SPIRITUALISTIC LECTURERS IN MELBOURNE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 251, 21 November 1872, Page 5

SPIRITUALISTIC LECTURERS IN MELBOURNE.

Mr J, M. Peebles and 2ns friend Dr Dunn, who have journeyed from America to enlighten Australians 'on the phenomena and teaching of Spiritualism, were welcomed to Melbourne by the Association of Progressive Spiritualists. The ' Age describes Mr Peebles as having delivered a brief offhand address, touching on the causes that ' had induced him to visit the antipodes, his conversion to Spiritualism, his deep faith in its truth, and his determination to devote his life and strength to the propogation of its teachings. He stated when. his attention was first called to table rappings and other phenomena some thirty years ago, he was an orthodox clergyman, and as such felt bound to set his face against all such unwholly innovations Ike oonverts in his congregation, however, became so numerous, that he could ' no longer afford to laugh the thing to scorn, and was compelled to investigate its merits in order to denounce and demoliak it from the pulpit.*. His investigations led him to the very oppo' site result. Instead of enabling him to expose it as a piece of chicanery and fipxXd., the phenomena he witnessed compelled .him to, believe against his will ; he became not onljj a concert, but in time a medium-; and he bye-and-bye awoke to the fact— or "grand truth" — that the spirits of the loved ones who had gone were still around him as a wall of tire, giving him life, light, aud joy. ffc embraced the new revelation with all the warmth of an earnest and enthusiabtio nature, and thenceforth dedicated his whole energy to preaching this fresh gospel to : the world. -At first he had thirsted — with a very natural curiosity — for "actual manifestations of Spiritualism, such as men. floating.^in^the^ air and spirits proclaiming ./tffijmselvfes ,by divers 1 audible eigns ; but he.sponsawsq'mapy .phenomena thrvt he had no 'desire fofiurther' proof,' aud what charmed him Boyjfnyaa th#< beautiful' teaching .'of . "the spirit^ religion^. One faci he mentioned: aH '^fednfrrtnaMo'n of •the:trut^:ctf\the^Bib]fi.^rx'-^Sllaaracn > V / 'Mfeslrech', and Abedniego' WjßAkitig iinsinged Hixt'ough- the" burning -fiery -,'furnace heated - seven" times, by Nebuchadnezzar, he and his friend Dr Dunn,, who accompanies him | on his'-yiait to Australia, were one night communing with <<he spirits, and the h're difficulty suggestingjjtsclf, the spirits were rectucstt4 v -to solve- W, At their request a

kerosene lamp was' procured, arid Dr Dunn, was at.the, time in the.nece^ary, medium trance, thrust his hand into the flame and. held it .there for about , live minutes. When withdrawn it was c >vered with soot, but this was easily removed by the application of a handkerchief, and no injury of any sort was observable. On recovering from the trance, Dr Dunn simply inquired whan his friend and the spirits had been doing with him, as he ha.i a severe pain in his head. The two mortals then interviewed the spirits for the purpose of .discovering the recipe by which the miracle had been worked, and after a good deal of cross-questioni< g elicited that it had been accomplished by enc relink the hand with a fireproof shied of ether, which could with equal ease be extended over the whole body. In concluding his remarks Mr Peebles dwelt feelingly on tbe sympathetic bond uniting the believers in Spiritualism — a far stronger bond than that of auy creed ; and said that he did not come here as a leader or dictator, but as a fellow worker who had resolved to devote himself body and soul to the promotion of the cause until the angels called him home. In appearance Mr Peebles is a. tall handsome man, rather over middle age, with a long flowing grey beard, aud an earnest thoughtful face. In speech he is easy, graceful, eloquent, and winning— just sucii a man as can i'aseuMt" an aud it nee, especially on a subject that has a strong flavor of the mysterious or supernatural. He \va« followed by Dr Dunn, who, it is to be hoped, is better as a medium than as. a, speaker. This gentleman, whose accput anil manner reminds one unpleasautiy of .the boards of a provincial theatre, assured the company that he had grasped the warm hands extender) to him by spirits of loved ones long since dead, had heard their angel voices, aud so forth. He also predicted tbat spi itualism would ere long be the religion of the united world, and said he would do his best to spread its glorious truths.