Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-04-15

---' she q student, ant,
We're sitting behind the vines which
screened the piazza of our village
home, pairing apples. 1t was time to
retire, bat this fact stimulated, rather
than otherwise, desire to display
my argu nents and to enjoy the some.
what restful triumph in which l was
confident they would result.
10 begin WITH" L opened, "a
ghost from it, ,ert huture can never
be apprehendel by the senses So
called. 1t is of necessity spiritual,
immaterial, incorporeal existence, fit
is anything. Clothe it with the merest
drapery OF matter, SO as to render it
visible to the eye. and your ghost
ceases its existence, or rather begins
an existence as material object. The
subtlest luminous gas that the chemist
can generate, even ii it were coaxel
into the semblance of some departed
friend, would not be ghost, but a
material entity. The term we are
nsinG denotes breath, which, strictly
speaking, no man ever saw. The
synonym apparation aids us to OBJ
serve also that ghosts are mere ap
pearances or scemings born of the
imagination. We form our idea OF
what ghost should be and, 10, the
thing appears, fresh from our mental
workshop and exactly as we made it.
People are always con uring up
spirits, for Instance, that are deathly
pale: bat there's no earthly reason
why these shouldn't sometimes appear
in their gin blossoms and purple
noses"
1T must be so, Plato; thou reason
est WE'LL" INTERCEPTED Mel! rather pro.
vokinglv.
Even if by some incredible feat o.
magic poor stalking ghost wera
made visible to u.s." l continued,
"wlly should we fear him? HI
couldn't DO us the slightest harm
We ought to pity him, condole with
him, warm him up, if necessary, and
not so off into Mysteries like fools
Why, did you ever think that thou
sand ghosts wouldn't weigh as much
Gs the tail Of that little starved mouse
we caught the other day with hand
kercAief? They wouldn' t turn the
scale, inleel, if placed opposite the
wing OF this saucy June bug flying
about my head. Afraid of such things
Tie on the thoughtn'
"How charming is divine phil
osophy," quoted Nell, quite inappro
priately, as [ thought, again INDUCING
her mania for using quotations.
Glow unfortunate it is" ! went OF
to say, chat 10 one has ever sue
cecled in capturing ghost. Once
get one Imprisoned under a glass re
ceiver and your fortune would be as
sured instanter. What n priceless
curiosity for Snowman! Hundred.
would give their last cent to see it ant
be enabled to say during the rest OF
their lives: Tve always told you SO.
Talk about Egyptian mummies! There
are people who would go 4 Thousand
miles to SEQ genuine spectre who
wouldn't cross street to see the whole
eighteen Ptolemys of Egyptian histor,
boxed up as mummies. In the way
of such spirit exhibition, however
there's one obstinate barrier. Tn,
man who invented ghosts made then
of such fiimsy material that they &
where they will in spite of mems de
vices. If, therefore, sprite shoult
dissent, it would be utterly useless t.
bottle him, for he wouldn't stay bot
led while you were corking him up.
cit larrows me with fear and won
der" Nell recited, but disdained te
notice the interruption.
"For once, it is true, science is com
pletely baflled. II the microscope o.
test-tube could be applied the matter
would soon be cleared up. But til,
instant these discover something
presto! there's no ghost. Aspectre ter
rifles whole city, but when al in
quisitive bullet finally finds the objec
Of terror, behold. it's no spectre. I
you find it you lose it; if you have i
you haven't it; if you see it you don
see it at all, since you see something
else. Tn such case there's no refug,
but in common sense and cold logic
"Logic is logic, that's all I say,
chimed in my eyasperating listener.
"Once moro, if it were possible fo
spirits to revisit the living in visible
form they would roam about the worl,
in legions. There's old Tom Bottles
of the gin mill-he'd have ut his heel
small army OF bloated and bleareyet
sots long gone hence and starved
widows and frozen children. Many 1
man, too, who now holds his head wa,
above his neighbors would be haunte,
day and night by the wretches he ha
ruined. Yes, it is veritable disgrace
to an age like ours to cherish this
moldy relic Of superstition and ignor
ance! Away with ghosts, say l."
This time Nell was not prepared will
a quotation. Her head was resting OF
the back Of her chair and she was fas
asleep. Taking this to be proof tina
/ had set her mind at rest upon tn,
subject considered, 1 reused her ant
we entered tho house. Fathers bust
ness had called him from home, ant
mother, who was semi-invalid, hat
gone to visit friends, prepared to spen,
the night. Nell and I thought moth
ing Of being left alone, rs this Lac
often happened before, and after hav
ing closed the house and retired wer,
soon asleep. There was no reason foI
fear, since our neighbors could easil,
be summoned in any emergency. l
is scarcely necessary to add that tn,
night passed quickly.
When L opened my eyes it wa
early dawn. For time l lay awake
listening to the calls of the birds
Then there gradually stole over me I
feeling of nervousness. I thought
detected movements in the adjoining
room. Turning my head confronted
Nell's staring eyes.
"What is it?" she whispered family
Before I could answer there came
light thump against the wall, then an
other and another.