The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-08-04
From the Chicago Evening Post
SPIRITUALISM.


lessor CrooRs, Doctor dugglns and Ser
geant Cox, three eminent English schol-
ars, have at last resolved to enter upon
a calm and fearless examination OF the
claims OF the phenomena of Spiritual
ism, especially the phase Of those phe-
nomena that are manifested by the
somewhat famous American now in
Europe, Daniel D. Home.
This determination should be hailed
with warm approval by the thinking
world. For some twenty years, now,
the attitude of learned chemists, phil
osophers, and scholars generally, to-
ward the development OF this curious
system which is called Spiritualism, has
been simply disgraceful to science.
Like common supe-stitious mortals,
they have hesitated to cross what
Ennemoser calls "the great ill-famed
land of the marvellous; when the
principal purpose and mission of sci
ence is to demonstrate that there is no
such realm within the sight of mortals.
Compile is right when he predicates that
all sublunary things are soluble in the
crucible Of the human brain, and that
the realm of science has no horizon that
can not be traversed. Called to tie
noblest mission under heaven, scientific
men have sat down supinely in the
presence of Spiritualism, turned their
backs on it, and said, 1--WE decline to
investigate its claims, but we decide
against the existence of the alleged
phenomena on a priori grounds. 1t
cannot be that such things are not
within the range Of our own experience.
That is all there is about it" Thus
supreme science, when it should have
been humble, has dogmatized; when it
should have been alert and vigilant, has
played the sluggard; when it should
have been philosophical, has decided a
grave question on the same grounds
that Tycho Brahe decided that the
earth was not spherical, and did not re.
volve around the sun.
Meantime, Spiritualism has gone on
from strength to strength. Nothing is
to be gained by Understanding the
number of its adherents or the rate OF
it's progress. During twenty years it has
grown faster than any other American
sect. From it's origin with three per-
sons sitting around an old table in
Hydesville, \. Y, in 1913, it has grown
10 include millions, and is now sweep
ing over other countries like the wind.
1t has made tens of thousands Of prose-
lytes from every organized denomina-
ton, and has given little or nothing in
return. 1t has scores Of organs, auda-
cious, aggressive, and even bitterly bel
ligerent in their character. 1t has its
lyceums and trance-speakers in every
ward of every city, and its open or Sc
cret circles in every county town. At
every point of tangency with unbeliev-
ers, it is fiercely defiant, asking no
quarter and giving none. And it num-
bers among its champions not merely
the ignorant and credulous, but very
large numbers Of intelligent and edu-
Gated people. Such vigorous system
as this neither Science nor Christianity
can afford either to ignore or despise
They must meet it upon its own ground
and fight it manfully, or it will have its
own way.
Thus far, its claims have generally
been met by sueers. and by superciious
dosmatizings about inherent improb-
ability" Instead OF going at an inves-
tigation open-eyed, scientific men have
secuted clairvoyance, clairaudience,
psychology, impressibility, and all the
more novel claims OF Spiritualsm, with
simply "phoo-phoo! 1t is high time
this pueriIe method was abandoned. for
the phoo-phoo era has passed away
forever. The claims Of the rappers,
tippers, slate writers, and spirit-seers
must be met upon their merits. There
is no doubt that very large proper
tion-possibly a majority-of the
strange manifestations put forth by
mediums, are either forgeries or phan-
tastes, resulting on the one hand from
wanton deception on the part OF the
performer, and, on the other, from lllu'
sion and delusion on the part Of the
spectator. The humaa mind strongly
tends to absorb the marvellous, and IN
it's behalf to exaggerate what has; thus
been presented to the senses; and per.
sons who fancy they are commissioned
as Geographic agents between the seen
and unseen world-the land of bodies
and the land of souls-must be subJec-
ted to an extraordinary and peculiar
temptation 10 help the spirit messenger,
and thus crafty the sitter and attest
the penuineness OF their mission. Fran
els Power Cobb's unconscious cerebra-
ton" may also account for some things
now attributed to spirits. 800
But after these considerations have
had their full weight. and have account
ed for all they can-after we have sub
tracted the results of imposture, insan-
ity, vertigo, hallucination, the odlc
force, nervous eccentricities, and all un-
explored muscular action. there still re-
mains a large residum of well attested
facts to be accounted for. Of this state.
ment no sane person can entertain a
doubt, who has made fearless, con.
sciep,ious and faithful exploration Of
the field. 1t is no longer safe TO treat
these facts with ridicule or with flippant
;ndiff.rence. Such men as Judge Ed.