St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-05
SLADE'S lMITkTORS.
Spiritualistic Mediums, Great
and Small, Infest the
Flour City.
For a Slight Consideration
They Hold Seances With
Spooks.
The Majority Of These Are
Humbugs Of the First
Water.
Specimen Of a Slate-Writer's
Skill--A Treatise ON Rasp-
berries.

ais there anything new on earth?'
asks the weary spirit of man or woman,
after trying the ordinary round of
amusements in Minneapolis. The con-
certS at the lake are old, even ride in
open street cars is getting monotonous.
''Why don't you visit a clairvOyant or
spiritualist?" asks a believer.
What do they show; is it anything
like circus?' l irreverently inquired.
'How ignorant you are," compassion
ately remarks my friend, 'don't you
know that spirit mediums are persons
under control of the spirits of people
who have passed to the higher life|
These spirits enable them to heal
diseases, predict the future and do
many things wholly beyond the power
of ordinary mortals."
/ listened with my big ears wide open,
and concluded to go and gain some wis
dom at once. That is, if wisdom could
be gained through spirit mediums Or
clairvoyants. l hadn't the remoteSt
idea how they conducted their business,
but supposed that it would be on pro-
portionately higher plane as it became
removed from the Sordid and vulgar
details of ordinary life. AS a result |
can truly state that something has been
learned, but am a little doubtful about
calling that something wisdom.
The daily papers contained several
advertisements pertaining to the sub
ject. | cut out all of them and omitted
none in my visits, although it wouldn't
have been any loss if most of them had
been skipped. My first experience was
not reaSSurring; the woman who an
nOunced herself as a spirit medium was
coarse, SenSual-lOoking creature, whose
breath Smelled strongly of ardent spirits.
Her costume looked as if it might have
been fshed out of the ark and
not washed since. She recited long
list of SuccesSeS-ln evading her rent
and board bill: of miSfortune-ln not al
ways being able to gull the public, l
suppose. However, she said that Min
neapolis was pretty good place. There
were lots of shekelS to be raked in, and
she thought she'd stay awhile. Not
much was to be learned. as she didn't
want to bother answering my questions,
saying that her patrons were mostly gen
tlemen.
The next one was after the same pat
tern, but offered to
PROVE HER POWER
as a clairvoyant physician, saying that
every ailment of the human body was
as clear to her as if the flesh were only
pulse for awhile she Solemnly an
nounced: "Your pulse loses one'sensa-
tiOn in every four, which shows that
your stomach is out of order. Now
you have no appetizer" she questioned
perSuaSively.
| assured her that had an appetite
like an ostrich, could consume anything
from shingle nails to ice cream, and on
that account was the despair of my
boarding mistress. Then the medium
waXed confidential. asked me If hadn't
been disappointed i'll love and for the
modest sum of $40, paid in advance, Of
fered to furnish a package of love pow
ders warranted to enthrall the most re-
creant AdoniS in short order. After
meeting with prompt negative to the
latter proposition, she said that my
contemptuOuS manner had angered the
spirits and | had better leave. The
delicate hint was accepted with celer-
ity.
The next specimen was progressive
mortal and quite obliging. She exam
ined my Uranium, read my character,
told my future, and described more de-
parted friends than | ever expect to
possess in the flesh. She was a glib
talker and silenced my occasional pro-
tests by saying that l was as yet quite
ignorant, but when developed spiritu-
ally would acknowledge the truth of her
remarks.
'How shall develop spiritually?"
meekly asked, mentally rejecting that
it wouldn'tb be difficult to invent a lot of
stories, when no actual proof was forth
coming. Thus far l had been asked to
accept everything on faith. Not being
accustomed to that sort of thing, it was
well, tiresome.
ba DoadiI1po av1,1ai hot 1n6ar ba,
guidance any person could be converted
into a firSt-claSs humbug-medium,
mean-in about two years. This me-
dium was evidently of an acquisitive
turn of mind, and possessed consider
able ShrewdnesS. Thus far. the spirit
ualistS whom | had visited were women
below the average in intellect, educa-
tion and morality, and their surround
ings were repulsive. 1t was not diff
cult to perceive that they eked out fair
living by trading on the vices and
credulity of humanity.
The belief in spiritualism is not, how
ever, confined to the ignorant. A little
investigation shows that some people,
highly educated and immensely respect
able, have firm belief in these theories.
They seldom care to publish their faith,
but many cherish states on which they
believe are written communications
from departed relatives, There are also
few mediums who have tolerably good
claim to respectability and honesty.
SLATE WRITING"
seems to be the latest fad among the
spirits and their agents. l can only re-
late my own experience. More wonder
full ones have been related to me, but
"seeing is believing" l visited the
most prominent slate writing medium
in the city. The house was neatly fur
nished. Many beautiful plants, birds
and case of carefully selected books,
showed that the owner possessed
some refinement of taste. His
face indicated determination and
strength of character. He cour-
teously offered to explain anything
in his power, and showed me some es-
says, on moral philosophy, written
while under spirit control. He claimed
to be uneducated and said he could not
possibly have produced anything of the
sort without spirit aid. l ventured to
disagree with him. His conversation
gave evidence of mental culture. The
thoughts embodied in the essays were
beyond mortal comprehension, but the
writing, spelling and phraslng were
often faulty.
AS preparation for 'sslate writing,
bought two ordinary school states.
The subject on which wished the spirit
to write was written on bit of paper
and sealed by myself in common blank
envelope. The envelope was placed
between the states. Then they were
Scraura6 tnUa+bar Tho tact tahIa ,roe