Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-01-13
FAITH CURE AND SPIRITUAL
ISM.
The Two C~ontraSted With . Case
as Wonderful as Either
Can Show.
would Prefer to Trust HOme-
Opathy.

Faith cure and Spiritualism are two
things that require the most wonderful
faith. They areso closely allied in the
detailing of their maTVels that it is al
most impossible for one, outside of the
faith of either, to distinguish the one
from the other; yet the believers in
faith cure laugh at Spiritualism, while
the Spiritualists are equally facetious
in regard to faith cure.
In talking to Mrs. Baldwin yester-
day, the reporter ventured to bring
forward S~piritualism as a comparison
to the marvels the lady was relating.
"Oh, no, far from it; we believe in the
one great Spirit that's above and rules
all, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
The Bible tells us that there are many
spirits around, evil spirits, and these
the Spiritualists invoke"
On the other hand, Spiritualists say
that there is nothing in the so-called
faith cure beyond the power and the
working Of the spirits. Through me-
diums the spirits can accomplish any
thing, and to this power everything is
attributed. Many instances, such as
the finding of the ring before daylight,
as related by Mrs. Baldwin, have been
told to the reporter in proof of the
great power Of the spirits.
Of these two things one is as great
a falaoy as the other, and in the Ian
guage ola local divine, both are seeds
of evil. Spiritualism, as exhibited in
the public halls, has degenerated into
trickery, and is denounced by the
pulpit and press all over the country.
These people have healing mediums,
and claim great power for them, yet,
when they are taken sick, they imme.
diately send fora physician, Pickering
in the faith they so loudly preach to
Others,
The mind has a control over the
body, the exhibition of which is at
times wonderful, but to attribute it to
a power beyond the individual in
whom it is operated, is going too far in
the support Of a hypothesis. There
is q case in the memory of this re-
porter which is as full of the wonder
ful as anything related as faith cure
or spiritual working. A lady in this
city was i'll, had long been sick, and
the physicians had about given her
up. IN the presence of the nurse
one Of them said IF she could only
eat something she would recover, but
it is impossible, her stomach will not
contain anything" The physician
was. right, as far as experience of his
practice had gone; everything had
been tried and the stomach had re-
fused to hold the most aesthetic nour-
ishment. The case was hopeless, and
a few hours more Of life was all that
could be looked for. The nurse re-
peated to the patient what the physi-
clan had said. In a few minutes the
patient called the nurse to her side,
told her to get her a young chicken
and have it smothered. The chicken
was brought, the patient ate and her
stomach retained it; from that hour
she improved, and is to day a we'll and
vigorous woman.
This was the power Of the mind over
the body, the lady has so declared of.
ten. She did not believe in faith
cure or Spiritualism. She knew that
she must have nourishment. For
days she has been unable to eat any
thing, and by the great power and
control of the mind the rebellious
stomach was forced back to its work,
in order that the nourishment de-
handed by it be retained.
This faith cure is a religion, it is
claimed, and Brother Barnes breaches
it, and the other ministers do not APP
pear willing to give the reporter ma
terial for an item. One Of them, how
ever, said that he would rather trust
homeopathy, and added that it would
take more faith than he possessed to
believe the marVels of so-called faith
cure.
There are, though, hundreds who
have faith strong enough to believe.
This world is so formed that there are
people to be found who will believe
anything, and the hundreds of con-
verts to faith cure in the mountains of
Kentucky are not to be amazed at.