The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1875-01-28

hiih phieb ~ eommeuds itself ta the
eoumpa beari a humanity that 1t via-
vea6es fron every grade q society
. aal from every religious seet
Ia the fut place rrintaalisn Is very
simple Tree there are many pr.a.
c.plrs. views and beliefs which spirit
ual5sts hold some one thing and some
aaotber bat on THE only DO We all
agree lAe sP.uts Of thc dead can asd
aes under certain circumstances. bold
communication with the living Chris
tao.ty has many sectst holding to
diverse opinions and practices and
agreeing only ia the one central point.
the Divine mission Of If Christ. You
have uo more night 70 charge upon
splituaIists adj the errors ol its fol.
lowers than 90 hold christianity ac-
gogutablo for all the horrors which
have been enacted iu its name The
mind sickens at thought Of all the
cruelty and feudishuess, the unholi,
ness and inhmy which have been
wrought oat under the sanction Of
christianity from the stoning of the
mariyrcd Stephen to the Beecher,IiItou
scandal When the skirts Of spiritual
lam cover one half the crime which has
lurked under the soiIed robes Of the
church. it will be high time to strip
her Of her accessories and show her
forth in all the nakeduess Of truth.
spintualism leads to free-loye.
adultery and inddelities. Ten years
ago, spiritualism came to me in the
great trial Of my life, with her Of
ferjng Of consolation and ministered to
the in my sorrow as orthodoxy had no
power TO do. Since then | have been
unwayering in my faith For ten
years | have mingled with mediums
and sat in circles, both light and dark,
and in all that time | have seen and
heard absolutely nothing from spirit
|uaIistic mediums or spirits which could
be construed to favor what is popularity
termed free-Iove. That there are free
loFers who claim spiritualism ! no more
doubt than | do that there are those
who claim Christ and advocate and
practice polygamy
/ AS for infdelity, | cannot see how
anything which demonstrates and es-
tablishes the immortality Of the soul
can lead TO it. Many a desparing
/ human heart, which has buried its dead
out OF its sight with that utter hope
lessness which has no thought Of the
lie to come, has been surprised and
crowned with joy ineilable, when
across the dark ryer Of death, have
come those assurances Of continued
existance which the phenomena OF
spiritualism alone can give.
It is asserted that spirituaIism has
done nothing worthy Of note We ac
knowledge it TO be yet crude and un
developed. Although it has been re
corded in history, sung in song and
cherished in tradition as far back as
history or tradition can be traced il
is not yet thirty years since the first
attempt was made to investigate and
aualyze its phenomena The lightningt
Of heaven, doubtless, played over the
rude chaos Of the earlier geological
| periods; they lighted up the turbu
liant waves OF the deIuge; they flashed
amid the thundera Of Sanai they
/ showed to the bcwidered soldiers the
agony of the dying Christ =; but tht
world waited for a Franklin to max,
this mighty agent his playthiDg, anC
yet more than half a century elapsed
before Morse made it his servant
But though the infant faith be yet il
its cradle, its limbs are the strong
limbs Of a young giant. Already
its voice is heard in the courts Of king
Many Of the best minds Of the age ar,
stimulated with constant contact ant
association with those who have gont
up higher; the councils of nations arr
| hghtened with wisdom from the dead
the explorers of science arc aided b,
those whose names are spoken by tn,
student with reverence; the sick ar
healed by power which is mighty t,
save; and The daily lives Of thousand
are touched by the magnetic hands O
those who, having laid aside the body
still work hand in hand with us for th
advancement of the race.
appeal to you, Mr.. Editor and t
your intelligent readers, if an unshakc
belief that the wise and good Of al
ages are witnesses Of our lives, ca
have an immoral effect upon our cor
/ duct And if we feel and know tina
the dear ones, who have loved US, tn
friends whose sympathy was ever a
incentive 10 duty in this lie, if these
being dead, still walk beside us, hcIE
ling as to bear our sorrows, Civ
strength to our endeavors and exaI
our Joys is il probable that a revorer
and grateful recognition Of this dem