The weekly Arizona miner., 1869-01-09
Chr ~ 9a(infr.
Planchette--What is Itf

iA"Ohette, ana thlnks he has penetrated th secret He denies Inc explanation of th, 'Spiritualists,' who claim that Che writing il performed under tho influence of spirits iron the invisible world After some preliminar, remarks be proceeds to say.
 Placed on sheet of printing paper. ana ts l1 ot the lngcrs ot two persons laid lightly on it for a few minutes. it will or,Iin srily begin Co move without their e+Fort and the point of the pencil ~ih trace marks on the paper, and in answer to questions. will writeiwoFcs. It Is sometimes made of india rubber and of glass, and ws saw one operate Well, which lady made for herself by' bend. hiS wire into Che shape Of a triangle. with spiraI t"ists oi thc same for tho two legs oone couples iail Co make it move, while sin gre individuals often succeed. Oar own ex- pefiehce and observation assure us that there is no mistake in the fict cf its operation. however singular or mysterious it may an pear that writing should be done without d rect volition.
 Nhat is the explanation Perhaus no one can yet give it. for to say that it i, due to eiectucity, or to animal magnetism. ia bua using words which leave us where we were The so-called Sliritualists, more properly SP'Fiiists, eiaifn, of course, that the writips, ls performed under the influence of spirit. i1 the. ihtlsin's sss!;4 Bot sevefai diffirrri- ues ues ne ih me way oi that explanation We arc not hecess'iated. as we shall see. to adopf .nAs we" 70 account for the phenomena so N " s a' me pest pure assumption. Then 1t is to be noted that the answers ,-ivsr, er-- respond with the knowiedge or of,;fi.,,, .s some one of those directly or sympathetirallv connected with the operation. and reveal nothing new. There is DO evidence ,Dore- over, nat Pianchette will work at ajI wi,h those who know not how Co write or that fl VIII spell any more correctly than those can va" ,.s= it. Bat test Planchetfe. devised by TIT '. ". Blanchard! os Bradford Vrr. inont, and described in a communications to the boston baieinada, has put to flight all tne pretensions of the Spiritists In thi. form the finger board is nicely balanced on AR Axis between two upright sunsorts and la so connected by a wheel and cord with {, 5;.I and pointer instead of c pencil that n sI;yb, tp or the Planchette with the fpgar c.,,..s the pointer to make an entire revoln,ion around the.edge Of the dial. on which arc a her1ree eiFisioFis HiaTk-,i win the igtters o7 .ne aphabet, numerals and familiar phrazes nis has been subject to the experimepts of me splritists, who have fully failed to make tns pointer indicate lnteiligible ideas. This p iseaiiss ti.e human operator cannot sec the uaAi, nor calculate accurately the motion of lhe Is'snsr, and, Therefore, si.ses not know tine iu4' Vi His motions, which, however, ought not to be any difficulty 10 the spirits
 How, then, shall we account for rho vrr;,. ing which is performed withoat any direct vohtionR We will give the result off our own experiments and reflections. Our meth od oi explanation refers it to an an.,,,..i. power gi mind separate from conscious yoH .ioh' LIe reveals its mysterious nature by two klnds Oi actlOn-v0luntary. as when one wills to raise his arm. and automatic ,s ir The acton Of the heart, which beats on ir-. spective of volitiOn, whether we are .leenio-, or waking. The act of breathiDr cop,as s,;il cisser to the idea, since we can stou it or -e new tt by our will, at any moment. and vel f. goes on in the automatic way without coa- eSlous purpose on our part. and this latter is the usua! mode. Let us also call to mind tb.. iact that the soul ls also capable of simuIta- neous thoughts, one train of which may be connected with outward acts, and ,he otl.er no'' nus man may read aloud to others.
 mihd at the same time revolye diff
 eer UT one may write in the glow
 sltion, and while his mind. throu0h
 races the end Of one sentence. by
 'nd simultaneous act, it is consid-
 next sentence. Very common is
 enee Of an automatic power in the
 hich it finishes word or two or
 ds, alter the thoughts have eon-
 snne on to what is to follow. We
 g en, rom ordinary facts known to the
 vi pehmaa, that if fixed idea is in the
 J, H tiine when the y0lifiOnal powers
 exercised with pen, 1t will ofren express
 ell spontaneously through the pen. when
 mental faculties arc at work othervise We suppose, then, tha; Planchette is simpIv sn arrangement by which, through the ont stretched arms and fingers, the mind comes into sneh relation to tle exceedingly .fs!i.s.t,. movements of the pencil, that it's automatic power finds play, and the ideas present in the inind are transferred unconsciously fo parer Indeed, aii the phenomena of sosnnambulism prove the possibility of varied and eontiun- ous 'ii"afu ana outward action, separated rom consciousness. Consciousness goes to s.iSeP, vut the automatic powers arc exercised m m waxing sewing, writing, and the ike Pisnchette puts the consciousness into ,his condition of isolation, so that the will does not seem tO act, and yet the mind transmits US thoughts to the pencil and moves il to write. Alter ceasing from writing we have hotced Tor some time propensity in the mind 70 be spelling out words, and a nervous 'nollnstion m the fingers to write them.
 Those whose nervous system has been somewhat developed under these inHuences will find, m fact, that they may dispense with the board altogether, simply holding the peicii m tneir fingers with the point on the paper and tho arm unsupported by any other rest or contact. Where two persons partic- ipate, but one mind controls the. writing whichever one has or chooses to exert the strpnger influence. The Romish Bishops t...sa ,rs Ira l.. 4 Is. i