The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-12-12
FROM OUR OWN coRRRsPoNnHNT.l

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Wendell Phillips lectured at steinway Hall,
last night, on his new hobby, Labor Reform,
and took occasion to pronounce glowing
eulogy on the men of the French Commune.
Phillips Is Just such another tearer-down and
leveller as Ferre, and naturally sympalhizes
with him. he declared the 'recent barbarous
executions In France, In cold blood, six
months after all struggles were over, dis
grace and shame to humanity" Citizen Phil
lips, remember, thought ex.President Davis
and General Lee should have been hanged
AFTER the fall of the Confederacy. Circum-
stances alter cases. 'ia-
The red flag will be carried through the
streets of New York, on Sunday next, Ia
honor of the victims of N. THERE'S policy.
procession is to march to one Of the halls In
the French quarter, where speeches Of the
most advanced Revolutionary stripe are to be
which has nine sections 10 New York, COM
posed of Frenchmeu, Germans, Italians and
Americans, has the ceremonies In charge.
General Rossel has been elevated to the honors
of martydom by the action of the French mill
tary authorities, aud henceforth his name and
late are to be recalled to erystallze and keep
alive the spirit Of revolution In Europe. The
reds have long been In want of hero of good
reputation to use In their invocations.
The interest In the subject Of modera ''splr-
ituaIlsm, ;" so-cslled, has been revived by the
report that Rev. Henry Ward Beecher has be-
come convert to the new faith. The inter-
ence was undoubtedly gathered from sermon
which he preached on Sunday night last 10 bis
congregation in Plymouth Church, and in
of .spIrils," who used their influence, both
for good and evil, onImortals. Taken In con-
necton with the wonderful stories OF table.
tipping In Plymouth Church. some Of the
newspapers Jumped to the conclusion that the
parson mad gone over to the fold OF Andrew
jackson Davis. The religious views Of Mr..
Beecher are really Of come Importance; for
his influence is SO widespread that any
change he might make would carry thousands
with II. He has spoiled the sensation. how
ever, by writing to the Tribune that nothing
he has yet seen in the so-called spiritual phe-
nomena has convinced him that 1t comes from
an agency outside Of the human will. he be-
lieyes, however, that the phenomena has i'm
porlant scientific value, and rejoices that scl-
entists in England have begun q real invesu-
CATION Of Its merits. y,ysS ,..a,.,.
The, blood-curdIlug tales of the ghostly
doIngsin Plymouth Church are given to the
public on the authority Of the several truthful
reporters OF the daily press who ore detailed
on Sundays to take down Mr.. Beechers ser
mons for their respective papers. The report.
ers tables are just under the sacred desk, and
during the services ths bustling innovator5
may be seen scratching away as If their saliva
ton depended upon their keeping up with the
progress OF events. We may imagine the hor-
ror with which the early New England Puri-
tans, of which Plymouth Church Is represen..
talire, would have regarded the appearance OF
plying their vocation. It seems that the
spirits must be horriaed somewhat In
In the same way, for recently they have taken
to moving, lifting and tilting over the report
ers' tables In the most mysterious manner.
Sometimes they shake up the furniture 10 such
lively style that the astonished and despair
ing newspaper men and women (for there are
two lady reporters) abandon their seats In dis
may. The spiritualistic oracies who have been
consulted upon this matter say that MI.
Beecher is q powerful medium, that his pulpit
minlstralions draw around him myriads Of
spirits. apd that the whole edifce is perVaded
with their influence; indeed, that the place is
80 charged with the celestial presence that the
tables and all other furniture not nailed down
cannot help dancing. u.
The spiritualists are q growing sect In New
York, though they do not increase 80 rapidly
as 10 the Northwest, where they are now sup
posed to be In an actual majority Of the peo-
Die. They have no churches, but meet IN
halls hired for the purpose on the Sabbath,
their worship. The services consist or hymn
singing, dIscourses by leading people OF the
congregation, and messages or sermons from
the esprit world" through female mediums,
who Obligfngly 20 into the trance state on the
platform. Usually the spirits of Washington,
Napoleon, Humboldt, Wesley, and other men
eminent In this life, are In attendance, and
give their Views on things In general through
this convenient channel ,,c.,
The rea, work of proselytfsm Is being done
10 the "Children's Lyceums.p The spiritual.
Ists appear to be- Indifferent to the conversion
oftheir adult contemporaries. II men and wo-
men of this perverse generation shut their
eyes and ears 10 the evidences around them,
it ia their own folly. The world Is to be made
better and opened to the Influence of the In
habitants Of the upper spheres by the genera
tlons of the future. and for this reason the
lsbiritualIsts take the greatest pains to "go
forn the children. The .'lyceums," therefore,
are of far greater Importance In their, estima-
tIon than the church or society meetings, and
1t is in the children's gatherings on Sunday
that the real work and strength of the spirltu-
allst movement may be seen. The seer, Da-
Wis, who reels off fathoms Of incoherent trash,
has prepared many books especially lor the
education Of children In the new philosophy.
The italian opera season closes on Satur-
day night, and Nilsson, with the troupe, goes
to Philadelphia. The season has been the
most remunerative since Mario and Grisi
were here, though 1t Is said that the Swedish
nightingale has absorbed most OF the pro1ts,
and that the managerial Brothers Strakosch
have little besides glory TO boast OF IN their
triumph. Nllsson's last great effort was IN
Lucia Brlgnoli was the Edgardo. :; NYM,