Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-27
THE BREAKING DOWN OF SPIRITUAL
ISM

ISM
The telegraph informs US that one of the
Foz Sisters confeEses to the fraud of the
Rochester knockings. To the teachings OF
Boeh.a. Muliuos, Guyon aud Bouriguon,
thesp'i,ual5sts Of ihis day trscs the genesis
o. he.r religion, but the spirituaiistic
doctrines Of these reasouers did not re-
lac. as in modern spilftaulism, exclusively,
or indeed in any great degree to "maEitest-
atious" such SIS have marked the phe
nonlena TO which the 81 ritual teachings OF
this period point as evidence of the truth
of the claim that communication has been
set up between mortals and the spirits OF
departed beings through human mediums.
II the early history of modern spiritualism,
it was common to hear reference made to
The Delphian oracIes as evidence of an an
eIent belief aud practice OF such communi-
cahon. More latterly, however, such APP
peals have been but infrequenuy made,
since the evidences have accumulated that
the oraces were the contrivances of priest
craft, or, at least. since the rules OF evidence
have more strongly challenged the proofs
upon which the supernatural claims of the
orscles were based.
as early as ls43, the Shakers of New
York, were the subjects OF phenomena
that were claimed 10 be evidences Of a
physical condition of refinement that en-
able5 the spirits of the dead to speak
through chosen mediums while in a trance
state. But these manifestations do not ap-
pear to have induced any very large body
OF persons tc found system of religion
upon them, the revelations being vague
and inconsequential, and the communica-
tons not of a character to justify their as
sertion as doctrines. 1t was left for the
time OF Andrew Jackson Davis to evolve
the sphere doctrine and that of spirit pro-
erosion and communication with earth,
and upon which there was erected of def
mite form a system of religion, based on be-
lief in the immortality of the soul. What
ever else may be said of ii, in the main it
has taught an acceptable code of morality,
though certain coteries of believers in
spirit communication have wandered off
into side beliefs, that conflict with all
decent and accepted social systems.
In 1S4s the Rochester Knockings so
called from their manifestation about the
persons of the Fox sisters at Rochester,
New York-gave modern spiritualism a
great impetus. John d. Fox lived at
Hydeville, New York he had two daugh-
ters, Margaret and Kate, then IL and 8
years of age. In that year mysterious
rappings were heard in the rooms where
the girls slept. March 3lst Kate initiated
the raps by swapping her fingers, and the
knockings responded in like manner. Out
of this grew questions and answers by the
number of raps, two answering for the
affirmative and one for the negative. The
family presently removed to Rochester
where the rappings" accompanied them
If was then found that the knocks were
made only when one of the girls was pres
ept, and hence they came to be recognized
as chosen mediums. They gave public ex-
hib;tions, and in shost time " developed u
into trance mediums and soon after
Gained that through them spirits so mani
tested themselves as to move heavy bodies,
such as pieces of furniture, without the