The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-04-17
PHILOSOPHY OF " "sPIRITISM :"

The Medium a Bstnd-Reader. According
to the sPrInEIpId EeF Hbifcan.
Acceptance, of q term does not neces-
sarily imply belief in a theory. That
there are and always have been certain
phenomena not explainable on physical
grounds alone few thinking persons will
deny. That they are attributable to
the influence of departed spirits is 2
doctrine to which the rational student
of mental philosophy is less liakle to
give credence. Eminent physicians msy
contend that Miss Fancher, the Brooklyn
ecstatic," does not possess claTivoyant
powers. She may and she may not. A
condition which is not impossible to 8
person in strong health should hardly be
denied to one in whom, in consequence
Of long illness, mind must predoUinate
over matter. A knowledge of anatoIny Y
and drugs does not establish g man S
claim to precedence in deciding matters
of this kind. One may have q perfect
acquaintance with the physical structure
of the brain, but he is no better qualified
:han any other reasoning observer to ex-
plain mental actions. / am free to ad-
nit that most mental effects are affected
by physical causes, but sometimes we
find them going beyond. That there is
such a thing as clsrivoyance, or mind
reading as some may term it, / aft rm
That true spiritualism exists, l am bound
to deny, since every personal attempt to
fathom the So called mystery has results
ed in nothing more than bareAfaeed
fraud. One incident of many ia long
period of investigation will serve to IL
lustTate my points.
In preface, let me say, what most
know, that the majority of professional
mediums claim to be controlled BIZ
Indian spirits, and for the purpose OF
conveying their information in more i'm
pressiye manner. emp 10y a species o.
jargon which is only a more corrupt use
of language than person of ordinary in
| telligence would adopt in everyday lie
AS an assistance in creating impIessions
| the reception room is generally darkened
N fact they strive to produce effects
as uncanny as possible, thus preparing
| the credulous for unquestioning assent
! to something very strange at least"
! Some time ago. in company with 8
| friend, / visited a famous clairvoyan. ir
one of our largest cities. She lives in
elegance, talks fuently, and with hel
| whole family claims TO believe in spirit
| ualism. This was our third visit, arc
we were in different disguise every time
going buI once together. With aston,
ishing accuracy she read my entire Ii Z
in brief, told me the mental and physica
condition of absent friends, even what
come were doing at that very hour, nevel
once failing in the past or present, bu
she was hOpelessly wrecked when she
| touched upon the future. The mair
| facts she repeated after the first visit
| giving just enough to prove that she hac
worked methOdically if indeed Tespon
sible, then dismissing the old with To,
remark that she had told me all thu
before, She gave names of friends livine
| and dead, with personal descriptions
and further, described accurately somt
whom had never known, and the cor
rectness of those pictures J afterwarC
| proved by applying to those who bal
which proposed to test her she gave ms
perfectly at the outset and good na
turedIy referred to my sEepticign
| Through it all she was but twice thrown
off her guard, forgetting then her dialec
and answering me with very human irri
tation rather than spiritual superiority
and forbearance.
During my friends interview will
] Ha4IlIE AlC6liMuA1G- fHUUGU
intellectual and delicate woman wa
shown into the back parlor. The medium
not having gone under control, came uu
to say to her husband that she w0ulc
like him to attend the new conner, 4
conversation followed, to which l confess
/ listened l was there for information
and felt entitled to all might obtain il
a public way. It proved that thi lady
8 skeptic, having attended one of Ia.
many seances at this house, had becom,
convinced of the truth of the theory. auc
had for q week been seeing and conve1s
ing with the spirits, and was now wilIips
to be developed. The husband, a burIy
man weighing about 200, took her il
charge, and from my corner I discovered
that she was Completely entranced, ,
No was abo ut to write communication
from the spirit world, the man st IL con
trolling by suggestions and mauipula
tiens. At this point I deliberately
walked forward and took my seat 50 ths
I could watch the entire proceeding
Such action was isr from pleasing 20 tn
man and to his mother, VINO also va
there. I asked him if she was in q trance
H Perfectly so-entirely unconscious
At that moment she opened her eye-
snd then begsD violent twi1ching q
her arms, which he could 0t stop, 81
though he Tor s0me time attempted Y