, 1874-06-26

most obtlbe tho absolute rDnltty OF that fntulc
soy vii Ds seG oy e' opssu sss q on a
tai fabric wo construct by our daily thoughtB,
md words, md actions here.
Contract this kystom OF nnturat and Inevitable
reward and rct.lhutton, doncadont, wholly on the
and moral nut'trc, with tho arbitrary system Of
rewards ahsl pl,nisl,mcnts dependent on stated
acts at'tl bellofn only as act forth by all dognnt-
10 religions and who full TO tl,at the for
tnre.-tho hitter opposed 10 It, Yet it IL actual
y Ha!d TINT SpiritialEsin is altogether oitor I'M
posture or delaaton, atidal its tcnchings but tho
product OF "oxpectnnt attention" and "ullou'l-
Of dcnonstrat,vo facts wh!cl, hnvo beon
only product wcro thiB theory Of a
future htatc, Tint afono would negative Huci,
med,nms Of all gredey. whotlior Intelligent or
ignorant, and having COMMUNICATIONS givot
through Them In various direct and Indirect ways,
nrc absolutely in accord ao to tho nlafi, fchtreB
Of thiH theory, what boconos Of tho gross mis-
stntcment that nothing is gvon through mediums
but what they kt,ow and Dolieve the1nstlvcn2
Tho mediums lIRvc almost nil. heun bronght
up in somo OF tho Usual ortholo1 bel1ofe. How
ia 1t, thou. that tho uRnhl orthodox. notions
Of heaven arc ncrer confirmed through thom2
In tho scores Of volumes and pamphlets Of
spiritual literature lavo reat havo found no
statenlent Of . spirit describing ,"wlngoa
ongels, or golden l'nsns," /" or TIC throne Of
thinks lio will be introduced II hc ,goca to
heaven 1T MI. There is no more Btnrtling and
radical opposition to DO found botwoon tho most
dtvoiac religious crocas. than that between tho
bolefs IN which tha minority Of mediums have
life Tint aro delivered through thctn; there is
nothing more marvellous IN thu history Of
the human mind than tho faot thAt
whittier iii tho backwoods OF Amcrich or In
+ro.r tn Y1uFr Srnnrhf14
women hnyug almost all been brought up 1t, tho
,tBunl scctArinh notions Of heaven aud hell,
Should, tho moment tlioy become seized bY tho
strange power Of n,cliumalilp, givo forth toaol'.
rather than Religious, aud which diirer wholly
from what had boon 80 dooply ingraiped into
tloir minds. And this statement ts not Affected
by tho facs that communications purport to como
1li,doo spirits. Because, while such comm,lni-
cations maintain special dognlas aud doctrines,
yet they conirnl tho rery facts which really con-
stitute tho spiritual thoory and which
tho soctarian spirits. Tho Roman Catholic
himself i as being ia either tic orthodox plrga-
tory, hcnycn, or hcll; tho Evangelical Dlssonser
who died IN tue firm conyction TINT ho nlonld
certainly "go to Jes,,s" !" never describes himsolf
as boing with Christ, or AZ eyor hnving Been Him,
and 10 OH throughout. Nothing is moro COM
mon than for religious people at Roancea to ask
QueBtioA8 ABOUT t3Da anu nflst LII feply tAoy
ncyor get moro than opinions, or more ftelnetlt-
1y tho atntonlont that they, tho spirits have no
more actual knowledge OF thoac subjects than
tboy had while Oh earth. So That tho faots ate
oil harmonious; aud the worry circumstance Of
there being aectarian spirits bears witnosa
i'll two ways to tho truth OF tho spiritual
theory--it shows that tho 1niud, with i.a
ingrnincd beliefs, iB not suddenly changed at
donth; and il Bhows thae tho communications
nre not tho reilaction Of the mind OF the medium,
In 40 nft ftnto oFf fhn nm ral}rfnn NJ tho
municatiug spirit, and. because le does not get
lliH ideas confirmed. is obliged to call in tho
aid Of "satanio influence" to account for tho
anomaly.
proper preparation for 1t, us hero developed il
tu be. found iii tho works OF nll Spiritnaista, III
tho ustoraDceA Of all trancc-speakers IN tho con-
tnunications through all mediums aud this
quotations.. Dat it vnries in form and dotail in
euch and, just ns the historian arrives at the
opinions OF hnliofB Of nty age or nation, by col
1atluE tic individual opinions Of it's hsat and most
various statements on this subject. They know
we'll TINT these are received on npindividual
communications. rhev know that thcso are
received BY complex physical and mental pro-
ing tho result; mud thoy accept tho toachings
to tho fntnro ntate OF mah only. 80 far aH they
nro repeatedly confirmed In substance Cshough
thoy may differ III detaiD by communications
| obtained undor the most varied circumstances,
through mediums. Of the most dlEeront
characters mud requirements, at different times,
and III diBtant places. Fresh converts arc
apt to think Tint, once satisfied the communities
tions como from their doceased friends, they
nny implicitly trust to thom and apply them
univoreaily; as ii tue vast spiritual world was
Ill nlo!dod to ono pattern, instead of being, as
II utmost certainly il. . thousand tunes moro
| varied than human socoLv on earth ia, or over
! has boon. Tho fact TINT tho communications do
aA f1ta cOnI11tnn
c1naAureH, and capacities, Of inliy4ual spirits,
.S far from being a difficulty, as has beon
| absurdly supposed, il what ottght to lnye been
expected while EAe ngreomont Oh the essential
features Of what we hayo state to be tue spirit
ral theory Of q future state of existenco, IL NIL
tho more striking, antl tends to establish that
theory as fundamental trnlh.
The assertion, 80 often mnde, that Bpiritual-
| ISM is tho survival or revival Of old supersti-
tions, il 80 uttorly uufounacd as to bo hardly
worth uoice. A scienco Of human nature which
| in founded IN observed facts; which appeals only
to factB aud experiment; which takes no bo!lafs
Bclf-roliaco az tho first ttiee OF Intelligent be-
ngs which teaches that happiness in Il future
lite oAI be secured by onatvnting and developing
to tho utmost the higher faculties OF our intel
loctual aud moral nature and BY no other method
lis and muat DO Tho natural enomy Of all
superstition. Spiritualiam is an experimental
Hcionco, and atfordB the only sure foundation
for q true philosophy and pure religion.
II abolislleH the terms 'superuasural" aud
"miracle" by OIL extension Of tho sphere OF law
aud the realm OF nature and in doing 40 1t takes
up and explains whatever is trus In the super
stitlonB aud so.called miracles Of all ages. It.,
md 1t alone. IL able to hhrlnonize conflicting
croedB and it must ultimately lead to concord
among mankind in tho matter Of religion, which
llus for no many agoH been the source Of unpoas-
ing u,scoYd and inoalouAb1e evil; aud 1t will ba
nble to do this, because it appeals to evidence iu-
stead of faith, aud substitutes facts for opin-
int tEfr