Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-07-07
Visions of Heaven and Hell.

average integrity. ia
Visions of Heaven and Hell.
NJ. Delepierre, a member Of the Philo-
biblion Society, has lately reprinted a
limited edition of an essay which he pre-
pared for that society, under the title OF
"Le Lirre des Visions en- Enter ct le
Ciei, decrits par ceu1 qua les ont Uus.
The visions OF hell and heaven in ques-
ton are not those which the visionary
supposed himself to have seen in dreams,
or through the medium Of his excited i'm
agination, but those which he actually
beheld, most of them occurring while the
patient was in q state of catalepsy, and
while the spirit was supposed to be ab-
sent from the body, and consequently in
condition to behold what is afterward
narrated. NJ Delepierres collection is
curious in many respects, and in none
more than in the singular imitation
which it shows of The medieval mind in
its conception of future rewards aud pun
ishments, the absence in its visions Of
any profound or eleyating thought, even
of solemnityr in punishment, the whole
being in the most unmistakable degree
of the earth, earthly"
He'll is described with much greater
particularly than heaven, and generally
as abounding in monsters of all sorts.
Tindal, for instance, noble but profit
gate Irishman, had diabolical vision in
l749, wherein he saw monster of in
credible size and of the most horrible as
pect. g" His mouth seemed able to con-
tain ten thousand armed men; his teeth,
like pillars, formed, as it were, two i'm
mense wheels, and flames issued nces-
sanity from his gaping jaws Two giants
--one with his head downward, the other
standing on his feet-were placed before
this gulf, from which horrible corrup-
ton was. exhaled. The damned souls
were forced to enter into this abyss. The
body of this monster echoed with groans
and dull cries and lamentations. Before
this open mouth were multitude of i'm
pure spirits, who pushed the souls before
them, covering them with blows and
wounds. -
If Tindal was not converted when he
recovered from this terrible nightmare,
his must have been a hopeless case in
deed. Much more striking than this hor-
rible vision lis one of the punishments
mentioned in Plntarch story of Thes-
pasius. 'sThe. souls" said he, " which
had been guilty of sins whose punish
ment had recoiled through life on their
prosperity were punished by their chill
dren. Thespasius saw. a crowd OF these
souls grouped ike bess or bats with those
of their descendants, who did not cease
to murmur words of grief and anger in
remembrance Of all they had suffered for
the crimes of their fathers.
OF all the visionares in M. Delepierre's
book, one alone, certain Godfrey, was
(l32l) ahead of his time in his concep-
ton of hell One must not imagine,
he said, that the disposition, the kind,
and the mode of punishment have any
resemblance to that which the preachers
and painters represent to u.s. All things
in these places are seen, heard and felt
spiritually, and not at all as is generally
conceived. Space and time disappear,
American Stocks Still Favored in Europe.
The advices from the Frankfort Bourse
state that the increasing probability that
hostilities can only be delayed for few
days, has reduced the transactions in
public securities so much that only par
ties who are compelled to sell in order 10
meet liabilities and the few who are
tempted by the low prices to invest, deal
together. 1t is particularly remarked
that those stocks which have been hitherto
looked to as the most solid have fallen
more than the others. Bavarian per
cents, for instance, which were two
months ago at sc, are offered now at 30,
and Frankfort 80 per cents have gone
down from 95 to 49, These circumstances
are considered to prove that the Middle
States will meet with great difficulties
when appealed to the markets, and that,
in that respect, these States are IN bet
ter position whose stocks are quoted on
the foreign exchanges. The desponden-
cy is so general that the very best mort
cages on houses are refused, although
there is no actual scarcity of money nor
any large commitments outstanding
which could compel the bankers to keep
heavy reserves, the liquidation of habil-
tiles having made great progress during
the three months in which the apprehon-
sion of war has now prevailed Accor-
ding to the views and hopes of the mer-
cha nts it is fallacy to suppose that the
Governments could provide for their war
expenses By large issue of paper cur
rency, as the notes of the best banks are
flowing in rapidly, and with the exeep-
ton of the Frankfort Bank, their cir
euiation has largely decreased. This, /.
is said, gives some consolation that the
var cannot last long, as for want Of
money the enormous forces in the field
must hasten decision, and as the misery
ofthe great masses ofthe working people
out Of employ will threaten to
bring about a revolution. The ex-
perience. however, Of what may he done
With paper issues in carrying on war
where future consequences are disre-
earded, scarcely warrants much reliance
on currency difficulties as a preventive
Meanwhile, ii is impossible to describe,
il Is said, "the havoc which has been
made in this thriving country by the
recklessness Of one man; trade IS at a
stand. everybody reduces his expenses to
the utmost, and universal anxiety pre-
walls as to the social changes the war
will bring about" American securities