Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-05
OUR MAIL POUCH.
spiritualism and spirituaIists.
To the Editor of The Dlspatch:


Pittsburg. am led to write briefly fwhere a
goodsized tome wouldn't do justice to the
subject) OF little experience, not long past,
with supposititious denfzens Of the other
world, some time passed over. but brought
back at the bidding of divers mediums to
greet the faithful and one or two sceptfcs.
The religious phase of the spiritualistic be-
lief preserves 1t from ridicule, and hence
none is intended nor will names or places
be mentioned with this in view, and should
any apology be needed for narrating this
experience, it must be found in the profound
impression made upon the writer from d.
rect contact with the aforementioned in
telligent and successful but credulous busi-
ness men.
This was one of two thoughts uppermost
in the mind of this observer on entering the
spiritual field, how such men could believe
in the bona fide character of the marvellous
phenomena they related Of doings of spirits
from the other world. WHY'S it, said 1 to
myself, il such astonishing things are true
why is not the whole city in a ferment and
crowds not focking to see these marvellous
things? Either they are true and the people
strangely Indifferent, or else they are false
and the spirits from the other world are but
the imaginations of a credulous mind i'm
posed upon by shrewd and calculating me-
dlnms: Need say that my experience shows
that the people are not Indifferent without
good reason, though it must be confessed
that an exercise Of the police power would
sometimes save good dollars.
The other thought uppermost in the mind
OF the observer was how is 1t if these phe-
nomena are true the many competent OBJ
proclaimed them true? Subsequent obserya-
tion proved to at least one mind and think
can say so of more than one, that so far as
such materialistic and other spfritualistic
phenomena seen in Pittsburg are concerned
they are false and intended to deceive the |
overoredulons. There is no doubt at the |
bottom of some of the so-called spiritual
1stic phenomena a strata of truth, but it is |
not understood by the Spiritualists them |
selves. To limited extent this is pardon |
aole, ABLE for the realm !, Of mind is a compara-
merous phases of psychology, mesmerism |
and mind reading.
Occult Things Fascinating.
Il should like to give my reasons for |
delving in the spiritual mine, but for those |
already mentioned cannot; suffice 1t to say |
that when the Opportunity came was glad |
to embrace it, as much from the fact that |
occult things have fascination for me as |
that it afforded qualification to friend.
The reason for belief in Spfritualfsm lies |
not alone in the longing for some tidings of |
the other world, or the credulity of its sup
Dorters, but in a large measure to the nat
ural basis OF some OF its phenomena, not /
understood to be natural, of which 1 have |
before spoken.
tleman, with all the earnestness. which will
and does carry conviction in other things,
that he not only has seen his dear departed
but has spoken with them and had them In |
his arms. This rather makes man open
his eyes and wonder whether he (the many
is deranged, OF whether there is not a screw
itively that this gentleman has not seen
what he says and believes he has seen, for
we were not there to see, but we may be
able to judge how far this gentleman is
hi O in fn nynr NJ hof hn OH halt
if we both see the same things at the same
time; in other words, whether he is as COM
petent an observer in seeing spirits as he is
so-called spirits are looked at by
both individuals, and we find one
observer confident in the belief
whom he recognized, and the other OBJ
server confident of the fact that they were
not only not spirits, but the very trans
known to shrewd and designing mediums,
we must impeach. either our own or our
neighbours powers of observation. That it
therefore, impeach this gentleman's testi-
mony before detailed, ascribing his posi-
tiveness to a condition of mind wherein he |
has no desire to disbelieve such tr1ckery. |
them no matter how transparent the fraud
may be. He simply does not exercise that
nan an ae n a. nee
md continued belief fosters such a state OF \
mind until he win believe any allied phe- |
lomena if you call it spiritualistic.
Trickefy That Was Transparent.
Il have been to materializing seances and
,ome away amazed at such Transparent ,
and yet there were in the same ,
audience people who believed, if they be- 1
ieved anything at all, they had seen the
spirits of their dead friends and children
said one to her husband: "Oh, George, is
hat our little Mary7' as the imitation of
,hild's voice was heard from the cabinet.
They did not see the child, but 1t was not !
heir fault, and have no doubt they went s.
iome feeling they had heard the voice !
If their child. There was the woman
ooking for her daughter, the father for his a
ION, and if they didn't see them, they got !
'ome kind of a communication purportfng
% come from them. But there were the
anne old phosphoric faces, tiaras, gauzy
rappings and the same old effects; the di-
vided curtain, the phosphoric hand, the I
alsetto voice and the man who "stood in''
With the medium, and the tale is told. .
l have seen the trance medium give her. {
elf q shake and drop off into what may t
ave been an hypnotic state and then pro- d
ess to tell tales of those in another world, | n
md though have never gotten communica-
ions myself, Ihave heard of others getting -
of their dead friends which was v
aid could not have been known otherwise
" the medium. 1 did, however, get my
read by sharp, shrewd physiog-
lomiSt as the medium fingered coin taken
rom my pocket; but it was simply a good .
uess. And have seen the same medium =
eel OFF tones of inspired guesses at matters = =
nd things about her audience with such an y
bandon and unlimited confidence in her I
bility to guess correctly as to be the SUBJ =
ect of admiration, admiration for her un- Ii
United gall. think this expresses it, and
i this purporting to come from the control Z
{ spirit Sometimes, though, the medium t,
orgot her identity and then she got O
lixed when she would talk in propria per a
0na, and so on. .-'
Writing That Was Not Wonderful. r
Il have seen the writing medium writing t.
pside down and from right to left, to be a
cid up to the looking glass to be read, such =
ritng being looked upon by the faithful as
onderful, but which / did when was a I,
oy, and can do it now, though it isn't under p
Dirit control. l might not be as able to +,
nswer the questions that could he put to "
lie by mixed audience, but if couldn't
o as well as in answering the question | "
ave to the medium l might not be con- E:
dered to know my profession The ques- Il
on was, Where is my wife? l wasn't bit b
isappointed at the answer, which was
ritten as quickly. 81 cannot see your wife. !,
on will make q change" OF course my ~
uestion was somewhat Indefinite, meant I Z
to be. She might have been dead and o.
skiing word from her. Very natural Or
lie mish ht have been in 900 other places, B
IT the earth is large one, or might not ct
ave had o wife. Hence the answer was al
definite and it was perfectly safe to say,
cannot see your wife. You will make
lange." have made more than one change o.
nee, for Lam not a slovenly man. II
l may be told that fguratively I fell |
nong thieves, and must not condemn all | ~
scause saw only simulated spirits when cc
lpected to see genuine ones, for there are :
lmbers of well.known spiritualtstic as well
other frauds, but If the records of many Bt
are true, the mediums must be all | tn
ike from Dan to Beersheba.
My letter is already long,, 1 cannot say bo