
he would go down" and pointed out
Christ and Fourier AS worthy the imi-
tatiOn of spiritualists. A poem, COM
municated by the spirit of Andrew
Jackson, was next recited by Sanford
d. Swain, imPressiOnal medium. 1t is
sufficient to say that in matter and
manner, in language and VersiiicatiOn,
it was alike execrable.
On the third day the delegates "ns-
sisted" Mt a picnic and clam-bako on
Rocky Point, twelve miles below Prov
idenCe. There was TO have been
great amount OF Open-Hir speaking
done, but the fIteB were against It.
About noon rain commenced TO fall and
it continued without intermission dur
ing the remainder of the day. An ut
tempt was made to organize meeting
over bowling alley, but it failed. The
Western delegates did not relish clans;
all were drenched to the skin, and so
the fOrlOrn party returned to Provi-
dcnce, wet, weary, hungry, and be-
drnggled. II was fitting termination
of the third annual Convention of the
Spirituulists of the United States.
WIRES CoMMANDMENTs.-1. Thou
shalt have no other wife but me. 2.
Thou shalt not take into thy house any
beautiful braZen image of servant
girl to bow down to her and serve her,
for am n jealous wife, visiting, etc. 3.
Thou shalt not take the name of thy
wife in vain. 4. Remember thy wife to
keep her respectfully. 8. Honor thy
wIfe's father and mother. 6. Thou
shnlt not fret. 7. Thou shalt not find
fault with thy dinner. 8. Thou shalt
not chew tobacco. 8. Thou shalt not
ha I,oI,iu1 thu ~ DoiUhbnr 10 ThOu RhRlt