Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-10-05
The DELrsI0N OF spIRITviLisu,

TIE DELlSI0N OF SPIRlTuALiSM.
III 1t is nothing to kuoN tina. our loved
ones nie ~, dead but are ever near us, with
their IL Ing love ard sympathy, Instead of
belt Z, " anticipation If beng afar or, in
some ina ,iuary region heyoni the stars
then let all The sneering scrlbblcrs
prete ;h.ir jargou about half ecstatic spirit
ualists. SO writes a spiritualist In nnJihrr
CITY, in sheet full Of not very swcct- temper
cd comment on recent article IN this paper.
Tbs writer of the words quoted possibly
m,sundcrstands in measure tie attitude of
the FREE PRESS towards the dclusion Of
which he, in common with many thousands
of worthy and well-meaning people, is the
victim. We have no desire to- and never
intend to, snecr at the conscientious rel si1us
stands in the place OF a religious belief for
them. 1t is not necessary to believe in
modctn spiritualism, In order to believe that
our loved ones who have left this mortal
life are ever near us, AMI that
they will greet us In the Ii L be-
yond, when We also reach it, We
believe most fully that the spirit lives,
after il leaves its in Irtal tenement We fad
it easy, and comforting, TO believe that the
loved Ones "gjnc before" may b. much
nearer to Us than many of US think may
watch over and he ''minstering spirits" to
those they loved on earth. We d)ubt not
tina, there arc more things in heaven and
Garth than are dreamed of 10 our philosophy.
But We DO not sec why il any departed
friend has n word Of love and sympathy for
us, it is necessary that it should he cOmmuni-
cate through a stranger to both of US md
especially through such stranger as most OF
| the mediums" seem to be. II the spirits Of
the ictd are permitted to hold converse with
mortals, it does not stand 10 reason that, thtir
means Jf communication eh )ud be 50 info
| rior ~ those in use between man and man in
this stage of exstcnce-and W. do not b.
lievc that they are. We d, not see why,
| If Departed spirits are TO appear To
us, it should be frJn behind a
sc .bine," with medium inside, in
a dim light, and with machinery
AMI arrangements such rs eau easily
be made the instruments of fraud, aud
such as We should expect 10 md, if the oh.
| ject was TO iumbus credulJu, persons. We
say it does not stand to reason that spirit
| from higher sphcrc-and no Spiri,ualis. be-
leves That the spirit life is lower sphere
than tL!s-should fad it necessary TO make
use Of any such clap .trap machinery for any
good and useful purpose. The invaliiblc
use of such paraphcrnalia aad conrivanccs
MS would naturally be the instruments of dc
presumption that the alleged mat, rializa
tons" of spirits are simply trickcry aud de-
ccption. Many things connected with these
ALLEGED appearances distinctly indicate fraud
aud We have never heard of anything c,n
nected with them which was not cXplainaJlc
| on the theory of fraud.
| EsWc further do hot believe that when spirit.
from q higher sphere OF existence freely
tons will be such utterly trivial, uuimpoit
ant aai often ridiculous things, as the great
mass OF so.called spiritual utterances and C m
muuIcali)ns certainly are. Here are thousands
Of people in mortal need of counsel, instruc-
| t.onand help in matters Of the utm Ist import.
ancc to them, IN frequent supposed communi.
cation for years with living nd sympathizinl
spirits, in the state Of existence in which, g.
all believe, the problems of this life bee ,ne
solved, and yet never obtaining from them
any information that they did not know be.
fore, or learning from them anything that il
is of the slightest consequence to any human
being 10 know!
| OF course spiritualists, of both the dcceiv
ed and deceiving classes, will deny that this
is So Here Is, for instance, the writer Of The
letter before Us, claiming in so many words,
that "the things which spirituaism teaches =
that God is Love, and the Golden Rule is The
basis Of all religion" nre GLORIOUS truths
which thirty-iour years ago were ushcrgd
into the world, by the 'much dcrided tiny
rlps' of the Fox girls BIZ the truth that
God is Love was proclaimed at least eighteen
hundred years ago, and the doctrine that the
| Golden Rule IS the basis of religion-whci is
at best but half Il TRUTH since love Of God
ligi0l MS love of mcn-his been held by
mu!iiu!es for ages. We have never heard
| OF any important truth, fact, or pieces Of in.
| formation, no, previously knO sn, that has
| q m Al IL, world an 4, N in