The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-12-20

confirm all the views expressed above as 10
the origin and animus of spirituallsm. lt
places the Bible, the Shaster, and the Koran
upon the same footing. The reader is feasted,
ad nauseana, to wonderful accounts of spirit
ual manifestations. There are various COM
munications from travelling mediums, giving
accounts of their performances. A dish of
the peculiar philosophical speculations in
which spiritualists indulge, is served up
in several communications for the delectation
of the reader, and we do aver that of all
the stuff and nonsense ever put in print, it
does excel. But that which struck us most
in the perusal of this paper, was an article
headed, ga search after God," in the edi-
torial department. 1t seems that the editor
is seriously engaged in a search after some
God, or perhaps he intends merely to show
that there is no God. In this article, which
is one of series, we could not find clue
to what he was after. Unhappily for his
4..4 :. onlGago had just issued
proclamation appointing day of humilia-
ton to be observed by the citizens in view
of the terrible judgment visited upon them
by the Almighty, in the great fire. So angry
was this infdel editor at the Mayor and his
proclamation, that he spent all his space
upon them instead of pursuing his "Search
after God" We never saw 30 vile an article
in any paper. To say that he ridicules the
proclamation and the subject of it is not
enough. He gnashes his teeth, and bias
phemes like devil. 1t would be easy to
reproduce from memory much of this bias
phemous article, but we shudder even to
think of it, and will not write it, even to
excite Just determination of the abomina-
Bile religion q which it represents. The
animus of the whole sheet, and the system
it supports will be made sufficiently manifest
by the fact that among the many books kept
on sale by the proprietors of the journal,
Tom Paines, cage of Reason" occupies a
prominent place, and is fair average speci-
men, of the literature of spiritualism. The
advertizng columns are filled with notices of
clairvoyants, mediums, books and medical
advertisements. 1t seems that there are
Doctors among the spirits who have revealed
wonderful and sure remedies for all manner
of diseases. Through the aid of the spirits,
the art of the spiritualist Doctors has ad-
vanced SO far that they can diagnose case
of sickness thousand miles off, if the pa
tient will only send lock of his hair, and
what is more marvellous, they can cure it,!
The fact is that about the truest and most
moderate thing in the whole paper was the
advertisement of DR.. Walkers Vinegar Bit
ters.
But csndidly it is not designed to yindi-
cate either the paper or the system. Spirit
ualism has not many votaries, perhaps, but it
is running all it has, body and soul, for time
and eternity. This makes everything con-
nected with it serious, and for this reason
everything should be done to discourage it,
even in its incipiency. We would discour-
age table-tipping even as an amusement.
Christian families ought not to allow it,
neither ought Christians to visit mediums or
attend the performances of strolling lectur-
ers. Already the emissarics of this false
philosophy may be heard of, here and there
among us. Let them be met everywhere
with the argument of empty benches, if we
would not see unwary souls caught in their
net and ruined for eternity. BETA.