The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-06-24
From Our Regular Correspondent
INDTANApoTTs .Tuna % 1850

From Our Regular correspondentl
INDIANAPOLIS, June %, 1869.
Editors Journal:
Summer has at length dawned upon
US, and its heat and showers are hav-
ing their usual effect on animated
nature. This climate is very much
different from the climate of Evans
vile, though the two places are not
three degtees of latitude apart. The
forces of Spring develop themselves
actively and early where you are,
while here it is not until May is we'll
past that garden truck makes its
appearance in the market. There
were two days last week during which
a fire IN house and office was COM
fortably enjoyed. TO-day-aud for
the other days succeeding the cold
snap spoken of-the weather is very
sultry.
Lite at the Capital, | find from ex-
perience, is not so mOnotonous as it is
IN places more insulated. Is there a
movement In society engrossing public
attention, there is a tendency to cen
tralize it; and what place more con-
venient for the purpose than the
Capital of the State, especially If the
railroad facilities for reaching it are
ample? This advantage Indianapolis
possesses undeniably, and consequent
~ conventions, having for their OBJ
ject moral, social, political, educa-
tiOnal aud religious advancement. arc
Of frequent occurrence here. This
city is selected for this purpose, on
account of its easiness of access; and
from being so used, it acquires para
mount Importance in the discussion
and settlement of questions of ma
tioDal and social reform, which other
cities in the State may envy, but can
not successfully neutralize until they
possess equal facilities of approach.
There Is scarcely day passes that
persons in numbers do not arrive here
from abroad to form these Assem- blies.
In this communication [ have time to
notice but two of the kind, one OF
which is the Conyention of Spiritual
lists, and the ether a meeting of the
colored people to hear Col. Caring
ton on the all-absorblng question Of
education. The former gathered to-
gether for four days, beginning last
Thursday, the 18th inst, and closing
their seances on Sunday, the goth.
Two of your tOwnsmen, long known
among you as enthusiastic apostles of
the Spiritualistic persuasion, DR.. A.
@. Halleck and Mr.. Henry Butts,
were In attendance at the convention
as regularly accredited delegates from
their Society or Circle at Evansville.
They seemed hopeful that Spiritual
ism will ultimately overspread the
earth, and bring about the promised
millennium. The attendance at the
sessions of the Convention was
very meagre, consisting principally
of persons from aboad, the people
resident here being too orthodox to
relish the strange vagaries denomina
ted mediumistle manifestations.
Aud in truth must say,
without any intention to ridicule
the professions Of the deluded, that
IndiaDapolitans lost nothing by alb
sentiDg themselves. Conspicuous
among the recent converts to the de-
fusion are Judge David II. Melon
aid and DIR. Bland, of this city. |
listened to the detail of their expert.
ences in Spiritualism without being at
all affected otherwise than feeling
pity for misapplied mental powers. A
Mrs. Sch@fer, of Dayton, who is de-
scrlbed by the astute Judge as an
obese, vulgar. slovenly, ignorant
Dutchwoman. is the only person as
yet discovered through whom the
spirits OF his wife aud daughters and
the spirits OF other deceased friends
of his Will deign to communicate with
him. This unfavored specimen of
femininity has succeeded In convert
ing Bland and Mcdonald and several
more. What struck me as very odd
Is the very bad taste of the residents
In the spirit land in making selee-
ton of such forbidding in
struments of communication with
their friends still living, and the
awful earthly character of their con-
yersations; and moreover, / thought
1t queer that the spirits selected
almost Invariably women as mediums.
and that the communicating spirits
most accommodating in the matter of
dlscloslog the secrets of the spirit
land are mostly of the female persua-
sion also. L recollected Mrs Wash
burne, Mrs. Hood, Mother Fodery's
grand daughter, and others. who nTe-
vailed In Evansville as mediums for a
series of years, and my recolleetions
OF their impOsters had a serious inhu-
euce Oh my mind In discredit-
ing all the spiritualistic reyeIa-
tons made in my hearing while
the seance lasted. Another thought
occurred to me, aud that is, how odd
that man should have lived SO long
on the earth, and that the spirits. so
numerous about US, should never
have deemed it worth. their while.
until about sixteen or eighteen years
ago, to manifest an interest in US?
This thing of spiritual phenomena
will have its day, and will, as other
species Of humbug have done, pass
into the things Of the past, but its
influence on society now IS small, and
only creates a smile at tile unlimited
credulpy which, rejecting Revelations,
gives full credence to the transparent
trlckeries of artfnl Wnmen