The morning times., 1896-10-21
WANTS OF sP|R|TUAL|sTS
Presidents Report Sets Them
Forth in Detail.
AGAINST THE BLUE LAWS
Proposed Sunday Legislation Strongly
Opposed-The Spiritualists' Temple
In This City-Missionary Work In
the South--Interesting Public Tests
Conducted ut the Evening Session.


The National Spritualists' Association
convention was pracilcaIly in sessi, 4 all
day yesterday. The morning hours were
consumed i'll organization ana naming com
| mtteeS. At 80 p. m. tie afternoon scs-
sion began with the reading of the report
of the committee on rules.
Among The rules adopted were: LiInita-
tiCn OF speakers to ten minutes, providing
for majority cOptrol; appeals from the
decision OF the chair 10 lie sustained by
at least five delegates before entertained
previous question must lave five delegates
moving it TO be enforced
Tie regular daily sessions will be from
| 10 Il. III. TO l p. M, 2. 20 to q y. M, and
evening meeting, 20 cents admission, from
| 7:3O to 1870.
After the adoption of the rules govern
Ing its deliberations, the convention listened
| to the report of the president Of the as
| Sociation, Mr.. Harrison ID. Barrett OF
| New York. Tie report was OF an eX-
| lauStivc character, occupying nearly three
] hours in its reading.
| The president entered into the conSidcra-
| tiOn of all phases OF the conditions or
| spiritualism in detail. Among other things
hc dwelt at length upon the laws now
existent in forty-two States that initiate
| against the interests Of spiritualism in its
relation to the cure of bodily ills, and
| Willie deprecating all forms of law-break-
ing, advocated the agitation of the repeal
OF such laws, instancing the defeat by
Spiritualists Of such legislation proposed
| in Michigan last winter.
| Mr.. Barrett spoke strongly on the subject
| of false mediums and other frauds and said
| tie association should take the reSponSi-
| bility OF wedding out this class OF de-
| ceivers. He told several amusing stories
..EI.
| iect, OF perversions of Spritualistic powers
TO ends puerile and even base. This part
| of his report Was vigorous aigu.n:nt OF
flkirs and fortune -tellers and seemed to
| meet the hearty indorscmenU OF tbs. con-
| vcIition.
PROPOSED PSYCHIC SCHOOLS
| He recommended a bureau of ;nforma-
| tton here tne public could Keep informed
| rs 10 the status OF mediums. He desires
the use OF the simpler manifestations III
larger extent, the immediate establish
| u-nt OF psyCni schools for the instruction
| and development of mediums, and the ,c-
| newal of the old-faShioned home-circics
He earnestly requested sympathAcrs to
! support all true mediums.
After a review of his work in visiting
the hundreds of local societies III the
| United States and Canada, he touched
upon the sub Ject of ordination Of mediums
| and recommended that the convention
take action in tie matter. He recommends
| the procuring of legislation That Will
prevent the celebration OF marriages by
| ministers Of any church, and spoke against
all forms Of union OF Church and state
! While opposing all determinations hy rai-
roads Ill favor of the clergy, he proposed
| to complain to the Interstate Commerce
Commission If equal facilities were not
given spirltuallsts.
lie referred to the incoming board OF
trustees the question Of the establishment
of a school OF psychic philosophy at caSsa-
daigua. n. Y, as also the organization OF
the proposed missionary work OF the as
sociatIou. The president, he said, cannot
reach all now, and at least three mission
aries, who would at tie same time be
financial agents for the collection of funds,
should he appointed.
GAVE WAY TO a real DER.
AT O'Clock the throat of the president
became TOO sore to permit his going On, and
Mr.. Frank Walker OF New York was ap-
pointed reader in his place.
On the subject of the erection OF ma
; tiunai temple of spirtuaiSm in Washing
ton. committee was recommended to take
charge OF the collection OF funds for that
purpose. He especially urged The propo-
sitiUn 10 the attention of the convention
and the new board of trustees.
The receipts of money Of the national
|
$500; lie balance on hand, Sl,d9314
He discouraged the use of hypnotic in
| 1ucnCes iii raising money for any purpose
The president reviewed the work of the
various mass meetings held by the spiritual
lists Of San Francisco and Denver, and
deprecated the quarrel that arose in the
latter.
The celebrated case Of the William Sci
bert Will was touched upon Mr.. Sciber
was a wealthy PcnnS ylvanian, and, dying
left 10000 to the University Of Penn
sylvania. with which to investigate spirit
ualiSm. The board of regents of the uni
| yerSity made an effort, unsatsfacto tory il
result, and then abandoned all attempt I,
carry out the provisions Of the Will. Step
are recommended to force them to do so
Reference was made to the coming JUBILEE
Of spiritualsm in the United States. TIL
rftielh anniversary If the first manifesto
tiuns developed by the famous Fox sister
in Rochester. y. Y, known as the 'Ruchcs
ter knuckinES'' The celebration of thi
anniversary will take place March 81
1898. and it is proposed to purchase tn
| Fox house in Rochester as a memoria
| and hold the jubilee i'll that city.
The report of the president was close
! by some reference to his personal wor
i'll the cause and thanks to the press an,
| to several religious sectS and denomina
, tions for sympathy and fair treatment
egatc to the Free Thought convention L
be held in Chicago in November the repor
: was submitted amid applause.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
AT this time it was moved that the cor
vention defer the reading of the secretary
| report till tom orrow, but the motion, afte
| much discussion, was overrucd and tn
r report was read. 1t was somewhat briefe
than the presidents, but covered nearl
, the same ground. The secretary said tina
, the membership of the national associatio
y had doubled within two years. Help fO
the president Was recommended, and tn
South selected as the most inviting fiel
for the spreading of the faith.
The steps taken last winter to prever
, the passage Of blue laws for the Distric
or Columbia were mentioned and the Mors
Sunday bill named as especially objeC
' tionable Mention was made of the prt
posed Godin-the- Constitution legislation
and the claim made that another bill no les
> Objectionable had been prepared and woul
he presented to Congress this session.
G The temple fund.- the Hull Summer SchoC
of Spirituasm, and the Fox Home l.
Rochester received Il liberal share Of a
tention, and after an appeal for agitatio
and education in the interest of sprituaiisI
the report was submitted, and the convcI
n ton adjourned till Z: 80 o'clock after nearl
e five hours of hard work.
THE EVENING SESSION.
Il The evening meeting consisted entirel
4 of addresses, music and spiritualistic test
] A piano solo by Miss Geyser, of Washing
=, tom ,,pappl the 10 yerriSpS and wa ppthus