Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-23

To The Editor of The Commercial:
You sometimes fret me little by manifestly
taking sides as against what is called "modern
spirituaism," and uniting with the shallow pre-
vailipg cry that would assume it to be hunbug
and but the fruit of popular error and credulity.
If you and portion OF the public laugh ut the
detection of fraud in ''katy King" and other
like cases, and pronounce "Spiritualism" de-
funct on that account, be assured that the true
spritualst has his laugh also at the short
sigted ness of such as imagine these cases of
rogush counterfeiting, or the successful imita-
tons quoted in your issue of 18th can in any de-
gree affect the deep philosophical foundation
upon which he builds his belief
Nlt would seem that respectable sheets like the
COMMERCIAL arc not doing their full duty to the
public, by showing up the weak SIDE of Spnt-
uaiism and giving 10 expression to the other
Would it not be fair to inform your readers that
Spintualism, lacking the proselyting power of
juvenile education, which gives the Inain numer-
zeal strength to other sectr, has yet made Its
converts by the thous ands amongst the matufed
thinkers OF the age and often even from those
naturally the most skeptical Are you not aware
that physicians the most skilful, lawyers the
most learned and able to construe
evidence, judges the most astute, cougressmen
the most clear-headed, governors the most wise,
Presidents of the United States, Fellows of tie
Royal Society Of England, English Lords, the
English Queen. the Emperor OF the French
Nicholas OF Russia and an endless list that
iileul Lc uhultI, nave all ueeIucl lb nOueII
manifestations real and have more or less given
up to rational belief in them. Is it the
| province OF the enlightened journalist to ignore
the facts. that an anthor OF the responsibility
and learning of Mr.. Howett has written All
exhaustive treatise upon the History of the
supernatural clearly illustrating that the modern
manifestations are but repetitions of what the
world has witnessed from the remotest ages {;
that besides Ltowett there are scores of able an
thors b til older aud moro recent that have
made literature for spiritualism which. after
blowing out the chaH still leaves an abundance
rich III clear logic, sound philosophy, searching
enquiry and the independent expression OF
thought Of which any cause might be proud.
What signifies counterfeit catch-ponDies or ini-
tators ia eucl case. Woe be to the world, we
say, il II has not sense enough to gather up the
manifest truths that are dropping from this
source aud to apply them to helping themselves
out OF the mental bondage TO religious dogma to
which too many are now subjected You speak
also in your ssue Of the 17tl of the dogmatsm
that science is now assuming, and your remarks
are solid and instructive. We have often taken
occasion to dcCry the almost equal bgoty of the
scientific miterialist and the ntoleTant theo-
Logan.
If ever there is to come reconciliation be-
tween science and religious truth touching
the future life of man 1t must come through the
phiiosophic study of the nature OF man and hr
cosmical relations to the world lie in!iabits as
based upon facts CLEANED from modern and re
corded spiritual manifestation.
The enlightened Spritualist acknowledges the
importance OF the veneratiVe aud religious ele-
ment- IN the human constitution and mourns
over their misdirectOn which has been tire
fruitful source of so much suffering to the race.
lie laments further that science, having made
such gratifying progress in the Study of mate
rial uaute has left that knowledge which lis
most interesting and important to struggle
bliudiy in The web OF dogmatism.
Whenever seetaIianH become willing to ignore
for truths sake, their selfish and associated IN
tero5ls and to trace backward to their source in
the fables OF primitive man their most yenera.
tod1ogmas and whenever scientists adopting
more humble spirit OF inquiry become willing to
know that not only the material world, but tile
spiritual world also are linked together IN one
grand cormitll law abiding claim, open to stu
dy and Investigation, then will the reconcllia
ton come AID tue race, unologged and uuttam-
elled, may grow to realize more than the tabled
millennium. SplKfTCALiHr