Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-06-10
SPIRITUALISM
As Beeeher Has Seen It-His Expert
ences With the Mediums-Deteri-
grafton in the Spirit Land.
Visions that Came to Two Sisters Living
Far Apart-The Sequel TO
Strange Dream.

lam at the Friday night services in Plymouth ,
Church, last Friday night. de spoke with
deem feeliug on this subject, after the fret |
playful remarks and pin could have been
heard to drop while he was discussing It.
The lesson is from the thirteenth chapter oil
Acts, and includes the first twelve verses,
describing the sending forth OF Paul and
| Barnabas to Cyprus, and their meeting with
| The sorcerer there.
"Now there were in the church that was al
Antioch certain prophets and te achers; as bar
nabas, and Simeon that was called Niger,
and Lucius of Cyrene, and Mansem which
| had been brought up with Herod the teirarch
| and Saul And when they hsd
tasted and prayed, and laid their hands on
| them, they sent them away"
| The methods of the churches st this time,
SAID Mr.. Beecher, were the methods Of the
81 nagogues. Fasting was good thing, Mr..
| Beecher held where a man usually ate 30 |
| nuch "a 10 ipiure his health, and would OBJ |
scnre his intellect. II it benefited man |
there was no reason why he should not last, |
but there were many people like 81. Am |
brose, who said he could not fsst because II
made him 30 cross. Laughter Nj.
Beecher thought little lasting every dsy
and distributed over their whole Lives would
be better fer most people than doing all their
fasting in one day.
| Apropos OF the borrowed" ceremony oil
having on hands Mr.. Beecher said that as
venerable custom he would not abuse 1t, but
he wanted 10 disabuse the minds OF his PEG
, | pie OF the idea that there was any particular
virtue in it. Any one who had reason and
moral sense and felt called TO preach the
; oospel. was authorized as much as If he had
. all the hands of all the bishops laid upon
his
There WAS an insstisble craving in human
, nature, he said, for some knowledge of the
unseen world, and it was as strong to-day az
!, ever was. 1t was only $50 years ago thai
y the Christian world had let 60 Of the belief
in witchcraft.
Dante or Milton to compare with the scene
. Of Samuel appearing to Saul when invoked
| nv the witch of Endor. Ii is part and par
| Gel of this same general desire that has led
| in modern times TO what is called Spiritism
= or Spiritu alism. do not inveigh against
. | Spiritu slism al all, but ! do denounce those
!. men who make a trade OF 1t and that use
y their mediumship for purposes oil money
- Experience shows that as = class oil men they
. nrobably 90 back to the old sorcerers, deceiv-
ers of men, misleAders. As for Splrltualisn
i,self, l am very free TO say that could never
r | account or see that anyone else could accom-
n for many things tina. happen at whal
u are called seauces. / never happened to b.
% present at one where / got single idea,
% though have got a shock. No man on earth
a could desire more than l TO believe IN
N modern Spirituslism; no man on earth could
o be more willing, more anxious, more glad 10
!, believe it; but solemnly can't do 1t. In the
v. first place, l have never heard anything fIoni
d the other world that q boy five years OLD
:. could not see in this world. Stuff unutter
10 able stuff; the greater part OF 1t, mean
" Some people say they do have communica
d tions OF very great value.
II / have been at sesnces and have read
at Spiritualistic papers a good deal, and have
Or seen nay father come under under the table
as my mother and my brother George, and nay
~ little children; and there was something il
al it that was very impressive. / will not deny
is that when was in England my father sp
I'd peared to me. / was at seance in th,
u. house of brother Charles Duncan, sc
n. that there was no professional trickery
of il was as honest q convention IS co1ld posi-
bly, be. There was no thought Of guilt oil
10 | deceit. NY father came and il seems from
ak the way the table acted that ii was he.
K was q robust, strong, energetic action, and j
ng was not until he began TO talk that saw th
ut table was a fool. [Laughter.] He said Il
il, me, "My son, you are exerting yourself to-
1 much; you are in great danger OF breaking
". down. said, 81 know that; what shall
ga dor" He answered, you must observe III
Ier laws of health" swell, y said, 81 didn't com
lal oUUU mlles 10 iearn tDat; KNEW that DttOf
de / left Brooklyn" Lsughter.l My mothe
ng came, and have reason to suppose il ws
es. her method. She was q meek woman, an
raj not demonstrative, Of grave presence AZ
lse great depth, and the table acted exactly rs
.m think she would have done. But could q
ng nothing out Of my mother. My little chi
a. dren came and pecked at the table like litt
an birds, but they had nothing 10 cay, and Ii
lev | whole thing passed away. Yet can't prevs
IN IN i - Al not be al
es from any collision; there was no motiy
pre- for it, no ground or reason that could 81
lis | for it, but il was empty. III you asked M
ice "How would you set aside the proof that th
is from the other worldp 1 freely confess
could not make any statement; only / fe
that the other world is an unspeakable de-
radiation If the foolish things that purporl
come from it do really come. When Pre-
din | FELTON,, OF Harvard, was investigating til
subject he received a communic ,tiou fro
Benjamin Franklin, and il was 90 sterile,
jejuue that he was provoked to exclaim: !"
ire the ratio OF deterior alton is rapid Pericl
is born fool" Now, 1 believe there a
many in Brooklyn, have no doubt there al
great many Of my own congregation,
know there are, who believe in Spirituali.n
las Seine OF them take great comfort in il.
as would not destroy their comfort for one M
ay ment, but my own impression is that scei
pie ti6c men should give more attention 10 th
sea subject, and common people not II
gh structed in methods OF investigation shoul
IN give a great deal less attention 10 it. thin
Ito that people are hurt by it. Here and ,her
is an unhurtable person, but in general thos
that follow on to know the spirit world are
he good deal more hurt than helped by il. No
in and then a man who has looked into Spiri
,ev ualism says: 81 believe 10 Immortality.
en-. never used to-" Well, thank God for
de much. Anything that brings nearer ID