The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-11-16
Communicated
THE SUPERNATURAL IN RELIGION
-sPIRITUALIsM-ITs CLAIMS TO


some Sundays since, to that forcible
and fascinating divine, the Right Rev
erend Bishop Garrett, In his discourse
upon spiritudlism. The mind OF this
eminent ecclesiastio Is manlfestly one
accustomed to grapple with difficulties,
capable Of unfolding the most compre-
hensive truths with masculine sim
plicity and severe logic, and compe-
tent alike to dissipate the. illusions of
ingenious doubt and subtle argument.
While admitting all this, and confess
ing the great pleasure derived from his
brilliant and impassioned eloquenee,
the writer is not prepared to say that
the theory of spiritualism, or rather
many Of its undoubted manifestations,
can be entirely overthrown in o single
discourse, however, exhaustive and Ell
oguent it may be. The writer's curios-
ity has led him to investigate ut HON
and in distant cities some of the sim
plest physical phenomena Of spiritual
ism, such as producing sounds
of all kinds from q delicate
tick to blows like those Of n heavy
sledge Misunderstanding the weight of
bodies in defiance Of all known laws of
gravitation--moving bodies without
human agency, etc, and while not
at all prepared to found n religious
belief upon these inscrutable mani
festatlons, it must be admitted that
his mind is held in allegiance until
fuller light permits him to pronounce
an intelligent and satisfactory judg-
ment.
Alfred Russell Wallace, an eminent
writer and contributor to the Fort
nightly Reoio,c, in an article printed
in that periodical, sums up with re-
markable clearness many of the
phenomena of spiritualism, which
have been manifested in the presence
and at the special request of some
among the leading scientists of Europe.
Among these physical phenomena he
describes the raising of bodies into the
air, and conveying them 10 a distance
out of and into enclosed rooms; the re-
leasing of mediums from welded iron
rings preservation from the effects OF
fire; the production Of writing or draw
Ing on marked papers, placed where no
human hand Tor foot could touch
them. He describes the placing of a
bit of slate pencil an eighth Of au inch
long, on a table, laying clean slate
over this In well lighte sam, and
the sound of writing whoa 10 then
heard, and the communications of CON
siderable length which are distinctly
written, many of these communities
tions being philosophical discussions
on the nature and spirit of matter.
The closed piano upon which musical
compositions OF a very high order are
produced, spiritual photographs, au-
tomato writing, clairvoyance, imper-
sonation, healing, spiritual forms ma
terlalized, trance-speaking, etc, are
there described and defended with
consummate ability. When theseex-
traordinary phenomena are critically
observed during years of exhaustive
research by scientific men of proven
ability, something more than mere ell
oquent denial ia necessary to carry
conviction to the minis and con-
sciences of men,. VIM. Crookes, r.. r..
thr.t t..I.
of Great Britain, after tour years
of Unrestricted experiment with
two of the Oldest and most re-
markahle mediums in the world has
confirmed those very curious manifs-
tatiOns. Two eminent chemists of
America, Professors Hare and MapeS,
have also confirmed them; Count A.
de Gasparin of Paris, Professor Thury
OF Geneva, Doctors Lockhart Robin
son and Robert Chambers, Ado,hu
Trollope and G. 4. Marley, and other
astronomers, malheinaticons and
chemists of high rank confirm these
phenomena, but are unable to explain
them. In View of such testimony,
coupled with our experience, the
Bishops most delightful lecture does
not entirely obtain, only In so far as IL
warns against the founding Of reli
gious belief upon these accult forces,
the effect whereof Is manifest, but the
cause, as yet, not definitely classified
or developed. We do not altogether
concur with the Bishop in his theory
respecting Saul and the witch of En-
dor nor with that of the transfigura-
ton upon the Mount, nor entirely with
his reflections upon the presumed
translation to Heaven of Moses--a pre-
sumption necessary to sustain his
theory.
IL there Is any one doctrine more
strongly, though internationally enun.
ciated in both the Old and New Testa-
ments, II IL that OF spiritual manifesto
lions; Witness the instance of Saul
and the Witch of Endor, the transiig-
uration, the handwriting upon the
wall OF Belshaz2ar's feast--the three
men unhurt in Nebuchadnezzer' fur
naee OF fire--the gift Of tongues, the
evil spirits cast out by Christ, the Ian
guage of 81. Paul respecting spiritual
gifts, etc. In view, therefore, of these
cltations we are not inclined TO think
that the quotation ofbiblical AUTHORITY
Is best calculated to dlsprove spiritual
phenomena. While In st. Louis last
summer one quiet Sunday evening.
the writer's curiosity led him to n snir,
itualistic meeting In one of the halls Of
= the city. A circle OF some. forty ner.
sons, male and female, was formal
and after the singing Ola hyr,n or
Two, several persons In the circle fell
into q trance.like state aud spoh q
seemingly without volitIon. Among
them was noticed aii old and igno-
rant umbrella member, whom we
oIten recognized subsequently upon
sne streets plying his trade.
Mnen this man rose 10 his feet,
WIN w,a. MS eyee closed, aud counte.