The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-12-07
THE SPOOK OUIJA.
As a Toy it is ALI Right, But One
Does Not Want to Carry Ones
Belief Too Far.

The spook toy "Ouija,n like its pre-
decessor Planchette, has established
itself in Brooklyn, and many ladies
who regard themselves as loyal mem
bers of churches are spending precious
hours in the week asking questions
relating to the past and future, and
are almost unanimous in their testi-
mony that the senseless board is
gifted with miraculous spiritual in
sight as shown by the literal correct
ness of its answer. A reporter was
introduced to a coterie OF investiga-
tors on Thursday afternoon, and
watched with much interest the anxi-
GUS faces of the questioners while the
toy spelled out the W Express
ing a total disbelief in such nonsense
He was challenged to give the spook
profit a trial, which he agreed to do
on condition that the test should be
made in his own way. This being
five questions on separate slips
and placed his hands upon the instru-
ment. To question one: ..Tell me
my full NAME" came the answer,
mo" to question two: Where was
/ born?n ''Yes;n to question three:
Are the whole of the accredited
books of the Old and New Testament
inspired?" the answer was, Call
another day." to question four, Who
wrote Shakespeare's PLAYS, six
O'clock" to question five, .sHow long
shall | live" John Jones'" These
answers were written down by the
sitters as given. and when placed op-
posite the questions should, II
would think, have been sufficient to
convince the firmest believer of the
utter nonsense of wasting time over
such an idiotiotic invention. but on
the plea that "Ouija" had not been
given a fair show, women of mature
age. the mothers of upgrown families,
sturdily maintained that the board
was invested with supernatural and
prophetic power.
This appears harmless enough, but
scanning the papers a day later a re-
port appears of a woman who has
been driven temporarily insane
through this toy, as it will be remein
bered scores of people were by Plan
Ghetto twenty years ago. The
writer has knowledge of n
family in Brooklyn which be-
came forever disunited through
Planchette revelations, twenty years
ago in the Eastern District; they had
wealth, social standing and education,
three lovely daughters were educated
with great care at the Packer Insti-
tute, graduating from which with
houors, they were about to enter life
with a brilliant promise of success,
but jealousy between mother and
father broke up the home and
blasted all the fair hopes OF
a prominent family. 1t was
a p%lanchette vagary, a hollow
falsehood, but the wife, stepped to the
lips in the inconsequential mysteries
in what is called spiritualisrn, was deaf
to all appeals, and lives today (for the
husband and father is dead a iniser-
able woman. Faith, governed by
reason, is a strong armor, without
which the most gifted Of Gods
creatures is imperfect, but faith
merged into insane, credulity is an
unmitigated curse and the ministers
of our various churches might do
worse than warn their people against
harboring "Ouija" in their homes or
what would be better still, laugh it
out of the city, as Cervantes is said to
have laughed Chivalry out of SPAIN
Brooklyn Citizen.