The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-07-01
From the London Eng. Daily Telegraph March /.
ILONGFELLOW NOT. A SPIRITUAL
IST.

ILONGFELLOW NOT A SPIRITUAL
IST.
1 Longfellow, the poet, has long been
known to be more or less acquainted
with the phenomena of Spirituallsm;
but he had never publicly defined his
position in relation to the movement
until the British National Association OF
/ Spiritaalists recently invited him to be-
come one of it's honorary members.
According to No 1870 Of The Spiritual
i lot newspaper the following letter from
Mr.. Longfellow to one Of the honorary
secretaries was read at the last meeting
| of the association
| C AMBRI3GE (Mass.), Jan. 18th. 1875
/ DEAR Miss KIsLINGBURY Not being a
Spiritualist in the usual and popular
sense of the wo1d-that is to say, never
having seen any manifestations that con-
WINGED me of the presence of spirits-I
should deem It almost ah act Of dishon-
esty on my part to accept the compli
ment you offer I must, therefore, with
many thanks for this mark of your con-
sideration, beg leave to decline it.
With great regard yours truly,
HENRY w LoNGFELLoW.
The editor of The Spiritualist in a
foot-note TO the preceding letter states
that Mr.. j. M. PEBBLES, late United
States consul at Trebizondc. in book
entitled sAround the World just pub-
llshe9 by Messrs. Colby & Rich, of No 9
Montgomery Place, Boston, Mass,
United States, says that Mr.. Longfellow
attended q seance ct Baron Kirkups
residence in Florence, and there avowed
himself believer in the present minis
try Of angels 1t is also stated on the
direct authority of the late Mr., Guppy.
The Splrituallst once published Mr..
Guppy's statement that at a seance in
Italy, while Mr.. Longfelow held both
hands Of the medium, orange blossoms
were showered on him by spirit power,
and he was satisfied with the manifesto
ton; nevertheless, IT. is satisfactory to
have Mr. LoDgiellow's position IN. rela
tion to Spritualism clearly Defined
Possibly the above from a London
secular journal having an extensive
circulation requires few words of ex-
PLANTATION. The phrase in Mr.. Longfel-
lows communication to Miss KsliDg- /;
bury-"Not being Spiritnalist IL the
usual and popular sense of the word =
only provokes the inquiry, What isl
the popular sense of the word? AS de-
fined in general terms by its writer's and
public teachers, it implies the possibility
and certainty of present intercourse
with the inhabitants Of the spirit
either through impression, inspiration.
vision, trance, clairvoyance or other
phases of the manifesto tions.
Whether believer or not, The rarest
gems and richest passages in Mr.. Long
fellows "Hiawatha" are all afre w 9Th the
genius and moral grandeur of the Spiri-
tual Philosophy. And so are the fol-
lowing selections, culled here and there
from his other published poems:
''The Spiritual world
Lies all about us, and its avenues
Are open to tn unseen feet of phantoms
That come and go, and we perceive them not,
Save by their influence, or when at times
most mysterious Providence permits them
To manifest themselves to mortal ey So
= For, though close mine eyes
am awake, and in another world;
Dim faces of the dead and of the absent
Come floating up before me
'sAs the moon from some dark gate CrIcloud
Throws DER the sea a floating bridgcIof light,
Across whose tremb bling pl&nks our mem
cries crowd
Into the realm Of mystery and light
oJrona the aoOr1d ofspiriSs there descends
A bridge Of zsgnt, cornecting it aOiu4 thiS."
And further, Mr.. Longlellsw very
confidently assures us that "Wben the
hours Of day are umbe,e ed" and 1'Shad-
ews dance upon the parior WALL
--''the forms Of The departed
Enter at the open door;
The beloved ones, the true hearted,
Come to visit me once more;
And with them the being beauteous,
Who unto my youth was given
More than all things else 10 love me,
And is now saint in heaven.
With slow and noiseless foostep
Comes that messenger divine.
Takes the vacant chair beside me,
Lays her gentle hand in mine.
And she sits and gazes at me
With those deep and tender eyes,
Like the stars, so still and saint-like,
Looking downward from the skias.'i
The Guppys Of Naples and Baron
Kirkup of Florence informed me with
good deal of earnestEess that Mr..
L0ngfellow attended their sesnces, and
expressed himself not only as being
delighted, but as 6etse0er IN tie ministry
Of Spirits plrlts that, IN his own classic
words, manifest themselves to mortal
sight," from the spiritual world that
lies all around u.s. Still Mr.. Longfel-
low il entitled to the full weight Of bis
published affirmation-'T am rot a
Spiritualist in the popular sense of the
word" j. II. PEBBLES.
When Judge Nelson concluded his charge to the
Tilton-Beecher jury, oath administered the
three Ulcers having the jury in custody, BY which
they solemny promised to allow the the Twelve moth
ing to eat drink except water. This oath I'M
nltdiately followed by directions from the Judge TO
the urOrs with dinner Such fiction Of the