Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-06-05
|.iSsI - sPIRITUALIsM.r aO
ITS Influence md Strength An IN,
United States.

- A New York correspondents writes:
h THE spiritnalistsp of New York an,
vicinity are preparing for d Inammotl
picnic, ftoDoome. off this month IN alre
tired part of Westchester county, BE
tlievers IN the hesh as well as every on
in the spirit who schooses TO come, ar,
respectfully invited to be present ant
participate in the festigitieh One VIII,
sees but the surface Of Northern society
would be astounded to know how wide
spread is the belief in the spiritual phi
losophy here. Judge Edmonds, of Nep
IYork, WHO'S the most stoonspicpops adgo
cate 0f spiritualism in America. esti
mates the number OF believers at clever
millions. AS they are nearly all nortl
of Mason's and Dixon's line, this esti
mate would involve one-third of the in
habitants of the North OF these bu
q small fraction are open and professet
spiritualists. The judge claims that ths
vast majority who believe are not sdis
posed yet 10 face thelridiehle withwhicI
an avowal of their faith would be mei
by the world.
The spiritualists are more numerous
in New England and the Western States,
They have a number of periodical pub
licatiohs, their principal 6fganbeihg the
Banner of Light, which is issued in Bos.
ton, and has an enormous circulation.
One of its features is the printing oi
messages from people in the spirit
world I" to, their friends in this. These
messages usually begin Ia this style III
died of rapid consnmptiop in Boston
yesterday afternoon, at four o'clock,
and | have been permitted to come back
to this circle to inform my friends that |
am all right and perfectly satisfied with
my condition in this beautiful world. 7
These messages purport to come from all
manner of people-from well known
statesmen, and diYipes, to common la
borers and Servant girls, who are known
only to few friends. The conductor of
the Banner of Light seGnceS on this side
is a Mr.. William White, and on the
other side, \ the late Dlieoddre Parker,
who occasionally takes an opportunity
to rap the Boston ministers over the
knuckles.
! The advocates of spiritualism admit
that their faith has but few adhefents in
the South, but they predict that it is
going to spread with amazing rapidity,
now that the war and the abolition of
slavery have cleared the way Whether
they are "bulling a delusion or not, it
is very certain that some very prominent
individuals here and in Europe have re-
Gently av6wed theirbelief In 60 0r iihthe
theory thatan intelligence eXists,outside
OF any known laws of nature, which Is,
probably, that of the spirits'ofa disem-
bodied human beings, and thai these
spirits have at last discovered means
of making their identity manifest to
their friends and acquaintances who are
yet in this life. Among the most re-
spectacle American spiritualists are
Judge Edmonds, Robert Dale Owen, late
Minister to Naples, and Professor. Gum
ning } and among the English areWilliaui
Hewitt and his wife, Professor Varley,
the electrician of Atlantic Cable renown,
and Professor Wallace, the eminent sci
enlist, who shares with DarYinl the dis
tinction of having given to the world the
new theory about the origis of man.
The sales of spiritualist books foot up
millions of copies annually. The lead
ing writer in this department is Andrew
Jackson Davis, who lives but few miles
from this city, and who reels of reams
of the most lidiotic trash, IA has ae
tually succeeded IN locating The spiritual
heavens, which, according to his ac-
count, begin a short distance from our
south pole and extends beyond the sun.
He also furnishes map of the %Sunf-
mer Land, as be calls il. with its rivers,
mountains and cities accurately laid
down. Davis income from his books
must be 100000 per annum. All our
larger cities swarm with mediums, clair
and spiritual doctors, who do a
business, A medium on Sixth
avenue has opened a postofhce, through
which letters may be sent to people in
the spirit world and answers received.
The postage is FIVE dollars, and business,
luckily for the postmaster, very heavy.