The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-04-01
TnImnage on splritualisnl.


TaImage on spirituHliSn.
We are indebted to friend for copies
Of tho New York Weekly Wines Of March
18Th and Goth, containing sermon dellv-
cred by that great American rattlcr, Rev.
De Witt Talmuge, on spiritualism, which
sermon We are requested to publish, in
case wo have space. The document Is
rather too long for our columns, especial
ly as II contains nothing new on the sub
feet olSpiritualism, but we shall try and
find room for a few extracts from It's more
striking passages. The reverend gentle
mans remarks were prediCated upon the
familiar account Of Sauls visit to the
Witch OF Endor-a story that Is malo to
do constant duty in tile way Of showing
up the Satanic natureot SpiriInallsm. In
our judgment this Is where such shallow
declaimers as TalmagO make great
mistake. In according to Spiritual
ism supernatural relation they
yield. at once half the ground con-
tended for by spiritualists. II We ad-
nit that "cirCle" ofacluaintancea,can
alt down at a table and by touching
hands invoke the presence Of disembOdied
spirits from the other world, so that they
(the spirits) will come and rap, lift up
chairs, Oyerset furniture, and act general
ly like bulls In China shop, wevirtually
admit the premises claimed by the spiri-
tualists, from which follow logically
enough the many otherwise incredible
mysteries Of their seances.
We like the scientific better than the
theological method Of dealing with such
prctonsions, which Is to deny utterly any
such likelihood us that spirits Of the dead
Gun be summoned into the presence Of the
living, and set at work humping tables
and oyerturning furniture. This ME.
tllod puts the whole burden Of proof upon
those who set up supernatural claims for
their quasi.phenomena, which is in every
sense fair and proper. The celebrated
argument Of Hume against miracles ap-
plies with great force against the super
natural claims Of spiritualism--whlcll is
that IL ia more rational To suppose that
those who attest supernatural occurrences
are either untrulhful or mistaken "a to
the nature Of them, than to admit that
whiChis contrary to the lifelong evidence
Of ones own senses and the common ex-
perience Of mankind. There can be no
stronger statement against tic premises
assumed by spiritualists than that their
supernatural assumptions are ut total
aud irreconctlublc variance with the
daily evidence Of our own senses
and the common experience Of man
kind. Therefore scientific men refuse
to admit them, and this refusal
sNVs '"''' "' '''',,,V''e ,n, "''I''"s' o'e'
admit that VIC may have among lis peo-
pie possessed Of familiar spirits, like the
Witch Of EndOr, and that therefore the
phenomena attributed ltoSpiritualsm may
proceed from The agency Of Evil Spirits.
Speaking Of the Witch OF Endor, Mr.
Talmage asks why dldhot sallIgo in the
day time" to herr He answers "becallso
he was ashamed to go" "Besldes that, hO
knew that this spiritual medium, like
all her SUCCESSORS, performed. her exploits
In The night, The DavenportS, tile Fow.
lers, the Foxes, tho spiritual mediums Of
ali nves hovr chosen lhe nivl,t ora dark.
n,o,i ,a.s,D nil. .,,o.,,,J Al c.,.t,,sb.
."e" roVm i"'s u.e'P' /" % ,,,.,"a :,
ing parallelisn between tue ,Ml'ch ol
Ehdot and such humbugs IA the Dayen.
ports greatly weakens Mr.. TalnlaRes case,
Tho Witch w.. ..vos d,,cnvs.0j by
- w" "|S wa, "V'V' ' u'S'V's,eu s,'.5.'
means oI " u"fk lantern III tue "e1 Oh ma
terlalitins her performance by slcight Of
hAnd, hut the Davenporls have been. II
IA therefore dnn,osoas t,s i;n, IN ria..;iv
,l.om ,n.o,,,a. eN''"g ~ "''n w T'"'o
80 ~ 'Oss"'S' US genuine satanic per-
lorm"t", iot lear that somebody will as.
sime that II some ncmbet Of Saul,s body
guard had only had do,L i,r,o., .inno
w;u, linn la NIL, -, ~ '''N' f" ''V's
W "'. "u "ight nave thrown some