St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-07
He SAW IT HIMSELF,
And Considers Spiritism Anything But
a Joke.
A SLATE WRITING TEST
Made a Success Without Objectionable
Aids---' Investigators" Notion
of II.

The article in the Sunday GLOBE on
the subject of spiritualism created quite
a breeze in local spiritualistic circles,
and has provoked several replies from
various quarters. A gentleman who
signs himself investigators has been
looking up the same class of manifesto
tions, and writes that the article in
in spirit of levity hardly worthy the
subject it pretends to discuss, and l
would like to say few words in de.
tense of at least one of the mediums it
refers to-" He proceeds: mot that the
article attacks him dlrectly-in fact, it
rather makes him the object of about
all the respect it has for the brother
hood: but the whole thing breathes such
an air of amused wisdom that abouteve
thing it touches is necessarily ridiculed.
Now like the writer of that article /, too,
have investigated spiritualism, but as
my investigations have been made for
my own satisfaction and benefit, and
not with view to entertaining funny
public, have gone about it with some
of the earnestness and candOr which
matter of such seriousness as spiritual
ism must be if it is true, would seem to
demand, and l must say the results
have not been of character to make
me laugh.
was yesterday at the house of the
gentleman from whom the communica-
ton OH "Raspberries" was obtained.
The GLOBE article was discussed, and
the gentleman volunteered to
SUBMIT TO ANY TEST
to demonstrate the Supernaturalness of
the power which uses him as it's med
ium. Acting on this invitation l re-
moved his writing table from its place
by the wall, where it was limited con-
federate might be hidden, and placed it
i'll the middle of the room, first ex-
amining the table, which is of the
simplest pattern imaginable. l next
examined the carpet to make sure that
no confederate hand could come up
through the floor under the table, [
then wrote on sheet of paper a series
of questions, not about berries of any
kind, nor lawn tennis, nor anything
else likely to provoke the sarcasm of
whatever of intelligence there might be
in the power that was interviewing,
but questions intended to bring out a
little of the wisdom which it is claimed
the spirit forces possess. / sealed these
brought to the knowledge of the
medium-in an envelope and placed
them between two states which l
screwed together and sealed with strips
of paper securely pasted onto both the
frames and the slate. Across each of
these strips l wrote my name in such
way that part of the name was on the
paper and part Oh the states.
The medium then took the states and
held them under the table with one
hand, the other hand rested constantly
On top of the table. After little while
probably ten minutes-he said the
conditions" had been formed, and
then took the states from the table
a and d 6e them with 9h top he heath then n Goy
of cloth which he said was
to shut out the light (Which by the way
had not been in the least excluded from
the room.) I could distinctly hear the
pencil, (Which had been placed between
the slates) writing or scratching on the
states. L repeatedly put my ear on the
cloth under which the States lay and
heard this sound. When it ceased the
states were uncovered. Every seal was
in its place. broke the seals, opened
the states and found them
COVERED ON THE INSIDE
with closely written answers to all my
questions. The writing was fine and
NCly liC WtEC
logical and impressive. l found no er-
rors in the spelling. The whole bust
ness consumed about twenty minutes.
l know that no person not intimately
acquainted with my life and the lives of
my relatives could have answered
some of those questions, yet they were
all answered there. / know, too, that
that writing was done between those
states while they were screwed and
sealed together, and no mortal hand
could have done it. do Dot pretend to
be able to explain it. l simplay state
the facts-such facts as are witnessed
every day by those who are really in
vestigating spiritism. These people are
not amused" by such proofs that
world of disembodied intelligence
capable of expressing itself in the
words of any earthly language con-
stantly surrounds us, walks with us,
touches US, and for all we know sees
every act we do and knows every
thought we think. 1t is only those who
have not investigated this awful sub
ject who can ridicule it. There are
people who think life is funny and who
laugh much of it away. There are
others who look down into its depths of
woe and out into its possibilities of
happiness, and do not laugh much.
There are mysteries too deep and too
great for ridicule to latham or dispell.
Spiritism is one of these.