Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-19

send down word how best to treat pneu-
monia and other fatal diseases concerning
which the doctors of the present know so
little. By the laws of eternal progress
which prevail in the spirit land, they might
now know enough to give Koch few i'm
pressions.
Avery Hard Question.
This spiritual fortune teller on the hill
does not, it appears, base her predictions
upon lock of hair, but insists upon seeing
the person face to face who desires to receive
news from the spirit land, and the
writer of the letter therefore asks: rs
this woman hypnotist or mesmerizer, and
how long can her impressions be made to
last, and how often must her power be re-
newed to control the mind of otherwise
sane persons?" Not being familiar with
these mysterious manifestations, nor with
"the methods formulated by spirits to tele-
graph to mortals here below through the
organisms of specially endowed persons
called mediums" our correspondent must
be referred to the "Rules for the Spirit
Circle" or to spiritualists themselves, who
know all about it.
One of them thus writes: "Spirits are
seen. felt, heard, read mans thoughts. teach
the ignorant, make the unlearned speak with
new tongues, prophesy of the future, dis
close hidden things, make music, paintings,
poetry, addresses; carry objects through
the air invisibly and drop them visibly.
They rap on tables, set motionless
bodies in action, fill the place with
sounds and lights; they can produce
warm, living bodies fully clothed. These
spirits live, employ force. are masters of
sciences unknown to mortals, givs new
things to the world beyond number. These
cpirit1 hriuO in naxv naOe of acouefios
new line of optics, new motive power, new
revelations 10 physiology, psychology,
chemistry and the evidence of a country as
much more capacious and full of inhabitants
than this little globe.as eternity is longer
than time"
Some Things Hard to Explain.
With all this power in possession, as
claimed, what strikes the outsider as wonder
full is that these spirits do so little, that they
work through mediums-many of whom
have been shown up as frauds-rather than
directly; that they are limited by the power
of the organism through which they
manifest themselves; that they work in dark
ness rather than light; that they have such
fool methods of communicating as rapping
ON tables, blowing horns, slate-writing,
haunted houses, and sheeted ghosts that
send cold shivers down peoples backs and
=
would be interesting to know why in some
cases visitors from ghost land must be
wooed to manifest themselves by singing
melancholy songs, while in others they re-
fuse to show up unless by way of solemn
silence or earnest prayer.
One writer urges that the best possible
preparation for the medium to give satisfac-
tory manifestations of spirits and to receive
and transmit messages from ghosts is to en-
gage in a merry game of cards. In the rules
for the spirit circle, it is said that no person
of strong, positive temperament should
be present, as the spirit might be too
overpowered to produce the phenomena
desired. A negative and passive condition
Is the frame of mind most favored by
ghosts for their manifestations. "A candid,
iuquiring spirit is the only proper state Of
mind for a successful seance, and no posi-
tive or dogmatic person should be admitted,
because his mental condition would mar the
delicate magnetism" of the ghostly doings.
The Manifestation to Paul.
How this conclusion has been reached is
not plain to see. Paul was in q most posi-
tive frame of mind when he started on his
famous journey to Damascus. His was not
"a candid or inquiring spirit" Nor was he in
a negative or passive state OF dullness.
He was breathing out threatenings and
slaughter, when suddenly in strong
light, the spirit appeared to him, and he
was converted from a prosecutor of the
Gentiles into an apostle. Most people
would likely prefer this direct style of
spiritual manifestation to the roundabout
and expensive way Of test mediums, who
may be frauds.