The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-02-28
LITERATURE.
Magazines.

! Magazines.
Tur Penn MONTHLY. penn Monthly Co.,
Philadelphia. IS year, The February mum
Der contains a magnificent article by Prof. Robert
Ellis Thompson on "Spiritualism in Germany
| This ISM which had had successful run OF thir-
! ty years in the United States and OF fifteen or
twenty in England, ObfusCating some Of the most
eminent scientists on both sides, had made little
Impression on the slower hut surcr German mind
until the visit to Berlin and Leipzig, few years
ago, of the noted spirtuaist Slade whose re-
markable achievements as a spirtual-medum at
once attracted the lively attention of some OF
lGermanys most acute aud distinguished scien-
lists The eminent Prof Xoellner confessed his
inability to account for the phenomena on ordin-
airy scientific principles and claimed that they
were worthy Of the most serious investigation.
The venerable DR.. Hermann Ulrici conceded
with him, and, like Ioellner, wrote a pamphlet
on the subject. This provoked reply from Dr.
Wundt, Of Halle, who, with the others had also
been personal witaess Of the Slade phenomena,
aud who declared lie could see no difference be-
tween them and the vulgar tricks Of the conjurcr,
rdiculing their supernatural pretcnsions unmer-
cifully, and declaring that "no one who believes
In the reality of spirltualstic phenomena has any
right to reject the stories about wtchcraft as u
superstition" Prof Thompson, after giving an
admirable resume of the discussion between these
eminent German thinkers, rejects the land of un-
realities which splrituaism claims to open up,
| on higher grounds THE name Of God, he says,
"is the name which scattcr5 all the jewellers
there He who heartily believes in God has no
concern with these "spirts." when they shall
say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar
spirits and unto wizards that pecpand mutter;
should net people seek unto their Cod" How
lever
| Not but that Sprituasln has great significance
! for theoogans. II shows that the human heart
forever yearns after some real contact with the
unseen world, a contact not OF notions and opin-
| ions, but of personal relations. IL shows that
the scepticism Of this age as Of every age, is
sowing the seed OF supcrstitions innumerable
| and that those who have not found God speak
! ing in their hearts, will yearn and banker after
| any voice that may promise to break the dread
| full, oppressive silence which rcigns for them be-
tween the life that is and that which is to come
| II is the cry of "A soul in the darkness inartcu-
late and unrcusoning, but it means in His ear,
be sure, "My soul thrsteth for God, for the liv
ing God" That in the midst Of this busy, mon
cy-gcttng, matcrialistic age such belief could
have sprung up that it should have attracted
the attention and commanded the assent OF hun
drcds of thousands of plain people, that ii should
at last have forced men Of science TO listen to its
claims ia a world Of comment upon the tcnden-
cies Of the times. 1t is one more illustration Of
Noyals' profound saying Where the gods are
not the ghosts bear rule"
But Prof. Thompson is far from rejecting all
the phenomena of so-called spirtualism MS sheer
charlataury This at least he says we are forced
to admit, There are persons who by direct exer
else Of will can move material objects which they
are not touching, and who, without the interven-
ton Of words or signs, can master any piece Of
knowledge which is in the mind of any person
in their company" Whatever conclusions, how.
ever, this may Justify rs to the normal capacities
OF mind and WILL our Professor can see in it no
argument in favor of the supernatural preten.
sions Of the sprltualsts. The other articles in
the February .HonMiy are entitled respectively
Two English Crazes; The Land Question in the
Scottish highlands; The Duties of Visitors Of
the Poor aside from Aims. giving; What is
Money! New Books.
ScRInNEH's MONTHLY. (Scribncr K Co, New
York. siayear.) The most brilliant thing In
the March Scribncr, in point of both vivacious
writing aud wealth Of illustrations, 10 "The
the famous Tile Club in canal boat from New
York 10 Lake Champlain. There are 90 illustra-
lions by members Of the club, rejecting the
spirit of jollity which has made the club SO at
tractive To artists and literary men. Scarcely
less attractive, though in very different ven is
the second part of Eugene Schuyler's historic y
serial of Peter the Great. 1t is adorned with lsI
entirely from Russian sources. An
other most attractvely illustrated paper is that
OF Mr. Richard Whiting on Cham, the great
French carcaturist, Qatcy deceased some 20 OF
whose raciest sketches are reproduced Mr. f.
7. Roe, in continuation OF his series on Small
article on the raspberry. Other articles Of inter
est are: Two Views Of Napoleon" an unsigaed
review OF late Memoir OF Prince Metternich
and Mime. de Rcmusat Over Sunday at New
Sharon, picturesque description OF Kansas
cattle town; The Frontier Mans Opinion OF the |
Indians; Extracts from the Journal Of II. J. Ray
mond; and another paper by Borroughs entitled
Notes Of a Walker.
The two Serials Mrs. Burnctt's Louisiana
and THE Grandissimes," continue to deepen the |
interest in Creole life. The poetry Of the mum |
Der is by Ella DietZ, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, |
Anne Lynch Botta, q. b. Lathrop and T. W. Hig-
ginson. In Topics of the Times DIR. Holland dis.
cusses, in his trenchant way the Revision of the
Scriptures, Industrial Education, &c. Home and
Society handles city shopping for country friends,
the plague Of formal calls, and other domestic |
discomforts. And there are The Worlds Work,
Bric-aB rac, &c, TO I'LL out very attractive mum
Der indeed.
ST. NICHOLAS (scribner Il Co, New York |
e. year, What attracts our first attention in |
the March St. Nicholas is Alfred Tennyson's child
song, "Minnie aud Winnie" set 10 music, and
Mrs. Alfred Tennyson's revised score OF the music
for the lsureate's other song in St. Nicholas,