Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-11
Ii There Be ANY Truth in Spiritual
ism It Should Be Useful.
ALL THE WISDOM OF THE AGES
Might Be Opened for the Benefit Of Man If
Ghosts Weren't Frauds.
THE NONSENSE OF CARD PROPHECY
WRITTEN FOR THE p1sPArcH,I

cepted opinion that beyond this mortal life
are "sweet fields arrayed in living green
and rivers of delight" All of the griev-
ances of this world are to be compensated
in the world to come. The future holds
everything. However dark the present,
the future is bright with hope.
Without this hope how could the world go
on? With the thought that "Heaven is my
home" millions of poor women suffer and
endure hardships that without such hope,
hemlock would be desirable and 'going
out" the certainty that all trouble would be
ended. Socrates was heather, but he re-
garded death with indifference He held
that virtue consisted of knowledge, and that
to do right was the only road to happiness.
But with all his philosophy, wisdom and
knowledge he knew nothing of the happy
land-the world peopled with spirits-the
world to which death is the open door, the
world shown by mediums.
HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY ABOVE
A learned author writing on the philoso-
ply of q future state has announced that
the chief subjects of study in the heavenly
world will be history and philosophy. I'm
der the head of history the spirits will be
constantly talking of the world below.
How stupid they were with their future
knowledge. How dull they were with
philosophy close at handl How ignorant
they were with mediums on tap and only
too eager and anxious to tell them all about
the hereafterl With Socrates in close COM
munion to open to them the gates of knowl-
edge, with Calvin just behind the door to
clear up his creed and show his followers in
what they were wrong, and how mistaken
they were on the point of doctrine that 80
human beings in any minute of time are
hurled into the great abyss of eternal damna-
tlon, with Luther just over there to tell how
things really were, with all the popes, and
bishops, and holy men of old in close con-
nection with this world by way of mediums,
it does seem strange that so little is known
concerning the great questions which SO
puzzle and perplex mankind. Here we
grope in mystery. There, they know it all.
With mediums, materialized spirits and
people eternally coming back why do they
not enlighten the world on the very points
as to which it most needs knowledge?
WHAT SOCRATES COULD TELL.
Socrates coming back could give most
valuable inform alton With his earthly
wisdom, backed up by the heavenly infor-
nation acquired in the % or more centuries
of spirit life, he could tell the people of
world how to live and move and have their
being in the best possible fashion.
Queen Elizabeth coming back with all
her worldly wisdom coupled with her heav-
emily intelligence could give Queen Victoria
some pointers that would make her reign
more glorious. Luther, by coming back in
spirit, could inform the world as to
whether celibacy or marriage is the more |
blessed condition, and how the happiness
of heaven can best be sustained-doubly or |
singly. Calvin coming back in spirit could |
tell all about his creed and how to revise |
the catechism and the Confession of Faith. |
over" in material form to tell how to best
steer the Republic. Jefferson should take
enough interest in republican institutions
to come back, and with his earthly common
sense tackled on to his heavenly wisdom,
give the world piece of his mind that
would be greatly to its interest and adj
vantage. Andrew jackson would not be
bad spirit to call up for some Democratic
wisdom at this stage of the game between
and Campbell, and to interview
on the future of the tin plate industry. 1t
or indeed to have him "materialize" and
say his say for the benefit of his party. 1t
would be nice to know if Conkling and
Arthur have made up" and got things
squared between them in the great be-
yond"
IF SPIRITUALIsM WERE TRUE
What lengths and breadths and heights
If felicity could be reached tere below if
piritualism were an assured fact, and spirits
If great men and women, of saints, and
he "best beloved" could come back and tell
is of the future that awaits mankind, and
s only shut out from earthly vision by
loor called death.
Florence Marryat asserts "There Is no
Death, and to support her statement sets
lp ghost stories and personal experiences
hat will convince, as she thinks, every
equitable reader. Those who do not swal-
ow all she says as really truth, are the sort
# people classified by CARLYLE as mainly
ools. To not believe in mediums, to refuse
redence to their oracular utterances, to
hut out faith in spirits is, to her mind a
ort of Intellectual crime. To her "Sun-
hine, "Hambo," the esprit Child" the
abinet spirits, the "controls" are real
hosts that come back and talk like living
eople. She believes in them, and
olds herself at their command.
he puts herself under their Jurisdiction |
nd fondly imagines that in them
re held the secrets of life and death ]
Why the spirits of Indians, negroes and |
oW-doWn representatives, OF life are so
lrgely in control she does not explain.
hose outside of the marvellous manifesto ,
ions may complain that the spirits, who by
and wisdom might do most good
0 the world, are usually among the miss
1g, while the 'inj juns" and the ''snow-
rops" and the s1ilys" and the fol de rolls
enerally are always on hand and within
all. In all of Miss Marryat's experiences s
ne does not name one spirit of note. !
DIsAPPoINT WHEN THEY DO COME !
Madam de Stael might have appeared l
pom the scene. George Eliot could have :
,stifed to and emphasized the truths of {
oiritualism. Emerson might have dropped s
/" and given little talk. Longfe1low, /
eing beyond ''the suburb of the Life Ely l
an" might have given some pointers as to : :
lie life to come Carlyle might have told e
ow things were 'beyond the bourne" and f
ow Jane" and he got along when the s
lists had rolled away. But this sort of
ept on special occasions when their bad n
,elling and queer thinking mark the fact b
lat they have retrograded in the spirit Il
md and can only be classed as Ounces. &
1t is something to know that ghosts, ac- r
'rdlng to Miss Marryat, show up better in Il
merica than in England She witnessed n
materializations in one evening in New n
ork. Moreover, these American ghosts y y
'oke far more distinctly aud audibly than ft
lose which appeared in England, and she b
It down the fact of better materializations a
this country to the dryer atmosphere. q
oreover, the ghosts that appear within
ncle Sans dominions wear clothes and
1T drapery only. The women appear in
'od gowns and the men in coats and trous-
s. In Eng, and, as appears, spirits show d
} In "semblance white" without any
ape. Why they should wear corsets and d