The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-11-03
MisrellaneOns SelertiOns.
FREE THINKING APPLIED TO
SPIRITUALIsM.
BY ARrLEss sIINTowT.

Certain persons, belonging to
not very extensive class, feeling con-
scious of some superiority over
those not of that class, appropriate
to themselves the name of "free
thinkers" which is very fine sound
ing term. Indeed, it is so attrac-
tive that we all naturally wish to be
enrolled as "freethinkers," though
somewhat surprised at the insinua-
ton that we are not already so. But
in many cases this wish is mod
Grated when, upon endeavor, we are
unable to see any material difference
between those who style themselves
thus and such classes as atheists,
pantheists, matefialists and the an
cient buddiests. Undoubtedly a
freethinker may be, in his own opin-
ion, almost any variety of heterodox
believer. But, as generally under
stood, when we are freethinkers we
are universal skeptics, without a
scintilla ofpreference for any religion
as such, believing none. Therefore
when we have summarily disposed
of the prevailing creeds we have re-
naming no unequal prejudices; we
are absolutely impartial. For this
reason we are the proper judges
when what is claimed as a new reli
gion is to be considered; we can de-
eide upon the merits without fear of
bias from Christian, Mussulman,
Pagan or Jew.
And now a system denominated
"Spiritualism" is recommended to
us and we will think freely upon it
as becomes US. 1t has a slight re-
semblance to Islamism, but that dis
appears upon further examination
and we can detect no Paganism nor
Christianity in its appearance; real
" it seems to be something fresh.
We will consider it and if it prove
satisfactory we will adopt it. We
will first state the claims, and then
consider the evidence from which we
will draw our conclusions. The
claims are briefly and clearly stated,
namely: that the spirits of the dead
hold, actual, material communiea-
tions with the spirits of the living,
and manifest themselves to the sen
ses of the living by various material
phenomena. Without pausing to
ask what good will result even if this
proves true, we will proceed to ex-
anime and discuss the evidence.
We find that the communications
are not made from the disembodied
spirit Immediately to the embodied
one, but that they are modiately con-
veyed, and in two ways. One of these
is through the interoming agency of
a somewhat remarkable person called
a "medium;" the other is by means
of certain mechanical operations
upon material objects affecting the
senses, such as table turning, rap
ping, hornblowlng, and ocular appa-
ritions. These two methods, will be
successfully subjected to rational
investigation, for we are pledged to
take nothing of this nature upon as
sertion, but to treat such declara-
tions of fact to a course of free
thought. The proposition is this:
that a disembodied spirit communi-
Gates to an embodied spirit through
a person called a medium" We
shall use the term medium" in the
common acceptation, meaning a
priest and teacher of the Spiritualis-
tic faith.
Here then in this proposition we
have an averred communicant and
averred instrument and an averred
communication. 1t is plain that the
validity of the communication de-
pends upon the author and the in
strument. We have no means OF
Judging of the author except by the
particular averred communication,
and we will hereafter consider their
relations. But the averred instrument
is a living, bodily reality and that
we can apply scientific examinations
and corporeal tests. 1t may be re
marked here, although it has no eff
feet upon the result of our investi
Igation, which is one of facts and
Scientific records, that it is a favor
lite theory of Spiritualists-especially
those that lay some claims to phiio
sophy-that there is no change
Icaused by death in the nature Of
powers ola spirit. Whether this b'
true or not, can not, of course, b'
proved without the process of com
munications by them which we arr
now investigating, and which w
have as vet no reason for crediting
But, supposing it to be. alread.
proved, it amounts to the declara
ton that a disembodied spirit ha
no powers that we call supernatural