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

Sd, If true marriage consists in the rec
loving and e-ioDg union. then people can.
not tell until they die whether they are mar.
ried or not, because q union cannot be he
long until the close of life? This certainly
leaves married spirtists in very bad pick.e.
4th. the union does not prove to be life
long. then they were not previously married {:
and what do you call that. when men ana
women live together without marriagef
| Thus you see that this very resolution pro.
duced by Mr.. Jameson, when we analysed
it, and bring out its hidden meaning. IS pre-
| ciselv identical with the extracts have read !;
: and therefore they cannot be an abuse. unless
that resolution is an abuse. All the reply he
made to this argument, was that he didn't
see the point"
Mr.. Jameson insisted all during the dis.
cussion. that the quotations read were but
the utterances of individuals, and ought not
to be received. / showed LIST. That this
! objection rules out his own platform. Tat
was simply his individual opinion. H0 had
produced at that no authority 10 show that 1t
embocjed any body's views but his own. And
I pointed out his utter inconsistency in try
ing 10 rule out of the debate the spiritist OPP
inions which introduced, while yet he wait.
ed his own unsupported declarations to be
taken as the basin of the discussion. I'd. l
argued that inasmuch rs spiritism is a system
no authority but personal judgment. there
fore there is no possible way of finding out
what spiritism is, except by reading up their
literature, as largely as possible, and finding
out, as near as you can. the general DRIFT and
tendency of their teachings. This is precise
ly what have done. i have read to you
night alter hight from more than forty of
their leading minds. b sides more than twice
as msny spirit utterances. These last. GER
tainly, ought to be worth at least as much as
the sayings Of the living, it the doctrine of
inc, liable progression is true, and spirit inter-
| course is worth a rye straw. especially such
! spirits as Washington. Franklin. Jefferson,
Adams. Bacon, DC, My opponent has treat
ed these spirit messages very cavalierly but
If the opinions of men cease to be of value as
soon as they die. should like 10 know what
benefit We are 10 derive from spirit intercourse.
And now what has NY opponent produced
for the purpose of showing that his goose plat
form was any thinF more than his individual
opinionY Up to last evening, he Lad gwen
nothing at all. He did then bring in cou-
pie of books, aud read the opinions of some
half dozen individuals. And leave you, la
dies and gentlemen. 10 Judge whether l with
the large Number of authorities have intro
duced. have shown yon what is the general
drift of spiriiist teachings he with his
handful of names. And besides, ] argued
that there was no conflict between these au-
thorities. any mole than there would be be-
tween two geoloyists, who, finding tw' huge
boulders deposited in some valley during the
drift period. should attempt to trace back
their paths. and find whence they had come.
They would traverse each different section
of the country, but their paths would be par
rallel. MIR. Jameson is. OF course, trying to
make spiritualism appear as beautiful as pos
la ami hat he &c IN
in this effort /. on the other hand, am aiming
To show up the ObeciiOnal features OF spirit
ism, and my quotations are of this character.
Thus YOU will have the good and the bGd before
you and il will he for you to determine
which predOminates. and 81 decide whether
spiritism is or is not worthy OF the conf
dence aud support of the peope."
/ also showed you that the frs two wit
nessess introduced by my opponent last eve
Mug. did him great injury. he first one,
N. +. Tallmadge, says that "spIritualism sus-
tains all the graf. leading. fundamental doct-
rines of Christianity" Now what are those
doctrines? A personal God. the fall and de-
pravty OF man, the bible as authority in the
moral sphere of action. Christ the son of
God and redeemer of man, the necessity of
faith. repentance and regeneration. These
are the leading doctrines of Christianity. But
is this in accordance with the platform Of my
opponent. | should think not. 1T is very
clear, than. that N. F. Talmadge belongs TO
a very different school of spiritism from W.
+. Jameson and in bringing in their wit
nesses. he has got his goose platform kicked
into thousa nd fragments. There isn't enough
left TO make tooihpick. Nor does the adj
dItIOn which lac made to my quotation help
the matter any, for if spiritism is going to
absorb Christianity, elm mating only the err
rOrs. and retaining only the truths. then il
spIritism sustains the leading doctrines of
Christianity, they must be true, If spirtism is
true II they are true, then Mr.. Jameson and
his platform are WIRING. it'll regard to
Judge Edmond quotation. that Every indi-
vidual must make his Own soul the standard
of authority, | have already shown you that
tins il false. pernicious idea, which must
work d destruction wherever it is applied. And
don't you see that all these quotations l have
been introducing. are but the logical sequence
of the position Of Judge Edmonds? why then
does my opponent complain when l am al
the while Illustrating his own platform?
Outing the discussion. introduced no less
than eight witnesses. who had been spiritual
lectures, writers, or mediums. some of whom
had travelled extensively among spiritualists,
aud all of whom kaew whereof they wrote -
These witnesses. testifying at di fferent times.
and from different places, fully corroborate all
that i have shown concerning spIritisin.-
They unite in declaring it TO be the most
monstrous system that ever existed, whose
sole tendency is TO drag down and destroy -
And | ask you, ladies. and gentlemen, il any
confidence whatever is to be placed in human
testimony. how are We going TO get around
this ass of positive evidence against spirit
ism Remember. this testimony is not aim
cd al a few-it is not personal,as my opponent
intimated--it relates 10 the system and its
supported generally. Mr.. Jameson tried 10
evade the crushing weight of this overwhelm
ing testimony, hy bringing in individual de-
lnquencies in the church-lugging i'm names,
and thus making the debate a personal one.
He also went back hundreds and thousands
of wears, TO find the lone cases. here and there,
with which TO parallel the general coriuptions
of spfrtualisis to-day. He seemed To think
that If he could drag the church down to a
level with splrtism, or show that David and
Solomon were as bad as spiritists to-day. he
should have case. / made the following
distinctions:
LIST. Whatever corruptions appear in the
church exist IN spite OF the teachings of the
church because Of the natural tendency OF
the human heart, which mere church-mem-
bersiiip does not neces sar;iy overcome
While on the other hand. have read to you
from more than forty authorities besides
great many spirits and have introduced eight
competent witnesses, showing conclusiyely
that the corruptions of spiritism are en- dccor-
dance pith. and the natural result OF the gem
eral drift and tendency Of their teachings.
2d. Bad men are usually tried and expell-
IL -