Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-05-16
atoms, Marie appeared that evening, Miss

tations. Marie appeared that evening. Miss
Cook was in a grievlng mood and complained
bitterly of Marie'S conduct in taking her DIS
rObed from the cabinet, and 50 bringing about
the disturbance. Said Marie to Miss Cook, II
you will remain quiet and act more reasonable
for while will try and tell how and why the
disturbance of this afternoon occurred First,
let me tell you all that the spirits whom / serve,
and whom aid in undertaking., are not, as a
rule, 50 anxious TO convince you people oil their
personal identity as they are to prove and estab-
tablish certain laws and principles of vast i'm
port to you. Many OF you seem to imagine tEat
If once satisfied that your spirit friends exist,
and can return TO earth, nothing more Is 70 be
done but live on in your usual way, ana Gle, as
you say when your time comes But relatively
our materializations form but small part OF
our work or purpose. They are but the ntst
steps We are trying to arrest your attention, SO
as to teach laws and principles of vital import to
you. Do you imagine that an exalted ana pow,
erful spirit whose realization OF the glory ana
beauty of life tranScends all that you can mag
inc cares much whether you are satisfied or not
of his or her genulneneSS? What was
called this afternoon an expose, and
what naturally TO those present seemed
proof of fraud on the part of the medium, was
the result of the working OF q natural law which
involves the possibility of the mesmeric control
of spirit out of the flesh by spirit IN the
flesh / was to-day controlled and forced to
bring my medium out of the cabinet, clad only
in her wrapper. / was so controlled ana forced
by i man in the circle, one OF the students. ana
he has the strongest meSlnerlc power OF any
/
that her ordinary clothing has been on her per
son during her trance. She knows she is dressed
before the trance, and finds herself so on coming
out of it. Such has not been the case. 50 soon
as she has become unconscious have removed
her clothing, for the reason that we can easier
obtain the necessary elements from her b00y
+ for Undertaking. alter such removals inns
afternoon, on attempting TO dress my meulQiu'
found ii impossible; and more, was forced by
that mans mCsmeric or Will power TO control
and bring her out of the cabinet IN the condl-
ton she was found II was that mans persistent
desire and demand that such result should
transpire. It was possibly his fixed belief tLGt
our GENERALIZATION was fraud. | was obliged
to control her TO come out i'll obedience TO ms
desire and tremendous viii. well" said the
student alluded to- 'since frankness IS IN order,
l may as well follow suit. don't know how she
got hold of it, but the truth is, am called the
Crack Mesmerist of the college, and have mes
merized dozen of our men at once Your
skeptics" resumed Marie, who must be skep-
ties or nothing Will probably sncer at this, and
say it is q bunging method OF clearing ourselves
from the charge of fraud.
The conclusion stated Is certainly cor
rect. Sleptics will sneer and say, " 1t isa
bungling method" of clearing one of the
charge offraud, and they will be justified.
Ordinary reasoning powers youchsaled to
man condemn the logic OF the "explana-
ton" Under the theory it sets up no
fraud, however barefaced, can be de-
nounced; it can always shield itself be
hind the "spirits," The spirit disrobed
Ms. Reynolds then, sent her out of the
cabinet in that condition. used her body to
personate other and immaterial forms,
palmed her off for the dead returned, and
yet were so influenced by some living per
sons mesmeric control" as to be unable to
save the woman from the shame Of expo
sure in her chemise. Devotion to a cause
develops the highest forms Of courage, but
religion or a science that demands be-
lief in such twaddle and rot as that, asks
more than the mortal with semblance Of
reason can subscribe to. If we are to ad-
nit such explanations and excuses as given
in the case of Miss Cook and Mrs. Rey
nolds, We may as well close investigation
and shut up the scientific test shop. Proof
to mortal sense is impossible when hedged
by the demand for such faith in revelation
as the "spirits' make in these cases. 1t
is easier far and more reasonable to believe
in the absurd religions Of heathendom that
insuch theory regarding spirit control. 1t
is incapable Of proving itself Or of stimu-
lating belief by proof. It strikes down its
own guards by the impossible barrier it
raises to investigation. 1t is absurd, silly,
reasons in circle and proceeds upon the
theory that most men are fools