Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-06-30

were quoted which unmlstaka0ly represent
God as favoring Polygamy, and slavery too.
and even human sacrifice.
On the other hand, my friends favorite wit
ness. Potter, acknowledged that Spiritpalism
II in favor of reform gerseralI "a 45es4
asked il such a system is not NArriy Of ton-
fidence. quoted several Protestant mission
aries, among them Rev. ID. D. Allen mis-
sionary of the American Board for twenty
five years, in India, who claimed Polygamy
as Bible doctrine. To my argument on
this point we had Mr.. Haddock's bare asser-
tion that God was "unfriendly" to Polygamy.
I called for chapter and verse, but he was 81 :
lent. 1t was then shown that not even the
New Testament was against Poly gamy.
AS to slavery. proved that the Bible. the
standard of their faith, is clearly in favor of
it, both the Old and New Testaments 1t
represents that the Jewish master had the
right to fog his slave to DEATH provided he
did not die Immediately under his hand
Joel III: 8, represents Deity himself as en-
gagged in the slave-trade
On the marriage question proved that the
Spiritualists hold the same views in general
that the Protestants do. They believe in di-
vorce when it is deemed necessary by the
parties themselves; and if they are not iur ges
whether they want to live together who
should Judge for theml Spiritualists do no Ill
that union without love is not marriage
tute marriage. brought forward couple
of resolutions passed by the First National
Convention, showing that true marriage con-
sists in loving. long unions but accor-
ding to my friends theory every couple over
whom is performed marriage ceremony. are
joined by God. / showed how absurd that
idea is, and gave extracts from the statement
of Mrs. Richardson TO illustrate the folly of
calling a ceremony a marriage. Mr.. Had
aoly ell .l,,a.ff Il hat l.
of divorce for other causes than mentioned in
the New Testament But on the following
evening he claimed that the Methodists hold
to the New Testament doctrine, and that
their ministers are Obliged to ask candidates
the question whether they are divorced. and
the substance of it is. "how much" l placed
this matter in the light of an interview be-
tween the applicants and tie clergyman on
the redaetio- Gd G6Sard,tm plan. the proper
| way to al with ridiculous propositions.
Mr.. Haddcck quoted Mr.. Potter in regard
to corruptIons among Spiritualists. show
ed that he is engaged in selling pamphlets
that cost about four cents apiece, tor twenty
five cents each. He can afford to furnish the
priests of the United States free. He under
stands how to make a market, and the best
| way OF securing agents-the clergy are good
ones-and while he is crying out against
humbug he is humbugging them completely.
They see the advertising dodge. This Potter
says he wishes to place his report before every
cierqpndn i'm the u Mon. Don't doubt it. [
convicted him of garbling and making false
quotations, and showed that he is credulous
fanatic. HIS offer to stop the glorious mission
of furnishing his pamphlet for only twenty
five cents, if single relative or friend in
spirit-liie, through any Medium asks him
/" to do So" is a fair indi eation of his shallow
| Xotfh Ic ha fall hon
following the " inward light :" and who says
that mans normal organization and mper-
| verified faculties are the criterion of bis rights
and duties but as he is willing to accept the
Spse dizit of spirit he is not normal and his
faculties are perry erted, according to his own
confession), poor fellow. Worse than all, he
| proved himself hypocrite, for while he pro-
iesses to be Sp;ritualst, he imp;ores the
clergy to help him for i" Chrst's sake" That
is Imaginable. Mr.. Haddock introduced him
with considerable OF flourish | cross-ex-
amihed this witness. and obtained his adInis-
sion that it is an undeniable fact, mat Spir-
itualism goes where Temperance, education
and refinement most abound" Mr.. Paddock.
not catching the name of the author was
quoting. denounced HIM as liar-his own
| witness. When he saw what pickle he had
made Of it he dropped DIR. Potter.
During the debate many evidences Of Spir-
it-communion We're brought forward 10 which
my friend responded +" trickery." .'collusion."
self-deception." 4" hallucination etc. He
| wanted demonstration here bu he had al.
ready admitted that human testimony is suffi-
Gent he denied as stoutly as any Atheist
or Materialst could have done, that positive
demonstration to any person is possible. be-
cause people are liable to hallucination. |
applied that rule 10 his own Bible and the ev-
licences of his religion and left him shiverine
without a hope. event. Of future lille without
a spark of evidence that Spiritual beiEys of
any descri" t:0n ever communicated | gave
numerous cases which 60 to show that there
are thousands of people in the United Sta'es
and elsewhere. who see and converse fmil-
iarly with spirits quoted the Chicago Repub-
Hca',-nOt Spiritual paper-which canddly
admitted That Spiritualisln is so univers l.
numbers so many hundreds of thousands of
persons" "who have tested rs claims them
selves, with persons. and under circumstances
that made COLLISION an impossibilty," num-
beling = men and women of the very highest
minds and culture" that to iisbelieve them
utterly wOull be equivalent to ignoring all
human testimony" clearly proved that nv
brother was driven to this terrible extreme,
by which he destroyed his own credibility.
his own religion, his own Bible, and his own
God quoted many opponents to Spiritu-
alism who acknowledge that there are genu-
inc Spiritual phenomena. l showed that
Spiritualsts frankly admit that there have
been impostures and quoted that elegant
writer, Washington Irving, who. in speaking
of q the doctrine of departed spirits returning
to visit the scenes and beings which were dear
to them during the body's existence" said.
though it had been debased by the absurd sg.
perstitiOns of the Vulgar IN itself is au1u!ly
solemn and sublime" Mr.. Haddock thought
such doctrine would lead to vice. but Irving
said, /" A belief OF this kind would, should
think be a sacag incentive to rirtue. rendering
| us circumspect even in our most secret mo
| ments, from the idea that those we once loved
and houored were invisible witnesses of all
our actions"
When cited cases of departed human
spirits communicating, his cry was vision I"
.vision r. and he said that every case in
the Bible that he had been able to find, ac-
corded with his definition. that vision is
subjective impression not reality | | caused
the scales to drop from off his eyes by QUOT
ing Luke XIV: %, which represents that
those a: the sepulchre said they had :. seen a
vision of angels which said that he was alive r.
| enquired if visions could a. talk ?" if so
they were real enough for all practical pur-
poses. In order to oppose Spiritualism he
| was compelled to ignore the only evidence the
Christian Church has of the existence of
Jesus Christ after his crucifixion !; for if Mr.
| Haddock is right, the witnesses at the sepul-