Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-04-07

A1 ~/ aut rlhil About
two years ago. =
A somewhat en-
- larged version Of
s TIE same tale.
with the Same title, appeared IN "Blaek-
WOODS" magazine, Ia London Whether
ths second version was clean steal. or
WHISTLER the author Of tho first himself
reurots and republished il, don't
know, st any rate il was al uncommon
u good story.
The gist Of il WA that q company Of
young men Of birth and education, In
Paris. were Ia tho habit Of assembling
periodically for . certain mysterious
pwposs. An outsider having secretly
obtained admission. saw, from his place
of cunceahnent behind . curtain, .
handsome square room. with q bare
polished door, and without furniture,
brilliantly lighted by gas Jets along the
cornices. The company OF young men,
IN evening dresA stood round the
room In . circle, with hands joined. and
ehanted some sort 81 incarnation As
IL proceeded, . species Of excitement
was infused into ther,-an electric SYM
psthy Of win and definite purpose. The
chant grew more intense, at length,
they Frustrated themselves. and, bend
Ing forward, kissed the polished floor
simultaneously. Whereupon the on
locker became aware that another hg-
ure wa standing in the center Of tho
circle. He was very tan. of stately
figure, clad like Tho rest Of the COM
pany In full dress; his hair was black
and crisp, and his eountenance refined.
polished and naughty. lie glanced
down at his worsaipers with an express
sion of condesccrsion, Of scorn, OF
satanic composure, such rs could be-
long only TO his Diabolic majesty him
self until the profound, fastidious
vvfckecness OF the whole performance
drew an involuntary exclamation from
the observer; the hghss went out; in the
pttchy darkness he fels himself seized
and hurried away, and by n fortunate
accident he lived TO tell the tale.
This say. Is an excellent story; but
Il might conceivahly D. true. The con-
iuring up OF spirits is an ancient proc
tlce. Let a number OF persons, ami
mated by . conscious Of purpose and
desire, meet together. arrange them
selves in symbolic orJcr. and attitude.
and stimulate aud intensity their COM
mon object by harnonizing words and
gestures-and they will presently work
themselves and one another mp to a
pitch % expectant attention. the effect
whereof upon their minds and senses Il
kould not be easy 20 exaggerate. The
appariticn evoked by tho young Pari-
sians was nothing less than the essence
ef THAR combined conception Of the Eni
Principle. Tho figure rcsembled them
mach - tho '>composite photographs
lstsly IN vogue unite tho prevailing
traits Of tho contributing individuals
fnAcNs derfvutfve of them all; it would
hsse been strange II an objective result
had ~ been obtained. We may say,
Of oomae, that tho result, while seem.
ing 70 be objective. was in fact subject
I've; but what, sftsr eli, Is . spirit?
Cbnhdent anticipation and concerted
action arean that isnecessaryto raise the
devil or any other specter. To the same
ordero phenomcna belong the ''man-
ipuIsGion" Of Sptritualism- In Spirit
ualistic circles. the table becomes the
medium of sympathy or magnetic com
munion between the persons who SIT
around II. ] have been amused By