The Wilmingtonian. (Wilmington, Del.) 1882-188?, 1884-07-05

perfectly loSicdl.
Mr. Parmalee classed the case of Miss
Hurst with that of the woman of Endor
Simon Magus, Elymas, James and Jambres
aid the Demoniac of Gadara. To him she
was s'pythoness''; u dealer with familiar
spirits. He did not convey that such con-
nection necessarily implied guilt; on the
contrary he looked upon the young lady as
simply the unconscious agency through
which frolcsome and idle spirits manifested
their powers.
''By their fruits We shall know them, said
Mr. Parmalee. Il have yet to learn that
any beneficial, good or holy result came OF
this performance. The spirits of the dead
are as the spirits of the living. They are
good, bad and Indifferent. The good and
the bad keep up the eternal balance. Every
soul added to the immateral world goes to
reinforce one side or the other In this
girls case the frolicsome miscellaneous spirits
have found home. The strength exertcd
by them was just that which, in life, they
would have unitedly exerted against the
gentlemen who sought to restrain them.
You will recollect that the demonac of
Gada'a broke his letters and that none
could bind him. The devils that possessed
| him were many; their force destroyed the
| herd of swine. To us as Swedenborgians,
these things are quite clear. One case cor
roborates another"
| Replying to the question how far persons
| THUS possessed were accountable for their
actions, Mr.. Parmalee said:-"With all per-
sons there comes an age when they become
| accountable. 1t is for them to say whether
or no they consent to become the tabernacle
of the good, the frolicsome or tie evil spirit,
| This young girl will be called on to make
her choice. At present do not consider
her accountable, but she will become so.
The penalty of harboring such spirits is
insanity. This is the usual termination of
cases of this kind"
Mr., Parmaee's explanation, while strongly
tmged with the peculiar views of which he
| is the exponent is certainly more acceptable
logical and rational than that of the persons
| who would condemn such performances as
unholy, simply because they are not
accounted for by the operations of known
forces.
1
Ii there is one thing clearer than another
1t Is That III the force Oh "hlch MIS- iiufSl Is
the fortunate OF unfortunate poSseSSor tiere
is no element OF novelty Inc thihg tAat
hath been is that which shall be; ana
there is nothing new under the sun All
through the records OF philosophy from
Aristotle down to Cabahls we una direct OF
| Indirect references to precisely such a force
as was manifested IN the case under cohs'd-
Grafton. The researches OF keichehoach at
the beginning OF the present century We're
directed Immediately to the explanation Of
such phenomena. VI these researches we
shall say few words later on
we nave mead what the religious super
naturalist has to say on the SUBJECT IN the
days when biSotry and superstition Ina free
control Of the minds OF men, and when the
benevolent tolerance typlied ~ Mr. tarml-
lees views, would have been esteemed Grim
inal, there are abundant evidences thai
persons gifted with similar powers to Miss
llursts were hunted down and put to death
by Cotton Mather and his followers. In the
year 1872 We find that man named Bur
| iouSHSS; WIZ N'''' "olS w - I" io"'J b"iiS
OF cider by simply placing his hand on The
bunghole, was tried and executed for tht
, 'offense." The case is recorded in The
H'Stof'eas A"ga2t@e NO. w ?. 70 ana
, but one OF many others. Inc CONCLUSION
| obviously Is that abundance Of evidence
might be furnished to show the possession
ny individuals OF peculiar force opposed U
! graYtatlon, and That, as III the pFeSen
instance IN Georgia, they are largely multi
I pied as soon as inquiry Is directed TO TN
SUBJECT
we nave already seen That electricity, a
/ we understand the term, IS not adequate t
y an explanation OF the Phenomena. ina
q form OF electricity to which the term mag
netism is applied'presents, i Is true, certain
analoges to the force eXerted by Mis-
Hurst That is to say that it is opposed t
n and independent Of gravitdtion; and that
{, exhibits the phenomena of attraction an'
repulsion. But the resources Of cleotricit,
are unequal to the production of sue
u results in the case OF a stick or woode
! chair. Even admitting thai Miss Hurst wa
=, secretly connected with the wires of
IL dynamo machine sufficient to light ever
a, electric lamp in the city, and to make Il
Il electro-magnet capable of sustaining man
tons, the conditions are such as to preclud
:. the possibility of applying such power
j., Moreover il Miss Hurst We're connected wit
. source of electricity of such enormou
- | quantity and intensity it, would be simul