SPIRITISM IN MELBOURNE.

Evening Star, Issue 3102, 28 January 1873, Page 3

SPIRITISM IN MELBOURNE.

(from ouu own correspondent.)

Desk Sir, —By your leave I will now introduce to your not'ce two something—well, persons is the best name, and yet there is some doubt on this point. When in their normal state, the one goes by the name of Peebles, the “Seer of the Ace”; the other Dunn, bosom friend, or rather the jackal that accompanies the Californian linn. Well, these worthy persons intend to sail for New Zealand Jo-day, and as they are very humble, unassuming, and cautious characters, who hide their ILht an ler a bushel, lest the rude winds of earth should blow it out, and as nobody but themselves has aeon it, I shall lay them and your benighted venders under a 'load of solemn gratitude by bringing you all f ice to fac, without the embellishments of paint and stucco. You know the old form of oath ran thus, “ I will tell the whole truth.” Now, were I to. tell you all I know, it warn’d no- be a tithi of the tiuth ; therefore 1 wont swear though false oaths are here as thick as leaves in some great up-country bush called Vallarabrosa.

Well, Sir, I have a great liking for history, but not every kind of history. That old feMow Polybius is very nice, as he does not stick to bare facts ; so is Neander, he gives great scope to the imagination, of all faculties the best ; 1 abhor Mosfteim, but Herodotus is grand, so are Jack-in-the-Beanstalk, and the Arabian Nights* So also are all the histories of the future given by oui spirit neighbors, A la this style, let me now give an account, of the life and genius of your visitor. The “Seer of the Age ” was born somewhere, and by somebody, but this page of history is not explicit. The day of his birth is, no doubt, legibly marked with a white pebble, if you could only turn the day hack for examination, as you do a tile of old newspapers which have passed since then and more cities shall 'contend for the honor of this event than contended for the like honor in old Homer’s case. I have been told that the boy is father of the man, and it would appear that the Seer is no exception. At an early age he developed a strong love for truth and honor, when these were pleasing and profitable ; he also developed an extraordinary aversion to bosh, bunkum, and cbptrap, when these wore unpopular and unprofitable. Under the cool fhade of this moral vine and fig tree, this great and good prophet grew up like a vegetable marrow, plump and healthy. At this spot the page of time is a little blotted, and difficult to make out clearly ; but it would appear that the Seer’s first call was not like Samuel’s in the Temple ; his first acquaintance with the spirits, it would appear, was cither with a printer’s or in that capacity himself. Authorities, however, are divided 0$ this point, and some say it was in feeding a devil in a jute factory—th" occupation of this spirit being to heat up the fibre. A history of his mental struggles at this; time, and for long afterwards, does not fall to my lot to discuss ; no doubt these will, some day, form the backbone of an autobiography, and the phsycoiogist’s cabinet of curiosities will be largely increased. It would be very interesting to follow him from pillar to post in bis nice balancing of probabilities, anent place, position, &o. ; but however inviting this field may be, we must keep clear, of ft. 411 course of time we find him wfth a black coat and avhite necktie. Some discerning body of men hud, apparently, set him apart to the ministry in the. Church. Changes, however, will occur in the course of dovelopnunt, and shortly after, not finding sufficient.scope for his genius, or coming into fresh contact with his old friend the “devil,” ko mounted on a broom-tlck, and flow away to greener fields and fairer pastures. Shortly after this he Was seized with a racoelie* serthendi, and he wrote t\v*booKs on the occult sciences. History does not inform us very qlcftv-ly aa to the nature of these wonderful works, but it would seem that fhey deal with such subjects as the magic properties of things in general. The m st approved method of turning the baser metals, such as want of principle, &c., into gold ; magic paints to prevent blushing, under all circumstances ; conscience anaesthetics, to prevent pain dunug the searing process ; on the forging of chains to connect the most approved blasphemy with the latest fashions in superstition and folly ; on the mode of culture, and last soils Ur the growth of the most profitable roots of humbug. These are, it would seem, a very fow of the subjects touched on, with a an ease, a grace, and an eloqueyc.e which arc all the writer’s own. Thift as some of yon Ofjagops cull him, having found out, oy given information, as did Samuel, to wham if concerned, as to where large numbers of asses might be found in America, was invited over to the islands of the Pacific to find the asses here. As yon are aware, that useful and patient animal has not been largely cultivated here, and so the Scor’a labour has been somewhat in vein. The genus “cuddy” here also diners a little from the same in California ; hence the good Seer, by mistake, once or twice laid his hand on a frisky nag, and got knocked down for his paing, The Seer and hie shadow have

caught more tartars, unfortunately, than anything else. And now they go, if perchance there is any ass-catching to be done in Dunedin. This “great and good” Seer has given ns a nice comfortable account of “life and labor beyond the grave.” You know he has been there, and he says the school men were all out, that twenty angels can’t dance on the point of a needle ; he is quite sure that a clown in one of the spirit circuses could hardly balance himself on a cambric needle if it were new. He tells ns that there are foolish nations held in regard to the life beyond the grave ; and certainly, readers, when yon reach that land you wiU have no substantial grievance to complain of. “Arabula” ( vide the “Arabian Nights”) is the land of promise. In this fair country squatters and farmers (who have been at war since the days of Cain and Abel) live at peace. Free selection is the rule. Every ghostly man and every ghostly woman is to have the ghost of twenty acres of a ghostly farm held under the ghost of Tqrrens’ Act. They are to reap abundant ghostly crops, and breed numerous ghostly flocks, eg., such as swine. They are to have plenty of ghostly bread and cheese, and wine, and ghostly wives. And the ghosts of Messrs Joe and James Smith, and Peebles, phis Dunn, are to form a ghostly quartoera y. I had almost forgotten to say that E. 0. Dunn gave a lecture and seance the other night. Brother Bright took a very dark view of things when making a presentation to Peebles from the “advanced humans.” He thinks this great and good Seer has been much persecuted. What, although he is a “ Seer of the Age what, though he is an astute Yankee, is he not the Blessed Glendover, ’ Tis his to speak and our’s to hear. Let no dog then hark when he opens his mouth. The following is an inspired ode, written on the occasion of the worthies leaving Melbourne. It is worthy of being handed down and sung in all the assemblies of Spiritists. In pathos and feeling there is little to equal it Air—“ The Ghoul’s Banquet.” Accompaniment—“ The Dip of Sharon’s Oars, and Rattle of the Dead Men’s Oboli.” Who sent for the pair? We, said the rappers, We want of clap-trappers ; Wc sent for the pair. Who introduced the pair ? I, said Mr Bright, With sorrow one night; I introduced the pair. Who say the pair are humbugs ? We, cried the crowd, With a shout long and loud ; We say the pair are humbugs. Whose spelling is bad ? Mine, says the Dunce, I own it at once ; My spelling is bad. Who regrets having come ? I, said the Seer, And Brother Dnhu here ; We regret having come. Who rushed into print ? Says the Doctor, in pain— I’ll not do it again ; But I rushed into print. Who trembles and howls Ifke a Dervish ? I, says the Seer, In blasphemy I fear ; I tremble and howl like a Dervish. Who heals them that are whole ? I, says Dr. I >unn, The great healing gun ; I heal them that are whole. Whose wind-bag has collapsed ? Mine, says the Seer, And it makes me feel queer ; My wind-bag has collapsed. Exeunt.