Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-17
sP1RTTIsM IN GERMANY.

| The triumphs of Spiritism, that s'disease of 1 the faculty of wonder" in Germany are
 among the curiosities of the time. During
 the last three years the new religion has made
 much progress in that country, and the noto-
 rious Dr. Shade and other mediums have profit
 ed by it's spread. More than in any other
 country it has attracted the earnest attention
 of the learned classes and men of science ITO day" says correspondent writing from
 Berlin, 'tit is almost impossible to take up
 magazine without finding in 1t an article bear
 ing on Spiritism and we have had the usual
 shower of pamphlets. Not to mention ordi
 nary writers, the list of professors of philos-
 ophy who have already expressed their opin-
 ion, favorable or unfavorable, of Spiritism include the names of Fechner, Zollner, Ulrici, the younger Fichte, Perty, Wundt, J. B. Meyer, Lotze, Huber, and indirectly, also, Helmholtz, Virchow and others. The origi- nal German contribution to Spiritism, the idea of a fourth dimension of space occupied by intelligent beings who are able and willing, un- der certain conditions, to make their appear ance to mortals, has already become common property of the papers, especially those of the comic persuasion, and the unblushing manner in which they are beginning to attribute all evil and mischief in this world to this fourth dimension must surely delight the soul of zollner, it's chief advocate. The Spiritists have an organ of their own, Psychisohe Sudden, published monthly at Leipsic, and filled with records of new manifestations and conversions in all parts of the world. At Leipsic also exists philosophical club of students and others whose aim is to combat the curr ent Philistine prejudices against the sublime new fourth dimensional truths"
 The doings of Professor ZolIner, who Is cred ited with being man of honest purposes, are a striking example of the power of Spiritism when it really gets hold of man. Every year he issues volume of over a thousand pages in support of Spiritism and other views" He lsbors indefatigably to prove that Slads and other mediums are honest men, and the mani that occur in their presence genuine. His chief enemies, whom he never tires In cov- ering with abuse. are Helmholtz, Du Bois- Rey- mond, Virchow, Wundt, Tyndall and few other 'so- called men of science" AS offset to these sciolists, he gives his readers portraits and eulogistic biographies of the real scientific pioneers of the day, Slade and the Mag netissur' Hansen, who was recently adjudged by Vienna court to be "swindler," while the medical faculty of the university there ad- vised the interdiction of his performances on the ground that his manipulations, which can be explained in every detail by the known principles of neurology and psychology, are favorable to the spread of nervous disorders. VolI. -al. to be regarded as Ia perfect gentleman" and therefore does not subject him to such tests as some would employ. When Slade made book disappear by holding it for a moment under the table, Zollner looked for it all over the room, under the table, and, in fact, every where except where some people would have searched frst-in Slades pockets Then Slade, in order to distract his victir0's attention, sud denly pretended to see bright light at the ceiling; and while zollner was unsuccessfully trying to find it the lost bcok suddenly dropped on his back. The learned Professor, far from seeing through this clever performance, sub ssquently went into an elaborate mathemati- cal discussion as to the kind of curve the book must have described in falling from the ceiling. Zollner's state of mind Is also well illustrated by another incident. Two of Du Bois- -Reymond's assistants, Dr. Christiani and Dr. Kronecker, succeeded in initiating some of Shades most marvellous feats by mere sleight of hand, and exhibited these tricks at Leipsio. Zollner did not go to see them, but afterwsrd declared to friend that if pr. Christiani actually could tie tho knots in the sealed strings as Slade had done, then he was a real medium and a swindler at the same time for trying to make people believe he could accomplish such a feat by simple, natu- ral means
 Up to date the spirits have not made any more important or sensible manifestations in Germany than in this country, and cele- brated German explains the trivial character of the manifestations in way that Is original if not satisfactory. His notion is that the
 manifestations are pathological phenomena of
 an ordinarily invisible spiritual world, just as in mental disease the images of brain the are projected into the outer world as hallucina- tions, and mistaken for real sensations. The spirits that appear at seances are, according ly, as inadequate representatives of the higher spiritual future life as the inmates of our lu- AaIac asyAuus arc o1 tlAe mSutaA ALe oA oiul- nary mortals In this way he thinks he can account for the trivial character of all recorded manifestations of spirits, and the contradic- tory accounts. they give of their actual condi- tion.
 There is said to be g lack of good mediums in Germany. Perhaps the people of the
 United States could spare some more of theirs to assist Doctor SIade whom they have got along very well without.