, 1879-06-15
me greater loser bv the proccss?" This is one
orthodox jews are receiving bis suggestions,
CAUSE OF SPIR1TIJAL1SM.

CAUSE OF SPIR1TUALISM.
| DISEASED CONDITION OF TIE FACULTY o.
] WONDER.
~ PROFESSOR Gatrdner, oTthe Untrersf,y ofEdtnourg.
nave never gone into this matter profession
any, or even as a scientific man, but hav,
Always, on tie other hand, held that the duty .
physician toward these things was to have s.
little as possible to do With them. But, still, il
my career instances have come to my kpowl
edge, and 1t WINS in consideration OF all thes'
that was led to, attempt to formulate few
nights ago the state OF my mind upon the sub
1ect oy saytng-and it is something like {
distincr, and l think not an untrue and unin
telligible defnition-that I call the state o1
mind Of people inclined to Spirituals1n, dis
eased condition Of the faculty Of ,Ooutzer. holo
that the faculty Of wonder. or reverence, If yon
Ike to call 1t SO, is au innate and necessary part
OF the human mind. Nay, more, it is one oI
the most essential, one Of the most beneficial oil
all our endowments,-tlat faculty by which we
grasp, by which We strive to certain extent to
comprehend, and, if We DO not comprehend,
submit ourselves to, and even delight in the I'M,
knovn,-by which we striveto spprehend that
which we cannot comprehend. You will easily
see THAT the higher. aspect OF this faculty OF
: "oAASA ID &A4@ O<eo Va kAAC huO4E VI EklElOuS
aspirations. Therefore it cannot be that mean
to denounce ito speak ill of it. But, like all
our other faculties, this part Of our mental con-
stitution is liable to abnormal action; in fact,
TO get into state Of diseasc. What I said of
this faculty is, that. when it is rightly applied
oy thoroughly healthy mind to the connection
between the spiritual anI the material world, 1t
docs or should find abundant opportunity
for"lts exercise within the realms OF strict
law. I do not mean here to touch or
raise the question whether there are
what are called miracles connected with
the spiritual world any more than the physical
world That is beside my argument. NV argu-
ment at present is simply this, that within tie
realm of Law, clearly understood as such, there
Is food Tor the faculty OF wonder in all its legit-
innate aspirations far more enduring, far greater
and far grander than anything that can be de-
vclopcd IN the way Of those communica tions of
tabe-turuing, table pDng, or ANYTHING of that
kind. And the instance I gave was just one
out Of endless instances-to try and conceive of
the manner in which the spirit OF man, that
which he knows to exist, and, in fact, to be
himself,-his eao,-com1nuuicates through his
nerves with his muscies-how 1t Is capable Of
being SO infinitely directed that along the lines
Of nervous communication it will arrive ut a
particular muscle or particular group Of mus
.cles, and perform all the complicated muscular
pible results of tue manifestations Of our shirt
In other words, the most commonplace appear
ance Of q spirit that YOU can namc.-
the most everyday manifestation: in the
world, and that which we are most certain Of In
our own consciousness, wben Won coma to
think of It. m absolute and perfec1 mystery
which only becomes COMPREHENSIVE to us be-
cause we know it to be fact. and becansa IL
lies within the divine order OF things. 1t is
physiological. What spiritism or Spirituallsrn
-c 81, L.
eyery-day consciousness of this mattar for Won
der-haviny rot ali this marvellous adantntion
of snirit to Misunderstanding a set of thnrnnph,v
oreanlzed and thoroughly known chanpels hY
terial, and b7 which The Great and Snprema
Snirit Is enab}ed tn reveal Himself tn cyerv me
NJ us-hayinr. I say. got fhe ahso,nte moot
and erjdencc in onr own sor]s and ho;5;ee n a
set of laws annertaining to this matter Whist
Snirtualfsm reouires OF us to do is tn cast oside
The whole OF these laws. and tn ,afmir
a net Of interferences. not e1centinna1,
not for Grand and yerr. verv eTccn,
fiona, objects hnt a sat of avorcSav
cnstant {ntnrferences uith tt,e law of ths a
tim of snir;t an.i matters smch lnown ~
ali of ns.-inrerferences which src NJ, oni," ~ ~
n ocrcr3onca viii .1,ot low hr+ ,h;of, 49,. ~
solntelv snhrers;va of ne or;7;,or, -ae.',t. ~
thai: law. Jnst,Iet M sunnose this: snnno;e r.
ed netSonss .i]fscmbodied snr,t a,rn,r3,
wandering in snare 4 Fnir1r With H. ~ i;4.i,aI
hv re con1;tinnr n malaria, ;nyea+,,a,'tM 'tMha.
tLe mower tn annear to von .nnd revsa1 ~ rnn
hv soma fr;rnd nf vonr. m III athar e;da ~ |h
p}ohe. or VINO ms nassed harond thn orore and
;i',t i has hnd .,.ce:s ~. do,,,,,,,+a auI
.nn1d have seen. what onnesrs tn ha TIE ,,eres.
ssrr consenrence of rhis docrr;no7 rhis omonr
,t,ars ,Ha, M scrao ~ wr,;, ,ha, 40, - .i,'ti
net Inst man does ron1 he .o,neaiei ~ o. aI
sast enid ha nerfsct1r suro If h";,,sr ~
rom hia. 'ne;rhhor -from INV noar wto -nn1