Year: 1871

municatiOn, or medium. He is GER
tainly the priest and prophet of the
new faith, and is declared to be the
mysterious implement worked by
Iunearthly hands. He is asserted to
be an actual bridge across which
messages are transmitted from the
dead to the living; a sort of modern,
every day Jacobs ladder for spiritu-
al feet to tread. These statements
are overwhelming, and if medium is
all that they relate a medium is GER
tainly very wonderful person. But
we are to confine ourselves to the
simple but all important question, is
it SoS Hence we must consider what
does a medium do in his peculiar
line; and then, how does he do it?


Upon turning to the solution of
the question, what does a medium
do2 we meet list of contortions
of the. body seemingly accompanied
with eontortions of the spirit. They
might be detailed to great length,
but that is in brief the answer to
the question. 1t is Immediately OBJ
vious that this class Of actions is
identical with the clairvoyant and
somnambulistic proceedings of one
and two centuries back. There are
authentic records to show a much
older date, but in this matter we do
not wish to look back beyond the
reign ofexact and recognized science.
Following up the study we find be-
yond a doubt that the appearance
and conduct of medium, when in the
condition which he denominates un-
der the influence of the spirits, are
the same as those of the clairvoy-
ants and somnambulists Of Mesmer
and DePuysegur. Moreover, the
modern Spiritualists believe more or
less strongly in practical magnetism
and mesmerism. Hence, by irrefrag-
able proof, as well as the practical
belief of Spiritualists, this portion of
spiritualism is identical with the
clairvoyance of the preceding centu-
~. Here, then, we have one of the
two great classes of spiritual mani
festations, those through and by
means of q medium, resting upon
the same foundation and supported
by the same evidence as what have
been recognized heretofore as clair.
voyance, animal magnetism, and
somnambulism. Our course of in
quiry has put them upon the same
footing; they are idential: accord
ingly their fate must be common
Whatever disposition is made of one
must also be made Of the others.
We will now engage in the analysis
of a series Of scientific memoranda
concerning the former practice ol
there hypothesis in order to discover
whether the medium theory in mod
ern Spiritualism is worthy of place
il an improved and rational system
of religion. Because, undoubtedly
if it be shown that a living person
could at any time, by any means not
directly physical, communicate
thoughts and wishes to another in q
state of sleep or partial insensibility
it ought to be done at the presen'
time and would prove at least th'
possibility of medium claims. Upol
| investigation we find that clairvoy
ance as commonly understood has
been practieed in various guises anC
under various names for hundreds o
years. That we may not be misleC
by the different terms used in thiI
art, such as mesmerism, magnetism
magnetic somnambulism, ,hypnOtism
and odylic force, we must under
stand, and it is sufficient to under.
stand, that each one. analyzed mean'
simply a means of clairvOyance, anC
that all of them united and com
pounded mean nothing more mol
less. All of them are based upon
the idea that the mind or spirit can
acquire and communicate knowlege
without the aid of the senses; anC
that it can acquire knowledge oi
things not cognizable by the senses


We will direct our thoughts to the
claims set up by the leading advo
Gates and practicers of this theory,
which was first announced in an in
telIigible and positive manner by
Mesmer. He carried the art to g
great length but it must be acknowl
edged that he did not make it per
feet. Moreover, upon examination
it appears undeniable that many Of
| his theories were chinenical and
many of his practices ridiculous
He stated that the very elements
we're subject to human magnetism
otherwise spirit power, and asserted
that he magnetized the sun. Ac
cording to this theory, one under
his magnetic influence could prog
Inosticate as to the future, and look
into his own system, and understand
the pathological conditions, have
knowledge of distant comets, anC
exercises the different interesting
power usually comprehending in th'
terms provision, intro vision and ret
lewiston. There are the claims il
gross of all the succeeding clairvoy
ants and somnambulists. 1t seem
that Messmer also claimed the pow
er Of causing diseases by his mys
terious magnetism; and all the sub
lservient practicery of average pre-
tentions have claimed similar pow
er. We will consider one of hi
most noted cares of practice, at tn


same time bearing in mind the fac
that he had been regularly instrucn
ed in the science of medicine. 4
wealthy Frenchman named NJ. Cam
pan was afflicted with pulmonary
j complaint. He was a man OF veal
body and not over robust mind, AM
| Messmer was sent for. His lady
madame Campan was woman o
sense and spirit, and she demande'
of Messmer his proposed course o
treatment. He replied that either


Young woman of bro Tn complexion
a black hen, or an empty bottle mus
be placed at the left side of the pa
tient. Whereupon madame c. said
If 1t be a matter of indifference, lie
it be the empty bottle, by all means.
The bottle was accordingly brough
and placed as directed, and the hes
] ler began his incantatiOns. but a
his art could not affect the patien
He, however, took advantage of tn
temporary absence of madame Can
pan to bleed and blister the sick ma