The New York herald., 1879-01-06
BOSTON BOOKS.

PIANCHErTE AND MRS. srowE-NEws ABOUT
THE PRINCE OF WALES.
BOSTON, Jan. 4, 1879.
The first book of the new year will be DIR. Charles
Beecher's Spiritual Manifestations" which Lee &
Shepard will publish in few days, and which is
likely to cause some commoton in orthodox circles
in spite of the authors explicit declaration that he
speaks only for himself mot the representative
of the Church visible invisible. nor of his pro-
fessional brethren. nor of his kindred" He begins
by asserting that sprituasm rather the belief in
spiritual communication, seems no more improbable
than great many scientific hypothesis and says that
there never has been in his mind any sense of the
improDablity of the existence and agency of spirits.
and that the abstract probability that spirits
exist and is equal if not greater than the proba
biiity that there are really such things ultimate
PARTICLES which nobody claims to have discerned.
while great many persons say that they have seen
spirits. He speaks of the many family histories OF
mysterious occurrences which he has encountered
while performing his pastoral duties finding that
there are few households in whichthere is not some
strange tale which they shrink from making public.
He begins by telling . story which was repeated to
him by Professor Austin Phelps. of Andover. and
which has some curious points of resemblance to
the tale of the ghost jeffrey that vexed the Wesley
family. In 1851 Professor Phelps father requested
him to come to Stratford Conn.,. to investigate GER
tain strange phenomena which had from time to
time appeared in his house Says Professor Phelps:-
1.-THE first thing that took place of an unusual
nature was on certain Sunday. The family includ-
ing the servants, according to custom, had been to
church. leaving the house locked up. On returning
they found the front door wide open. The first
thought was that robbers had been there No signs.
however, of their presence appeared until they came
to my fathers ROOM and there they found three full
suits of his clothes. stuffed out with old clothes &c.
and laid out side by side upon the door. with boots
hat, &C., somewhat as have seen them after rail
road collision. This seemed very strange but the
general impression that it might be the roguish
trick of the boys or of some unknown. In the
course of the day, my father walking across
the parlor no other person being in the ROOM key
was thrown from behind over his head and fell on
the floor at his feet He picked it up. and
thrown in the way. In the evening.
as the family were sitting together suddenly turnip
fell from the ceiling in their midst. Then they be-
gan to hear little raps in various directions. They
tried to trace them, but could not.
Mr.. Phelps barn mysteriously burned in broad
deyght. when near it. SO far was known.
An gnited newspaper found under the mattress of
cot bed occupied by one of the children who slept
in Mr.. Phelps room. One night. when the noises
very troublesome. Professor Phelps and his
uncle followed them until they to the room Of
Mrs. Phelps Oldest daughter, and then one stepped
inside the door and the other remained outside and
the knocking came the door between them, each
thinking it upon the surface furhest from himself.
As Professor Phelps stepped back into the room
hairbrush flung from the door fell at his feet thing
which suggests to an unbeliever that very possibly
the bad little boy who had been followed by the
knockings" had grown tired Of rapping on the door
casing at Professor Phelps feet and had flung the
brush at him crowning performance.
Moreover, not only was the knock-pursued small
boy in the house to account for many things,
but also woman suffering from the first approaches
of malady which finally destroyed her reason, and
that woman disliked Stratford and was anxious to
move to Philadelphia. This was Mr.. Phelps second
wife, to whom and to her children the disturbance
attributed by the uncharitable. She was much
grieved at the charge and denied it solemnly,
q fact which, considering her mental state has no
weight at all with the most credulous person.
Professor Phelps himself thinks that the
presence Of bad spirits Il the most prob
able explanation OF the affair, q fact that seems
to indicate little sceptcism as his remark that
nobody near the barn when it was burned. As a
rule. incendiaries do not sit down q camp stool
and watch the progress of their work at convenient
distance and it is possible that whoever the fire
preferred to go into the house and wait for deve-
lopments. Conversation was carried on with the
spirit by raps and the fact that he was in hell and
would like piece of pumpkin pie was elected. and
q great many ideas "like Swedenborgs" were OBJ
tanned. Mr.. Phelps religious convictions were un-
changed by all this. although his views Scripturd
demonology were distinct. and his belief that
both good and bad 'spirits have access to US was
strengthened"
The second chapter contains some revelations
made by the spirit Of the Duchess Of Sutherland,
through Planchette. to Mrs. Stowe:-
1--WE fear. said Her Grace. "sorrow will come upon
England before many years."
y1~ka ~.,wuSSs
..Our Queen will come to us. and you know in what
hands the government will then be. Edward Albert
character necessary for rulers but. poor boy. let
be charitable. He is young and has noble wife; he
may still be redeemed.
''Is the Queen unwell nowY"
'She is not strong If Edward Albert could or
would be more like his blessed father she would alb
dicate in his favor"
How strange that he should be such character
when he was 30 carefully educated by his father and
mother"
as well as many others. should never have lived"
II do not understand that"
II mean that the of the father are visited upon
the children, unto the third aud fourth genera
ton and constitutional passion and the disposition
of the parents are sometimes aggravated in the
children. DO make it clear to you I'm afraid
not"
'How does God judge children who thus inherit
constitutional tendencies to evil"
Does He not tell you in His Word that charity 10
the greatest OF all virtues He speaks what he does
know and because he has so much"
'Sut Prlnce AlDert was perfect SAINT"
''yesP but his grandfather? PARENTS you know,
cannot be too careful The Prince was not imme-
dately responsible for Edward Aberts sins; but he
should have looked into the past and plated
the future before bringing his son into the world.
This gives the reader the impression that Plan
chete supposes Queen Victoria to be the daughter of
George w., its heathen darkness regard to the
Prince Of Wales name makes such ignorance more
probable Charlotte Bronte. speaking through the
same medium, imparts the news that Emily Bronte
is happy, that Bramwel may be in Hades and that
Thackeray is very lovable now.
DR.. Beecher says that Professor Stowe is ga seer
and believes in the reality Of spirit intercourse and
that he has seen and touched dead friend and the
writer by no means accepts DR.. Clarkes way Of
counting for such appearance. The doctrina part
Of the book is cleverly written. The improved Ms
sumptions are rather too numerous for good argu-
ment
The announcements are not very numerous,
although there are few worth mentioning. Mrs.