The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-04-01
A NEW LIGHT JUST OUTSIDE THE
CHURCH.

a NEW LIGHT JUST OUTSIDE THE
CHURCH.
DR.. Sam Watson, long citizen Of Arkan-
sas and Of Mississippi, is going to deliver
lectures in Shreveport in cities of Tex
as, and will probably visit Austin. He is
as famous for earnest, simple, unpretend-
ing Piety as for excellent practical common
sense. He has grown rich even while
preaching the gospel and, ever confessing
himself ''splrituAlist," still remained the
editor of the Methodist Christian Advocate.
Finally he withdrew from the Methodist
Church that he might become the great
leading light of spiritism everywhere. He
has written book and its sequel, entitled
'SThe Clock Struck One" and a sufix,
'SThe Clock Struck Two" Both have been
sent to the STATESMAN. These unpretend-
ing volumes have been widely read, and
tell, in the. simplest forms of perfect verl-
similitude, the most marvellous incidents to
show that the dead still live and that we
are in the midst of countless myriads of de-
parted spirits. Especially does DR.. Watson
undertake to reconcile spiritism and Chris
tianity. He insists that the Bible is a
'sspirituale volume, that every book within
its pages tells of the opening of mems eyes
their .'spirit eyes''--when they bcheld
Heavens hosts or men like trees walking. +"
1t was broad nOo6das when we are told
''ald htssr eyes toere opened" Their bodily
eyes were already open. But is it true
that DR.. Watson's rational spiritism is Swe-
denbOrg's, modified by supposed modern
discoveries made on the confines of the two
worlds. Swedenborg was seer. he, too,
like DR.. Watson, communed with departed
spirits. He, like DR.. Watson, believed that
Christ was the very God. He gave ere
dence, as many so-called Christians do not,
to recitals which tell of the casting out of
devils and Of unclean spirits, and DR.. Wat
son only goes beyond SYedenborg, who
never listened, as we are advised, to g tip
ping tables and 'ipplingns Fosters,
whose trifiDg tricks have only appealed to
the wonder and credulity of those who love
to be cheated. Swedenborg's extraordi-
nary powers are well ,attested. He was ct
the dinner table in London with the fore
most men OF the British capital. Suddenly
he dropped his knife and fork, grew pale,
and when he recovered himself described
cOnfagration then. destroying the most
densely populated district of Stockholm.
His own childhood's home was at the in
slant swept away. Three weeks later yes
sci came, and newspapers reproduced the
story as told by S@edenborg. He had
been at fault in nothing. BE told
an insurance office that vessel
on which they had taken heavy risks was
burning far out at sea- He described the
scene, and told of the escape of part of the
crew in one of the ships boats. The story
as told was afterwards found to be literally
true. Swedenborg designated the place
and hour Of his death, and truer Chris
tian or more learned or profounder
thinker never added aught to the stores of
human wisdom. 1t is perhaps true that
there is IN nature more subtle force than
that which we term sympathy. We have
seen an unlettered, simple mechanic, of
singdlarly nervous temperament, who could
hold another's hand and tell his very
thoughts, or define any strong feeling OF
emotion of a questioner. Mems brains are
magnetic batteries, and the nerves are
wires along which currents of sympathy .
run from brain to brain as over the wires
from Austin to Galveston. 1t was such a
wire of human sympathy that brought
to .Swedenborg, IN London, the story
of the fire in Stockholm, and of the
fire at sea.fs it-not this, which we
have all recognized, which makes us Of
ten exclalm, ssthink of the d. and his
imps appear ~ The friend or associate of
lifetime comes, not because we expect
him, but we are conscious Of his presence
at the door because he is there, and is en-
rapport with US. There is no Intervention
of dead people required to explain all
these developments of so-called 'sspiritism. .
There is nothing to show that people, once
dead, are ever restored to life. Wesley,
like SwedenboFg, -was-a-rational spiritist,
but we have no reason to suppose that they
concurred with those who, like DIR. Watson,
believe that spirits of thei6ead have made
old s'clocks, silent for years, strike either
Zone" or ''two." We cannot believe It.