The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-07-17

Ing stroke OF this great mans pen.
The raising of Lazarus was u "mental
phenomenon" or 4 delusion, and the
casting out Of the devils or evil spirits
from the Gadarene was clear instance
of biology, mesmerism, hysteria, or de-
fusion.
| Thanks to DR.. Beard for setting the
world free. For years we had secret
doubts as to the truth of the Bible ac-
counts of spirit manifestation, miracles
etc, but we clung to these records new
ertheless as atfording hope Of spirit
| existence after physical death. When
we had investigated Spiritism and saw
and heard the same wonderful pllenom-
ena in our own day, we exchanged mere
filth for knowledge and said that ii
these phenomena occurred in our day
they probably did occur in Bible times.
But now comes the expert, DR.. Beard,
and sets us all free from delusion. Ac-
cording to his logic, there can be no
proof of future life, for the moment it
is proven, that same identical future
life ceases to he. No wonder the world
fights Spirit manifestations, for, accord
ing to this adept and expert in psycolo-
gy: the moment it is proven that splr-
its do exist and manifest, that mo-
ment they cease to he. Spirit seances,
circles, manifestations, etc, are there
fore diabolical contrivances for the
! murder and humiliation of immortal
spirits, contradictory, paradoxical, ab-
surd and supcr-nonsensical rs it may
seem to non-expert. But al Expert
is an Expert, and there is no help for
it, and DR.. Beard is one oil that kind.
| But now for Il few OF the acknowl-
edgements which this wise man makes,
and, be it remembered, that Solomon
i'll all his wisdom was not arraycd III
such clothes as conceal the mental
nakedness of this man Beard:
! l. lie admits that Il host Of well-bal-
anced, scholarly, judicious, logical and
scientific men, embracing psychologists,
physicists, judges, statesmen, lawyers,
doctors, clergymen, editors, literary
men, ETC., have become Spirituallsts.
Their name is legion. And how does
the wise doctor account for it? Says
he, the logic of the world is all wrong.
There you have it plain and fiat. When
a man has seen. heard and felt, time
and again, under test conditions OF the
strictest kind, certain class of phe-
nomena, and then reasons that these
phenomena did actually occur as he
saw, leard and felt them, his logic is
all wrong.
2. The Doctor admits that ''for logic
al, well-trained, truth-loving minds the
only security against spritism is in
hiding or running away.' And the
reason why this is thus, according to
the expert doctor, is that the logic of
the schools and universities and of the
world generally is all wrong.
Good for the Doctor. If we had been
Il propagandst of Spirituaism we new
er could have asked for admissions more
helpful to our cause, than these from
this bold and defiant piymy who march,
es so confidently to tie overthrow of
the Giant, Spiritism. Spiritualists u.s.
sert that the thinkers Of Europe and
America are Spiritualists, aud that lie
who once puts his hand to This plow can
not go back. So confident are they of
the truth of their claims, that they i'll e
sure of convincing every one who can
didly investigates. They do not ask
faith or appeal to credulity. They say,
"llere are the facts, we can demonstrate
our claims, we have the truth,' and
hence they agree everywhere with DIR.
Beard that the only security again, st
Spiritualism is in hiding or running H.
way from the facts. They told US
frankly i'll Chicago, 'if you do not wish
to become a Spiritualist, do not begin
the investigation
But we thank DR.. Beard for lis arti-
clos and his contributions to the science
of Psychology, which, is the one great
science of which Spiritism, Mrsnerism,
ClairvoYance, etc., are only SO many
branches. We blame DR.. Beard for
speaking so oracularly upon subjects
which he confesses lie has not person.
ally examined into. Agassiz rebukeu q
certain scientist for presuming to sit in
judgment upon a branch of physical
science which he had not personally in.
vestigated. The same rule applies to
mental as we'll rs to physical science.
DR.. Buchanan. President of the New
York Eclectic Medical College, is an
expert who has contributed more to the
science of Phrenology than any man OF
modern times, and who discovered the
science Of Psychometry and is now
teaching it. No living mali has pail,
more attention to Psychology than Dr.
Buchanan and no one can, with better
grace, lay claim to being an eupert IL
mental science. DIR. Beard and Dr.
Hammond have attained some distinc
ton as physicians in the treatment Of
nervous diseases. This is all they car
lay claim to. And therefore, like al
one-sided men, who think their hobb,
is the one centre around which all ple
nomena reyolye, they refer nearly al
mental and spiritual phenomena fo1
which they cannot account. to ncrrou.
disorder, a branch with which they hap
pen to he familiar. Like the doctor
who was an expert" in curing fits, and
therefore threw all patients into fits SC
that he might cure them, these experts
i'll nervous disease, attempt to refer al
phenomena to their special field so that
they may the more readily account 70,
them. But DIR. Buchanan adopts ne
such egotistical and supercilious meth.
| Ol Tie nnrsuos elol, l,r,po1, with a.,