Year: 1868

Spiritualism-SOmo OF Its More Recent


Manifestations.


The case of Mr.. Home, now before the Eng
lish courts, has lent an interest to Spiritual


ism to which otherwise it is not justly entitled


By the details of the trial which we have given
from time to time in the pages of the HERALD
the American public have been placed in fair
position to Judge for themselves. We have no
desire to PREJUDICE the case. Whether Mr..
susceptible intellect of the rich but childless
widow Lyon to the extent Of robbing her of
her entire property may be left with safety in
the hands of the English judges. The money
is, perhaps, as safe in the hands of Mr.. Home
as in those of Mrs. Lyon, although it might be
safer in other hands than either. This, how
ever, is a subordinate question. The fact with
which we have to deal is that Spiritualism is
one Of the great questions Of the day, and it is
not possible for us to deny that this will
case has given Spiritualism an Importance
to which ntrinsically it is not entitled, and
which certainly it has not formerly enjoyed.
In the HERALD Of yesterday we gave large
portion of the evidence both for and against
Mr.. Home. We gave also an account of a
grand Spiritualist soiree held on May in the
city Of Glasgow, Scotland. The Glasgow
meeting was certainly a popularity. Those
who know Glasgow and who are familiar with
the names Of the different parties who figured
on the occasion will not be much surprised
either with the meeting or with its results. tits,
however, we hesitate not to say, undeniable that
the investigation of Mrs. Lyons case will, taken
in connection with the Glasgow meeting, prove
Spiritualism under the organized form in which
alone we have a right to look at it, to be one
of if not the grandest, swindle of the age. If
certainly one of the meanest and most merce-
nary apostles which the world has yet known
in connection with any cause. The Jesuits
have been blamed, and blamed not unjustly
but the Jesuits in their worst and most
INSCRIPTIONS days behaved like gentle
minded and hungry fellow, who processes
to sustain mysterious relations to the spirit
world, and who makes use of his pre-
tended power to rob weak-minded and unsus-
pecting widows of their property. Home may
or may not be q favorite with the world un-
seen, but Home has made it manifest that he
and all men like him are dangerous enemies,
against which the law should protect society.
We say this all the more heartily of Home be-
cause we are prepared to be equally severe if
similar practices are indulged under any other
more sacred or less sacred name. The re.
ligious instincts implanted in man by the Great
Father of us all were given for high, holy and
noble uses, and it cannot be permitted that
selfish scoundrels like Home should play upon
these instincts for base and selfish ends. The
Glasgow meeting could be repeated at any
moment by putting drugged, a drunken or an
insane woman upon the platform, and allowing
her to conduct herself in her own wild way.
As it was, the audience was disgusted and the
chairman was compelled to apologize for the in
decent exhibition. It is one of the remaining
consultations of poor humanity that error sooner
or later kills itself. Judging from these re-
cent manifestations, the end of Spiritualism
cannot be far off. 1t cannot perish too soon.


'BLEEDlNG KANSAS" TO THE RESCUE The