The herald., 1894-11-18
For Maps Information Etc. See POTTER WEST Owners,
Or Inquire at Office on Tract 158 West Fifth Street

announced two hours programme, the
fret hour to be devoted to the piano and
reading by himself from his own book,
inepirationally and automatically writ
ten, and the second hour devoted to
materializ ations by the Rev. Mr.. How
ton.
His playing, l understood him to say,
is inspiratlonal, the same ae his writing.
can neither affirm nor deny, as am
no judge either OF inspiration or piano
playing; bat Of his inspired writing
will say, ii bis claim is a correct one, by
all means give me the product OF an un-
inspired hand. II inspiration produces
only absurdity and nonsense, it were far
better to depend upon our own individ-
ual brains than upon some imaginary
spiritual influence from an imaginary
world.
The impstiently waited-for hour for
materalizations at length arrived, and
tho Rev. Mr. Eowton came forward. He
10 a young man, rather diminutive phys
ically, and as to outward appearance de-
cidedly 80 mentally. He very compass.
sionately spared us the infliction Of any
Of his philosophy, as we had already had
surfeit of that kind from another in
spired source. L. was not philosophy,
but naturalization in gaslight we were
hankering for. The reverend gentleman
went to the cabinet" raised the cur
tains hung on wires at corner of the
hall enclosing space sufficiently large
for him to operate in, permitting us to
see that no ghoat creating machinesy
was therein concealed. He cautioned
US not to touch the curtains or the spirits
as they appeared, unless permission was
given. Wien individuals were called
for, he said Mr.. Petersilea would lead
them up for communications. He in
struoted his attendant to turn off the
gas, which he proceeded to do, till only
the faint glimmer of single burner out
near the door remained, A tallow can.
die in l0.acre lot, or a lightning bug
in en- orchard, would make brilliant
illumination in comparison; and this
was gaslight materializstions.
He went behind the curtains, request.
ing the audience to sing, which they
proceeded to comply with, and, after 10
or 15 minutes numbering of Nearer My
God to Thee, Beulah Land, Shall We
Gather at the River, etc., etc., a white
form appeared at the functions of the
curtains. If it was not the Rev. HowSon
fixed up for the occasion, it was some-
thing else equally mundane.
The Indian, an irrspressible intruder
at almost all Heances, was there as usual
whether in paint and feathers or simply
in materializsd blanket, l am unable to
state, as he kept safely behind the ours
tains, and only vouched for his presence
by the stentoran gibberish the Rev.
Howton tried to palm off on q suffering
audience as the dialect of some dead
scalper Of white men.
suppose that just as long az credu-
lous fools-I was one of them-are
duped by the announcements Of such
charlatans, just go long will such hum
buggery be perpetrated.
There is a constantly increasing mul.
titude honestly and earnestly seeking
for evidence that death is not the end
OF individual consciousness. In their
hope and struggle to find the evidence
they meet with such men as this Rev.
Howton until hope dies out and the
eearch for evidence is given up in dis
couragement and disgust
By Petersilea's letter in Tuesdays
HERALD ii seems he was a humbugged
victim. like the rest of US, but with this
difference: He was the direct cause
and furnished the opportunity for
swindling his patrons; he made money
out OF the performance. while the rest of
us were swiDdled out of ours. We
pocketed the disgust, he the numerous
quarters. II his occult power is real
and not a similar pretenson to that OF
Rev. Howton, it would have done him
and the audience good service by de-
tecting the fraudulent pretension of
REV. Arthur Howton, celebrated me-
dunn" Had his spirit control been as
capable of detecting fraud as the COM
mon sense of the audience was, he
ought III the early part of the PERFORM
ence to have discovered that the Rev.
Arthur Howton, whom he had go con-
spicuously advertised as a celebrated
medium" was perpetrating fraud.
Ia that case it was clearly his duty to
announce such fact, stop the perform.
ancs and refund the 60 fraudulently OBJ
tained entrance fee. But he did not do
it, and now. with the money in his
pocket, he repents and promises not to
do 80 any more.
/ One OF THE VICTIMS.
| E,at M AnCaaa NnV Ia 1904