The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-11-06
SpirffEalisns Cant.
HOW JUDGE BLACK RIDIcULED THE IDEA AT A
X n vi

HOW JUDGE BLACK RIDICULED THE IDEA AT A
VANDERBILT wILL-CAsE sEANCE.
From the New York ExpressJ
DR.. w. Fl. Vandewyde was recalled to the
witness-stand this morning by the contest
ants counsel in the Vanderbilt will. Lease.
Mr.. Lord offered to prove, in the first
place, that there was in this city Liberal
Club, whose members are many OF them sci
entiGe men that committee, including the
Doctor, was appointed to investigate the
phenomena Of spiritualism, and that they
Investigated for three years and came to GER
tain conclusions; and that the witness finds
that persons Of sound mind and body can
easily be convinced OF the decisions prac-
ticed upon them 10 the name OF spiritual
ism, but that persons laboring under chronic
decisions cannot be convinced; dsprove it
or not, they cling To it, and it becomes mo-
nomania. There are spiritualists who still
believe In the Katie King materializatlons..
The Surrogate Then, the long line OF
spiritualist witnesses were monomaniacS?
Mr.. Lord replied that he didn't mean to
assume that there was not true spiritual
ism at the back of the impostures; but per-
sons with chronic diseases believe the whole
thing with the sublime faith that it was
claimed Commodore Vanderbilt had since
1854.
Mr.. Clinton replied that the so-called
Liberal Club had no more to do with the
case than any other club. Indrmities OF
body have an influence on the mind; but
we all know OF persons in bad health who
can readily be disabused Of erroneous i'm
pressions. But the truth OF falslty OF spirit
ualism could not be there investigated.
Judge Black: We propose to give evil
dence by competent person on subject
not well understood. They say this is
subject on which there cannot be any sci
ence. We deny it. A law can be deduced
from study of the phenomenon Of tue
mind and body. II you say this singular
phenomenon is not a fair subject for scien-
titic investigation, then nothing ever was.
They say you can't tell whether spiritualism
is true or false. We deny it. SpiritualiSm
is absurdly false to the mind OF any reason
ing man. 1t is contrary to all human cXpe-
rience since the fall Of Adam. You cannot
say that man who believes it, and believes
1t without evidence, is not poor. silly,
weak minded man.. It has broken down
under every test. The late Horace Greeley
told these people, who pretended that they
could find out by spiritual communications
what was going on at the antipodes, that he
would give them a large amount il they
would furnish him before o'clock every
evening summary OF the leading editorials
in the London Times. [Laughter.]
Surrogate: Or, he might have said, If
they could read his writing. [Laughter.]
Judge Black: That might have been
severer test. [Laughter.l The Whole world
of spililuaism backed out from this offer.
But there is another case which settles it.
Judge EdmundS, man regarded apart
from the subject, I believe, with general
confidence, after the Atlantic had been out
fifty days without being heard from, and 1t
being the universal belief that she went to
the bottom, he, believing that, brought mp
the spirit or Captain West, The commander.
and communicated to the world all the facts
OF the wreck, and how each Of the passen-
gers had died. But West was IN the land
Of the living; he had put into Cork with
his vessel. laughter After that he was
very careful never to bring up spirit until
be absolutely knew beyond all doubt that
the person was dead. Laughter.l Science
has made considerable progress in the study
of all these decisions. DO not reject the
light we offer. pause for reply.
Mr.. Choate contended that there was
nothing in the limited domain OF medical
science authorizing the witness to say OF
any particular man whether his bellef In
spiritualisnl was monomanla. 1t was
pretty much is II q witness were to TESTIFY
from his observations that Unitarians who
have crooked spincs cannot be reasoned
out of their belief.
Judge Black said the witness did not come
there to deduce general law from study OF
particular case. He commenced the in
vestigations of these impo:tures twenty-five
years ago, and proceeded upon the Ba-
CONAN method. The Court would take
very great responsibility by refusing the
evidence.
The Surrogate ruled out the evidence as
incompetent.
The examination Of DR.. Yandewyde was
than rpDpwn6