YESTERDAY’S NEWS.
THE PHENOMENA OF SPIRITUALISM. A lecture on “ The alleged phenomena of Spiritualism, especially levitation, spirit writing and spirit diagnosing, and healing of diseases,” was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Copland, in the Masonic Hall, last evening. There was a numerous attendance, and Mr A. J. Burns occupied the chair. Dr Copland spoke as follows ; Perhaps it might be expected, before I enter on the subject of the present lecture, that I should refer to some letters in ; he public press regarding the former. With respect to one in the Daily Times, signed “Perplexity and Darkness,” it is not difficult to see that the purpose which the writer had in view was to lead his readers into perplexity and darkness regarding the subject which it is my purpose to make plain. He avowed his agreement with me, in attributing the phenomena of Spiritism to influences proceeding from the i ndividuals who assemble te question the spirits, rather than from external sources. So far it might be that there was no occasion for his writing at all, unless to inform the public, who might be interested to know that he agreed with the views which I set forth. But for some purpose he wishes to present himself as an antagonist, and that of a dubious sort. “He roars like the lion, but stalks forth in the skin of the ass.” Now, I could respect an honest, even although he might be a stout antagonist, who appeared in his own character, boldly challenging combat on bis own footing, which in this case is evidently that of an opponent of the truths set forth in the Scriptures; but this intellectual hippogriff only excites contempt. My purpose is to deal with Spiritists and the phenomena on which they rest their system, and to show that these, in so far as they appear supernatural, are unsupported by solid facts. Butthe conduct of this double-faced adversary resembles that of the convict who tried the other day to escape from .the gaol, by throwing pepper iuto the eyes of his keepers. Very properly, however, he was caught and returned to his cell; and so long as my opponent wears the prison garb of Spiritism, I must deal with him on bis spiritistic methods, until by footing it for a sufficient time on the treadmill of this dark and dreary ghosthouse, he satisfies himself that the noise and dust with which he is surrounded are not indications of progress in the highway of intelligence and religion, but merely the illusions and impostures to which renegades from true religion have, by their own folly, been subjected. With regard to another letter in the Star, asking “what force or law there is in nature, which anybody knows of, that will account for the appearance of materialised spirits or ghosts ?” I answer it is fully explained by the well-known law of the reciprocal influence of trickery and meiulity. The difficulty mentioned regarding a piece cut out of a ghost’s garment, which could not be matched in London, is one which probably drapers can explain. It may have been an ordinary fabric so manipulated that they could not recognise it; or possibly something unusual, such as a piece of asbestos, a substance of mineral origin, which is fibrous and ihcombus'tible, and hag been worked iuto a soft and flexible plotjp whiqh was forjnerly used as a suroud for dead bodies,' and has also done service, I believe, in assisting conjurors and imposters in passing unscathed through the midst of scorching flames. As to the appearance of such materialised forms in lighted rooms, this has only taken place when the parties concerned were well assured of the self-restraint and good behaviour of their dupes, and under circumstances where it was easy to carry out their trick. To most individuals, the materiality of their garments and the solidity of' their arms, fingers, and hair, which are recorded, will afford the strongest presumption that they were ghosts in ordinary human bodies, and if the precaution were taken to seize them suddenly and hold them with a firm grip, which Owen, like an honest simpleton, would hot venture tp do, it vy’ould certainly not require a surgeon’s skill tp assure even tW most credulous tnat their' bodies'and limbs were made of the normal constituents of bone and muscle. With respect to the assumed anxiety of this correspondent regarding the fate of the miraculous deeds recorded in the Scripture, if spiritistic miracles be held as not established by sufficient evidence, I would remark that the miracles of Scripture are in no danger of falling, through the want of sufficient evidence, and do not need the spurious help ef spiritistic tricks to buttress them. The sentiment of the ancient Trojan, “1 fear the Greeks, and those bringing gifts,” expresses'ray feeling with regard to the spiritistic horsemen who woiild bring gifts to the Saviour. The harmless looking wooden horse which spiritistic Greeks delight to bripgipto every city, contains within it such a nojxle of enemies to tfie Christian faith, that their assumed desire to add to the evidence of Christianity can only meet with ridicule and contempt. There has also appeared another critic, Mr E C. Dunn, now calling himself M.D. Ho stated in a recent letter that he did not possess the degree usually indicated by these letters. I presume, therefore, that he must simply mean by M. D. after his name, “ making himself doctor.” (Hisses and laughter.) It appears that ray method of dealing with the subject does not meet with his approval. He objects to personalities, and has a wholesome horror of ridicule. Now, Solomon, who must be admitted as an authority on this point, has laid down two directions. One is, “ Answer a fool according to his folly,” and the other is “ Answer not a fool according to his folly.” As I understand these, there is no real contradiction between them, but simply au indication that some cases require the one mode add some the other. In this case it seemed to me the most appropriate course to adopt the former. Mr Dunn may not like it, but my soul shall not spare for his crying. He reijd the 23rd chapter of Matthew, as illustrating Christ’s method of speaking, hnd that is an example which he will no doubt be pleased that 1 should follow. I should do him the justice to remark that he correctly enough described my sentiments regarding Spiritualism. He stated in his vernacular that it was all humbug ; he might just add, “ and something worse.” He said that my first effort in logic was an assertion that facts were not facts. Anyone might readily see that the application of such a statement was to alleged spiritual facts; and, with regard to them, I have already shown in part, and will show stall further, that
these, when scrutinised, are not facts, but, “ like the baseless fabric of a vision, leave not a wrack behind.” My critic admitted that the medium for producing raps was electricity, but that this did not explain the intelligence. It was made, 1 think, sufficiently clear that the intelligence proceeded from the voluntary and intelligent persons from whom the electricity proceeded, and by whose will it was controlled. The statement that information received through raps was not possessed by any person present, I showed was not correct in the cases which I had time to examine—presented as test cases by Owen —for all the information received in them was just what was previously lodged in the minds of those who were aslcing the questions. As to my explanation that the alleged ghost appearances were due to hallucination and optical illusion, Mr Dunn said this must also apply to the visions recorded in the Bible. My critic, however, overlooks a most important difference. In the Bible we have to deal with a record divinely attested, the validity of which neither avowed infidels nor Spiritists have been able to destroy. In Mr Owens book, on the contrary, we have to deal with silly stories, supported by evidence which, although often making a great show, when examined is found to be utterly deficient in those points where there was room and opportunity for illusion or imposture. Lot Spiritists prove their own position. Bible miracles do not need their help. He brings forward a charge against me of misrepresenting the report of the Dialectical Society, and Bays that I read, not from the report of the Committee, but from the report of a Subcommittee. Now, that is a most unfounded and unwarrantable assertion, for which there is no possible excuse, if he meant or wished to speak the truth. I have here the report of the Committee, as reported in the “Spiritual Magazine” of November, 1871, and the conclusions which the Committee arrived at from their own investigation are given there word for word as I gave them in my lecture, and as they were reported in the Dali 1/ Times the following day. What will Mr Dunn say to that. If he has a spark of honor or honesty in him he will take the opportunity of acknowledging his falsehood, and retracting hjs aspersions. (Applause.) Moreover, I charge him with misleading his audience in regard to the evidence appended to tkat report. This consisted of statements jpade to the Committee, some orally, and BOipe in writing, by witnesses. Some qf these were members of the Committee, bpt others were not. Moreover they state what they individually had seen, or heard, pr otherwise experienced ; but the Committee does not vouch for the accuracy or truth of everything which they say, because the Committee had not witnessed them. The whole amount for which the Committee stands responsible, vouching tor its correctness by their personal experience, is simply what is expressed in the six conclusions which I stated in my former lecture. it would be expecting too much, however, from this adventurer, when his craft is in danger, that he should hesitate about using such weapons to support his pretensions. He further misrepresents my statement when he says I declared that the Dialectical Society proved that the phenomena of table-rapping and such like were performed by the agency of electricity. For this misrepresentation, also, there is no possible justification, if he is able to understand a plain statement in print, or has the honesty to present it as he reads it. My statement on this point, as given in my lecture, is word for word as follows .-—“ When a number of people were seated for a considerable time in a close room, it was very natural and probable that electricity should become so accumulated and intensified, as to present a sufficient reason for the phenomena declared to have been witnessed by the Dialectical Society.” That is my opinion, .and simply given as mine. But neither in that or in any part of the lecture did I say that the Dialectical Society had proved electricity to be the cause. I further stated that the evidence of the Dialectical Society—that is, of course, what is guaranteed or vouched for the Society or Committee—does not advance one step beyond declaring that the information conveyed in the answers was known to the persons present, but sometimes only to one of them. I have referred to this matter at greater length than it intrinsically merits, but simply to show how great is either the obtuseness or the recklessness of this invidual, and how little weight can be attached to the charges which, for want of arguments, he hurls blindly against his op ponents. With reference to an observation I made, he asks, “ Would martyrdom make a cause more true?” 1 never asserted that it would, but that it would afford an indication that the convictions of those who made such sacrifices were real and strong. witq regard to Mr Dunn’s convictions of' Hie truth of certain statements made regarding him by his teacher, Mr J. M. Peeb’es (which he has not, so far as I am aware, denied), I would suggest a method by which he might easily convince multitudes in this City whom he appears so anxious to convert to his views. Whether by following it he would make himself a martyr, he should know best; but if his spiritistic pretentions are true, he should have no fe r in making the trial, and if he did so' w'e should then know that he himself at least believed in the claims set up for him. Mr J. M, Peebles, in a lecture in Melbourne entitled “ Spiritualism defined and defended,” stated “I have seen Dr E. C. Dunn and other mediums float in the air by spirit power. r \ here is an opportunity then for this individual to demonstrate both his own convictions of the reality of this spirit power and to bring conviction to the multitpdps of tip city. Let Mi; Dunn noat through'" the ait in daylight, frdm the end of Stuart street jotty to the old jetty, (laughter.) This will do more to convince the world of spirit-power than all empty talk. If he says that he can only float but not fly, let him take the help which a clown once used, who gathered a great crowd to see him float in a tub in Leith harbor ; let him harness a team of geese and attach himself to them, and if he can perform this journey, then he may ask us to believe in his levitation. Apparent floating in prepared rooms and with concealed apparatus, is merely a conjuror’s trick which is frequently shown, and that Mr E. C. Dunn has often so performed, I should not be surprised tp. learn. But until h'e’giv'es i fair test of his powers, he nee I not suppose that the public will be duped by either his own or his teacher’s assertions. With regard to his diagnosing diseases on the surface of the body, it does not at all tend to excite our faith in his power, when, after receiving a challenge which he himself provokes, to test his skill in a very fair and simple manner, he draws back and refuses to examine subjects, as he says, “ fur the gratification of idle curiosity j” but surely the vital importance of the new ami beautiful faith, of which he sets himself up as an apostle, is something more than a matter of idle curiosity. It is presented as a faith to live by, and a faith to support man in the solemn hour of death. If this man then, can give convincing demonstration of its reality by any of those wonderful performances to which he openly' lays claim, or which are claimed for him by his teacher—if he can establish Lis pretensions to spirit diagnosing, or floating in the air by spirit power, or holding his hand in a burning kerosene lamp, as was asserted by his teacher in Melbourne ; and if, while all eyes are upon him, eager see tiresp wonders sj}d tfeli'e^e 1 the qew >aith,' he still refuses even to attempt such things, there is but one epithet which can bo applied to him by every intelligent observer; and all his gasconading, and foolish pretensions, and foul abuse will only serve to open the eyes of his dupes to his real character. The phenomena which como before us tonight for examination are—first, those performances to which the name of levitation has been applied. It is worthy of note that the Spiritists seem to repudiate Shakspearc’s sentiment, “ What’s in a name?” They evidently believe in the familiar adage, “Give a dog a bad name, and bang him.” To explain what is meant by the fine sounding
term : it means riding through the air (either with or without a broomstick), and I should acid not merely through the air, but through roofs and brick walls without making a hole. The rev. gentleman th n proceeded to discuss certain selected cares, and bis conclusions' may be thus summarised : In the Guppy ease, the most devoted spiritist would, lie believed, have little difficulty in admitting that this was simply a- case of palpable and clumsy imposture. As to the Home mutations, until bettor evidence was obtained, he thought they would not be chargeable, with unfairness if they placed them in the same category with the adventures of Baron Munchausen. The other performances of that volatile medium in shortening his body to about five feet, and lengthening it again to seven feet, might be safely relegated to those who were content to draw their facts from their imagination. Ho might be reminded that the new psychic force discovered to be so fully developed in Home by Mr Crooks, F.H.S., had been found to change the weight of bodies. It was long ago ascertained by careful experiment that electricity produced a very slight difference both in the volume and the weight of bodies, but so minute as only to be measured by the scientific chemist. ('rooks’s experiments on Home brought out considerably greater results ; but these had not, however, been accepted by most scientific men. Even the greatest results which ('rooks professed to have obtained would not by any means account for the continuous floating of the human body high in the open air. The elevating of tallies in rooms where a number of persons were present afforded different conditions, and until satisfactory evidence had been discovered of the reality of the phenomena of human levitation, floating mediums should be left to the company of their respected ancestors, the witches < if the broomstick. He next discussed ghosts of an intellectual character —ghosts who took possession of the head and hands of their friends, and caused them to write communications conveying information which they did not know, and often expressing sentiments of a more exalted and refined description than they could by their unaided genius have attained to; always, however, observing a beautiful conformity to the peculiar notions regarding spelling and grammar which the earthly mediums to entertain. Their efforts were directed to varied subjects, which deserved the title of an ancient treatise, “Concerning all things and a few other matters.” They supplied every kind of subject, even treatises and orations such as the wonderful production of Mr James Smith, of Melbourne, who, with a deeper meaning than our literary judges were able at the time to discern, told the public that lie was not the author of them, but tVin/t only Vus Viavul lisvil ’written tliciw ; tl\at the spirit of some departed had inspired them, which was now confirmed by books in the Melbourne Public Library—except a gospel sermon. In fact the royal road to knowledge had at last been found. Some of Mr Owen’s “ examples” had not been properly investigated by him ; “ How a French king’s favorite musician manifested himself” was attributable to somnambulism on the part of tho narrator, and “ spiritrapping ” -was only a revival of Fosier's system practised in 1858, and depended on slight of band, the success being reckoned by the cleverness and acquired audacity of the performer; and cired tho Vice-Chancellor’s dictum on Spiritualism in the case of Lyon v. Homo. He remarked that the principle there laid down — “that Spiritualism, as presented by the evidence, was mischievious nonsense, well calculated on the one hand to delude the vain, the weak, and the superstitions, and on the other to assist the projects of the needy and of the adventurer”—was one which would admit of easy application to many other dupes than Mrs Home ; and the well known charge of raising money under false pretences might be thought —(uproar which lasted some seconds) -fairly and legally to he established against many of the travelling quacks ami imposters, both Spiritists and others, who fattened upon tho credulity of the public. (Cheers and hisses, and addressing those who hissed, the lecturer said, “If any gentleman is tired, there is a door in the place.”)
The lecturer then proceeded, at considerable length, to discuss the diagnosing of disease by Spiritism, but we have only space for the substance of his observations : —The healing of diseases had in all been a favorite sphere of operations for all kinds of imposters. It combined every conceivable advantage for their carrying on their swindling, without the means of ready detection. The ignorance and credulity of men were probably under no circumstances excited more easily than when they were affected with disease, and oftener the slighter the disease the more was the imagination excited, and the readier would they believe in any one who set up unusually great pretensions. The spread of Spiritism, which had called into activity imposters of every name, and had lent its shield for their protection, bad, as might have been expected, sent forth a host of spiritistic healers. They, in the most part, hailed from America, but they had appeared in almost every country. The exploits of the Zouaves of France, of La ’ dal Gin of Yenetia, Dr Nevrton of America, and last but ' not least, Mr E. (J. Dunn, all failed to show anything like real cures perfoimcd by spirit power. The existence of disease at all in those cases which were professed to be cured was a matter of doubt. The fact of persons lying in bed and not able to walk was not sufficient evidence of any organic disease, aqd flhp lecturer cited the authority of Sir J. Syme, Professor of Surgery, Edinburgh, to show the extent to which diseases of evi ry kind are simulated by that peculiar state of the nervous system called hysteria. But cases of this class were only a small part of the vast multitude of diseases which owed their continuance mainly to the imagination or the nervous condition of the patient, and when a powerful stimulus was brought to bear on such excitable individuals, the effect appeared to ordinary beholders almost miraculous. No class of practitioners was probably more likely yO. exercise a powerful infiuenco on such individuals, ’ than' persona who set up great pretensions to heal by spirit-power or by any unusual influences. Whether they called themselves clairvoyants or magnetic healers, the source of their power was simply the force of their audacious pretensions acting on sensitive and nervous patients. While the pretence of healing by spirit or ghost power was comparatively recent, similar claims had been set up in all countries, and from the earliest ages. Egypt and Assyria furnished indications of mesmeric manifestations ; in India and China artificial somnambulism was believed to have been practised from the earliest times ; Greepe *nd Hpqia sho wed trapes of similar of healing, and, in mol era times, mesmerism. Jt bad been claimed by Owen and some others that Spiritism might be a good oure for insanity. He (Dr. Copland) would not wonder if on honueapathic principles that should be correct. It would then, however, boa serious (pi cstion whether the cure wore not worse than the disease. Looking at this system of delusion and imposture, as a whole, its intellectual imbecility, its moral results, and its religions negations, which formed its real attractions for the sipful and blinded heart of humanity, he would aay—far rather welcome the bold and defiant front of open infidelity, the dreamy speculations and heartless sentiment of Pantheism, or the coarse and confident dogmas of scientific Materialism. Those possessed, at least, the merit of honesty ; and however repulsive and unsatisfactory they might be to the human heart that cried from the depths of its sin and sorrow: “Who will show us any good ?’’ they did not delude their votaries With the mockery of professed adherence to the Bible. But this heterogenous compound of silly superstition qnd crafty imposture, called Spir\tqaliiiraj was an insult to the Lyman a degradation tp. the'moral nature, and a destructive snare to the soul ! (Loud applause.) Mr W. D. Stewart, in proposing a vote of thanks to the lecturer, said what had been thought to be phenomena by our forefathers had been explained by science, which would yet satisfactorily explain many of these manifestations. 'I hey were told an open enemy was better than a false friend, and he thought Messrs Peebles and Bunn might have displayed hotter taste than to have used the weapons of abuse and misrepresentation in their warfare against tho Dunedin clergy. Hie clergy could not have obtained two gentlemen better fitted to demolish the system of imposture of which they were the professed apostles, and whiph had beeq smolder-
in this City for two years past. (Uproar.) Their appearance, gesture, language, and opinions condemned them, and as to Dr Dunn’s clairvoyant qualifications, lie thought that that went alongside of h : s prodigious diploma, which had not yet been visible. (Confusion.) If these gentlemen wished to gain the confidence of their fellow men and to serve the cause which they had for a time espoused, he strongly advised them to live hereafter in solemn silence.
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Evening Star, Issue 3145, 19 March 1873, Page 2
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4,157YESTERDAY’S NEWS. Evening Star, Issue 3145, 19 March 1873, Page 2
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