Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-01
THE spIR1rUAL1srs Anniversary.
1t Was Celebrated in Washington by
Addresses md ..TesfS..,

1t Was Celebrated I'm Washington by
Addresses and '.Tests."
The forty-seventh anniversary of the adj
vent Of modern spiritualism was celebrated
at Metzerott Music Hall by the spiritualists
of Washington yesterday in three meet
ings. The first was held at 10 o'clock a. m
The meeting was opened with singing by
the audience, after which musical selec-
lions We're rendered by Mr.. Altemus, Mr.
Burr and Miss Madden.
Mr.. Milan c. Edison then delivered a
short address. reviewing the progress of
spiritualism from the time of the Rochester
rappings in iS4S to the present day. Mrs.
A. II. Luther followed in an address, in
which she eulogized Thomas Paine, and
declared that spiritualism had brought light
into the world that had heretofore CROPPED
in the darkness of church dogma. AT
o'clock in the afternoon a short session was
held, consisting of conference of local
SpiritualiStS and short talks upon spiritual
ism.
The evening session, at 7:3O o'clock, drew
large audience, who paid 10 cents adms-
sion at the door, and packed the lower part
of the hall The stage was decorated with
palms and potted plants, while in the center
was bronze bust of Thomas Paine, fes-
TONED with roses. In front of the stage
were several oil paintings purporting to
have been executed at the behest of spirits.
Floral decorations We're plentiful, and
center table was piled high with roses.
A Successful Appeal.
The program for the evening included
musical selections by Mr.. Homer Altemus,
Miss Hempstone, the Misses Burt, Emil
Christiana and Mr. Burr. The first person
named for an address was Mrs Luther. If
the audience expected dissertation upon
spiritualism, however, they were disap-
pointed, for Mrs. Luther had little mat
ter of business to arrange first She want
ed to raise $50 to help the National Asso-
citation of spiritualists. After making a
vigorous plea for money, she called for
volunteers to contribute S. each, starting
the list herself Several responded, and
then she dropped the limit to s.. then to s.,
and finally to 81, catching contributors each
time. Then the baskets were passed
around, and the total result of the contri-
buttons We're announced to be s123.96, which
sum- she said. would be duplicated in
amount by Mr. Theodore ]. Myers.
After this successful bit of financiering,
Mrs. Luther addressed the audience
spiritualism. She spoke of the wonderful
advance which the world has made in the
past fifty years in science and invention,
and declared that the progress of civiliza-
ton must be surely due to some extent to
the progress Of spiritualism. She said
spiritualism is awakening the people and
bringing comfort and help to them by de-
claring that there is no death, and that the
spirit lives forever. She referred to the
opposition of the church, and said that in
church and its great power and influence
spiritualism is steadily progressing.
Giving Tests.
Then. followed what were called the
tests" of the evening. Miss Maggie Gaule
was the first medium introduced. She
stood at the front of the stage, and with
eyes closed proceeded to announce mes
sages from the spirit world" She gave,
among others, what purported to be COM
munication from William Fielding, who
was killed by fall from the post Office
building in this city, and the dead mans
brother-in-law announced that he recog-
nized the message and its sender. The
message was that the accident was caused
by the mans own carelessness.
When Miss Gaule concluded her tests
Mr.. Altemus was introduced, and delivered
a number Of messages" among them one
from Anton Fischer, who was lost in the
Elbe disaster
At the conclusion Mrs. Luther made a
farewell address, and the audience dis
persed.