NEW AND EXTRAORDINARY PHASE OF SPIRITUALISM.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 131, 11 August 1870, Page 3

NEW AND EXTRAORDINARY PHASE OF SPIRITUALISM.

A Dr Newton, who has. just arrived, in this country from .the United , States,, and who claims to possess* through spiritual aid, power • tp , heal, the sick and afflicted, 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 vjas . composed .of highly respectable people, "who. listened attentively. The "lecturer is •not a jnan .whose appearance is likely ! to create a deep , impression. He is undersised, has a portly figure, a, bald, head, a pair of, eyes which are never ■jwideopen,, and a sallow, complexion. His style of. oratory is} also peculiar. His accent is . Yankee, and he speaks spasmodically in, shoi?t sentences, proceded by a closing of the eyes, a moment's silence,, during which he,.planes the, table with his hand, and then ,comes a , painful grasp for breath, or,, heavy sigh. Having drawn, the br^a^vhe, run^ , on fo? a short time very, rapidly, and then to a dead stop, during which ,the closing ; planing and grasping pro, 'ces^ is repeated as follows — if Dear friends, I, love you^as I wpuld love a brother ; I,love you as dearly as my own children; I love all mankind; I. love you^mpre than . I have wQr4?,to/ jexpress,; 1 have suffered mQre.fckan, most men; ay, mor,e than ,any, man; I. suffer, I know,. I. do. —^— I have, bad ma.ny hairbreadth escapes, amongst Jwbich I may mention, strangulation, shipwreck, and a serious . fall — all of jwhich I.have .borne cheerfully that Ij may attain the kingdom of heaven.; — I am a confirmed medium,. I ani ; the good angels are ever around me ; I , have overcome the world through buffering; I have now the power to heal t 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.—^-=Tb4» morning the kingdom qf heaven is at hand ; the kingdom of heaven, is ever at hand, You have all angels watching around you ; some ten or a doaen. \ don't want to ma.ke money ; I want to do all the good I can," He then went on to, say — t{ Mj power of healing i,s not limited, I can heal a mu.ltitu.de as easily as few- I can do just as well on five thousand as on a small number, My dear brethren, I lave you, and X say blessed are ye who open your souls to receive the love pwne*p}e. The power of healing whjch I possess is a magnetic power, and sometimes I do things that are perfectly astonishing, My secretary, Mr T^atson, was for a long time perfectly blind. JJast August I performed an. him, and curecl him almost instantly. — =-=1 wiU now give a specimen of my greajf power. I will cause a shock to pass from, me which will be felt more or Jess by all present, and if any one is in pa£a afte? it let him come to me and I will cure him."

The " doctar"thenstood up, extended his arms, threw back his head, closed i his eyeSj made a sudden atarfc as if he were abwit ta cast himself head foremosi into a river, raised his head again and shook- it in a manner which gave , the impression that he had really taken the phinge, had risen to the surface, and; had shakes* Ms dripping hair off his face^ and then opening his eyes-,, took a general survey of the persons before him. This consituited the "shock," which, however, made no vivid; ' impression upon any oae. Selecting a man from amongst his audieiiice, he exclaimed " That poor- cripple ia now healed of his lameness. You, my brc-. ther :• you had pain when you came 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 dtoctor incited? him to step up to- where, he* was standing. ,Seiznghim by the-hoqd he put to him. the following extraordinary questions. — " Bo you love me ?" "Do you lto.veme as a brother ?" The man. replied 1 >in a subdued 1 voice — we suppose to the. satisfaction- of his interrogator, who. .took his head 1 in, his hands, stroked his, face, fold' his head' upon his breast, and! kissed" his- fore head 1 . Then, placing;one hand ob, his headland raising the. other, said" in. a- very- solemn, manner — " In the name of the. powers, thajb be. f say, Disease, depart from thee."' A gasp for breath and a, violent shaking of' the head' with the eyes closed; ao.com-. panifed" by a sudden, convulsion^ of' the. body,, completed' the charm, 'Bhenit/h©. former sufferer- replied" that he- was-, quite better; walked' quickly across the. room without 1 the^ aid' of a stick; went- . through several twdatings<afethe retreat' of' his benefactor, and' retired! A sturdy looking mon< with, a* strong northern accent-, here rose and 1 said}, " I r tak', exception to what ye say. Yesay all' pain has left the people in) thi3: room. Noo I have suffered' for a lang time, and am nae better." Dr Newton t addressing his hearers, said — "You. heard; my brothers and" sisters;, the. gentleman says he has suffered fora long time, and 1 is now better." " I beg your pardon. Ye misunderstand me. I said Pam nae better." Ob, will'you step out? Do you love me? ** {< I love all 1 men." "Do you love me as a brother ?n? n "I* hope I love all men as brothers." After this short dialogue the doctor took his patient by the hand: and asked him->from what j he suffered. He replied; " Eheumatism/^- The. Doctor then> put him through one or two movements and asked him to raise • his arms above his head; but he ex-, claimed, "I 7 cannot lift baith." Dr New- . ton here complained that his patient talked too much ; he should only answer - questions. The gentleman referred to, evidently felt hurt by this observation,, for he thereupon exclaimed, " Hoo can. I" 1 ever- do without 1 speaking?"" The doctor^ dismissing the Scotchman. on t his .persisting that, notwithstanding the shock, he was "nae better,'* said—" My dear friends, this is a very pecular sort;this person, has a very strong will'; he is i very positive, in this will principle, but yet one of those cases that gives : me fortitude,, and' brings out the* stronger the power that' II 11I 1 have. My dear friend,* did ' you believe I could ' cure you before you came up here ?" * — The head strong patient replied, " Certainly not !"'and 'immediately fell' into disgrace, the whole audience turn- . ing upon, him, a look of L * unalterable . displeasure, which expressed' plainly the impression. left by the-. man, who, would not lay his* rheumatism, at the , feet of the spiritist? Dmring the morn- . ing and 'evening, meetings, from., thirty to forty-peuson^went up vte be -healed/ of their diseases,- and; with the excep-. tion ,of the case just named; ali express- . Ed themselvesiinproved after receiving • the " shock.;"- In each case the Doctor < actechas in the • first, saying, " In , thename of Jesus r say, Disease,, depart from i thee !"' and ' going through the •. gasping and 'diving process. A blind man having gone up to be . cured, the-, doctor, remarked "that he could notmake eyeballs yet." The lecturer, in, parting, stated that he was going ta* London,, but would return to Ifiyerpool.i If he stopped there, he said, the streets would be so crowded that people would' be unable to pass; it had been. i so, wherever he. had gone. He did''not>work for money, but for love. la, conclusion, he invoked a generaLbless- . ing " on the whole of Liverpopli^Blißisk. enhead included,"