SPIRITUALISM EXPOSED.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 249, 7 November 1872, Page 5

SPIRITUALISM EXPOSED.

(From tlie Evening Star's Correspondence.)

Sic,— As many of your readers. as are interested in what -is now called "Spiritualism," will no doubt be glad to learn facts that bear upon it, no matter whence they come. That the following little incident is fairly reported I may assure you, since it was directly communicated to me by my friend, Mr W. Comment I make none, but leave the history to speak for. itself. The children referred to are those of a gentleman who not long ago visited Dunedin, startling all .the! parsons, and giving rise to a furious paper war by making known his peculiar views— not long ago adopted— of the souL its pre-existence, and its repeated embodiment.. Public .rumor has long had much to say about the education of these* children, whiofe is being conducted by the. spirits through ft medium; Mid tiaw very contra*

dictory results have been reported, a definite ' statement from somebody competent to judge was much desired by many people. Messrs W. and Z. are barristers, intimately acquainted with each other, but knowing , nothing, until the occurrence now to be related, of mediums or their ghostly prompters. Walking through the town one day, they met a friend, who invited them to a seance, at Mr 3 J.s, the medium who educates children. They went ; found Mrs J. seated at the head of a table, and several other persons surrounding it j were introduced, made themselves as agreeable aa they could, anil were soon in animated conversation. Presently Mrs J. requested those who sat between herself and Mr W. to move a little, so that she could see and speak to him more conveniently, and matters became a little more interesting because a little more personal. The medium informed him that his soul had existed long ago, and that in very ancient times he had been a Greek. He replied that he had met ■with something very much like that doctrine before, and asked if the lady had ever heard of the mete i. psychosis— adding that if he had been an ancient Greek he might, not improbably, have held that very doctrine hiniself, and that it seemed very strange he should have it all to learn over again without benefiting by vast experience. As to t-.e metempsychosis nobody acknowledged acquaintance with it ; but as to the latter question, somebody suggested (I wonder whether it was aloud and in earnest— it hardly seems possible to have been either) that a recollection of things that o curral in past sUtes might not always be nice— e.f/., if you had been in the habit of eating your ancestors. After further conversation on the Spiritualist doctrines in general, which failed altogether to convince a mind trained by legal business, the practice in particular instances was proceeded with. It was time for the children to have their lessons. And this was the manner of it. ; Boy No. 1 was brought up, and stood i before the medium. That lady solemnly knocked him on the head — that is, she 1 rapped on his forehead with her knuckles, much as if she were paying a morning call to his brains, and found the front door deficient as to a knocker. Then she solemnly rapped on one side of his head ; then she solemnly rapped on the other ; lastly, she very ; solemnly rapped him ou the top of his head, and sent him to his place. He took his slate and began to write. Mrs J. {to the company at large) : Now, that child is under the direct hiflueuce of the spirit of Cicero, Mr W. : Cicero, eh ? Poor old fellow ! I didn't know he had turned schoolmaster. What a come down for him! [Silent reflection.) They'll be turning me out ! Boy No. 2 called up, solemnly rapped, sent to his seat, and set to work. Similar audible sarcasms from the unbelievers, and silent astonishment that the "spirits," and, much more, the " Spiritists," would stand it But at laat it Appeared that they were a great deal too high to be touched by fun, however hard it might be poked. The critics were told that "they had the fruit set before them, and if they would not eat they must take the consequences," and so on. Presently the spirit of Cicero got through Ms work, and bis pupil presented the slate. It was passed round for general inspection, and great wonderment and admiration were expressed. Of course, it was shown to Sir W. The exercise professed to be a Latin verb conjugated, and tha spirit of Cicero had made a blunder in it. "Well, if that's Cicero's work either he has forgotten his grammar, or they used to conjugate their verbs differently from the way we are taught they did." " How so— what's the matter ?" " Why, here's a mistake. " " Oh, surely not !— it can't be !— is Mr W. quite certain ?" "Sure enough. ' Here Mr Z., is not that wrong?" « Yes — no doubt about it." Stdl the general feeling was dissatisfied with the verdict : one imperceptiHle Cicero seemed more to be trusted than two tangible barristers, so the slate was hauded over the table to Mr M. Now Mr M. is a worthy gentleman of some scientific attainments, who has just astonished people by resigning a' Government post, where he could gain scientific laurels by forests at a time, and by giving as his reason that he desired to investigate". Spiritism. A man who had 1 made such sacrifices for such a cau;e, was deservedly somewhat looked up to by tbe medium's court. Due care in scrutsng and dire deliberation in decision only produced another proof of the error. It was palpable — indisputable. Whab was lo be clone — or rather, what was to be thought ? It seemed as though for the moment the tuition of the spir.ts was not to be implicitly trusted. But '■ Spiritism was equal $o the occasion. A ' theory was broached which afc once exonerated Cicero, and put the blame of bluode.r- '■ ing on other shoulders. ; "You see the inspiration is correct but • then it comes so fast, that the boy got con1 fused in writing it down, and so he made the mistake."

No sooner said than believed — except by the barristers. The leader of one section of the Bar in Victoria was too old a bird to be caught with chiff, and bad disentangled too many a web, much more puzzling than this one, to be beaten at the first attempt. He renewed it by another method. " My boy, have you ever been at school ?" " Oh — yes— a good while ago." " Did you learn Latin there?" "Well— yes-a little." "Any grammar?" " A —ah — cr — yes — some." "Well, how far did you get in the grammar?" " Oh— not very far." "Did you learn to congugate verbs ?" "Eer er— ye— e— es." A few similar questions to the other pupils revealed similar facts : each had been "at school ; each had there learned eomething of the particular subject in which he had tjjat evening been getting a "spirit" lesson ; each bad at school gone further iv that subject than the exercise just written required him to have gone. Mr W. made some rather strong remarks about the moral effects of such proceedings upon the unfortunate children, but was merely met with the former remark about '" setting the fruit before you," &c. ho secrecy having been imposed, but on the contrary his presence having been invited as a spectator, my friend related his experience pretty freely, and avowed .his belief that the only result of this "spirit" teaching in this case would be to make thorough little hypocrites of the poor children. The Spiritists remonstrated, but he holds himself justified, by what they themselves showed him, in "speaking plainly on the subject. Whether he is so, and whether their desire that he should keep silence proves it, is a matter oa which, as I said, I shall not comment, but, leaving each reader to judge for himself, remain — Yours, &c, An Occasional Correspondent. Melbourne, October 21.

A telegraph eUik was lately advertised for at Lausanne, the salary offered being 200 francs (L 8) per annum. . . In driving a tunnel %t Beefton, & seam of coal 16ft. thick, and containing a good d£al of pure ros,in, was bored through. , The boutb" Australian Assembly has agreed to grant a bonus of LI, OOO for the firßUOOtonaflax,