The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-21
Dlsp!r!t.ng Reports From the Other
World.

lHt !Oi iua! ~ nDHlIt u!lu remuneration OF
the trickery of Il fraudulent medium by the
officers Of the spiritualistic camp at Onset
Bay in Massachusetts, indicates thut those
people themselves are honest believers in
the doctrines they profess, aud are anxious
to save them from disrepute. We do not
doubt that they are sincere in their efforts
to stop the practice OF deceit "in the sacred
name OF Spiritualism." seeking only to dis
cover end proclaim the truth as to the
| shadowy world and the powers Of its ghost
ly inhabitants.
Such proved humLug does not weaken
their own faith. They look on the fraud
ulcnt mediums ns false prophets who seek
to pervert sublime truth to selfish and
wicked ends or, perhaps, as the tools OF evil
spirits who use them to confound the faith
ful and darken the understanding Of their
enemies. Exposures as complete rs the dis
covery OF the tr;ckery mt Onset Bay havc
marked the whole history Of Spritualsm
| since tho Fox sisters held their first pre-
tended communications with the dead. Ono
of those women has herself confessed that
| they were mere iugg.ers. The chariatanry
OF nearly every professed medium promi-
ncnuy before the public has been exposed
before his career was ended, and so thor
ouShly exposed that even the Spirituallsts
themselves have o ten been compelled to
acknowledge II. Moreover, no word has
| come from them. and none from any me-
dunn OF any character, which has added
| aught to the wisdom Of the living.
If the spirits Of the dead have spoken
through them. it is demonstrated that in
the dscmbod;ed state the intellect o! man
suffers n terrible degradation. and he falls
into condition approaching idiucy. In
steal Of seeing truth more clearly, his view
is nor" confuss! than before lie put Of the
| trammels Of the flesh. He loses the power
| OF discriminating between sense and non
sense. and finds satisfaction in the playing
OF the most childish pranks. He has in
his possession the solution OF the awful
mystery of life and DEATH but he appears
usually az nothing more than a practical
| joker. tossing nb1ut tables and chairs,
breaking through cabinets, cutting uD an
tics III the air. and performing tricks easily
initiated by clever iugglers. He has the
character Of an imp, and not Of serious
soul anxious TO benefit aud cyalt the dwell
ers in the flesh. lie treats the whole bust.
| ness as n comedy, or. at most n melodramn
| II the mediums give us a true insight into
the world to come, its life is inGne and iriv-
olous. and religion is wasting it's effort to
elevate the soul Of man so that he shall DO
fitted for its pursuits. Instead OF rising
into higher an! purcr state after death, he
falls into state far lower ard darker. il
they tell lis truly Of il; he il better now than
lie will DO then, wiser, more enlightened,
and more dc;crv.I., of respect They have
brought 10 us no report Of beings exalted.
A saucy girl of fourteen years at Onset Bay
WIS capable Of coun,crieiting the spirits as
they are presented 10 lis by those mediums,
| and her tlickcry WAS discovered by accident
only. from IT," first people Of n low order
Of Intelligence and morals have been suc-
ccss!Gi in thu busucss, 30 degraded are the
spirits, according To the manifestations
upon which spr!tualism relies for its basis.
Yet the sipIi.ualsts are not dismayed
They do not doubt that they have commu-
nication with the souls OF the departed, low
and ;liniEg as these may be made to npear;
and in their ranks are still included many
lien ana women ii high intelligence.