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

SPIRTTUALISBT.
ANSWER TO A DISCOURSE UPON THE
SUBJECT OF ANCIENT AND MODERN
sPRITUALISM.
MR.. EDITOR Permit me to notice
through your esteemed paper A. L..
RS communication on spiritualism
which I read in the Aduertiser of last
week. A. L. r. says that the Rev.
Mr.. Baird has been doing a remark
able thing-that he positively preach
ed q remarkable sermon. The sermon
under consideration may have sounded
remarkably well in the ears of those
who believe in the old nearIy-played-
out superstitiOns which Mr.. B. teach-
es; and knowing that their old theol-
ogy is wonderfully crippled and is be-
ing borne down by the giant called
spiritualism, anything said or done
for their sinking cause, by any one, is
generally, greatly magnified. The
effort on A. y. r. must have been ex-
ceedingly shocking, for he says "there
could be but little, if anything, added
to the discourse alluded to-" that is,
eff facts and reasons are sufficient to
convict a man of error and convince
him of truth" Now the fact is that
Mr.. B. knows scarcely anything about
spiritualism, theoretically or practic-
ally. I venture the opinion that he
never studied any standard works in
favor of sptritualism that he never
even read one their books; that he
never heard a lecture delivered advo-
eating spiritualism that he never at
tended meeting of spiritualists.
Then how could he be qualified to
give reasons and facts sufficient to
convict of error, &c. He did not state
one fact nor give one good reason why
any person should not be a spiritual
ist, nor can he do so. He, like A. L.
R., may make false assertions and
reason to false conclusions. Mr.. B.
did that in the sermon alluded to, and
so does A. L. R. is his Thoughts con-
cerning modern spiritualism." As to
the meaning Of the following sentence
taken from A. L. RS piece, am not
fully satisfied-in fact, acknowledge
my inability to understand it. 1t
reads thus: 1.-THE discourse was, in
the first place, q resume of the exten.
! sive literature-bOth sacred and prope,
concerning the question, from the
earliest down." A. L. r. seems to bC
considerably DlWddLed on the subjec
y of spiritualism, for at one time he viii
E treat it as hardly worthy of consider
I alton because of its insignificance anC
! absurdity as all abarefaced fraud, theI
= again hespeaks of the 'ertenSiUe litera
t ture concerning the subject both sac
red and prOper'-that there aOGs spir
ltualism in ancient times, and that i
was identical with the spiritualisn
Of to-day" It is singular to me tha
a thing which is ''mere twaddle'
should have extensive literature con
cerning it both ancient and proper
I will just here remark that spiritual
lists do not make the distinction or be
lieve that there is a distinction in Lit
J erature further than some is bette
= than, Others-that all books are NOR
or less inspired, and that the NOR
good there is in book or O man, tn
more God there is in it or him, and
would earnestly recommend to A. L
4 r. and Mr.. B. that if they have a de
sire TO acquaint themselves witt
+ truth, to procure the both sacred ant
proper works of A. ]. Davis and othe
inspired men and women Of thes
times, and study them honestly Wit
a sincere desire to have the truth re
vealed to them, and then probabl,
they may be made to understand tn
beauties and goodness of the Harmo
nial Philosophy, which is now dispel
ling from the minds of millions of in
dependent, thinking men and women
the darkness, gloom and doubt, whicl
result from adhering to the teaching
Unpopular theology, and letting in tn
pure bright rays of Gods eteFns
truth. And il it did no other good fo
them, they would learn something {
which they now are very ignorant
and qualify themselves to write q
talk on the subject understandingly
1 will now proceed to notice an
correct some of A. L. RS assertions
He asserts cit does not suit the pul
pose Of the believer in spiritualism
renounce his faith therein. He in
- agines he sees in this direction th
method by which he can altOgethe
avoid human accountability to a SU
preme Ruler" There is no perso
who understands the doctrine of spil
itualism but what knows that this ur
qualified statement of A. L. r. Is is, i
every respect, utterly false. Spiritua
lists believe and teach that man Is az
eountable to a Supreme Ruler-that b
cannot avoid just punishment for vic
lation of the laws governing the bod
and the spirit; that punishment
not confined to this world, and ths
transgressiOns of the laws are not an
cannot be forgiven. Spiritualism cor
tinualIv teaches that to avoid DuniGf