Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-03-30

representation allows an answer. It Is
silence which is deadly. Reporters were
not sent to this Conference. And yet the
subjects prepared for discus 3ion-there
was not time for all of them covered near
ly the whole vast field once contemplated
by the student who proposed to write the
History of Human Error. Had the pro
gramme been carried out in its entirety,
the Conference would be sitting to this
day. Among the subjec S, men, and peo-
Piles set down for discussion were the
| Chaldeans, the SabeaDs, the Cabeiri, the
Eleusinnan Mysteries, the Cabbalists, the
Mag, the Essences, the Esoteric Buddhists,
the Iendavesta, Contucius, Joroaster, Py-
thagoras appdritons, telepathy incarnat-
ed spirits, spirit pictures, spirit writing,
Madame Blavatzky-but not Madame Co.
lomb-dreams, clHirvoyance, the Brother
hood of the Rosy Cross the Secret of the
Rose, Theosophy, Cornelius Agrppa, Lii
| it'll and the Larvae, Akaz, Yogi. Koot
Houm, Karma, Hermes, Mithra the Rod
of Jacob, Invocation, Evocation, the Pen
tagram, the Book of Thoth, Mesmerism,
ing by VIII, the works of Eiphaz, the
Teraphim Abracadabra, and the Astral
Light; not to speak of Nostradamus,
Mother Shipton and Old Moore-and
without mentioning those who came on
the chance of being heard as to the Israel
itish origin of the British people.
The Conference lasted a week, during
which these and many kindred subjects
| were discussed. When the meeting broke
up, the members wearied, but not sltiated
agreed that on the score of unanmity the
| Conference had been a most wonderful
success. Nonasty scientific man or philoso-
pher (foolishly so called had got up to
question and contradict the carping and
critical spirit was conspicuously absent
none-which was most remarkable-cam
| to mock none stayed to deride; and but
| for one single hitch, the progress of bust
ness was throughout uninterrupted and
smooth Nay, the only thing that was
wanting, those who were present agreed,
was more discussion. If any fault could
| be found with the Conference it was that
the leaders, those who had been invited
| to read papers, showed undisguised i'm
patience with the papers which preceded
theirs, and did not pretend any interes
in any subject outside their own. This
gave an air of haste and breathlessness to
the meetings; lack of personal dignity
was observed; the more sober among the
audience Jamented that time was not Civ
en- for di cussion and comparison of argu
ments. Papers concerning the Unseen
World ought not to be read and then
pushed aside as if they were merely papers
in the Contemporary and the Nineteenth
Century dealing with the things of this
world.
The papers read at the Conference will,
however, be published before long, when
men from the ends of the earth will no
doubt read them. 1t Is favorite delu
sion with the people that if they once get a
thing printed all the world will read it. |
| know man who once wrote a book, |
proving concusiyely, beyond every posi- |
bility of doubt, that what the world wants |
in order to be completely happy and to get |
the full flavor out of every hour as it hur- |
ries past is to--- but on this point |
refer Yourto his book. 1t was published |
at his own expense by very eminent firm |
of publishers fifteen years ago. Strange |
to say, the world has never made the least |
move in the direction indicated by that !
book. "Aud,' he says reproachfully, |
my b lok has been in their hands all these
Yeas = 50 it has, in way of speaking !
I'm their hands, Oh those careless
hands! In fifteen years, fifteen thousand !
books have been placed in those hands
and the h nds 90 on Just as if they had not |
been more than hAlt dozen given to
them.
One cannot report the whole, or even a
siXth-part, of this Conference. | have |
only to narrate the exact circumstances |
relating to the single hitch which Occurr
ed at the first mornings meeting.
the hall, a room OF some SIZE was, what |
reporters call, we'll filled. That is to say, !
there was plenty of sitting room for every |
one, and the galleries were half occupied. |
A we lfiled room. And all of them
apparently, ladies and gentlemen; that is |
to say, they were well dressed and well |
behaved. Anyone not en- r0ppOrt with |
the meeting would have observed d fidget |
ty manner as if everybody had, more or
less, got the jumps. Some there were |
who closed their eyes in silent meditation
others there were whose eyes glowed with I
a strange brightness these were restless |
and got up and down and changed their
seats; others, again, sat waiting in impa-
thence for the expected rapture which |
would seize their souls at the right mo.
ment. For a meeting can be magnetic |
ed even more easily than a single person,
and presently, when the right man speaks |
with the right voice, and the right gaze
which meets and holds every eye, you
shall see this multitude awed and sub
dued into calm the bright unsteady eyes
fixed, the lips parted the heart glowing,
the soul in brief ecstacy. Such things
sober men have recorded 4; mankind is
emotional; it is with all of us even as with
the dervishes or with the Hallelujah las
SEES when the contagion of emotion spreads
from bench to bench. The platform
was occupied by the leaders, among them
our friends Mr.. Athelstan Kilburn, the
Rev. Amelius Horton-he was going to
read paper on his own miraculous gift of
healing-the Rev. Benjamin Ridge, and
Mr., Emanuel Quick. In the body of the
hall We're to be observed Layinia Medlock,
her husband and Mr. James Berry. Hrt-
ty was not there, but Sibyl, the infidel,
had brought Cicely. Mrs. Tracey Han
ley was also present. At the stroke of ten
the President Mr.. Cyrus Brudenel, &C
companied by his wife, Lady Augusta,
and followed by the Honorary Secretary,
appeared upon the platform, and with
some applause from the audience took
the chair.
Then, after the preliminary look around
which no President ever neglects-it is a
.A...
of looking around to see that every boy is
in his place, Mr.. Brudenel rose and delv-
cred the opening address. In every ad
dress there are interesting parts and flat
parts. Ler us conine our report to one
or two of the most interesting parts.