Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-17

From The Cincinnati Commercially
A correspondent Of this paper assured
the readers the other day, that "PastOr
ChristOph Blumhardt, formerly Of Mott
liugen, in Wurtemburg, Germany, and
now located in the Castle Of Bell, in the
above Kingdom, has been and is healing
bodily diseases by nothing else than
prayer ''The castle, Y said CORES
pondent, twas presented 70 him by the
father Of the present King Of Wurtem-
burg for hospital purposes, and thousands
of natives and foreigners resort there for
the cure Of their bodily ailments, and
find it, toO.p This remarkable "fact,'
as our correspondent called il, was given
on the authority Of the Rev DIR. John
L~ichtenstein, OF the First German Pres
byterian Church, Of TINS city, who has
known Pastor BluInhaTdt since 1s40,
and who describes him as a "very sober
and philOsOphic man far from any faint
Of enthusiasm The statement, as it
stands, would not be received AZ con-
elusive evidence by scientific men.
They could not be blamed if, before
giving full credence to II, they should
ask a number Of questions, which the
piOus pastor might, or might not, lind II
easy to answer.
A few days ago we made mention Of
the s'wonderml curesit which have
lately been performed by Supernatural
agency in France, at the rhrines Of
La Salette and Leurdes, which have
during the present year been visited by
vast multitudes of pilgrims. Ailments
Of many sorts have been suddenly cured
at these places, and heavenly visions
have been incidents of frequent occur
renee. Paraiytic women, brought to the
communion table, have left II quite free
in their movements, and with a trans
figured look. The tales told by the pill
@ims and published in the French Cath
Ollie organs nave been of a kind "raTely
equalled and never exeelled.0
On reading these accounts we recalled
the reports Of the marvellous cures which
were performed III France a few years
ago by the "ZOuave jacob This LOu-
ave. il will be remembered, raised q
tremendous sensation. Multitudes fol-
lowed him wherever he went Diseased
people came to him from all parts Of
France. He cured by the laying on Of
hands. he was particularly expert in
curing paralytic troubles. Some Of the
people thought be worked by divine
power, but others accused him with
being in league with the devil. Many
Of the priests took the latter view Of the
matter, preached ~elOquently against his
demOnism, and struggled 70 prevent the
people from falling under his influence.
After q time his Misunderstanding was
violently ended by his arrest ASIAN i'm
pOstor, but we are not prepared to say
that the charge was satisfactorily proved
against him. His admirers declared
that he was the victim Of the priests,
who feared his power of rivalry.
In the November number Of the
GALAXY, a Mormon lady makes mention
of the Mormon method Of healing dis
cases by the laying On Of hands, and
tells Of q case in which q child, SEEM
ingly dying, was restored to life by this
But other MOrmOns describe
far more extraordinary incidents than
she mentions. We have heard, within
8 short time, quite surprising tales from
individual who was for twenty-five
years an eminent Mormon leader and
miracle-Worker, but who lately broke
loose from MormOnism. He tells Of nu-
merOus cases in which he was called to
the bedside of the sick and dying, and
in which, after invoking the Holy Ghost
and laying on hands, the patients rose
from their beds in apparent health.
While he was engaged for some years
ON a foreign mission, diseased peo-
pie We're constantly being carried
to him, and he rarely failed TO affect
them in a more or less marked way. he
had special power Over paralysis, wO-
men suffering from fits OF Mysteries, or
other nervous ailments. He acquired
great fame by his operations, and con-
thousands to MOrmOnism. We
also, as an example of hundreds of
Mormon cases, mention an incident
occurred some time ago, at Salt
Lake City, in Brigham Young's
A woman, while engaged n
household duties, suddenly wa attacked
with illness, fell to the floor, turned
black in the face, and appeared to be i'll
the agonies of death. Two priests who
happened to be blowing close by, were
instantly called in. They laid hands on
her, and commanded her, in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, 10 arise. She
Immediately arose and went about her
duties as though nothing had happened.
Among the sp%iritualists, also, there is
a class VINO claim to be able TO cur dis
ease by a supernatural agency. They
are called "Healing Mediums There
are hundreds of them in the country.
Numberless accounts are published in
the Spiritualist papers Of the marvels
are performed by these healing
mediums. We believe most Of them
clay on hands, So far rs we know,
they operate with most notable effect in
are called NERVOUS ailments
are another class of spiritual me-
diums who neither lay on hands, mol
pretend to be direct healers, but who as
sumo to administer medicines to the dis
sased according to spiritual direction.
We have thus mentioned stories OF
what must be called miraculous cures
from Roman Catholics. P~rotestants,
Mormons and Spiritualists-to say moth
of the ZOuave Jacob. Every religion
in the world gives US stories Of this
They are as plentiful at the pres
emit day as they were in old times
when priests wrought wonders by the
of Heaven, and witches by the
of Satan.
We cannot attempt, at this time, to
give the scientific HlOGUs ODerdndi OF
things A writer who has de-
,cribed the recent miracles in France
there can be no doubt that certain
hidden powers and capabilities in the
human frame were developed in the
sacred shrines. The Mormon lady in the
believes that the cure of the
child was effected by electricity, OF ami
nal magnetism. She says that the
operating saints were in tie most perfect
health and highly electric
condition, and that they vigorously
ubbed the child, thus conveying through
Is body a perfectly continuous stream of
Electricity. The Mormon priest whom
We have mentioned as afamOus healer,
avs that the forces he called into play
imagination, united with faith and
magnetism. We have also
leard mediums among the spiritual
sts attribute their success to these
gencies. Pastor Blumhardt, how
yer, it is alleged, cures solely by
and we don't hear Of magnetic
publications. of the diseased Catholic
at the French shrines. 1t must
e admitted that the imagination might
e at work in the French eases and in ,
Ilumhardt's cases, and this might be !
Z effect in so-called nervOu disorders. /
tut we should like to hear if among I
hose cured by prayer at Boil, or j
y the Holy Virgin at La Salette, :
mere have been any patients afflicted Z
nth cancer, calcul, consumption, small :
OK, Brights disease, rupture, COM /
fracture, cracked skull, or any {
the numerous other maladies in T
-hich the imagination cannot play any !
art? One Mormon miracle worker
ankly confessed that he avoided any +
with such ailments. i
The whole matter is one IN regard to r
-hich we should have full and minute 1
etails, positive evidences, historical +
alta, and scientific statement. The +
,ose wonder tales reported from time to
me are wholly worthless, as material [
.ther for faith or science. /
GENERAL INTEREST /
Gamblers in Gallesburg, Illinois, play c
ieir games in the graveyard.
The late William II. Seward left an q
tate valued at four hundred thousand 8
pillars. 9
The population Of British India is now
stimated at a little less than two hum !
rad million 4