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


versal MS humanity. As well might the as
tronomers of America. announce that they
were about TO institute series of elaborate
and costly experiments 10 demonstrate ihai
the cart h is a sphere. and not Hat.
: NV opponent said that my argument with
! regard TO demonstration would apply with
great force 10 the christian system. replied
That no christian writer ever pretended TO
/ claim anything more than moial certainty for
! the christian system. The proof of truth
must partake Of the nature Of the truth il is
/ designed to sustain. This being 30. moral
! truth can be sustained only by moral proof,
| and can be established only to moral GER
! tainty. That is all We claim for the christian
/ system.
NV opponent said there were mediums
| who had seen spirits, and consequently their
/ testimony demonsti atcs the existence Of spir-
! its I read from spiritist author tiles showing
that spirits could not be seen. He then adj
| milted that spirits could not be seen. but that
spirit bodies were seen. | replied that II the
| body was spirit. it could not be seen amy
more than the bo.ly itself. He then stated
that they were material bodies | argued
that if they were material, they must be sub
| icct 10 physical laws, and inasmuch as they
| must be many hundred times lighter than
| air. the law of gravitation would IInpel them
| from the earth IS it'll the velocity Of a cannon
ball. until they should find their level. which
probably would be forty to sixty miles above
| The surface OF the earth. How then could
they be seen, and how could they return To
communicate He said they could do it by
their will power. But i,Iasmuch as he re-
peatedly declared. during the discussion. that
death makes no change in an individual. l
should be pleased TO have him show how a
person whose will power was not sufficient
before death TO elevate body several hundred
times heavier than the atmosphere from the
earth, is able. after death, by will power. to
tepress body several hundred times lighter
than the atmosphere. dorm TO the earth Will
some spiritist solve this difiiculty2
also argued that seeing and hearing are
natural phenomena, governed by natural
laws, which operate precisely The same with
all. Consequently. if any medium should
profess to see spirits in an audience. those
who composed that audience would be equally
com petent with the medium TO see those spir-
its, provided their organs of vision were
equally good and inasmuch as there are two
hundred who see nothing. TO one who pro-
fesses 10 see anything, the probabilities are
as two hundred 10 one that the medium is
either a deceiver. or psychological, or halr
cinated If any attention whatever is 10 lie
paid 10 the laws of evidence, certainly. the
testimony OF two hundred must outweigh the
testimony of one, especially when the one
finds it to his Interest to make the people be-
licve that he really sees spirits.
Ny opponent said that my argument would
sweep away the visions OF the bible, as well
as the visions of spiritists. l replied that The
visions of the bible were of two kinds. LIST.
objective, where there was real appearance
ID, subjective, where the visions were mental
impressions or pictures. Nine tenths of BIZ
BILE visions belong 10 the latter class. Such
were the visions of Daniel, Ezekiel, Peter on
the house top, Ananias, join on PatmOs. DC.
These were all in the mind of the seer. SO
that if others had been present. t'ey would
have seen nothing. But where the appear
ances were real, then all present saw and
heard, what amy one saw and heard. Such
was the angel who visited Abraham. The
patriarch and his wife both saw aud heard
So of the angels who visited Lot, not only
did Lots family see them. but the people of
SoIom also. When the angel visited Daniel.
it is evident that tho-e who were with him,
were conscious of a supernatural appearance,
because they were " affrighted and fed. -
:. Therefore" SAYS Daniel. was left alone.
AMI saw the VISION" When Saul of Tarsrs
was stricken down. all saw the light, and all
heard the voice. Now if the visions of spir
lists are subjective. then there is no spirit
present, and all their pretentious claims fall
.
to these bible analogies, if they are objective.
all present ought to hear and sec what any
one hears and sees. As for tie claim set up
by spiritisis that they see spirits because OF
their " superior spiritual development" it
belongs to Them 10 prOue that they alone, of
the millions of people in our country, have
this - superior spiritual Development" and
until il is proren. AN intelligent public Will
laugh 10 scorn all such extravagant an impu-
dent claims. My opponent wanted to know,
if my theory Of vision was correct. how IT
was that Balaam did not the angel as well
as the ass but on being told by some one
that he had laid himself open TO a tremen-
dous thrust concerning the mediumsmp"
and superior spiritual development" Ut the
ass he admitted next evening that Balaam did
see the angel. and then tried .e,y hard TO
prove that the ass " as not medium. insist
ing that he had none of the Distinguishing
characteristics Of medium. | thought he
had one, a: least-the ears And inasmuch
as this is the FIRST case in history of animal
" mediumship," would recommend that all
mediums adopt for their motto the first words
of their ancient brother, am not / thine
ass o. Yes. think you are
NY opponent said that my argume nts were
the arguments of materalists, and would
sweep away all the miracles OF the bible.
showed how my arguments could not apply
to bible mir lcies, but did apply with crush
ing force to spIritist wonsiers. Christianity
is based the supernatural. There 10 Il
grand. infinite. moving power behind all It's
operatiohs-a supreme. conscious intelligence.
He holds all elements and forces in the hollow
of his hand-doing with them as seemeth
good in bis sight, and working with them 10
carry out his sovereign purposes. All the
miracles of the bible are represented as being
performed by divine power. 1t is not pre-.
tended anywhere thai man has done any OF
these things by his own nnaided power
Thus we spe that aa adequate cause is assigned
for the phenomena of the bible. In the ma
ture of things they are possible. and may be
established in human belief by sufficient ties.
timony, precisely as other possible things
may be established. On the other hand It
is claimed by spritists that their wonders are
done by hunam po,ccr alone. They univcr-
sally repudiate the idea Of special divine ais
and having taken this position. They must OF
course take what comes Of it. Now We know
that IT is not possible tor human beings to
suspend the law of gravitation with reference
To a solid body. so that it shall float. unsup
ported, in the atmosphere. We know it is
not possible for human beings 10 change the
laws that govern seeing and hearing. 80 that
one person shall see or hear actually,
which others, with equally good orgaLs can
not see or hear. All their phenomena are cp-
posed to what we know OF the Jaws OF ma
ture. and as no adequate cause is assigned for
them, they cannot be established in our faith
without making reason bow down beneath