The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-09

NOT MUCH sP IRITUALIsM,
The Ocnlt Science Of Table Rapping
Thoroughly Exposed

Thoroughly Exposed.
A correspondent writes as follows tx
a Canadian paper, and in return re
turn receives an answer from . Plea
would you kindly give several Of YOU
readers an explanation Of .Table-rapping. Il
il magnetism, spiritualsm, or what? We have
had considerable fun over it, but have not thu
| remotest idea of how it is done r
The is not one person in twenty who
believes in table-rapping except as
trick, and scores Of times / have WINGED
at their stare Of disbelief, when i have
asserted that such thing did exist anG
was capable Of demonstration. Snct
fellows, however, I have been fairly
paralyzed when they have bsen induced
la assist iii a seance.
Now [ imagine !. see this constituent.
cy turn up its nose and exclaim in pro
found disgust: 'sOh Pica'sa spiritual
ist." / beg your pardon, but he i
nothing Of the kind. At leastI have
never run cohoots with any spirits, ex'
Icept those OF an alcoholic nature, and
don't ever expect to while in this vale
Of tears. My opinion is that if spirits
do roam about through eternal space al
will, and have power to visit their Ole
homes they have something better dc
than frightening silly people by trans
migrating unnatural power into inert
matter.
But, all the same, table-rapping, as
nv correspondent well knows, is a real
ity, and most amazing one at that
TO those who have never witnessed this
wonderful phenomenonan most PEG
pie in this country have not-a short
explanation may be necessary. To
have successful table-rapping seance
the first reGuisiteis a table not too heavy
and made of some wood with a free
open grain. White pine is the best and
cherry is not bad. The best table ]
ever had was one / constructed my
self out of rough pine boards. 1t was
about three feet square, Light but
strong. That table could do anything,
from telling pour fortune to chasing a
dog out Of the room or dancing a waltz.
Having procured your table, seat four
persons about it-don't get table big
enough to accommodate more than four
and everything is ready. Turn down
the lights and let everybody be per-
fectly quiet. The four chief actors are
seated with their hands resting lightly
on the table before them. They should
close their ewes, and. as the old saving
is, 'sthlnk about nothing The reason
for turning down the lights, for closing
the eyes, for the quietness, is that per-
feet bodily and meutal inactivity is an
absolute essential. Even then the four
first chosen may not be successful. l
have often seen it so; I don't know
why it is, but suppose it is the posi-
tive ana negative qualities OF two OF
more OF those VINO are EXPERIMENTING.
IL after sitting twenty minutes there IS
no manifestations they may as we'll
quit, Though the same tour may Try
SggsGfiI
All conditions being favorable, the
tour That are experimenting Will, after
q while, begin TO experience a peculiar
sensation. First comes slight ting
Ing III the hands. not unlike very
shgnt shock from a galvanlc battery,
next the top OF the table Will reel TO
De undelatlng IKE waves or water. 1t
Is not so, out IL teeill that. presently
IL Will oegln apparently 20 tWlst SIDE
ways as though wanting TO turn round.
The Joints Will crack and the table Will
labor as though trying to pull itself to
pieces. All at once will come thump,
liAo zig STAMP " q iooD W ehe nooI.
- % Jug swamp " d .alle 10y. Aieh
you ,naS .nih up .he 'sllts aha make
'ii t'ie Aoise You please
The table will then, when it gets into
good working order, do anything you
want it to, SO long as you don't try to
give 1t physical assistance. Perhaps
The first night you will not get a rap at
all, will only feel the undulations and
stralning. Then try it again the next
night. Every time you use the table
will make 1t more easy to get it to work.
After using 1t a half dozen times, it |
will not take three minutes to make it
,ap. After it IS rapping, two out of
he four may leave if they wish, and
when the table is thoroughly going one
person can keep it at work, though one
person alone cannot start it. It will I