Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-08-26
SpirituaIists in Council.
Their National Convention.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. THEM.
& Reunion Of Mounful Men with Moul-
dy hair, and Nervous spinsters.


dy hair, and Nervous spinsters.
The National Convention Of Spiritua
Progressive Reformers, met at Providence
Rhode Island, last Sunday. They had theil
President, Vice-Presidents, from States rep
resented, and Secretsries-'' male and female
made be them" and transacted much bust
ness Of the organization. They discussed
various new and interesting questions, such
as "Where is Heaven g' "What is Hell ]?
"Are we Of the earth, earthly" They had a
Committee on Credentials and one on the
Platform, aud acted altogether very like
people, according 70 accounts especially
about meal-times. A Mr.. TosHEY, Of Bos-
ton, endeavored to get a Fenian plank in
the platform, but failed and fell into the
Fulks.
One Of our New Yorl, exchanges sent a
special reporter skepiical young man
who thus raeily, bat irreverently describes
scenes on the voyage
You see I'm goin' to the Convention at
Providence But ] amt got money TO pay
my board in Providence, 80 I'm goin' ont to
Pawtucket, where I've got an orthodox sis
ter ! ken stop IN her house nights and go
inter the Convention day times" Such was
the information communicated 10 me on the
Providence boat last evening by cadaver-
GUS bat intellectual and voluble lady, who,
in common with most Of the passengers, was
on her way hither 10 attend the third annual
Convention Of Spiritualists from all parts Of
the country.
SPIRITS OF THE Vastly DEEP.
The attendant spirits, as usual, represented
the grave, the gay, the lively, and serene;
bat in the inverse order Of nature. The
Young were philosophical and metaphysical,
and affected profundity; while the old were
light aud airy, affecting hilarity. Their in
dividual sovereignty was represented most
emphatically in the matter Of dress-the
fashions ranging from the time Of JosEPH's
coat of many colors down 10 the latest edi-
ton Of last years fashion magazine. In the
matter Of hair, likewise, the order OF nature
was reversed, as the hirsute appendages Of
the men was long, while some Of the ladies
were cropped like hair-uunk.
SPIRIT wIRE-PULLING.
As is invariably the rule in all cases
where any quantity OF flesh and blood is
associated the spirits do not entirely accord
with reference 10 the convention. Some II
the shining spirits seem TO look upon il as a
weapon Of the carnal-minded, and savoring
Of the doings Of the Aesh-like. They think
that conventions may do very well for poll
ticians who mean only 10 do with the COM
mon affairs Of life, but are not at all calcu-
lated TO advance the cause Of spiritualism.
Consequently there will be many spiritual
organizations unrepresented. The Conven-
ton, however, will not be very strict upon
the matter Of credentials, and, in order to
provide for vacancies, there was no little
wre-pulling and arranging Of representa-
tives ON the boat. Here and there knots Of
the celestials were engaged in discussing the
knotty points Of "atomic progress "sove-
reignty," "the doctrine Of force, and sundry
other interesting but unsettled topics. At
length the cacoeties ioguendi became too pain
ful for endurance, and, by permission Of the
captain Of the boat, a meeting was duly or
ganized in
TIDE FORWARD CABIN.
Mr. DANsKIS, Of Baltimore, called the
assemhlage to order, and, by way Of precau-
ton, instructed the speakers 10 confne
themselves 20 ten minutes each This ham,
pering Of the spirits was somewhat appall-
ing 20 the ladies, whose volubility abhorred
such bounds, but nobody objected audibly,
and the speaking proceeded, before a crowd
of all the curiouF passengers on the boat,
and goodly number Of the spirits. The
utmost good order and attention prevailed,
bat before long the heretical portion of the
audience gradually dropped off The reason
of this was that the spirits had turned their
attention so much towards things above that
they had forgotten the very essential thing
here below, viz: ventilation. Ii was found
that the breath Of the combined spirits was
quite rs offensive TO breathe over again as
the breath of ordinary mortals. Besides,
there was too much CAB and no raps.
no SUCH THING As DEATH.
Or. CmLDs. Of Philadelphia, was the first
speaker. lie was well satisfied that there is
no such thing as death. / merely mention
this in order that you NAV abolish the
Health Board, and snap your finger at chol-
era. DIR. CHuDs declared that every iudi-
yidual present was a spirit. Tangible forms
are not real men. Anybody could be con-
vinced of spiritualst phenomena by simply
observing what everybody could see. The
Doctor did not give us any raps, but said
that 90 produce the manifestations would
require favorable conditions These were
interpreted bv an unbeliever TO be a dark
room, and no chance 20 discover the cheat.
The doctor concluded with the assertion that
Of all the men who had died during the past
war not a single one was lost not a single
one was missing This will be great conso-
lation 10 those who are Of the impression
that some Of their friends were butchered at
Fredericksburg or buried at Andersonyille.
MATERIAL sPIRITUALIsN.
Mr.. WADswoRrH, a short, spare, red
whiskored, bright-oyod, nervous deep-voiced
gentleman, next took the hoor and COM
menced by saving he would not antagonize
his remarks 10 Brother CHILDs. But the
Doctor had not told the whsle truth. The
fact was that spiritual communication did
not constitute all of spirimalism. Spirit
ualiSm is moi merely fact, but a movement.
10 belongs TO the condition of the spirit
while it Is In the body Il belongs TO the
body In which the spirit is, and 10 the as
sociatious of the body in which the spirit Is
The first practical, important question is
how. and where, and why we are, while our
feet stand upon the earth, and our heads and
aspirations reach heayenward. His doctrine
was relate Yourself In life" When a man
Is In the right relationship to things and the
soul Of things, there is no power in earth OF
heaven that can make him unhappy. This
means, Of course, a man must marry only
when he can avoid having mother-in-law.
ArRANcE MEDIUM.
Miss NErrIE CouURN was now called
upun, bat the chairman announced that as
she was trance medium, sometime would
be- rconired to get her under the influence
NErrlE thereupon went of in paroNysms
af Jerks twitches, aud snndry other spas
modic operations involving some muscular
effort aad supposed 20 be supor.nduced by
the influencing spirits. To the unbeljcyers
present. the exhibition much resombled than
Uf nervous female heightened by "spooks'
rHE MARVELLOUS SPIRIT
Mr.. l.. X. CooNrTy was the next spirit.
lie said he had been ten years travelling.
Tie was as suddenly converted as Sr. PAUL,
aud had never had doubt since; especially
as De had made his living by H. and was on