Year: 1876

Every great progress in science must be
preceded by its hypothesis, and the func-
ton OF the hypothesis has been aptly COM
pared to the scaffolding that is put up for
the builder to stand upon while he erects
the wall. Imagination projects into the
abyss OF the future some grand guess, and
the humber iaborers of science-the patient
delivers and persistent hewers-spend their
early energy and their midnight oil in the
accumulation and disposition of the facts
which shall prove or disprove the hypoth-
esis. Some of them find the police in the
way, and are obstructed often by what is
called the justice of the period. This is
what has happened to Slade, as it has previ-
ously happened to many other investigators.
Slade should be proud of this fact, for the
same thing happened to Galileo, and when
scientific inquirer finds that there is any
point in which his history resembles that
Of 'sthe starry Galileo with his woes" he
may be sure that he is to that extent
in the right direction. Slade may go to
prison. In this country we deal more lightly
with science, and we only compel birds of
his feather to pay ten dollars for license as
jugglers. Then they can write on slate
just as they please; and not one of them has
yet done such wonders with a slate as is
done every year in Tammany Hall. In fact.
the Tammany Indians are the great slate
jugglers of this age, and Slades achieve
ments are poor by comparison. But in Eng
land there is no freedom, even in jugglsry.
Besides, in that country the quarrel of relig-
ion and science is fierce, and the Bench of
Bishops would have to be reorganized if
81 ade were not sent to prison. But they do
not see that in incarcerating him they may
assist his labors that they may themselves
become parties to grand demonstration of
the truthfulness of the hypothesis of the
naturalization Of spirits. In this respect
the world is on the eve Of q wonderful dis
covery.


1t may not be commonly known that, when
disembodied spirit is put before the pub
lie in q materialized form, the spirit is then
in such relation with the medium that the
two go halves, rs it were, in the possession
of the mediums body. As the disembodied
one acquires an appearance more and more
perceptible to the vulgar eye the person Of
the medium becomes more and more atten-
uated, and often cannot be seen without
glasses. This accounts for the fact that per-
sons in a highly spiritualized condition can,
with the assistance Of q certain number of
glasses, oftener than not see two men where
ordinary people only see one. Well, it
appears that this process Of the material
ization of spirits was at an advanced
stage between Slade and an unknown
ghost when the impertinent doctors
broke violently in and seized the
ghost with Slade's body on him. He
had more than half already, and in the con-
fusion the rest went over to him with sud-
den flop, and poor Slade was left out in the
cold, and invisible, of course. That ghost,
wearing Slade's body, is what those mis-
taken people have got on their hands, and
the longer they can keep him the better the
ghost will like it. Slade, however, is hang
ing around and watching his chance. Let
them once put that fellow under bolts
and bars. Then Slade will hop up on the
window ledge as lively as cocksparrow,
and through the interstices of the prison
bars he will just ''materialize" that body
of his on the outside, and that wpetched
unknown ghost may sneak off s'blown in the
viewless prison of the winds" In the
morning when the jailer comes in with the
Cruel there will be nothing there but slight
smell. and the principles of naturalization
will be demonstrated.