Year: 1868

A Trance Medium nj D0dwOrth Hall-0ucer


Nervous Exhibitions-SOme Words About


Visible and Invisible Means.


The First Spirualiss' Society at Dodworth Hall pro-
crosses swimmingy IN respect 10 the number OF Its
audiences since the abolition Of the ten cent adnis
sion. Free to all Ia now the motto-the freedom ex-
tending not only to the point Of admission gratis
but also to the exercise OF exceeding freedom after
the den has been entered. Yesterday morning Dr.
IaIlock explained TO the assembage OF the faithful
exactly what the country expected Of Spirituasm
df 1t ever expected anything)-though the
reverend gentleman with the degree omit
ted very properly to explain what Spiritu-
ualism expected OF the country-a question Of far
greater importance than the former though more
intimately connected with the having OF visible
means OF support. To be sure, II Is q part Of the
creed Of the ism In question to rely on rather invisible
means for that purpose, aud not q few succeed re-
markably well In 80 doing but, on the whole,
Il is better to have the visible means on hand,
even II spirtualist has really no use for Them 1t
answers the requirements OF the law, II nothing
more; and while one IL I'm the world is Of the ut
most importance to live legally and by visible
little annoyances which, for ones comfort In living,
ought to be scrupulously avoided. Arrests are
sometimes made at the instance OF less
without visible means and are naturally enyious Of
people who can. People have lvery unjustly, to be
sure been imprisoned for the fact OF having visible
means of support on hand. even though they had no
need of them and could live without them lust as
well as not; and little accidents OF this sort are
always dsagrceable and troublesome. To be locked
up as q vagrant on mere formality--the mere for
mality of being required to have what one has no
need Offs an incident that often occurs to very
spiritual y-minded people: for the police have no
respect for Observation-Disclosures "a rule and have
been known to arrest persons processing II Tor the


doing things: and therefore, though real spiritualist
OF the first water has really need of visible means
OF support and no occasion to use them, i always
better to avoid all possible annoyance and comply
with the regulations. Not having done SO, people
donp So people win he veryikeIy TO suffer again for
the same reason. 1t IL very hard TO convince the
world that visible means OF support are not an actual
necessity OF proper existence, TO say nothing OF sub
sstence and some little respect ought TO be paid TO
popular prejudice, especially in this respect. People
have been heard OF who did not believe that the
ravens consented to act as a commissary department
for Elijah; and people there be also who have been
In the wilderness under similar circumstances and
the ravens never came near. In other words. when
the ravens were depended upon the ravens did not
come.


All this js intended az the merest good advice to
the members OF the First Spirituaiists' Society rey
ought to be careful and provide themselves with
the proper visible means OF support, not so paric-
ulary for their own satisfaction ~ Tor that oi the
public.


Mrs. n. r.. Hasvil having been advertised to speak
in trance and AT the suggestion Of anybody who
might be pleased TO suggest anything. Upon enter,
ing the hall-say at eight o'clock.the spectator
might have observed that the spiriualists VIII some
times turn an honest penny t is not intended to in
sinuate that they would turn penny otherwise than
honestly) as demonstrated by existence OF n,i-
mrous books and periodicals for sale at stand near
the entrance, kept by pale-faced lad who seemed
TO have grown spiritual too young and whose
forehead consequently occupied the greater part Of
his face In lieu OF the ten cents admission formerly
demanded 1t was expected that the visitor would
dsburse freely In behalf OF spiritual literature-a
mode Of turning the penny which proves the nge-
nutty Of Spritnalsts in turning penny.


At the desk might have been observed q woman
rather oddly dressed, with coarse gray shawl
wrapped about her shoulders, and her eyes very
carefully closed occasional spasms OF nervous ai-
tation passed over her frame, the fingers meantime
digging convulsively into tho palm. The audience,
odors Of some hundreds Of individual persprations,
ming the room with dnruscd nausea In tpe
figure az the desk, with slngularly cadaverous
visage sat and invoked. Presently the shawl fell


from her shoulders revealing Of the weirdest and
most cronelke indvidualities, both In dress and
person. that ever anected the oarvoysnt n spiritual