Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1879-04-12


from the spirit world, the man 1T ] con
trolling by suggestions and manipula-
tions At this point deliberately
walked forward and took my seat 50 that
| could watch the entire proceeding
Such action was far from pleasing to the
man and TO his mother, VINO al.o was
there | asked him il she was in trance
Perfectly So entirely unconscious "
At that moment she opened her eyes
and then b gan a violent twitching o
her arms, which he could 4ot stop, al,
though he tor some time attempted to
"throw of the influence At length,
seeing these movements were exhaustlng
her, asked permission to try quieting
her myself. in FIVE minutes she was
he sell again. As STe'ultot this incident
a conversation began, il which the lady
/ gave me her peculiar experiences, and
asked myopinion which Iuuht sitatingly
/ gaye--that the whole thing was a hum.
| bug as regards spiritualism, but that !
hat reason to btlieve that such a power
as mind readirg exists o course thi.
brought the guns Ol b,th mother and son
to bear upon me, not 80 much on account
OF my own skepticism, as because |
seemed likely to snatch from them
wealthy and more than hal4cOnvprted
patron, who wanted only a few sharp,
sensible words to carry her back into un"
belief and reason. Incidenla ly the man
said pointing TO me:
"There il q person whom | could
never iIhuence--the nature is too posi-.
tive"
Apparently piqued, the lady said:
" You could not have c, ntrolled me bad
] not been willing"
=" | think | 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 vezed with himself and
annoyed with me, he snarled out II
claim that to certain degree they are
sliSe."
"And | claim that spiTitualism' and
mesmerism are by no means iden ical,
The one supposes a human agency, the
other super.human"
Prof Carpenter employs virtually
the same means that take. He address
ses his bearers, interests and quiets them,
and then begins to operate upon his
subjects"
II agree with you, and precisely to
tie same end. But Prof Carpenter
honestly calls himself mesmerist- you
claim to be controlled by spirit iDAu'
euce.'
" Has my wife not told you many
truths to-day ?"
"sre has. Your wife is an excellent
mind.reader."
odd she not 90 beyond mird-
reading? Has she not told you, as well
as others, facts which only the spnits
| know :"
No, she has told me many things l do
not know, but | have not verified them
yet. They are in the future"
- You then absolutely deny that my
wife hss made or can make a spiritual
communication to you2'
- do--to me or anybody else, | do
not believe that the dead friends Of
myself or any other person are coming
to talk to me through your vile at one
dollar a visit. | hold that il they bad
anything to say to ne they would come
to ne directly"
d" II one sends = telegram he sends
! by q hiltd operator, does he not =
! he cannot attend 70 the work himself."
" The cases are not parellel. WestNTt-
| ed from = spiIi usl standpoint, and you
have wandered into the physical proper.
ties OF matter. But right here let me
ask you question your vile wishes
10 tell ME through the spirits, or through
her something sbout an ab,ent friend,
why does she wish TO hold in her hand a
lock of that persons hair nr a letter
written by him2 Do spirits peed q
tangible connection with our world 2
owe must work by established meth
ods. You admit that the lock of hair
and the letter assist the communication
"l sdmit that your wite's talk is more
rapid under those conditions, but have
my own theory on the subject. deny
in totothe published theory Of fspiriAists. "
How will you explain my wite's
telling the things you acknowledge to be
sop
a. call il mind-readiug."
"What, when il touches the thoughts
and actions of your abseut frieuds?'
Yes"
81 came from a state OF infdelity into
a full and perfect faith iu Spirtuslism, Il
| lose that faith | shalt 60 back to infdel.
itv. Why should we profess this if we
do not believe it2'
"The business pays
"You call il mind reading--how dc
you explain the process p
al do not pretend to explain the most
ordinary workings of the human mind
nor cpn snybody else. How, then, can
you expect me to demonstrate to you
the action OF mind in an abnormal con
dition2"
Chow do you satisfy yourself, then
that il is not Spiritualsm 2 Do YOU
deny there Is snch q tnlnB as true CAR
voyance ?"
| IL do not deny ths', but | claim that
! clairvoya ice is not spi'itualism, | holC
! that your wife, or snbody else success
: ful in the business, as well as many il
, private life, has, beyond the majority
, the faculty of rendering her mint
i utterly negative, so to speak The essen
tial thing, at the start, is quiet passiv,
condition on both sides, especially on tn
? part of the medium The dsrkness anC
the silence contribute to this result, a
] the attention is not drawn off by outsid
objects. The mind Of the medium beinI
5 thus obedient. for I claim she can pro
, duce this ect upon herself by mer
t effort OF will, or rather non.exertion G
1 will, she is, for the time beiug, mental
subordinate aud her mind IS virtual
s the servant Of the other, How this
n 4 ,nn do mt nratend TN SOW I Iurthe