The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-04-10

gave-that the whole thing was a hum
bug as regards spiritualism, but that
had reason to believe that such a power
as mind-readiEg exists. OF course this
brought the guns OF both mother snd son
to bear upon me, not so much on account
of my own skepticism, as because |
seemed likely to snatch from them
wealthy snd more than haltscOnveTted
patron, who wanted only q few sharp,
sensible words to carry her back into un-
belief and reason. incidentally the man
said, pointing to me:
"There is a person whom / could
never iIfuence-the nature is too posi-
tive"
Apparently piqped, the lady said:
" You could not have C ntrolled me had
not been willing"
" | think I could. ] think my will is
stronger than yours. Before | had ex>
erted it upon you FIVE minutes you were
perfectly submissive"
"Then, sir" remarked, "yOu exer-
cised will power?"
81 did"
"That is not spiritualism, it is mes
merism, animal magnetism"
Thoroughly vexed with himself aud
annoyed with me, be snsrled out: 81
claim that to a certain degree they are
alike"
"And l claim that spiritualism' and
mesmerism are by no means identical.
The one supposes q human agency, the
other super-human."
Prof Carpenter employs virtually
the same means that take. He address
ses his hearers, interests and quiets them,
and then begins to operate upon his
subjects"
Il agree with you, and precisely to
tie same end. But Prof. Carpenter
honestly calls himself q mesmerist-you
claim to be controlled by spirit infu-
ence"
Has my wife not told you many
truths to-day?''
"She has. Your wife is an excellent
mind.reader."
odd she not go beyond mind
reading? Has she not told you, as well
as others, facts which only the spirits
know W
No, she has told me many things do
not know, but have not verified them
yet. They are in the future"
You then absolutely deny that my
wife has made or can make spiritual
communication to your
81 do-to me or anybody else. I do |
not believe that the dead friends of !
myself or any other person are coming |
to talk to me through your wife at one |
dollar visit. 1 hold that if they had |
anything to say to me they would come
TO lie directly"
elf one sends q telegram he sends |
by a hired operator, does Re not ?
he cannot attend to the work himself"
The cases are not parallel. We start |
ed from spiritual standpoint, and you |
have wandered into the physical proper. |
ties of matter. But right here let me |
ask you q question. Il your wife wishes |
to tell me through the spirits, or through |
her something about an absent friend, |
why does she wish to hold in her hand a
lock of that persons hair or letter
written by him? Do spirits need g |
tangible connection with our world %
owe must work by established meth
DDS. You admit that the lock Of hair |
and the letter assist the communication" |
81 admit that your wife's talk is more |
rapid under those conditions, but have |
my own theory on the subject. | deny |
in toto the published theory Of 5piritists."
Glow will you explain my wiie's |
telling the things you acknowledge TO be |
20 ?"
g | call it mind-readiDg."
"Whst, when it touches the tn lights |
and actions Of your absent friends"
Yes"
81 came from a state of infdelity into |
full and perfect faith in Spirituslism. If !
| lose that faith | shall go back TO infdel- |
ity. Why should we profess this if we
do not believe it2"
"The business pays"
''YOu call it mind resding-hOw do !
you explain the process ?"
al do not pretend to explain the most |
ordinary workings of the human mind, |
nor cen anybody else. How, then, csu
YOU expect me to demonstrate to you |
the action of mind in an abnormal con
dition?"
Chow do you satisfy yourself, then.
that it is not Spirituallsm Do you |
deny there is such thing as true clair |
vOyance y
81 do not deny that, but claim that |
clairvoya ice is not spiIitualism. | hold |
that your wife, or ANYBODY else success
ful in the business, as well as many in
private life, has, beyond the majority, |
the faculty of rendering her mind |
utterly negative, 80 to speak. The essen |
tial thing, at tho start, Is a quiet, passive |
condition on both sides, especially on the |
part of the mediun. The darkness and |
the silence contribute to this re- ult, "a
the attention is not drawn off by outside
objects. The mind OF the medium being |
thus obedient. for claim she can pro
duce this e 4ect upon herself by mere
effort of will, or rather a nOn-exertlOn Of
will, she is, for the time being, mentally
subordinate and her mind IS virtually !
the servant OF the other. How this is |
done | do not pretend to say. further
believe that, using her sitter as a means |
of communication as well as guide, she !
can put herself in partial connection
with absent minds. That this has about
it something material as well, is illus
, trated by the fact that she wants some
thing which the abs mt one has handled. !
She may or may not be unconscious all
this time-there are differences. You !
claimed this lady was unconscious during |
the entire time she was under yOrI in
Auence. She said she was not uncon-
scious for an instant but was powerless
to speak. Everybody knows that we are
affected in different ways by the society
of different people. This is only another
leaf out Oh the same book which we are
discnssinn hut nnhndy sees ANYTHING