New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-28
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY, MAY %, 1876.
NO PLAGIARISM.

The Phenomenon of an Original Editorial
Article Appearing In an Eoglish and
American Journal i'm Identically tho
Same Words Explained ON the spiTitu-
Rllstic Theory of Unconscious Ccrebra-
tioD, and the Insensible Absorption By
Ono Writer of Ray.Thought, In Trans-
mission to Another.
BosRAH. Ct, May l2, 1876.
EDITOR REPU BLICAN:
Though you are personally unknown to
me-, and though your paper seems sadly
addicted to politics, yet can discern
cropping after the true light in the at
tempt to explain what you seem to re-
gard as o phenomenon. Your intelligent
writer is, Permit ne to say, entirely in the
dark in regard to the cause Of an almost
literal coincidence between an article pub.
lished in the CornhU Gazette and one which
seems subsequently to have appeared in the
editorial columns of your contemporary, the
New Orleans Times. l can not withhold
my approval of the manly manner in
which you vindicate the author of the
duplicate from the charge of having copied
without crediting. A vindictive rival
might have, upon evidence which re-
gard as merely circumstantial. utterly
destroyed the reputation of the Times for
literary justice. am. however, compelled
to soy that your ingenious defense demon
ssrates rather your professional chivalry
than clear conception Of the great lesson
in vital magnetism demonstrated by the in
cident which you attempt to explain. AL
low me, therefore, upon the authority of .
science to which have devoted my life, to
furnish you with the true solution. In doing
60, allow me the privilege of self quotation.
have elsewhere said:
Certainly, for many years past, the dis
embodied spirits have been endeav oring
to communicate with their friends on earth
through the agency of vital magnetism.
There have been serious obstacles to this
desirable intercourse, and 1t has been diff
cult to establish scientific system Of com.
munion. Experiment has, however, de-
monstrated that the communication may
be established somewhat on the principle
of gslvanic battery, requiring in its oper-
alton three elements, namely: l. A person
called medium. 2. A spirit in magnet
report with the medium. 3 A certain con-
dition of the atmosphere in which to pro-
duce the manifestations 1t is believed that
there are two kinds of vital magnetism,
which might be termed positive aud mega
tive. The medium must be possessed OF an
excess of the vital fluid of Q negative quail
ity. The medium spirits flor there are
medium and non.mediom spirits also) must
give off an excess of vital magnetism of q
positive quality, so that the medium and
spirit always stand related to each other
as positive and negative. the spirit b eing
phenomena. Thus the two stand IN rela-
lion to each other as the copper and inc in
galvanic battery, while the mOsphere
represents the solution.
Such are the principles which have laid
down several years since and have found
them verified by subsequent experience.
S.ppose we now apply these automatic
truths. A spirit Of come optinist like Soc
rates or Howard wishes to put itself in
communication with the modern professors
Of their philosophy. Spirits, let me tell
you-especially feminine spirits-will never
consent to be bottled up like champagne in
the eternal cellarsge of the tomb, without
spirits will effervesce. Such spirit-negs-
tive, if you wi!l-placed itself in communi-
cation with material medium and inspired
the article in tho CornhiH Magazine. While
this communication ia transmitted as by an
ETHEREAL telegraph, human writer may be
in q mediumistic state. He may be filed
with vital magnetism. The aural effluvia
may be flying off from him like the sparks
from q Leyden jar, black cat or silk
dress in cold weather. If the magnetic at
mosphere of the writer were visible he
would resemble cloud-a burr of mag
netism, as Of gaslight visiblein fog. He
may be animated with the purpose to con-
fer with Schopenhauer, or to confirm Hart
mann. He is placed accidentally within
the sphere of congenial attraction and
transmission. He has the divine affi atus
upon him. His system may be exhilerated
by genial stimulant. Let me remind you
tina. corn whisky is the positive of Cornhiu
the negative. The pen of the writer is in
his hand. Do you not observe that all the
conditions are perfect!
l. A person called a medium. The
CornhM writer was the first medium, and
the spirit thought was transmitted &C.
curately through that agent to the imprint
upon ths pages Of the magazine.
2. A spirit in magnetic rapport with the
Co7nhM medium. We infer from the datum
that an optimist spirit is employing this
vital magnetism as means of communicat-
ing with mortals.
3. A proper condition Of the atmosphere.
We may thus explain the TRANSMISSION of
spiritual sentiment through mortal vitality.
It remains to be explained how this spirit
message could have been duplicated. Yes,
Mr.. Editor, tripicared, oentupled, multi
piled by millions. Can you tell by what
mysterious power electricity passes and
repasses through the isolated wire-how it
speaks and answers at the same instant,
and through the same medium. You can
not. Then accept the theory which
shall Cffer for an analogous mani
festation of q similar quality in vital
magnetism. The Times writer was q
medium, saturated and exploding with
the sympathetic optimism which emsnates
from the sphere in which benevolent. spirits
do most congregate. The spirit lines or
intellectual filaments which traverse space
to reach the cerebellum Of the CornhiH
writer comes within the attractions of the
highly charged writer of the Times. The
rays of intellect, had they been visible,
would have shown an aureolum around his
fervid brow-etood erect as the flsments