SPIRITUALISM AND SPIRITISM.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2258, 2 August 1870, Page 2

SPIRITUALISM AND SPIRITISM.

UJ, J. 11l J. \J XIJJ LIJIUL ilii 1/ u ±. J. IVX f- XVX'll 7'o i/(c Editor of the. Evening Star. S K, —I have no desire to be drawn into a newspaper controversy with your correspondents “Veritas” and the Rev. Robert Scrimgcour, “about their so called spiritualism.” There is, however, in Mr Scrimgeour’s reply, something which I think merits comment. If Mr Scrungeour had confined his remarks to an explanation of what hv meant by the term “Spiritualism,” a suftKienj' answer would have been given to yorir correspondent “Veritas.” Not content, howcVer, with stating that his lecture, which, by the by, thhngh able, contained nothing which a careful roarer cf Pearson on Infidelity, and the works of'Buchaaart', Rogers, &c., not with, was a reply to the school known in theylogic ap'd philosophic circles as “Spiritualist,’’ he somehow' or other “jumbled together in the most extraordinary way possible ” his own explanation and the denunciations of the late Professor Ferrier.J Whether thisljmethod of discussing Spiritualism and Spiiatism will tend to “ brace the mental faculti* and lead to close reasoning” I leave him and your readers to determine. The following will show how much “ close reasoning by a care-

ful study and analysis ” of the whole subject of “ spirit rapping and table turning ” Mr Scrimgeour has acquired : Rev. Mr Scrimgeour Professor Ferrier, in in Evniinq Star of “Institutes of Me30th July, 1870— taphysics,” 2nd “The word by which edition, pages 229 the thinking princi- and 230, written pie is designated in in 1854 all languages, beats “The word, indeed, evidence to the inve- by which the thinkteracy of the super- iug principle is destition, that the con- signated iu all lanception of mind might guagesbears'evidence bo formed by conceiv- to the inveteracy of ing a material sub- the superstition that stance of extreme the conception of the fineness and tenuity. mind might be Many things have formed by conceivconsnired to keep ing a material subthis fanaticism in life. stance of extreme The supposed vita- fineness and tenuity, lity of ghosts, for Many circumstances example, helps it con- hj ave conspired to siderably ; and it is keep this fanaticism still further streng- in life. The supposed tbened by some of visibility of ghosts the amusements of helps it on considerthe day—such as ably; and it is still “Clairvoyance ” and further reinforced by [credits poxte.ri) “spi- some of the fashionrit rapping." Those able delirameuts of are much worse than the day, such as the worst form of the clairvoyance,, and doctrine of materi- (even; A.D. 1854, ality. These aberra- creditc posteri) spirit tioils betoken a per- rapping. These, howverso r and prurient ever, are not to he play of the abnormal set down —at least fancy groping for so it is to be hoped the very holy of holies —among the normal in the kennels run- and catholic superning with the most stitions incident to senseless and God- humanity. They are abandoned abomina- much worse than tiona. Our natural su- the worst form of perstitions are all bad the doctrine of maenough; but thus to teriality. These abmake a systematic errations betoken a business of fatuity, perverse and pruriimposture, and pro- entplay of the abfanity, and to ima- normal fancy —gropgine all the while ing for the very holy that we are touching of holies in kennels on the precincts of running with the God’s holy spiritual most senseless and kingdom, is unspeak- God-abandoned aboably dreadful. The minations. Our nahorror and Idisgrace tural superstitions of such proceedings are bad enough; and were never even ap- thus to make a syspr cached in the dark- tematic business of est days of heathen- fatuity, imposture, demand idolatry. It and profanity, aud is a system which to imagine all the makes shattered while, that wo are nerves and depraved touching on the presensations the inter- cincts of God’s spiprefers of truth, the ritual kingdom is keys which shall uu- unspeakably shocklock the gates of ing. The horror and heaven, and open the disgrace of such prosecrets of futurity, ccedings were never and inaugurates dis- even approached in ease as the prophet the darkest days of of all wisdom-.thus hcathendomandidolmaking sin, death. atry. Ye who make and the devil the shattered nerves and lords paramount of depraved sensations creation. Oh, ye mis- the interpreters _of erahle mystics! be- truth, the keys which think yourselves of shall unlock the the backward apd gates of heaven, and downward course open the secrets of which ye are run- futurity—ye who inning into the pit of augurate disease as the bestial and the the prophet of all abhorred, and knew wisdom, thus ”makthat all God’s truths ing sin. death, and and man’s blessings tb6 devil the lords lieinthebroadbeath, paramount of creain the trodden ways, tion—have ye beam! in the laughing thought yourselves sunshine of the uni- of the backward and verse ; and that all downward course intellect, all genius, which ye are runis 'merely the power ning into the pit of of seeing wonders in the bestial and the common things.” abhorred? Oh, ye miserable mystics! when will ye know that all God’s truths and all man’s blessings, lie in the broad heath, in the. trodden ways, and in 'the laughing sunshine of tbeuniverse, and that all intellect all genius, is merely the power of seeing wonders in common things,”

I hardly think it necessary “to refute and ridicule " Mr Scrhpgeour’s manner of discussing the subject bf “ spirit rapping and tabic turning, ” for to do so would be to acknowledge the weakness of “ human reason.” Might F, however, be permitted to state, that to attempt to prevent the spread of Spiritism by calling it a theological question, is to me the height of absurdity. There are certain physical facts, and whether the theory offered by Spiritualists be the only or correct one, I confess I should not like, in my present state of knowledge of the subject, to determine ; hut let the facts, if facts, be tested and examined, and do not build up crude hypotheses'to be shattered at first sight almost. The path sketched out by Newton should rather, I imagine, be followed in discussing this subject; at all hvejCitiV'lijojiigji we may disagree with the application of sewti>n.'B principles to the higher science of metaphysics. ' Newton says, “ Hypotheses non/uigo. Qulnpiid mini e.v prenontrnis non dr.dudtur hypothesis ro • crimla cut, et hypotheses, sen metaphysics, sen jihysic/a, sen ipialifatnm ocadtarum. sen mechaniete. in philosophia expcrimentali locum non hnbent." (Tide also Stewart’s Philosophy of the Mind, Part II.) I am, &c., Robert Stout.