A SPIRITURALISTIC SEANCE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3014, 22 February 1881, Page 3

A SPIRITURALISTIC SEANCE.

Madame Lotti Wilmot presided at a private epiritualietic seance last evening. There were six gentlemen present, and they were all there for the purpose of most careful investigation into the phenomena called spiritualism. Previous to the investigation the light was reduced a little, but there was sufficient light to enable the enquirers to see distinctly everything in the room. The seance commenced by the medium requesting those present to take their places round a small circular table, and to rest their fingers upon the table-top in the orthodox manner. For a sonsiderable time there was no manifestation, and the medium was doubtful if the conditions were favorable, and began to think that the number of sceptics present interfered with any manifestation. Suddenly, bowever, the table commenced to move, and then commenced a series of the most marvellous manifestations which it has been the privilege of the writer to witness. At the request of the medium the spirits indicated their presence by movements Of the table—one oscellation. indicating a negative, and three an affirmative. The names borne by the spirits present when in the flesh were soon ascertained. Questions relating to the conditions of the inhabitants of spirit land, the ages of those present, incidents in the life of the spirits when on earth, and other matters too numerous to mention. Some of the answers were wonderfully correct, and others indicated that the spirits had not yet reached a state of perfect knowledge. These manifestations continued for about an hour and a half in an orderly quiet fashion, when one of the spirits, more lively than his neighbors, began to dance the table about in a most marvellous manner, tilting it over to an angle of seventy-five, raising it up in the air, and dancing it about to a gig tune, until it danced one of the legs of the table off. During the whole of these gyrations the six investigators, with the rnediumand herdaughter, were flying round the room, perspiring capiouely, scattering furniture in all directions, and keeping time to the vagarries of this active spirit. When the passive instrument of the phenomena received a shock to its understandings there was a p'luse ia the proceedings, and other spirits entered the room of a more soothing character. After the spiritualistic seance there was a slight exhibition of mesmerism, but whether his efforts to keep time with the vigorous spirits during the seance had exhausted the subject, or a dumb spirit had entered into him, did not transpire, but beyond a mesmeric sleep nothing was attained.

The writer was present at this seance purely for the purpose of investigation, and he certainly saw phenomena at which he marvelled, but he went home with the idea that some of the inhabitants of the spirit world bad not attained that 1 egard for truth which one would think is desirable in beings who have reached a higher life than ours, Then there ia a sad want of dignity about these spirits,

the loud laughter which greeted some of there most vigorous antics appearing not to hurt their feelings in the slightest. Altogether, after such a seance, one remains with a strong impression that there must be a cad want of occupation in that spirit land about which we hear BO much.