The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-21
SPIRITUALISIS IN CAMP.
Important Gathering to Effect Per-
manent Organization.
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES.
The Spirits Invited to the Cool
Woodland Shades.

spirituslsm which Of old hid itself in darkened
parors and curtain ed cabinets has into the
light Of day and its believers among the
green trees beside bright waters and under the clear
canopy of the sky. Down in the heart OF Bucks
county, Pa. where the Neshaminy tumbles over
! its gray and the Jersey hills. clad grandly in
/ wheat and shrubbery circle around stands an
encapment. where have gathered within the
| past few days host OF men and women who COM
mune with the spirit world. There is fixed pur-
pose and perfect organization among these cores
pondents of ''The Beautiful Shore" which indicates
that they settling down in sober earnest to the
work OF propagatng their bslef and adopting
better defined system of principles than they
have hitherto protested The camp meeting
| is essentially Philadelphan enterprise. al
though it is attended by people from all over the
States. and at head stands wealthy
resident of that CITY, Colonel S. r. Kase who III his
management acts in behalf OF the First Association
Of Spir1tuaists. He is the gentleman who has APP
peared in the papers in narrative that makes
Spirituafism play important part In war history.
and which is curious enough to bear recital here.
In 1862 Colonel Kase, the story goes, in WASH
ngton soliciting railroad appropriation when he
felt sudden prompting to visit medium named
Conkling He found the latter with sealed letter
addressed Abraham Lincoln which he handed
without delay to the Colonel telling him to deliver it,
Kase was surprised and urging his inability to
comply with such request. when the medium spoke
up and told him he especially singled out for
the purpose and the spirits would make his task
easy Half persuaded, ne went to the White House
and announced. by peculiar accident. as s. p.
Chase. then Secretary of War. instead Of s.
p. Kase, he admitted to the Presidents
presence and handed over the letter. 1t CONTAINED
only q solicitation for meeting from the
medium, but it impressed Mr.. Lincoln that
week later the Colonel found him ut seance in
ConKlings house. And there, kase AYERS. a little
GIRL entranced urged the abolition of slavery on be-
half of the spirits and prophesied success for the
Union arms in of the Presidents signing 1t.
few weeks later Mr. Lincoln obeyed his spirit mon-
tors, and Sprituallss point out the victories that
followed close upon it as the results foretold.
HOW II WAS ORGANIZED
In correspondence with the Pniladephian organ
izations Wishes Spirtualists all through the coun-
Of the movement and with general the
grove at the Neshaminy Falls was singled cut rs
eligible site tor the camp meeting. With reason was
this too for lovely spots could be selected
in district remarkable tor scenic beauty and it
combined besides the advantages OF saiuority and
easy At q corps OF workmen were carried
to the grounds and under their busy hammers long
line light frame structures arose which stretched
the hill from above the river dam and sheltered
by the forest that cap it. they approach stout
fectory, spacious refreshment booth and place of
public gathering, all bright and and trim
hands can make them. Evidently the spirit world
did not engross the whole attention of the organ
izers of the enterprise. tor they provided stone
! lookup dreadfully suggestive Of the dark
ages for the dssultory tramp or dsturber.
and were so mindful OF the weakness OF
dancing platform. Then they have tents in the
woods and boats on the river side and patent gas
lamps the trees. all OF which under the watch
anu ward OF competent constabulary. are deemed
to constitute just what people need who take an oc-
caslonsl peep at the neither world and know tribe
about the kind OF place it is
Toward the close Of last week the Spiritual
istic community began to trip into their
new quarters. In singly and pairs ut first.
but by dozens and hundreds. 'Furni-
ture, drspery bedding Uttered the ground aud
it was only on Saturday that the hammer ceased its
tapping III the woods and Grove Hill presented
ridge of airy hives. bright with gay colors and
trussed out inside with carpets and upholstery.
There was character Ill the gathering, too. as
marked as the purpose which brought them
together. They were all good nnturcd, neat look
ing people whose locks were not ridiculously long
in'the male species phenomeually short in the
fenlale-in short, sct of mortzls who looked much
the other people and had nothing eccentric
either in their actions or appearance
-r THE CURIOUS PEOPLE.
or couree there exceptions. On such an occa-
IL could not be otherwise. and the 'charscters
who appeared. although they received the cold
abashed, and proceeded forthwith 10 resolve them
selves into permanent side shows. One of them
posted himself at the station. He was the Little
Chant Poor fellow. it must have been his intellect
he deemed Titantic for certainly his proportions
were from colossal The HERALD correspondent
met him full III the face rs he aighted and inquired
his way.
4 "Hold!' cried the small man with tho Dig name.
Hold have something for you here. He made
dash for q pile of pamphlets and rushed back with
one. .'The Crash OF Creeds. or Theology Knocked
SKY Hgh." he whispered. Quick; take 1t. wrote
it myself Only twenty cents"
The HERALD man recoied aghast.
author ecstaticslly you'll understand the occult.
underlying principles OF the correlation between the
external and the physical. You'll see clear day
the intercommunion between every atom of mind
II don want to. /" shrieked the listener Il want
! he to he meg
The little giant paused refectively. practical.
sir; practical see. One moment" He let go tho
quaking reporter fed to the mphlets again, and
back half frantic like fash. "Igot it for you
he cried. dancing around with tract in his hand
Labor supported by facts that cannot be denied
and reasonings that cannot be overthrow. Profit
by it, You'll see how antiquateu principles go to
smash under the wheel of eternal prog ess. Shove
the grand universal and ever abiding maxims along
sir: wrote them myself. Five centsl''
| 81 won't have any diamond thoughts, and I'm
down ON the IN xims." cried The Little Giants vic
tim. breaking away. "hi want is the meeting
grounds.
The small man made another dash for the PAM
phlets but the other. in horror took TO the woods
! There was another character on hand much oged
by strangers, but severely ignored by the Spiritual
lists themselves. II Mary h. rilotson. OF Vine
land, in pantaoons, tunic aud complete Bloomer
costume. She had come to take hand IN the
meeting. but the managers looked with disfavor
| on her bizarre attire, ana Mary urged to put
| on female rarncnt IL she wanted to remain. She
snapped her fingers at such proposition, said she
about Spirtualists bowling to ''efete conventonali-
ties that her advisers were fin to let her go about
her business They only tolerated her presence out
OF courtesy, but Mary made good use OF her time.
and had circle of hearers whenever she wanted
them, which was all day long.
Otherwise there Was nothing to distinguish tho
Spirtualsts meeting from any well ordered gather
ing, except. indeed. the lack of tumult which or
dinarily attends such affairs and the tcmpcrdtc
character of the speeches. They evidently haa come
together to form closer organization and TO put in
consistent shape the prn ip,es which generally
proiessed. Owing to there being nothing dogmatic
in spirituasin md, in fact. no doctrine whaeve=.
each believer in the past had ideas pretty much his
own, and no attempt WAS made to reconcile them to
those of his fellows.
THE spIBrTuALrsrIc CREED.
In this meeting. however, new departure Is
made and the following fixed declaration of princi-
pies is subscribed to. We uelieve:-
fsrsf-That Beneiccnt Power and Wise Intelligen
and controls the universe sustaining toward all
human beings the intimate relation OF Parent whose