NEW AND EXTRAORDINARY PHASE OF SPIRITUALISM.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2251, 25 July 1870, Page 2

NEW AND EXTRAORDINARY PHASE OF SPIRITUALISM.

A Dr Newton, who haa Just arrived in this country from the United States, and who claims to possess, through spiritual aid, power to heal the sickandafflicted, addressed audiences in the Concert Hall, Lord Nelson street, Liverpool, on Sunday morning and evening, and gave manifestations of his peculiar ‘‘gifts.” The Liverpool Mercury, in its account of the meeting, says the audience was composed of highly respectable people, who listened attentively. The lecturer is not a man whose appearance is likely to create a deep impression. He is undersized, has a portly figure, a bald head, a pair of eyes which are never wide open, and a sallow complexion. His style of oratory is also peculiar. His accent is Yankee, and he speaks spasmodically in short sentences, preceded by a closing of the eyes, a moment’s silence, during which he planes the table with his hand, and then comes a painful gasp for breath or heavy sign. Having drawn the breath, he runs on for a short time very rapidly, and then to a dead stop, during which the closing, plai ing, and gasping process is repeated as follows—- “ Dear friends, I love you as I would love a brother; I love you as dearly as my own children; I love all mankind; I love you more than I have words to express ; I have suffered more than most men; ay, more than any man ; I suffer, I know I do. I have had many hairbreadth escapes, amongst which I may mention strangulation, shipwreck, and a serious fall- all of which I have borne cheerfully that I may attain the kingdom of heaven.—l am a confirmed medium, I am ; the good angels are over around me; I have overcome the world through suffering; I have now the power to heal the sick ; I have this power; it is to be had as I say through suffering; I shall find such amongst the poor, the meek, and the lowly. This morning the kingdom of heaven is at hand ; the kingdom of heaven is ever at hand. You have all angels watching around you ; some ten or a dozeu. -I don’t want to make money ; I want to do all the good lean.” Ho then went on to say—“My power of healing is not limited. I can heal a multitude as easily as a few. I can do just as well on five thousand as on a small number. My dear brethren, I love you, and I say blessed are ye whojopen your souls to receive the love principle. ’The power of healing which I possess is a magnetic power, and sometimes I do things that are perfectly astonishing. My ’ secretary, Mr Watson, was for a long time perfectly blind- Last August I performed on him, and cured him almost instantly. 1 will now give a specimen of my groat power. I will cause a shock to pass from mo which will be fell more or less by all present, and if any one is in pain after it let him come to me and I will cure him.”

The “doctor” then stood up, extended his arms, threw hack his head, closed his eyes, made a sudden start as if he were aWit to cast himself head foremost into a river, raised his head again and shook it in a manner which gave the impression that he had really taken the'plungo, had risen to the surface,land had shaken his dripping hair off his face, and then opening his eyes, took a general survey of the persona before him. This constituted the “shock,” which, however, made no vivid impression upon any one. Selecting a man from amongst his audience, he exchrmed “That poor cripple is now healed of his lameness. You, my brother ; you had pain when you oame in. Do you feel better ?” The person addressed rose and replied that the pain from which he had been suffering when he entered the place was gone, whereupon the doctor invited him to step up to where he was standing. Seizing him by the hand he put to him the following extraordinary questions—- “ Do you love me T” “Do you love me as a brother ?” The man replied in a subdued voice—we suppose to the satisfaction of his interrogator, who took his head in his hands, stroked his face, laid his head upon his breast, and kissed his forehead. Then placing one hand on his head, and raising the other, said in a vory solemn manner—“ln the name of the powers that be, I say, Disease depart from thee." A gasp for breath and a violent shaking of the head with tbo eyes closed, accompanied by a sudden convulsion of the body, completed the charm. Then the former sufferer replied that he was quite better, walked quickly across the room without the aid of a stick, went through several twistings at the request of his benefactor, and retired. A sturdy looking man with a strong northern accent, here rose and said, “I tak’ exception to whatyc say. Ye say all pain has left the people iu this room, Noo, I have suf-

feredfor a lang time, and am nae better.” Dr Newton, addressing his hearers, said—- “ You heard, my brothers and sisters; the gentleman says he haa suffered for a long time, and is now better,” “ I beg your pardon. Ye misunderstand me, I said lam nao better.” “Oh, will ymt utapont? Uo you love me V' “1 10-e »($ “Sin you love me as a brotherf hoi;;* I love all men as brothers,” A fter f.Ms sfewt' dialogue, the doc ur took - * M/filW bond, and asked him from wiiis. Mv Stfiferiwfv He replied, “ Khcumatisoi,” Motor then put him through ene or ty=reeii vS and asked him to raise his ww tfwy Ms head; but ho exclaimed, " / lift baitb.” Dr Newton here co-m|J*iri«4 that his patient talked too much ; he *hor,Vior>ly answer questions. The gentleman referred to evidently felt hurt by this observation, for he thereupon exclaimed, “Moo can 1 ever do without speaking?” The doctor, dismissing the Scotchman on his persisting that, notwithstanding the shock, he was “nae better,” said—“My dear, friends, this is a case of a very peculiar sort; this person has a very strong will; he is very positive in' his will principle, but yet one of those cases that gives me fortitude, and brings out the stronger the power that I have. My dear friend, did you believe I could cure you before you came up here ?” The headstrong patient replied, “Certainly not!” and immediately fell into disgrace, the whole audience turning upon him a look of unutterable displeasure, which expressed, plainly the impression left by the man who would not lay his rheumatism at the feet of the spiritist. During the morning and evening meetings, from thirty to forty persons went np to be healed of their diseases, and, with the exception of the case just named, all expressed themselves improved after rc • cciving the “shock.” In each case the doctor acted as in the first, saying, “ In the name of Jesus I say, Disease, 'depart from thee !” and going through the gasping and diving process. A blind man having gone up to be cured, the doctor remarked “that he could not make eyeballs yet. ” The lecturer, iu parting, stated that he was going to London, but would return to Liverpool. If he stopped there, he said, the streets would bo so crowded that people would bo unable to pass ; it had been so wherever he had gone. He did not work tor money, but for love. In conclusion, he invoked a general blessing “ on the whole of Liverpool, Birkenhead included.”