SPIRITISM AND MESMERISM.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1537, 27 July 1886, Page 2

SPIRITISM AND MESMERISM.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —In reading your paper of the 17th inst., I noticed a letter headed “Spiritualism and Mesmerism,” signed by Andrew Qibaon. Knowing he is a red-hot spiritist I quite expected a strong argument in its favor, but, to my disgust, I found I whs “ had ” by the heading. It was simply waste of labor. The point be should have taken up was to prove that spiritism is not forbidden by the Scriptures, that the spirits are good spirits, and that it ia not harmful to health ; but all he did wss to adduce voluminous scriptural quotations to prove Mr Cecil (who delivered a lecture on “ Spiritism and Mesmerism,” and was the causa of bringing Mr Gibson out of his shell) inconsistent. Now, sir, being an anti-spintist, I beg space for one or two proofs to show that the spiritist is a modern magician, and that his carryings on are nothing less than the black art of magic. First of all, spiritists hold that the spirits with which they converse at riitices are not evil ones. Now, I would ask spiritists have they at any time at a stance, whan questioning the spirits about God, obtained an entirely satisfactory answer 1 I bare beard of none. If they were good spirits they would only be too happy to speak of God, but, ns they •re backward in speaking of God, it clearly shows they are demons. Further, God forbids his people in the book of Deuteronomy to consult mediums having a pythonic spirit, or to seek the truth from the dead. It is quite true that spirits speak to us in the voice of our departed friends, but “do not believe it is the souls of the dead who appear to yon,” says Tertullian, eighteen hundred years ago, “ it is the demon who assumes their form*." (Del. Dis. Mag. L. 11. 9. 6.) Jean Weir, a learned doctor, in his book on the impositions of the demon, ssys ; “ It is very easy fer the demon to represent the souls of the departed, in order to deceive those who trust more to him than to God.” (Imposture das dUbles, par, J. Weir, 1567-) Lot me relate a fact that happened in New Zealand—“A Maori chief, greatly ssteemsd by his tribe, was killed in battle. HU friends consulted * Tohnngs, who promised to call up his spirit to them, On the appointed night, the priests and all the relations of the decensed met in a large Maori house. Fires were lit, which gave a flicking light, and the tohunga retired into the darkest corner of the whare. About thirty Maoris and oat European were seated on the floor round the fire. Suddenly a voice came out of the darkness \ ‘ Salutation to you, my tribe ; salutation toyoo, my family ; all my friends I salute you.’ A cry of affection and despair ran through the whare. A young and beautiful femsle, who wanted to go in the direction from whenos the voice came, and was restrained by her brothers, cried out, »Is it you 1 Is it yout Is it you, truly 1 They watch me ; they restrain me, but I go to you. The sun shall not rise again before I go to you. AnelAue!’ All those present began to weep and sigh. The spirit spoke again : ‘ Speak to «e, my tribe ; spssk to me, my family; speak to me, the pakeha,’ A brother of the deceased asked ' How is it with you in the country yoa inhabit?’ 'My place is a good place,’ waa the reply, The European, to try the accuracy of the that a book belonging to the departed chief, ip vhich he had written many important things concerning his tribe had been lost —said, ‘ If you are the chief wo lament, where, is the book in which yoa wrote the transactions of the tribe!’ The reply waa * ‘ln the thatch of the roof, as you go in at the door.’ The beok was found in the place indicated by the brother of the departed chief. Suddenly a qry wan head ; ‘ Farewell my jtribe I go.' The same nighf the report of a musket was heard, foliowf.d by the shouting of men and women, There, in (he yer*nd»h of the whare, was an old grey bearded nun ; he knelt on one knee, and upon the other supported the dead body of the young girl who Buid she would follow the spirit to spirit IsntU The old msi was her

father, a tohunga.” I ask ray readers ? Was not this spirit manifestation an artifice of the demon ? I ask, la it not in agio for spiritists to say to a table—speak, and it spesks t They tell a spirit to beat time to a piece of music, and their desire is gratified ; they command the cUad to appear and converse with the living, and they asanme the voice of our dearest friends and converse with us; you wish to see your relations in a visible form, you desire them to write to yen, and all you want is done on the spot ; yot consult them about hidden things, and they toll you things which no one else could suspect. If these phenomena are not magiccal, in what does magic consist t If magical, surely they are wrought through the agency of the demon, like the old Pagan manifestations of the same kiud, and consequently they areto.be considered by ovary reasonable man as sinful and criminal. The Dictionary of Medical Science, Art. “ Demonomania,” says that “ The phenomena of magnetism, clairvoyance, etc., cannot bo accounted for otherwise than by the agency oflthe demon.” (See Mirvillo—Medical Importance of the Dogma of Spirits. Yol. 11., p. 173, edit. 1863.) In Germany, Henry Shi’ling, Professor of Medicine at Magdeburg and Heidelhnrg, in his works, “ Scenes of the Kingdom of Spirits," published at Frankfort in 1808; Kernier in his “Modern Possessions,” published at Oarleruhe in 1835 ; Ennosen in hie great work on “ Magnetism,” etc., etc, affirm that modern spiritlc manifestations are most evidently the result of diabolical agency. Dr Paroi, in his “ World of Spirito,” agrees with the above-named scientists’ opinion, and also with Dupotet’s, nnd affirms that modern spiritism is but a renewal of ancient magic. Dupotet, at tha Hotel Dieu of . Paris, took a small piece of charcoal, and with it he drew a circle on the floor, taking care that all the inside of the circumference was blackened. He next expressed a wish that spirits might be imprisoned therein. This done, he withdrew to n distance, and invited anyone who pleased to come near the circle. As soon as an inquisitive person oeme near he was fascinated, nnd began to run round ai.d round the circle without being able on to get away from it, stamping his feet and making in vain violent efforts to extrcale himself from the charm; then he looked at the circle, he saw apparitions of the dead ; ho laughed, be trembled, he screamed in succession, and, if not removed from the spot by the operator, would havo died from excitement. (See Mirvillo Miroir Magique, p. 288, 90 edit. 1863.) On another occasion Dupotet took a few grains of dust from a burial ground. By simply exhibiting them to those who came to consult him they saw apparitions of the dead. (Dupotet, VIII., p. 283,) Dupotet confeeaed he was wrong to produce those prm’er-human phenomena : “ A secret instinct, the voice of my oonteience, tells me 1 am wrong to meddle with these tilings.” Now, is spiritism divine or diabolical f Our modern spiritist pretend their science is perfectly innocent and harmless, hut what sane nan will believe them 1 These are enly a few instances of the black art. Stances are also dangerous to the nervous system in a fatal degree. The Medical Society of Ghent has certified lately that out of 350 cases of insanity which came under their notice over 50 were the result of nervous excitement, through attending splritic stances ; that is, that out of every five cases of insanity one conld be manifestly traced hack to the baneful influence of spiritism. In a book called “Pacyhic Facts,” which seems to be e great authority among spiritists, published in Lendon by W. M. Harrison in 1880,1 find the following admissions ; “ Thai tricks played by ignorant persona at edances might result in the medium waking in the naxt world instead of this one.” (Psychic Facts, p, 7.); “That spiritic manifestations drain the vital powers of the medium; and, if those powers are drawn upon during the first part of the day, he may not recover his full vitality by the evening.” (Psychic Facts, p. 8.) Aubert Gauthier, in bis “ Practical Treatise on Magnetism,” stys that so ordinary effect of magnetism is to inspire those who consult spirit mediums with a disgust of life, and a desire of suicide, under the persuasion that they will be more happy when, their eoul being separated from their body, they will be admitted to spirit land. Dupotet, in his famous book on the “ Philosophy of Magnetism,” states that spiritism leads to 'a desire of death, which Des Monsseaux confirms by appalling Space will not permit mo to go fully into the subject, but before concluding I will give one or two Scriptural quotations, to show that these these things are distinctly forbidden by God. In Deut, xviii., 11,1 find “ Neither let their be found among you any one that coosulteth soothsayers, nor charmer, nor anyone who consulteth pytbooic spirits or fortune-tellers, or that seeketh the truth from the dead.” 81. John the Divine fells us that “ sorcerers and idolaters will have their portion in (Apcc. xxi., 8.) In Lev. xx., 27, I find, the pool burning with fire and brimstone.” “ A man or woman in whom there is a pytlionical and divining spirit, dying let tlism die.” Apologising for trespassing on so muqh of yoqr valuable space, I am, etc., J.F. Temuka, 21st July,llßß6. i