Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-09-21
Convention of spirItuaIists at Troy

bttttoF IIHtGttItO I6FUtU '-Ihe natlOna
convention of American Spiritualists ha,
just closed its eighth annual association
which met in the Lyceum Hall, in this
city, and occupied three days.
The first day, Tuesday, was devoted
mainly to organization, accepting of ere.
dentials of delegates, appointment of COM
mittees, reports, etc, the following being
the officers in charge: Mrs Hannah
F. NJ. Brown, President, Chicago, III.
Henry D Child, NJ. D, Secretary, Phila-
dalphia, Pa; Levi Weaver, Treasurer,
Baltimore, Nd.
The matrimonial question was the first
to elicit general discussion. 1t was con-
tended that there were too few spiritualst
ministers qualified by law to perform the
marriage ceremony and cons quently
spiritualiSts, NJ oa taking upon themselves
the matrimonial yoke, are compelled to
have the ceremony performed by an ortho-
dox minister or justice Of the peace. In
almost every instance they arc shocked
by tho old doctriue, What God hath
joined together let no man put asuuder,"
just AS though God had come down and
given them authority to compel tho wo.
man to promise to obey the man and the
man to love the woman until death did
them pnrt, whether they could or not
Several Utah Mormons, one with four
and others with more wives, had recently
been converted to spiritualism and sent
fraternal greetings to this convention. A |
lawyer from New Jersey presented the
legal aspect of the question. Voices in |
in the house reiterated that it was nobody's
business how many wifes they had
Anna Human, of Connecticut, sid
"All persons who believe in the communi-
cations OF diSemhoded spirits with EN-.
bodied spirits, can be called spiritualists
1t was none Of her business how much of
theiS former belief the signers retained
Dr Gardner, of Boston, said Il would
like to know what this address has to 20
with Mormonism? l would receive an
address from the lower depths of hell.
(Applan.e) Ii you want to erect a stan.
dard of morality for spiritualists, where
are yOu going to begin / don't care if
man has one thousand wives. IT. none
of my business Let him take the r. y
sponsibility under the law. Let US make y
each our own standard and none other" y
E. S. Wheeler, said : "Expedienoy j. T
morality. Show me that which is good
for men and women, and l will show you 9
that which is moral. Ii you don't like to I
~ly that expediency is morality say that a
morality il expedient. When F. s. o
Wheeler does wrong f. 3. Wheeler meets
him and gives him hell Anything thai
hurts Is wicked. have got through pay o.
ing the slightest Difference to the legis- "
latures and the laws they make. shall
never have poicemau's hand righteous. :.
iy laid upon me-, because / shall never -
feel like offending against a inst law. a
Law abiding men have cursed the g nth ST
and crushed the pulsntions of freemen. IL
Down with law, down with Institutions -
down with governmental, 10 with men y,
and women and down with men made
enactments. (Applause.) We have taken ot
tn At stand, and The women who are not m
ready are cowards We mean rebellion. RI
We've got nothing to do with Utah. Don't ~,
let us throw stones at the Mormons when
the windows of almost every house in ~
New England are open. DR.. Gardner al
has said that he would receive an address in
from the lowest depths of hell So would ov
l. and all the more readily if the devil
himself brought it. (Applause) W,
The proceedings here closed by an in fin
vocation offered by Susan Waters tw
a boy medium was introduced in the s Sc
evening OF the first day, but his perform be
anc's failed to give any satisfaction, save tab
to the initiated. The ignorant outsiders Sn
could see nothing either profound or mar.
- 'lein pin
The Wednesday morning exercises were pin
naugurated by speech in shape of an
prayer offered by Miss Human of Con. ton
'''ou''Ahu was addressed to the Creator try
s, "Onr Father and Mother" She called 7
N The spirits of Parker. Wesley and neo
theirs to be present during the session. for
The Presidentess claimed an instan- ira,
aneous answer to the prayer in the pre- Or
ence of her deceased sisters spirit. gro
After short time devoted to the bust the
'"e Ananoe committee ana listen pie
ng to a poem by Mrs, Mary Poebles en- Tn.
tiled the isle of By-and By" another en-
rayer was offered, this time by Rev. Mr. r.
lorton,a Universalst Spiritualist, which ,oua
as addressed to God, and was not un. =,
Ike the average of prayers offered by wor
nlversalist olergymen, but which elicit. and
j strong denuneiation from the leading the,
MEMBERS of the convention.
MT 0toner protested against these in. 70 O
ovations. Here was the time snent i, e.
stening to prayer to an unknown God c,on
'ncerning whom nobody knew anything nras
at might be appropriated to some sub. one.
ct of interest.
H"N no' GOING from Boston item
attend prayer meeting. He did not was
ant to listen to invocations to Josh or was
hovah. 49,
D"iley moved no more invocations cove
allowed \,
Ids motion met with favor, but out of a We,
ference to the business committee it prese
IS referred. This discussion. though and
lief, served to show the general drift % Pa
ID. =, terist
rev. Mr.. Horton informed your CORE. bnt
ondent that the Presidentess said r. M.
MIN during the discussion, that if be q faw
addressed his prayer to Electricity il ;on,n
uia nave been well received by the In
aVehtion. He thought the suggestion ham
eat E,oo,.:... hereafter pray the presel
hi - ~. - oone ara let silver Whet
-. INTO the thickest of the spiritualists rem a;
'Au olners discussed at doubt