The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-10
MINOR MENTION.
has done.

nome Wretcneu ny throwing Tue Pillows aoOuC III
his bedroom and slapping his face, seems to be
conforming to the prevalent fashions Of ''the
majority" so far as they have been disccrned
by those to whom ghostly visits have been paid
In every case, so far as we remember, the spirit
''revisiting the glimpses Of the moon" does so
with no motive at all commensurate with the
momentous character Of the proceeding. They
make strange noises frequently. slam DOORS
tumble furniture about, tread audibly on floors
and stairs, sometimes moan, sometimes speak,
but never do or say anything pertinent to so
strange an occasion. In all our reading we have
encountered but two stories Of ghosts who acted
with any approach to the sense they may fairly
have been supposed to possess in life. One
was the hero Of story in s'Pickwick."
When questioned by the man who occupied the
room in which, during life, the ghost had en-
dured great misfortune, as to the reason
why it and all other ghosts always visited the
places where they had, in lfe been especially
unhappy, and why they did not look out for
pleasanter places to 60 to when they returned to
the world, promptly admitted that it was foolish
he had never thought Of it in that light before
and he would at once act upon the suggestion.
widow Mullins, who kept chambers shop" in
Grimsby She died in an agonized effort to tell
her daughter something and failing, came back
every night, waiting to be spoken to before speak
ing, of course, as usual with ghosts After many
vain efforts, Mary at last made sound that
broke the spell, and the ghost explained her
mission at once: ''Marv, it aren't booked, but
there's tuppence for sand-paper at No. g." In
support of the opinion that ghosts return to
earth, usually on very frivolous errands, Hood
quotes the erudite Johannes Lanternus in his
Treatise on Apparitions:' ''They do 80 com
monty revisit the Earth on such trivial Errands
as would hardly justify Journey from London
to York. much less from one World to another.
Yet, forsooth, a walking Phantom shall break
the BONDS Of Death, and, perchance, the
Bonds OF He'll to boot, to 60 on
Message which concerns but an Indi-
vidual and not a great one either, or at most,
Family, nor yet one Of Note. For Example:
To disclose the lurking Place of a lost Will, or
Pot of Money in Dame Perkins, her back Yard.
Wherefore, Iconclude that many, or most Ghost
Stories, have had their rise in the Sef-conceit of
vain, ignorant People, or the arrogance of great
Families who take Pride in the Belief that their
mundane affairs are of so important Pitch as
to perturb departed Souls. even amidst the
the Pains Of Purgatory or the Pleasures of Para
disc" Not an irrelevant conclusion, by any
means.
It is some relief from the industriously scat
tered descriptions. of Mary Anderson's move
ments to read of other great triumphs of the
d,u;v, cto ~
the New York Academy of Music Thursday night,
the former as Macbeth, the latter as the noble
Thames ambitious and brainy spouse Of Ris-
tori critic says as his guild used to say in re-
gard to Charlotte Cushman: ''She is wonderfully
effective in the sleep walking scene" tits hardly
possible that Booth can do credit to his
genius as Macbeth, but one can be
assured of no ordinary performance from him
in that character. While Ristori can rise to the
full requirements Of Lady Macbeth, there ls a
standard created by Charlotte Cushman, by
which all interpretations of that role must be
measured However, that Booth and Ristor
were able to show the largest audiences ever
in the academy iusures hope that the prevailing
rot of the stage will soon be supplanted by the
legitimate and able stock companies While on
theaters, it is worthy of mention that Lawrence
Barrett played in an Indiana city the other night
at reduced rates of admission. He was pitted
against a circus. There is in the town -four
ishing skating rink, but with circus and Barrett
to contend against the rink suspended for one
night only
CIRCULAR letter from India announces that
Madame Blavatsky has resigned control OF the
Worlds Theosophical Society. Madame Bla-
vatsky is Russo American woman of Hindoo
proclivities, who claims to be able to make her.
self invisible and to transfer herself through
space at will. She is, ALSO according to herself
and her admirers, able to perform a variety of
other mysterious and wonderful acts. such as
would commonly be termed miracles, and which
can best be described by referring the reader to
the accomplishments of Ram Lal in ''Mr.
Isaacs." These marvellous performances are
not effected by the aid of departed spirits,
and have nothing in common with
the so-called spiritualistic demonstrations
in this country, but are the
result Of the power of mind over matter her own
mind over her body and other material objects.
This power she obtains through belief in and de-
yotion to the Buddhist religion. The Theosoph-
ical society is composed of persons who believe
in Madame Biavatsky, and who are endeavoring,
with more or less success, to do equally remark
able things. Last summer certain vile and de-
ceitful Christian missionaries undertook to in
vestigate Madame Blavatsky, and to aid in their
designs, bribed the ladys housckecper to give
certain information, upon which they felt author
lied to make specific charges of fraud
and trickery against her. The Theo-
sophical society have since examined
the charges. and pronounce them false, but the
Madame resigns her position of leader because
the English papers continue to assal her, and