Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-06-16


{ is very evident that they are so many Illus.
trations of that individualism which robs God
Of his personality. rejects the bible as author.
ity in matters of religion and morality, and
sells up individual opinion as the only Stand.
I'd. What have produced Is the logical
,equence Of what he has produced and can
not be on abuse. unless his own platform Is
ON abuse. argued. also. that there could be
no abuse of a system which denied all law,
rule. and authority. but ones own opinion
For what one would consider an abuse, an.
ther would deem perfectly legitimate And
who should Judge between them what rule
would you apply? The terms use and abuse
imply n previously established rule without
Which II would be impossible TO determine
what is use, and what abuse. Spiritualism
admits OF no such rule, and so long as spirit
ualists insist upon their individualIsm, they
must take what comes OF it. l also referred
Ia the gross Inconsistency of my opponent. IN
insisting that all had produced was an ab-
use, while vet he roundly abused DIR. Potter
for irving to introduce plan for purifying
the system. So long as they refuse to make
anv effort TO cleanse the Augean stables oil
spiritism, Just SO long will the people hold
them responsible for the filth therein contain
ed. =.
Mr.. Jameson argued that for me to object
to the individualism OF spiritualism was IN
consistent with Professionalism; and he pro-
cee,ied TO institate a comparison between
Professionalism. Catholicism and SpirItnalism.
i showed tie difference between the individ-
ualism Of spiritism and that of Professionalism.
The one acknowledges no law, rule or author
ity but self The other rejoices IN ample lib
erty under law. Professionalism is tue liber-
ty spiriiism is license. The one maintains
order and peace the other tends TO anarchy
and destruction. Catholicism is religious
despotism Professionalism Is religious free
dom spiriIism is unbridled license. Which
Of these is the most ''wOrthy of the conn
dence and support of the peOple!" My OPP
ponent declared that Catholicism and Spirit
ualism were the upper and neither nIll-stones
which would grind Professionalism 10 powder.
/ said
IL thank thee, Jew, for that word"
Now 90 down to the mill in your city -
The upper and neither mill-stones are at
work, for what purpose? To grind the wheat.
which becomes The staff of life for the people.
So Professionalism i. indeed the staff Of life 10
our country, in every moral, social and po-
litical respect. But let us return To the figure
introduced by my opponent. Suppose the
stones where to run without anything be-
tween them. what then? In ten minutes
they would pouI out a stream OF fire as big
a. your BODY, enveloping the mill in cOnsum
ing flames And il needs no prophetic ken
TO see that the same result would ensue in our
country. If Catholicism and Spiritism were
not kept in check by Protest ant Christianity.
My opponent evidently worked good share
of the next day in getting up lengthy joke
about the Appleton boy" who had been sent
over to Prescott 10 a Spiritualist mill but
the Z" boy" was very well content to be made
the butt Of joke. SO long as he could butt his
opponent over with unanswerable arguments.
| also showed how impossible it would be
for society To exist under the rule of individ-
alism. Man is social being. He must 1--we
with his fellows. And inasmuch as there are
as MANY minds as there are men. and as many
views ms there are minds. The only way to avoid
anarchy is To agree TO abide by certain general
principles -subOl d;na;ing private opinions 10
a certain extent tO the general good. show
ed that all governments. all society, all organ
izations, are necessarily based upon this prin-
ciple-which is Sd thoroughly antagonizec
by spiritism. ] demonstrated what would be
the result II individualism were 10 be carried
into our courts. into medical practice. into
the affairs Of government, into our commer-
cial relations. All would be involved a
confusion worse confouhded." And il it is
not good i'm the practical relations OF life, nei-
ther is il good in the moral sphere nf action.
There as elsewhere. We need law. authority.
standards. Nay, there, more than elsewhere,
because the spiritual is higher than the maeri-
al To all this, my opponent offered N" reply.
| then took up the nlarridge question. L
read largely from spnitist sources, showing
that the object of spiritists is Ia take the
question of marriage and divorce out of the
hands Of the state entirely, and leave men
and women free to follow their attractions
and find their affinities, wherever they Will.
The editor of the Banner of Light would al
low al parties making bad bargains by mar
riage TO go TO the one who married Them. and
get unmarried The editor of the Religio-
Philosophical Journal argues that priests have
mo right To marry. and courts no right TO di-
vorce. and complains that. as public opinion
now is. marriage is honorable aud divorce
dishonorable. Spirits say that there ia the
utmost liberty in the spirit land that the
female knows no exclusivcness and feels no
iealua sizes and that ere long the same liberty
will be given the human family. Henry G.
Wright says. that if each does not embody
the others ideal. they should separate. and
seek further FIR the hearts ideal associaie.-
Dr. Nichols argues strongly for " variety in
love-" aud declares that the civilized marriage
is violation of the laws of God. Stephen
p. Andrews says, that If man aud woman
love, they may live together without any
C remony. while il they do not love, they are
not married. A. j Davis recommends that
parties live together for a while, and il
satisfied with each other. they may call in
witnesses and declare their intentions If living
together as husband ard wife but il they
are not satisfied, they can light out" and
try it again He says that If a married wo-
man does not love her husband, and cOntin-
ues TO live with him, she is an adulteress
aud if she loves another, and does not leave
her husband to live with that other, she is
both an adultcress and a prostitute The
Universe, OF New York. says: 1t must be
distinctly understood that the knife is to be
placed at the throat of the present legal mar
riage." Francis Barry. speaking in New
York. says of spiritualism &" 1t is our de-
nunciation of the marriage system, and our
demand that woman shall be free from lis
ouirages. that CONSTITUTES our most distinctive
fature." then submitted this proposition.
IN Order to have good governments. we must
have good citizens in order to have good citi-
gems, they must have good training ia youth
this necessits ties the family relations unhrok-
en-, the house hold intact. Thus we see th 1t
this matter belongs TO tho state. and she must
not let ii pass out of hsr hands. unless she
would have the very foundations swept from
beneath her. My opponent repeated his old
cry. that these things were am abuse of spirit
ism. But how are We 10 know this? What
rule shall we apply? what authorities has he
producedf Nothing but his own unsupport-
ed declaration. And what does that weigh
against the combined opinion of the leading
writers from whom have quoted. Ny OPP
pOnent then read the resolution passed by
their N atioual Convention at Chicago "Trne