The National tribune., 1885-07-23
NEW sPIRITUAL1sT HOBBY.
Rev. DR.. Wheden's Singular Theory Concerning
"AngelOds.''

Rev. DR.. Wheden's Singular Theory Concerning
sAngelOds.''
Spiritualsm has new hobby, and one which
seems likely to be heard of beyond the limits
of our outright Spiritualists That venera-
BILE aud famous Methodist the Rev. DR.. ID. d.
Wheden, had shortly before his death evolved
a curious theory as to specters His idea,
simply expressed, was that the entire nervous
system in human being, not the contents Of
the Uranium alone, constituted the mind.
Therefore the ramiications OF the nerves form
ing in themselves shape conforming exactly
to that of the whole figure. made the soul of
man just like his body, SO far as confguratiOn
is concerned. He had in his study fine chart
of the nervous system, and this he would use
in illustrating his views to his friends. lie be-
lieved that at death this contour and semblance
of the dead body separated itself, and became
the eternal form of the spirit visible to its fell
lows, and under some conditions to terrestrial
folks DR.. Wheden was profound thinker,
and his mental powers showed no diminution up
to the day of his demise His works are stand
ard in doctrinal matters pertaining to Method
ism, and for years he had edited Methodist
periodicals.; but this theory of the souls shape
was considered a speculative vagary, In which
his serious credence was doubted by his friends.
He published part of it awhile before hedied,
but stated it rather as a fancy than fact
In Whedens posthumOus papers has been
lOuuu cOmpleUe exposition VI his discovery
as he deemed it. Therein he describes how the
soul gets out of the body. Emerging up
ward" he says, "the spirit awakes into the
pure ethcr-a blessed atmosphere. This para
disaic ether is an effiuence from the divine es-
sence. and the emancipated soul bathes, swims.
lives in its own genial and native element.
Paradise thus pervades our air above and around
us. and at death the spirit enters thereinto as
through a vail" He goes on in somewhat
rhapsodcal style, until reaching a conclusion
that apparitions are casual glimpses of the be-
ings of this close by, but usually invisible world.
I" Even the resurrected body of Christ" he says,
walked throagh the solid wall of the house
and first revealed itself to His disciples at the
table," He calls these beings .angeloids," and
argues that they leave behind them in the dis
carded corpse the baser attributes. But he is
clear in his belief that the sense Of sight, smell,
hearing. and so forth remain in the "angeloid."
He has left many articles calculating his doc
trine and setting forth its beauties. They are
in the possession Of his executors, who may
suppress them; but two or three of the most
important of them have fallen into the hands
of those who have already spoken freely of
their contents. Already one has been read to
an asscmblage of Spiritnalists.
The pertinency of Wheden's theory to mod
ern Spiritualists lies in it's harmony with the
alleged phenomena of naturalization. 1t has
been promptly seized upon by several of the
professional mediums, and in some of this
weeks seances forms in semblance COMFORTING
with the conditions of his "angeloids" have
been shown to astounded disciples.