The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-08
THE ISLAND OF FIRE
Precious Metals Among the
Ancients.
THE LOST GOSPELS.
Crowds and Chats About Re
cent Fiction.
A BUNCH or NOVELS DlSSECTED

TEN YEARS WITH SPIRITUAL mediums BY Francis
Gerry Fairfield. d, Appleton \ GO.
We have been lead by an increasing curiosity to
acquaint ourselves with everything that can be
classified Is the literature OF Spiritualism. With
equal av1dltY and ardor we nave read volume
after volume against and volume alter volume for
the new anatlcism. 1t ia not little remarkable
that phase OF faith which q few years ago was
known only as an Intermittent fever or past his
tory should claim ITS millions Of adherents, and
these not among the poor and nlterate only, but
also among the rich and refined. This phenome-
non rapid grow has not yet been satisfactorily
explained. IL would seem to q casual observer
that there must needs be more than mere chca-
merry in a theory which IS upheld by owen and
Chllds. by Edmonds and Wallace and Crookes.
The book before Us, however, proves
TO tine entire satisfaction or the author
&C least, for we very much doubt the effect Of his
arguments on the average reader, that the deduc-
lions OF the gentlemen above named are puerile,
ana that his own scientific explanation, by the
devious path OF ineuross OF the dormant sort,p
lie the only satisfactory one. II the reader OF THIS
volume accepts the authors estimate or himself
he VIII Ieel that he Is eommuning with 81 the
Hottest intellects that has ever condescended TO
hive among mortals writer must be an entire
stranger TO the rather quality or humility or
modesty who can dispose Of sucn man as Taine
by single stroke OF his pen, and conslgn his
works 10 oblivion superficial and unthought-
ml volumes" ana who can, IN the next BREATH &C.
cuse Professor Crookes and Alfred r, Wallace or
mot little scientific blundering in their investl-
cations OF the phenomena associated with Spirit
ualsm.n
Mr. Fairfed's volHme Is q curiosity in It's way.
II fatty cOntradicts tae old axiom, 'NeVer solve
mystery py greater mystery for the author
fairly reves In the darkness which, wlth labolious
ba nflan ha n1ar
tion. Evidently determined that ne viii, under
no conceivable circumstances, admit that com
municati0n with another world Is possible, he
accounts FOR the phenomena ~ such an Intricate
and devious method or reasoning that you at last
conclude in despair thas it Is 4 vast deal easier to
swallow spriiuallsm whole, taole-tippings, phan-
tom hands, materlalizatlons and MEDIUMS than
to understand his explanation Of IT, what Mr..
Fairfield seeks you 10 believe is. 70 our mind, in
nnItely more incredible than anything which the
olndest devotee OF Sprrtuallsm demands We
have no iaith whatever IN taese modern mani
festauons. and have more than occasion
exposed the tr ckeTy or sO-cared mediums; but
the Interpretation 81 the matter which the author
OF this volume gives Us Is simply the interpreted
iion OF twilight By midnight
10 the first place ne admits-something which
we do not propose TO ourselves until further in
formed on the subject-all the salient facts on
which SplrlkuAllSm DuLIus. de does not deny the
so-caled phenomena which have excited the
curiosity or scholars and unearned alike. on the
other hand, be adds tue weight of his own per-
sonal testimony 70 tho authenticity OF some very
startling statements. He says ne has twice Wit
messed the phenomenon OF phantom hand writing
messages win pencil. Let US give the expert
ence Ia ms own words -
In toe frat instance, AFTER string few minutes
me medium asked whether any one present had a
4 IA ke
and held " IA ny hand. NO pc son present was
within TOUR leet q inc centre table, upon wnicn
lay 81 sheets 81 letter paper Pres
entity luminous yapor appeared lowering
over the peach. i dld not seem 70 come
IRON anywhere in the room, but to iorm
gradually IN Us place from Invisible materials.
Inc nebularS stage mad not lasted IN excess OF
two seconds when the lignt began 70 die ont an
the base, ana nimy, seml-iransparent maud aud
arm gradually grew out q Il, IKE a transiOTma-
my mana, the apgarltiOn nOated toward the table
and wrote on one Of the loose sheets, ~ have done
tins that al presens MAJ KNOW tfat ! am .
gpiritm
THIS certainly a very remarkable ex-
penence. had Il happened " ordinary human
being Il woud have Afforded cor elusive evidence
Of the truth Of Sllrituailsm. When we ourselves
witness anything 81 the KIND We shan stand
shoulder 70 shoulder with the rank aud
ne OF Splrituaasts and begin at once
10 "hght NIT sigeLn But Mr. Fairfield was
not 20 a1ecsed. lie thought hC could account
scientific. lie tells us That "the nerye-ether pro-
ceedng from the person Of a medium Il suscepti-
bic OF condensation INTO a neyula, then into a
phantom.n Again he says that "this nervous
atmosphere Is correlated with hight, and suscepti.
bic OF transformation into luminous cloud, into
spectral appartions ana o5ner objective pnenora-
ena." 10 our minds me EXPLANATION Is the most
incredible part 81 the whole matter.
Bat toe ROBUST logic % the writer is not dis
frr
quote:-
10 the GUNNER Of 1861 at a ia Tor stance alven
nv wealthy SpiFiiuallst, then res0cnt in lgtrti-
etb street, luminous ncOuia hove ed over INC
piano Tor 4 moment, cascade or notes trlckied
IRON the Keys, as an Invisible hand rad
swept item, ara then ne instrument
iei INTO AendessoAn's "Midsumncr Nights
UreamH overture There was no ole within
FIX feer % the piano nor did the closest eXanua-
Ia the course 81 tie conversation that followed
toe SlduCe, me meelum staicd 10 me tnat he was
MOI 4 musician aaa Coud Mt r0ssDly nave exc
cuted We overture, a. ga inquiry asceftal1ed
tnat our persons present were acquainted Win
the piece
now 10 you suppose Hr. Fairfield accounts for
al tnisi WAY, IN me simplest way possible. ne
says
n vas a little mysterious 10 me al that date, I
confess; DUt "a the lRhG 81 later invesuga non 1t
sC0itce, should ascertain mat Delther the medium
nor any otEer person present was acquainted
with piece drawn from the piano Apparently ~
luminous neOula; Tor, knowing ron oDsery8-
tiOn the superhuman reC0ne ctl3I II previous i'm.
lressions apperisining % these states Of the
nervous system, ! should Only conclude mat toe
medium had heard II az some remote date and
That II naJ sprung up spontaneously unucr uu-
natural nervous exCltatlun.
After that nothing under heaven can surprise
rs. tia 50 mucn harder % believe the statement
Al the last paragraph tnaD 10 accept the most pre.
poster0us stories OF the most fanatlcal medium.
Tat we cannot safely predict shat Mr. FapGeldsi
explanation, n BY any stress Of toe Imagination ii
can be called that, viii 10 generally received 4,
satisfactory. To US Il seems a marvel that tac
piano should play at al, and we want larg,
amount on evidence before We accept the Iact al
true. But II the time comes when with ouF owl
eyes we shall behold that spectacle Il will not re
satisfactory explanation or the mystery that foU