Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-07-03
Exposure Of SpirTtualIsss.

| DC aLtGHuCu WIFI lllOSJ Satisfactorily TcSultS.
| Exposure Of SpiritualIsts.
The Preston Chronicle gives the following
experience of gentleman among the spiritual
lists, who went to SEQ seance in Preston:
There were eight persons present-the thigh
priest" being physical medium, formerly a
sailor, ,hailing from Liverpool, and atterly re-
siding in the house of, or being kept by, a
tradesman cnamorcd OF spirituasm living in
Preston. The gentleman whose experience We
propose to give, was thought to be in an Incl
picnt stage of spirItuaism, and was admitted
| into the circle OF those who sat around the Ia
Die. All was put in 4 state Of darkness, and 1t
was impossible for anybody in the room to see
anybody clse clearly y-particular condition which
we believe the Unseen beings, modern spiritual
lists, recognize rs realities arc very fond OF.
Soon after the sitting commenced our inform
ant, whose hands were upon the table, felt the
medium, who was near him, telling about,
and next, hy the same process, concluded that
he hal stumbled over Il bell which was on the
table He was, in reality, iumbllng about,
and hit with his hand aud then missed the
bu Aficrward the bell was rung, and every
body in the room was told that this was done
not by the hand that had been feeling about,
but by the agency OF spirit! The bell ring.
ing spirit w;,s then told to touch those around
the table, and cvlybody around it was touched
with piece ofpaper. a desire for the spirit light
| To be produced was next expressed and alter
| the medium had consulted the spirit, anu had
been heard to rustic about his pockrts-for you
| can hear when you can see, especially in the
| ,lurk--a shifting, mcrcuraZcd sort of wlntisll
| blue liz ht was seen above, but near the quar-
| ter Where the medium was sitting something
more than Il mere light also appeared; there
| seemed to he either reality or the reflex Of It,
in the shape Of human fingers, and at this stage
our informant made Il dash, quick as lightning,
at the spirit light, when 10 and behold ! hc
earthly fist, containing two or more lucitrr
matches, which, by moisture Of friction, would
give out hue of phoSphorcsccncr, and thus
cause the spirit light to be seen. There WAS 4
short struggle then i rclinquishlng Of grasp,
and noise Of words, and then the gas was
put on A luclcr match was seen upon the
table when the light was turned on the inc-
dunn was condemned as IN impostor and he
looked dumb founded but the credulous de-
votces would have it that spirit had worked
oil this hunlbug and when the trickcry was
announced the person who had exposed it was
ordered out. This is substantially modern
spiritualism it is all moonshinc- dclusion
and il people would Ouly be content to exercise
the common sense Which God has given them,
and be guided by it, the illusions OF all this
tom -feolcry would quickly vanish.
SITTING FOR A PnOTOGRApH.-Thc Dan
bury News Having photograph tax
en- is one of the great events In 4 man llic.
The chief desire is to look the very best, and
on the success Of the picture hinges in many
cases the most important epoch IN llic. TO
work up a proper appearance time, enough Is
1used which, if devoted to catching ilc;ls for
their phosphorus, would cancel the entire nation
al debt, and establish New York daily paper.
| When you have completed. your toilet you 20
to the gallery and force yourself into nom
chalance of expression that is too absurd for
anything. Then you take the chair, spread
your legs gracefully, appropriate a calm and IN
! different look, and commence to pcrspre An
attenuated man, with a pale face, long hair
and soilcd nose, now comes out OF cavern
and adjusts the camera. Then he gets back of
you and tells you to sit back as far as you can
in tho chair and that it has remarkably back
wark spring. After getting you back till your
spine ntcrtcres with the chair itself, he shovcs
your head into a pair of ice tongs and dashcs
at the camera again. lerc, with piece Of
'discolorcd velvet over his head, he bomharls
you in this manner: "Your chin out little,
please" The chin is prorudcd. ''That's nicely;
now little more" The chin advances again,
and the pOnladc commences to melt and start
for freedom Then he comes back to you
and slaps ono Of your hands on your les IN
such a position as to give you the appear
ancc of trying to lift it over your head. The
other is turned under itself, and has become so
swcaty that you begin to fear that 1t will stick
there permanently. ], A now stream OF pomade
finds it's way out, and goes downward. Then
4 I a. IL.
| right and says it looks like rain, and puts your
chin out again, and punches out your chest
and says he tlocsn't know what the poor arc to
do next winter unless there is radical change
! In affairs and then takes the top of your head
in one hand and your chin in the other, and
riyes YOUR neck wrench which would earn
any other man prominent position in a new
hnsnital: then runs his hand through your hair
and scratches your scalp and steps back to tho
camera and the injured velvet for another look.
| By this time new sweat and pomade have
started out. The whites Of your eyes show un-
pleasantly, and your whole body feels as If it
| had been visited by an enormous cramp, and
another and much larger one was momcntarly
expected Then he points at something lor
| YOU to look at; tells you to look cheerful anu
composed, and snatchcS away the velvet and
nulls out his watch When he gets tired, and
YOU feel as if there was, but very little lett IN
this world to live for, he restores the velvet,
says it is an unIayorable day for p1eaTe' put 9al
he hopes for the best and NM mmeaIately n ely ona arS
appears in his den. Then you get up ana
scratch yourself, slap on your hat, and rmme-
di,tclv sneak home, feeling mean, hunb!cd,
and altogether too wrctchcd for description
The first friend who sees the rlctnrc says he
can see enough resemblance to make certain
That il is YOU, but you have tried to look too
to,ma to be natural and graceful.
A Great Horror Done Away with.
House cleaning is great horror 10 nine men
out OF every ten. Oceans of suds-thc rrcd,iIct
Of tons of soap--E,irly food every. part OF Tue
house. The women, from The mistress down,
labor as they never worked before, and wliat
IL .r,Il, and The