Nevada County picayune., 1889-04-03
SPIRITUALISM.

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 talitv of mediums. Clairvoyance has played an important part Tn the lh- troduction of modern Spiritualism. Some of the most remarkable phenom- ena have presented themselves to dlf- ferent persons, while in clairvoyant state among which there IS no more extraordinary than those which char acterized the history of Andrew Jack son Davis. Indeed, it may safely be affirmed that this celebrated charac- ter is the founder of modern Spiritu- alism. About the year lS43, while in clairvoyant state, he dictated the materials for a wonderful book under the alleged influence of unseen splr- it's and it is said that the style of that book, as we'll as all others written by him under the dictation of spirits, is not only correct, but at times elegant, notwithstanding he was a comparatively uneducated youth of 17 years of age.
 The following are some of the man. ifestations which are said to have oc- cured in the development of this theory: Table tipping, table rapping, the movement of ponderous bodies without visible agency, voluntary and involuntary writing by unseen per sons, levitatlon, or the uplifting of the medium, the production of music by unseen spirits, and naturalization; all which, and others which might be might be mentioned, are related by credible witnesses, representing the various walks of life.
 It is the opinion of some distin- guished scientists that the cause of the wonderful phenomena connected with Spiritualism is some occult force in man or nature, with the properties and laws of which we are as yet unacquainted and ;hat a fuller investigation and classification of these phenomena will reduce them to level with natural causes. This seems to be a very plausible way of explaining the manifestations, so as to remove the supernatural element, and l must confess that it presents to our mind the most rational solution of the problem. The converts to the theory of spirit communication, how ever, maintain the supernatural side of the question, believing that cor respondence through mediums with the spirits of the departed dead, is solemn reality.
 That the mind possesses strange and mysterious powers is evident to every renecting person. During the interval of few minutes, in dreams, great distances have been traversed, and many important events have Oc- cured, for the regular performance of which months, and even years, would be required, In the trance state the mind seems to be isolated from the body, and frequently travels hundreds, or thousands of miles, in an incredibly short space of time. The mind of the clairvoyant escapes, as it were, from the bondage of flesh, and sees persons and witnesses events, through a spiritual medium, at con- siderable distances from his body.
 In the investigation of this subject great care should be exercised lest we magnify theory into a creed, and thereby abandon the old landmarks of true Christianity. Hundreds and thousands of people, upon slight evil dence. have become enthusiastic be- lievers in the so-called supernatural manifestations of modern Spiritual ism; and in their zeal for the propa- gaton of a crude and ill-detined creed they have repudiated the religion of the Bible, and cut lose from all the restraints of religion. The age in which we live is pre-eminently one of investigation, free thought and scien- tifc discovery hence, we should well come truth, from whatever source it may come, and offer no obstacles to the development of mind, or the en- largement of knowledge. But at the same time it should he bourne in mind that no two truths ever antag- onized each other; therefore, that the truths discovered in the investi- gation of Spiritualism by no means conflict with the established truths of Christianity.
 Truth is a unlt, and to whatever department of knowledge it belongs, whether of law, medicine, theology, or general science, all other truths in that department will but strengthen, harmonze and consolidate the truth already established. Spirltualism belongs to the department of theol- ogy or religion; or at least it's pro- fessors claim that it belongs to this department. The established truths of Spiritualism cannot conflict with the system of revealed truth, which has stood the test of centuries, and the scrutiny of the most searching in- vestigation. It is doubtful, however, whether the facts of spiritism belong to the department of theology; 1t is more reasonable to suppose that they belong to the department of phychol- egy. Hence, a proper classification of the facts and phenomena of the