Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-08
UNION AND AnEffcAN Y 5 1872

/ wasks. and h&d seen nothing 30 convincing
| the usual programme consisting Of merei.
| csbinet shaking and water sprinkliHg, WIZ
occasionally the vision Of q hand.
THE HuafBUG PRACTICALLY CoNFEssED'
The next morning we called at the AN
drewsas for the purpose Of Obtaining an u !.
terylew with the mediumE We were mel
| by her husband, who excused her on ac-
co6nf Of some honsehold daties--conld ne
not answer our questions? After assuring
him that what we had witnessed the nignt
before must have been eminently satlslac-
tory to the believer, we inquired Wnether
The manifestations might no. be given I'M,
der conditions where the charge OF fraud
could not be made by skeptical world; ior
instance, would she 60 into the cabinet
With her hands tied, as the Davenport
s.No, sir,'s was the reply. She has been
asked to do it many times, but she WONT
submit to anything of the sort" -,
swell, perhaps not as favor. we VIII
do more, as we wish to see them under
difficult conditions. Now" said . friend
who accompanied the correspondents,
will give you 500. il she will allow Der
thumbs to be tied with bit OF thread pc
fore going into the cabinet, If the nantes
tations occur as before Ey .a
"No, sir, It can't be done for 1000"
"Wia she submit to the flour test--that
is, hold flour in them during the seance?"
"No, sir, nothing OF the kind"
"Will she permit any one to sit in the
cabinet with herr"
mo, sir, tell you she will have nothing
Of the sort done, and there is no use
talking. If you think we cheat, we don't
want you to come; your money Is no OBJ
ject." ~ So. !,
We left the house and walked toward
the hotel. @
DISTINGUISHED TESTIMONY.
2 "What do you think of the whole
thing?" asked the correspondent Of his
companion. n NwR
"Think? Why, that it's the most pslpa-
BILE, stupid, shallow fraud that ever deceived
an idiot. There isn't thing done that at
fourth-rate prestidigitateur wouldn't laugh
at II you asked him to do it. Every condi-
ton favorable to imposture is insisted upon,
and the medium refuses to permit the
slightest check to the opportunities for decep-
ton. 1t is part Of the whole. The "spir-
itual philosophy is composed Of sentimental
moonshine and Voltaire's skepticism; its
physical manifestations are trickery, repeat
eddy exposed; and its believers either those
who never investigated but think it proba
BILE, or those who don't know how to inves-
tigate, and so are easily cheated. Its rank
in the future win be with Mormonism as q
great delusion, and the Cardiff giant as
great humbug."
THE vAGARIEs OF HONEST MEDIUMS.
A writer in the last number of Old and
NelC, devoting himself to the discussion of
sundry phases of modern so-called spirit
ualism, while he allows that the majority of
protested mediums are arrant knaves and
imposters, believes that, on the other hand,
1t cannot be denied that many honest, con-
scientious persons claim the power, being,
presuming the sp;ritualistic ideas to be false,
imposed upon by what Is known as 'ssenso-
rialn visions. Sir John Hsrschel tells of opti-
cal decisions of this kind that had been expe-
rienced by himself, when, for few seconds,
scenes and incidents would apparently come
before his eye with all the clearness of the
MONDAY. DR.. Hammond, In The North
american Reuie,c, cites a patient of his
who, by tying handkerchief with moder-
ate tightness about his neck, was always
able to coDjure up human forms, one Of
which resembling the patriot of Sir Waller
Raleigh, was always the first to come and
the las. to disappear, while several cases
could be noticed of people who by merely
closing their eyes, could apparently see va
rious In the way or out the way objects. In
some instances, and DR.. Hammond's pa
tent was one of them, the patient can con-
jure up particular objects at will.
Now, il this selfdeception really does
occur, its 'mediumistic" victims may be
divided into two classes-those who are
capable of artificial somnambulism, or
as described by DIR. Hammond,
who see whatever they are told to; and
those who are subject to what might with
propriety be termed waking visions. In
regard TO NORTHUMBERLAND is the men and
women who honestly consider themselves
to be such-it must be borne in mind that
they all undergo process Of developing;
the powers which they ascribe to the spirits
first being exerted at rare intervals with
slight results, but gradually increasing in
and clearness, until they can be
used like the above mentioned hypnotism
AZ any Q6Slr6Q um6.
This development seems to be caused, or
at least aided, by desire; in many cases,
even, been merely bringing of the visions
under control of the will, so that they may
be brought forward at the option of the
medium. The person believing or wishing
to believe in spiritualism at the outset, is
all the time looking for visions, and, COR
sciously or unconsciously, trying to excite
them, and, not knowing what they are,
ascribes them to spirits. The power thus
acquired is at first exerted for self, then for
friends, then for friends friends, and
finally the possessor of it becomes a public
"seeing medium"
s'PoSE A CASE.
Suppose, now, believer had "Sednce"
with such person. The medium sees GER
tain forms surrounding the client, and de-
scribes them vaguely; as, for instance, there
is seen an old man with gray hair, little
girl, or smiling infant-the nature of the
spirit desired often icing suggested by the
visitor. Thus the latter wishes to know if
his or her mother or father or brother, or
some other relative, is present, and the sine
dunn" sees as required. Meanwhile, IN
consciously, the believer eagerly fills out in
his or her own nind the details which are
not brought into the .:medium's" descriB-
ton, and finally goes away satisfied with
the splendid tests" received, and the beau
tiful language heard.
DELIRIUM TREMENs- AND THE SPIRITS.
Taking these things into consideration,
it is not an untenable position to hold that
all genuine cases of ''ghost- may be
referred to this peculiar affection of the eye,
sensorial vision, and may be classed d.
rectly with the ordinary flashes of color
which all persons may produce at will.
Possibly. also. The tarrihle visions of the