AMERICAN SPIRITUALISM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 42, 14 February 1874, Page 10

AMERICAN SPIRITUALISM.

Wb take the following from a review of TTardinge's " Modern American Spiritualism," which appeared in tho 15 vol. of 'The Month,' p. 375. "We shall add another nnd etill wider consideration, for we believe thai the true way of arriving .it a right, conclusion concerning the phenomena on which spiritualism is founded, is to comoare them in their most varied developments a-nd class them with nil such other manifestations as may fairly be attributed to kindred sources and powers. We believe that many of the adepts of European ' Spiritualism,' fir on the road of evil and monstrosity as we fear it has already advanced, will have been shocked by learning the existence of some even of the fact» which we have selected in this article, nnd we assure our readers that we have not selected the most startling. In the same way as American developments seem more fearful by the side of European experiences, so- there is a gradation to be observed, unless we nre mistaken, in the American developments themselves ; the wildest and most terrible meet us as we leave the comparatively civilised and sober East for tho half-settled Western States, as we touch on the territories, and cross over to the Pacific seaboard in California: Indeed, tho Califomian phenomena are sineularly terrible, and diaBolical. Here, for instance, is an incident which occurred in California ra 1856, and ffas made fully public in 1863 by an eminent lawyer in Nevada, who after the lapse of seven years, could not speak of the occurrence without the most painful emotion. He and a friend, an eminent banker, and man of science, and a sceptic, were visiting the house of a wealthy Oalifornian merchant, where they summoned a murdered friend, Mr King, to the mesmeric circle. He appeared precisely as in life and in his usual attire, and raised his arms in turn, and made other motions as suggested to him. But when his living friend darted forward, as he said, 'to grab' him,' every article in the house aeemed to be set in motion at once, as if by the shock of an earthquake, nnd the figure melted out instantly. Another time, after Mr King's presence was made known, a certain new influence w<»9 detected by the ■whole circle, andjn tho usual manner it was asked ' Who was present ?' The answer wa3 ' Cupitan.v' This name was recognised by some present as that of an old Ennaka woman who had died some years ago. It ■was then asked if she would materially appear, and, if so, would she give a sign ? The spirit answered that she would ring the door-boll. The following is a quotation from Mtsa Hardinge's work : — " It was fcarcely twenty seconds after the raps had ended spelling out this menage when the bell again rung furiously, and at tho same time a bush, growing within a fi»w -feet of the window, was shaken bo violently as to fix all our attention on it, in the fear that it would be torn up by the roots. Tho-i we (hnving our attention fixed upon the bush) distinctly and alto ether saw a gigantic human figure apparently rising and emerging from the busVi, issue out into the broad moonlight, pass withn two fdet of the windo-v before out 4 eyes, and glide off towards the kitchen. By a comm n impulse wo all rose and rush»d to tho window, but only in time to see the figure melt out apd another rise up, as it were out of the ground, nnd immediately seat' itself upon a bench before the kitchen door, and full in tho ghre of the moonlight. ' And here I would fain pavue, for I have no words adequate to describe what then I saw ; and though its memory will bo for ever engraven upon ray brain, I can neither communicate in words the least nullity of it, nor yet attempt its description wiMiout subjecting myself to the charge of the wildest exaggeration. It certainly bore the human form though in distorted and frightful disproportion. It was of epgintic height and frightfully lerm. I f s fnoa was hideously long, thirr, and distorted, blacker than any idea of blackness I had ever seen before ; but it 3 expression I can never pourtray. I can o^y say it ■was an appalling mixture of ha f e, rase, and despair, so shocking that I cannot at any time attempt to roeal it without a sickening sensation of horror. It was torn Me t"> look at, horrible to think of, and I hope my mortal eyes will novsr agiin be blighted by so hideous a spectre. He wore a l-irj;« white robe I; ■•o^n fuUy round him, and partly covering his immense- Ion;* lean head ; and there he sat, reclining in the bench, full in th a , -moonlight, silent-, eHI, and ghastly in all hia appalling ugliness. Th° face was turned to us some what in profile. After lookipg at the goblin — for lm nm I ran never think it— till the night overpowered me, I rushed t* the pi.»zza door, feeling the necessity for air. I was followed by the 111 1 li.°i». w'i j wer<J almost fvinting ; but in .attempting to unfasten tuc t" lor, whi 'h Mr J. P had opened with perfect east* a f-vr nnmoiits; bef»rc we found it barricaded. Mr B, the brakes'- a moii;-^ uh, ex vpt Ur J. P., remained watching the goblin, as dil the family upa'.iiri, <il! they sa^ it gradually and slowly melt out. Th*y nrvov lo^t eh'it of it till it disappear .*d As we retreated the sof.is, c1!c 1 ! i!>'s. ta l _lcj, cushion*, globes, and mathematical i.istru ucnts v>,vre hn.'le 1 iV-u 1 i i er^*r diivcth.i wifh g 'cat violence. I was Fovi'ivly strm-k v, ith a l»eol:, an 1 one o r the ladies had a cushion clashed in her face, t i e <lu-.t from whi.-h blinded her eyes for several minutes. Mr J. P. nn-1 his \-ii r e n'-wjoinel me at the door, and after great cxertij'i we nu'CV'Lil in forcing it partly open, when we foun I llial the henry iron i/ifi % it t'l • enhu ico t~> tlie grounds had been | litrnriy to;n u,i oit of the socket, and placed bo lily against thepi;u/. v door. Thi-- mu~t liive Iven done in a few minutes, since one of the seryj'its had ju^t pissed through and fasteued it. It mnst havo been accomplished witMou* miff, though it woul 1 have taken several men to achieve sui li a feat, and we had eat opposite it, with the moon shining full upon it, the whole }.:ri kI of the circle [_\a ov "lie disajip^di'ftr.c; of (hi sp ctre ] Mr B. stood within ei^ht feet of !', am: just as wo appro iciioil t lir> kitohon door, he s\w, as did those i>b". , tho creature r!s > with slow deliberation, stanrling a moment sli 1 _s if to display its c iormoi.3 height, then, lightly lifting its robe it seemed to float oil' a lit'le way, and then instantly, in the clear space became invisible. Tb.;re .vere five witnesses of this scene, and each gave \ precise^ ejon'lar account when questioned separately. . . . . VTe a ix re e Ito biud our minds and aspirations on the attempt ;o ct>l around ub Uud, genial, and more bumtin beings, and conjured

some bright and happy spirit to visit us, and aid in dup«-Uing the liorron of the last upparition. We had not taken our places five minutes, before, nervous and distrustful as we still were, we were convinced our petitions were answered. Cool balmy breezes played around us, soft" caressing hands stroked our cheeks and heads, more than a dozen small white human hands gleamed aronnd the room, at first shadowy and like thin vapour, at last palpable opaque anl seemingly as firm in sight and touch as our own hands.'