The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-08-27
Recent Publications.

/
REPLY TO WILLIAM t. DWIGHT, d. ID. ON
| 11rIRIrUALIsM. Three Lectures by ,Jabez ~
Woodman, Counsellor at Law Fourth adj
tlon. Boston: William White & Co
Inc title of this little pamphlet sufficiently
sets forth its general purpose. The three lee
lures which it contains were delivered In this
city In the year 1857, were printed at the re-
quest of the society OF spiritualists, and are
here reprinted in very nearly their original
| form. They contain the most able, logical and
complete reply to what is called the Scriptural
argument against Spiritualsm which we have
yet seen. For lawyer to enter the lists of
Biblical discussion against Doctor of Diyin-
ity might well seem bold undertaking, but
Mr. Woodman's skill in welding the lance of
ScIiptural argument and illustration must be
allowed to justify his boldness. He meets his
adversary at every point, and disarms him with
MS own weapons He not only refutes most
successfully the accusation that spiritualism is
uhscriptural, but he brings very good argu-
mehts and illustrations to show that the Bible
teaches spiritualsm. Without wishing to be
understood as accepting his view of the subject
we may yet say that Mr.. Woodman's little
pamphlte furnishes the clearest and the most
forcible statement of the theological claims of
spirtualism which we have ever met with.
The writer is justly severe on the idea held
forth by many excellent persons that there are
mysteries into which it is wrong to pry-that
there is any knowledge obtainable by man
which it is forbidden him to seek. No knowl-
edge which man can obtain is forbidden him
if it were he could never obtain it. Ii would
utterly battle him. God does not lock up his
mysteries so insecurly that prying eyes can r
find them. --AA w UT ~ gfL u -iLl
Mr.. woodman's little pamphlet is the reply
to pulpit sermon, and it naturally deals
wholly with the religious aspects of the sub
ject. He does not attempt to exhibit it in its
scientific bearings We incline to think, how
ever, that it is mainly in this aspect that the
matter should be studied-that it is by scien-
tihc tests that spiritualsm must ultimately
stand or fall. But before much can be achiey-
ed in this direction the attitude Of scientific
men toward everything which connects itself
with the matter must be changed ( Thus far
these men have shown lamentable incapae-
ity to approach the question in any proper
spirit. They are SO afraid of being duped and
seeming stupidity credulous that they fall into
ihe opposite stupidity of blind denial Their
self.love is offended because the spiritualists
refuse to accept their explanation of facts.
Even as true a lover of science as Professor,
Tyndali, says tits of no use to try to investi-
gate certain phenomena because you cannot
convince the Spiritualists of their real nature
they don't want to be convinced Well
what oft? 1t is no matter whether they are
convinced or not. The object OF true science is
net to convince any particular class of the cor
reetness of a theory, but to get at the truth.
Let tha r,,,th ;,,& al.
tude toward these phenomena that he would
assume toward those of light or heat, on which
the physician assumes toward some mysteri-
GUS and battling malady. Let him be content
| to watch and compare and classify facts, and
not trouble himself about theories. This Is
the rock on which examiners have thus far
split. They feel themselves called upon to ac-
count for everything on some known principle
of science, lest they be thought credulous or
visionary. But what the world wants of them
is that they should perseveringly bring to bear
| on these battling phenomena those habits of
| patient, long-continued observation and COM
parison by which they achieve their triumphs
in the physical world; and so, little by little,
| give us the data from which to construct our
own theory to suit ourselves. This is their
| proper task. This is the duty they owe the
world; and until they understand and go
| about it with something more of humility and
less of personal feeling than they have hither-
to manifested, they need not expect to have
much influence in checking what they call the
"delusion" of Spiritualism.
But it will be long, perhaps, before the sci
entiic aspects of Spiritualism receive such at
tention as we have indicated. In the mean
time we commend this very able exposition of
the subject in its religious phases to the con-
| sideration of all interested in the matter.