Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1869-08-26

high degree Of happiness now ana IN
the next life, men must be good. Then
A. L. r. takes another tack. He says:
"When a medium by the aid of dark
ness can execute these tricks of leger-
demain, Che does not say what tricks
of legerdemain, (which a more accom-
plished trickster can perform in the
light without detection, it is altogeth-
er astonishing,and convincing" Ifhe
means anything by this assertion, it
is that spiritual manifestations are all
very cheap performances; that they
are all legerdemain tricks; that spir-
itualists are such bunglers that al
their tricks have to be done in the
dark, and that the frauds there prae-
ticed are so transparent that any one
can account for and explain them;
but mark how completely A. L. r.
upsets his own theory and arguments
in the very next paragraph of his
crushing essay. quote: ''It is no
doubt true enough thatthere are man-
ifestations and phenomena connected
with spiritualiim which may not be
explained or accounted for.p think
A. L. r. handles his subject poorly,
and that if he makes many points
they are rather obscure. But he says
there are manifestations and phenom-
ena connected with spiritualism
which may not be accounted for. A.
L. r., with his present limited knowl-
edge of spiritualism, may not account
for them, but I assure him that theTeaFe
thousands of men and women witness
es who testify that they can account
for and explain these manifestations
and phenomena, and there are but
few persons so egotistical as to declare
that because they cannot, or do not, or
aOiN not understand, explain or ac-
count for thing, others may not do SO.
After mentioning several things
that he cannot comprehend-and he
undoubtedly could have named many
mOre-A. L. r. says: "HOw absurd
to give credit to a doctrine because of
the incOmprehensibility of some phe-
nomena." There he shows again his
ignorance of the subject he endeavors
to discuss. He seems to imagine that
spiritualists are such because of the
MISUNDERSTANDING of the phenome-
ma, when exactly the reverse is the
| fact in the case. The doctrine of spir-
| itualism is to its believers the most
reasonable of all religious doctrines,
and the most easily comprehended,
and the phenomena and manifesto
tions are explained and accounted for
by the philosophy of spirltualism,
which to spiritualists is perfectly
plain and simple, and entirely salts
factory.
connection with our last question
from A. l.. r., he goes on to say-'es-
pecially absurd when we remember
with what profanity the manifesto
tions are characterized, and when we
take into account the questionable
motives by which some are said to be
governed who patronize the circle"
As to what profanity is, is a mere
matter of opinion, and A. l.. Il. has a
right to his; and if he is the generous
young man take him to be, he will
accord this right to others. What one
man believes to he right another be-
lieves TO be wrong SO it is, especially
with the different religious sects.
Each one is continually accusing
some of the others of doing
wrong. A. L. r. may believe that
it Is very prOfane for decent, we'll
meaning, honest, men and women, to
gather themselves together to attend
to their own business in their own
way, and to worship God according to
; the dictates of their own consciences,
or to investigate ''sOme Incompetent
sibre phenOmenan-Ofsu people are
spiritual circles made. 'But when
we take into account the questionable
motives" &c. That certainly is fine
logic. am afraid the advocacy of A.
L. RS very hard cause is too much
for his small head. But he meant it
for an argument, let US make deduc-
ton and see what it amounts to.
ut is no doubt true enough that
there are manifestations and phenom-
, ena connected with spiTitualiSm which
may not be explained or accounted
for ~ ''but when we take into account
the questionable motives by which
some are said to be governed who pat
rOniZe the eirele,n this unexplained,
unaccounted for, and incomprehensi-
bic phenomena must necessarily be
r bad, and should not be investigated,
: but should remain a mystery forever,
all because somebody is said to attend
the "circle" with questionable mo-
tives. Those who think A. L. r. Is
reasoning good should stay away from
church and all kinds of gatherings.
and especially camp meetings, lest
some one should be there with cues
tionable motives. 5-4
In the next sentence A. L. r. speaks
r of "the spirits of departed friends
being subject to the calls of mediums y
Again he gets the cart before the horse,
] and manifests his culpable ignorance
of his subject. Spiritualism teaches
, that spirits are not subject to the me-
dunn, or the calls of the medium, but
that the medium is subject to the
: spirit, and communicates or does not
: just as it may see fit. Spiritualism
teaches that "the spirits of the beloved
dead being free to communicate
+, | through mediums, or their own proper
] spirit loWer-with us in this life,n do
J if we desire it, watch over our wei
. fare, and cause their gentle and heal
ing presence to be felt;n and many
l spiritualists, and other, knOeO these
+ things to be so, 1t is possible for al
f to know it, if they seek Alright, and
for themselves, instead Of listening tC
; and giving pretended credenee to what
7 unreliable enemies of spiritualism re-
I. port. A man who stands before the
] people as q preacher, or a teacher ot
things pertaining to their eternal wei
: fare, should know well his subject and
: be very sure he is right; and If ht
o teaches falsely through ignorance, anC
: pretends to know what he does not
o he should not be held as guiltless, fol
I believe him to be as culpable as If ht
wilfully misrepresented. A man car
: not know a book by merely reading
q page here and there in it; neither car
i he know Of the doctrines and faaab