The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-08-22
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

NJ. ]. R., Salem, writes: 81 see in the
last NEW NORTHWEST a declaration
that leads me to strongly suspect you Of
leaning towards Spiritualism. Now,
dear Mrs. D., do hope you will not al
low yourself to be humbugged by such
fallacy. We have had hard work to
remove the taint of free love- from the
Woman Movement; don't let us make
the mistake of accepting the DEVILS
agent, which comes into the world call
ing itself Spiritualism." Our friend
need not worry. The religious belief Of
our patrons is none of our business, and
our belief, outside of our political work,
ought to be none of theirs; but, mas
much as editors are expected to believe
to suit everybody and to have no private
views Of their own, we may as well
state, once for all, that we believe in the
inspiration of the Bible. We also be-
lieve that the eternal law which rem
dered that inspiration possible, exists
to-day, yesterday and forever; that if it
was possible for angels, under proper
conditions, to talk face to face with
Abraham and Jacob and Moses, with
Joseph and Saul and Paul and John, 1t
is equally possible for them, under
proper conditions, to do the same to-
day. To destroy the idea Of the posi-
bility Of the one would destroy our be-
lief in the reality of the other. That
there is a wonderful amount of knavery,
humbuggery and nonsense passing cur
and that many men and women have
sought, under the cloak of Spiritual
ism, j." to do wicked deeds, does not prove
that the principle of Spirit return or
control is in itself false or wholly
evil, anymore than does the fact that
elergymen have sometimes sought, un-
der cover Of their calling, to do dark
and damnable deeds, prove that there is
no truth or good in Christianity. We
have seen sufficient evidences of the
surper-mundane power of disembodied
spirits to satisfy rs that if 1--WE die we
shall live again." and what is more, We
know that any reasonable person who
sees as much will be equally satisfied,
and that any honest seeker after scien-
titic facts can receive the same knowl-
elge, if he is Willing and will try. We
look upon Spiritualism, not as a relig-
ion, but as a science, yet in its infancy,
which will in the near future be ae-
knowledged by the Christian world
everywhere, and be brought into con-
slant acquisition to prove the immor-
tality Of the soul and the necessity of
pure and unspotted lives upon earth, il
we would enjoy the full fruition of de-
served happiness in the world to come.
We also know that much which we
formerly believed to be the teaching of
SpirituaIism is nothing but idle preju-
dice, as unfounded and silly as the mis-
representations afioat concerning the
Woman Movement. But our friend
need not worry. We belong to no society
or order of Spiritualists, and neither
shall We. But weare ready and willing
to investigate the phenomena when we
have time or opportunity, just as we in-
vestigate astronomy, the law of gravita-
ton, the diurnal and yearly revolutions
of the earth or the circulation
Of the blood. We know that there are
good and evil in all things with which
mortal man has to do. Spirit manifes-
tations are no exception to the general
rule. Like begets like. Hyou honestly
desire truth and diligently search for il
you shall find it. If you are not hon.
est, but are willing to deceive Others
you need not be surprised if you are
yourself deceived. We do not agree
with you that 1--WE have had hard work
to keep the taint Of 'freelove' from the
Woman Movement 1t is an odium
which lewd-minded men have tried to
cast upon the movement, but they have
failed, and women have simply done by
them as the moon did by the puppy
gone on as though nothing was bark
ing.