The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-12-21
SPIRITUALISM.

The recent erpose of the Katie King
swindle will do much toward overthrow
inc faith in Modern Spiritualsm. True,
,borc orc many conscientiously inclined
70 this belief. who were exceeding doubt
fnI "a to the genuiness of the material
manifestations of the above named allit-
erative spirit. But when ROBERT DALE
OWEN, one of the most learned fathers OF
this faith, and certainly man OF consld-
cradle intellect set his seal to their TRUTH
and actually wrote long article IN one
IF the popular Magazines descriptive OF
the manifestations, giving his reasons why
ne believed them, then many Others
thought there must be something in IT.
and gave in their adhesion. Now that
the fraud has been discovered, Mr.. OWEN
has been prompt to acknowledge himself
the victim of deception, and to retract
what he had written.
This, though must be productive OF
mistrust generally, for it will be per-
,;ronilv asked if man of Mr.. OWEN S
capacity and position is so crcduious as
TO have been so readily deceived IN TINS
instance, may it not be very possible
that his credulity has been always SO
great, that his life has been one con-
tinucd imposition upon his intellect?
However this may be, there will still
no numerous others whose faith in the
mower of discmbodicd spirits to reveal
themselves TO mankind in various ways,
will not be permanently shaken, but
who will continue to believe in the
phenomena called spiritual.
In this connection, We have read an
article in the Galdry for January
headed "Under the Roof with Home
pronounced llumc.)
Now HOME is, we believe, one of the
most prominent and successful mediums
in the world. Through his influence
spirits are said to be frequently
co hr materializcd as. to be visible
to all the party engaged in his
s.auees, and, if not visible, they can'grasp
different portions of tho body with II
pcrccptiblc touch.
Mr.. HOME, too, comes before the pub
lie in more favorable light than Is
usual among his brethren. Most of them
openly profess that they have gotten be-
yond the ideas of sold orthodoxy, but
this gentleman processes implicit faith in
the Christian doctrine, that we are TO be
saved alone by faith IN the death of the
Savior More than this, he says that nc
cannot explain why he is medium any
more than he can tell why every one is
not n PATTI nor RAPHAEL. He says it
is a special gift, and, as science, is sub
;ect to certain natural laws not yet under
stood. "Much depends on the stmos-
phere; the finest weather is most unfa-
vorable for manifestations, and the lower
floor Of a house and dense air are neces-
sary aids" This is rather diff
erent from the idea usually
held regarding spirits. We generally
believe that they are light and airy, and
CAPABLE of moving By volition; but here
It seems, that they are unable to rise up
without difficulty, and when they do,
they require dense atmosphere upon
which to float.
Mr.. HOME further charges upon those
who desire to investigate Spiritualism to
be exceedingly careful in the selection Of
a medium. He says that every human
beinp attracts 10 himself sympathetic
compsnions within this world and in the
spirit land; that the gifts bestowed npon
a medium are not for traffic, and the
moment they are so degraded, the me-
dunn becomes the victim of lying spirits,
and, therefore, unreliable. He holds his
seances in broad light, being opposed to
doing so in darkness. Judging from the
article we have alluded to, this gentleman |