Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-02-11
Freaks OF Fanaticism.

other equally able writer on special forms
Of insanity, would give us the rationale
Of that delusion which prompts certain
maniacs to divest themselves, and to APP
pear before the world in condition OF
nature; and especially we should like a
scientific explanation Of the fact that
this inconvenient propensity is so often
the accompaniment Of religious aberra-
tidn. There never, perhaps, were purer
minded confessors than the primitive
Quakers; yet George Fox says in bis
Journal; "Some have been moved to 90
naked in the streets in the other powers
days q. e., days of the Commonwealth
and since, as signs Of their nakedness,
and have declared amongst themt that
God would strip them Of their hypocriti-
cal professions, and make them as bare
and naked as they were. THE works
of George Fox, ii, 63. The founder of
the Society of Friends complains that
this enthusiastic devotion was taken in
such i'll part by the public authorities,
that the nude apostles were frequently
whipped, or otherwise abused, and
sometimes imprisoned" We are IN,
clined to believe that this form OF
devotional extravaganza, which may be
observed frequently in the history OF
religious fanaticism, came from the East
and that among people accustomed to
scanty raiment it was not regarded as In
the least degree indecent. When Jona-
than made a covenant with David, we
are told that he stripped himself OF the
robe that was on him, and gave 1t to
David and his garments" So, too, we
read that David danced before the Lord
"with all his might, and girded with a
linen epkod;" and we all know what
happened to Miss Micbal, the daughter
of Saul, for laughing at him.
The trial of McEwen. which has been
for some days pending in Newark, has
developed degree of morbid depravity
which demonstrates that human nature
is in all ages the same. We spare our
readers and ourselves repetition of the
details, which are both ridiculous and
shocking. 1t is sufficient to say that
McEwen, having arrived as he believed
at primeval state of innocency, not
only discarded his own clothes, but per-
suaded couple of foolish women to do
the same. We have never, in our life,
read anything more painful than the tes-
timony of Miss Althea Reeves, who
is described by the reporter as
possessing calm and modest
demeanor." She participated in the
frigbtful ceremony, and she gave the
particulars of it in court as if it had
been an ordinary occurrence. Moth
ing improper" she urged, was said"
Neither" she continued, "did we make
any immodest gestures" Nothing,
she testifes, "was done from wantoness.
All we did was to strip ourselves, and l
do not" she continued, remember see
ing an indecent act" This is followed
by a confession that she, with her mother,
frequently shared McEwen's bed, and
once without the presence of her mother.
She declares that she felt no shame, and
that all was "pure and proper"
Asking pardon of the reader for the
repetition of these unpleasant details,
we hasten to inquire how far these poor
people we're mad, and how far they were
responsible for their madness. The
testimony of Miss Reeves that nothing
Improper was done or said appears
to us to be precisely the very worst
feature of the case; for it seems to take
the horrible folly out of the category of
ordinary human error and to put 1T
positively into that of demoniac posses
sion. OF course, if we trace this disease
of the mind closely up to its origin, we
shall find that it begins with an indu-
gence of morbid passions and an un.
bridled Imagination. Under the abnormal
influence of these, the mind soon
reaches that point at which it prefers a
theoretical to practical crime, and
takes q singular pleasure in proving it
self pure by acts of unquestionable i'm
purity. Had there been no appetites
which society has agreed to restrain for
the common good, the unfortunate per-
sons who desire to make an ostentatious
exhibition of their peculiar superiority
to those appetites would never have
thought of such an unnecessary demon
stration. In spite of all their profess
sions of inspired aud heaven-defended
purity, we may be sure that there is
an unnatural fever raging in the cere-
belum of any man or woman who thus
defes the modesty Of nature and the
universally accepted customs of man
kind. There is an incontinency of the
Imagination which is sufficiently salts
factory sometimes to those who cultivate
it, and are content to rake religiously
while they make their faith respo nsible
for their folly. Yet it will be evident to
all that in its effects upon character, this
abstract indulgence must be far more
noxious than avowed and practical profit
gacy. To this, with the young, it must
inevitably lead, while with the old it will
find an expression in acts which we all
agree to consider ss shocking and un-
mentionable.
We do not fancy that Judge Edmonds
will be particularly pleased to find the
counsel for the defense in this painful
case appealing to his authority, and
asserting that he believes that by
communion with the spirits be can at
tain the original purity of Adam and
Eve while they still walked in a state of
perfection before their Creator" We
venture to assert that the Judge believes
nothing of the kind, aud that he does
not anticipate a stark-naked millennium
in his dreams, either by day or night.
At any rate, if he were holding court,
and this MeEwen were brought be-
fore him charged withindecency, he would
be Obliged upon proof Of the commission
Of the otfeuse, to send this inspired gen.
tIeman to the penitentiRry or to the lu-
natic asylum. To this last named re-
treat Mrs. Reeves, the mother above
referred to, has already been consigned
We confess that there is one part Of the
doctrine Of Spiriiualism which We feel =
strong inclination 10 accept II Is that
which declares the continual presence Of
evil disposed spirits in the world, and
their constant an Z nalign influence upon
hrman actions. This Is a branch Of the