THE PHENOMENA OF SPIRITUALISM.

[UNEDITED]

BY THE REV. ASA MAHAN,

D.D., FIRST PRESIDENT OF OBERLIN COLLEGE, OHIO,
Author of "Science of Intellectual Plilosoplzy," "Science of Logic," " Doctrioe of the WXill," " Science of Moral Philosophy," etc.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

A. S. BARNES AND CO., NEW YORK,
CHIGAGO, AND NEW ORLEANS. MDCCC XXVI.

PREFACE.

PERHAPS we cannot better introduce the reader to the treatise before him, than by giving a short statement of the circumstances which led us to adopt the views therein developed in regard to Spiritualism. Since the year 1850, our residence has been in several of the grand centres of this movement, and where, consequently, the mysterious phenomena were continuously forced upon our attention. One of the circumstances which first impressed our mind as we reflected upon what was passing before us, was the utter incompatibility of the fundamental characteristics of these facts, as reported even by spiritualists themselves, with the supposition that they are the intended results of intelligent minds who are communicating with us from the heavenly or infernal world. By no laws of mind known to us could we account for the facts by a reference to such an origin. When they were referred to good spirits, our reply was: good spirits cannot falsify as these do; for these falsify when spirits, if present, cannot but know the truth; profess knowledge when they must know themselves ignorant, and make positive affirmations when they must know that they are only guessing. Good spirits cannot thus act. When they were referred to bad spirits, our reply was: these spirits do not lie like men in the flesh, nor as any spirits would do whose conduct is governed by any laws known to us. There is a certain "method" even in lying, wherever it appears, and here is lying which has no such method, or any method at all which can properly be ascribed to spirits aiming at some intelligent end, good or bad. When individuals told us that they had had communications with their spirit friends, our reply was: the spirit here speaking says some things that that of your mother, if present, might and no doubt would say. Your mother, however, when alive and with you, never falsified as this spirit does, and would not thus falsify, if now present. We therefore rejected the ab extra spirit hypothesis, as wholly incompatible with the facts. We were first led to refer the facts to tricks of the mediums. Soon, however, we were confronted with phenomena wholly incompatible with such a supposition. We met, for example, with evidences, which we could not resist and maintain our integrity, of the reality of physical manifestations of a very startling and impressive character. We ourselves personally witnessed such facts as we could account for by no reference to conscious or unconscious muscular action. We also met with individuals of the first intelligence and integrity, and who utterly repudiate the spirit theory, who had themselves witnessed such phenomena. In the Congregational Society's Rooms in Boston, for example, an orthodox Congregational clergyman, of unquestionable intelligence and integrity, affirmed to us, in the presence of several other clergymen, that on one occasion he saw a medium place her hands gently upon a marble-topped table, no other person being near; that after holding them there awhile, the object began to move after her around the room, that he himself got under the table, and taking hold of its legs, attempted to hold it still, and that he was, with the table, drawn quite a distance over the floor, all his efforts to the contrary notwithstanding. From many others we received precisely similar and equally credible statements. We found, then, that we had to admit the facts, or take the ground that no strange events can be established by testimony. How, then, could we ask the world to believe in Christian miracles? We found equally valid evidence for the reality of the facts of Spiritualism, as far as the intelligent communications are concerned. We found ourselves necessitated, therefore, in moral honesty, to admit the facts, and then to seek an explanation of them on some mundane hypothesis, as their character precluded any other supposition than their exclusively mundane origin. As we reflected upon the facts under consideration, we were forcibly struck with this suggestion, that they seemed evidently to imply the existence in nature of a polar force not yet distinctly recognised in philosophy, a force having, when developed, very strong attractive and repulsive power; a force, the direction of whose action, when certain conditions are fulfilled, accords with mental states, and is determined by the same; a force, finally, through which the mental states of one mind may be reproduced in others, and thus embodied, as in these communications. The existence of precisely such a force seemed demanded by the facts, whether we supposed it governed, in the production of these manifestations, by spirits in the body or out of the body. We were also deeply impressed with the obvious correspondence of these manifestations, physical and mental, with the phenomena of mesmerism and clairvoyance, on the one hand, and those of another class which from time to time have, in all ages, startled and troubled mankind, and which philosophers now refer to a power in nature denominated the Odylic Force, on the other. This led to a careful examination and classification of each of these classes of phenomena, and to an equally careful comparison of the results thus obtained with the spirit-phenomena, physical and intellectual.

The following are some of the conclusions to which we were thus conducted: i. There is in nature a force having the identical properties above specified, and which we denominate the Odylic Force. 2. This force is identical with the cause of all the mesmeric and clairvoyant phenomena, on the one hand, and with the immediate cause of these manifestations, on the other. 3. By a reference to the properties and laws of this force as developed in the spirit-circles, and to its relations to the minds constituting the same, we can account most fully for all the spirit-phenomena, of every kind, without the supposition of the presence or agency of disembodied spirits. Consequently, the hypothesis of Spiritualism is wholly unsustained by any valid evidence whatever. 4. The entire real facts of Spiritualism demand the supposition that this force in the production of these communications is controlled exclusively, for the most part unconsciously, by the minds in the circles, and not by disembodied spirits out of the same. 5. We finally found, what we did not at first expect, that we had developed facts and principles which gave an equally ready and satisfactory explanation of the phenomena of witchcraft, necromancy, fortune-telling, etc., etc., phenomena which from time to time have been the wonder and terror of mankind in all ages. 6. Other consequences of equal and far greater importance seemed undeniably to follow from our facts and deductions. The results of our investigations the reader will find embodied in the following treatise. Facts of recent occurrence have fully prepared the public mind, as we judge, to receive a scientific explanation of the real phenomena of Spiritualism, the impositions of the system having been so fully exposed. Since the following treatise was put into the printer's hands, in every remaining place not therein referred to, where ghosts have been professedly exhibited-in the United States, for example-the impositions have been fully exposed, "the spirits" having been caught, and demonstrated to be men or women in the flesh. With these suggestions the work before us is commended to the careful and candid examination of the reader.
THE AUTHOR.
'LONDON, April 27ith, 875.

CONTENTS.

The Diverse Theories pertaining to these Phenomena, and the Methods of Inquiry, and Laws of Evidence, by which any one of them can be Verified (The Humbug Theory, The Satanic Agency Theory, The Spiritualistic Theory, The Mundane Theory); The Affirmed Visible, Tangible, and Audible Manifestations of Spiritualism; Photography and Spiritualism; Levitation; Concluding Remarks, and Plan of the Treatise..... 1-77 CHAPTER I. ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM, AND ANIMAL MAGNETISM DISTINGUISHED. Effects of Animal Magnetism upon the Human System.. 7S-94 CHAPTER II. THE ODYLIC, ODIC, OR PSYCHIC FORCE. Physical Manifestations; The Odylic Force identical with that which is the immediate cause of the Spirit-Manifestations; PAt, The immediate cause of these Manifestations identical with that from which result all the Phenomena of Mesmerism and Clairvoyance....... 95 —43 CHAPTER III. PHYSICAL AND INTELLECTUAL MANIFESTATIONS ELUCIDATED. The Exclusively Physical Phenomena; Affirmed Intellectual Communications; The Three Classes of Mediums; A Large and Essential Portion of these Affirmed Spirit-Communications have an Exclusively Mundane Origin... I44-I85 CHAPTER IV. POSITIVE AND CONCLUSIVE PROOF THAT ALL THESE COMMUNICATIONS AND MANIFESTATIONS ARE THE EXCLUSIVE RESULT OF MUNDANE CAUSES, AND NOT OF THE AGENCY OF DISEMBODIED SPIRITS. The Admitted Fact, that an Essential Part of these Phenomena are Undeniably Originated by Exclusively Mundane Causes, Requires, without absolute proof to the contrary, that they all be Referred to the same Causes; No New, and none but Exclusively Mundane, Truths are Represented in these Communications; All these Communications take Specific Form from the Known Sentiments in the Particular Circles in which said Communications Originate; Known Exceptions Confirm the Deductions under Consideration; The Character of the Affirmed Spirit-thoughts, as Contrasted with the Known Life-thoughts of Individuals, Evince the former as having none but a Mmndane Origin; Revelations which do not, as Contrasted with those which do, Originate in these Circles, Confirm the same Conclusion; The General Intellectual Character of these Communications Demonstrate their Non-Spirit Origin; Fundamental Facts Developed by Individuals through Inquiries made for self-satisfaction in regard to the Origin and Cause of these Phenomena, Individuals who had Formed no Definite Theory upon the Subject; The same Responses and the same Evidence of Spiritpresence, can be Obtained from the Spirits of Individuals yet alive, but supposed to be dead, as from the Spirits of Persons actually dead; Similar Responses are Obtained in these Circles, by devoted Spiritualists, from the spirits of persons actually alive, but supposed to be dead; Most Decisive Observations and Experiments made by Individuals of the highest intelligence and integrity, for the specific purpose of Determining the Nature and Location of the Cause of these Phenomena (Very Interesting and Decisive Facts furnished by one of our former Pupils; Facts which occurred at the house of the Rev. Starr King; Important Facts furnished by Dr. Bell; The Statements of Dr. Bell confirmed by kindred ones from N. I. Bowditch, Esq.; Important Facts furnished by a New England Congregational Clergyman; Interesting and Illustrative Facts furnished by a Pastor of one of the Churches in the City of Cleveland, Ohio); A Peculiar Class of False Answers continually Obtained in these Circles Evince the Exclusively Mundane Origin of these Phenomena; Enquiries made for the Specific purpose of Determining, not only the Location of the Controlling Cause of these Phenomena, but of the Extent of the Control which could be Exercised over these Phenomena; Important Evidence Obtained from the Observations and Testimony of Individuals who have themselves been Mediums; Disagreements and Contradictions in these Communications Incompatible with the idea of their Extra-mundane Origin; False Communications which can be accounted for but upon the Mundane Hypothesis....... I86-326

Page XIVxiv CoZt'enls. CHAPTER V. TENDENCY OF SPIRITUALISM. PA(; Section I. Tendency of Spiritualism to the Good or III of Mankind Physically; Section II. Tendency of Spiritualism to Benefit or Injure Mankind Intellectually (Spiritualism not a Reliable Source of Information; Spiritualism has not Benefited the World, as far as Science is Concerned; Spiritualism itself utterly wanting in all the Characteristics of a truly Scientific Movement, Spiritualism has done nothing to Improve the Literature of Humanity); Section III. Moral Tendency of Spiritualism (Summary Statement of the Tendencies of Spiritualism).... 327 —37I CHAPTER VI. MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS. Section 1. Special Facts connected with Spiritualism (Copying the Voice, Manner, and Handwriting of Individuals, Tactual Impressions, Seeing Spirits); Section II. Phenomena of Dreaming, and Premonitions of Future Events (Analagous Facts of Common Occurrence in Every-day Life); Section II. Phenomena of Ghost-seeing and Haunted Houses; Section IV. Witchcraft, Fortune-Telling, Manner in which Mysterious Events are Commonly Treated; Section V. These so-called Spirit-Manifestations and Scripture Miracles, Bearing of our previous Discussions upon the Doctrine of a General and Particular Providence, Conclusion..372-421

Page 1

PHENOMENA OF SPIRITUALISM SCIENTIFICALL Y EXPLAIiNED AND EXPOSED.

INTRODUCTION.

A GENTLEMAN, while in Egypt, asked an intelligent citizen of that country what he really thought of their most celebrated necromancer. The reply received was this: " I regard him as pretty much of a humbug. Yet, I think that there is something real in the art which he practises." If we will carefully scrutinize the public sentiment of Europe and America, we shall find, we judge, that the above answer most correctly expresses the popular conviction in respect to modern Spiritualism. That the great mass of phenomena presented under that name is gross humbuggery and imposition, no well-informed individual, who would maintain his self-respect, will question. That, at the basis of these phenomena, there are important facts requiring a scientific exI

Page 22 Phenomena of Spirituadlsm planation, the most intelligent men, who have made the nearest approach to these facts, do not entertain any doubt. The celebrated juggler, Signor Blitz, for example, after the most careful scrutiny of these phenomena, affirmed, that there were facts there which the art he practised could never explain. Such has been the result of our researches after a correct knowledge of the real character and cause of these phenomena. As a teacher of youth, and president of important colleges, we ever regarded it as an important duty to be well informed on our part in respect to all subjects of public interest, that we might be qualified so to instruct our pupils that they should be able to distinguish between truth and error. Discerning, as we early did, the fact, that the so-called spirit-phenomena would become objects of even world-wide interest, we at once commenced a careful inquiry into their real character and causes. We commenced our investigations with the distinct and avowed impression, that adl these phenomena were the exclusive result of trickery and imposture. We had not proceeded far in our investigations, however, before we found ourselves confronted with palpable facts which admitted of no such explanation. We found, for example, that individuals could go into these spirit-circles, and there obtain specific answers to any number of purely mental questions, and that, too, when the

Page 3Scienlifically Explained and Exposed. 3 questions pertained to facts so remote and foreign to all minds but their own in the circles, as to preclude the possibility of trickery or deception. We will, for example, go into any circle in any part of England, a circle which can, by no possibility, know anything whatever of us or of our place of residence. When the proper conditions have been fulfilled, we will ask the question: Is the spirit we are now thinking of present? the spirit being that of our mother. On receiving an affirmative answer, we will request the spirit to answer the question which we now mentally put, the question being: Will you designate the names of your children, and that in the order of their birth? These specific names, in the order mentally designated, will be given. Facts of a precisely similar character, as will be rendered demonstrably evident in the progress of this treatise, are being repeated in thousands of circles, the world over. In regard to the so-called physical phenomena, "deeds of darkness" excepted, we found that we could produce them ourselves, and that upon objects of our own selection, and when alone in our own room; and we obtained undeniable evidence of the existence of precisely similar facts wherever proper experiments were tried. From such undeniable facts, the existence of which will be hereafter abundantly verified, we deduced two inferences:

Page 4i4 Phenomena of Spiritualism that there is a power, or force, in nature-a force not yet generally recognised by scientists-a force which, when developed from any cause, occasions these wonders; and that, in the spirit-circles, this force is so controlled, and that by sonme intelligent cause, as to secure specific responses to our most secret thoughts. From these facts spiritualists infer that it is spirits outside of this mundane sphere that control this force in the production of these phenomena. With this exposition in mind, we return to the case of our mother. In answer to a purely mental question, the real names of all her children have been given, and that in the specific order above designated. For the purpose of self-satisfaction in regard to the question whether it is, in fact, the spirit of our mother, or any extra-mundane spirit, that is communicating with us, we, mentally as before, request a second answer to the question previously put, mentally suggesting, at the same time, that great care shall be used to give the right answer, as important deductions may be based upon the answer received. The answer received in the first case, the correct one too, was, Asa, Polly, Betsey. The response, in this second case, is, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We here state cases which, as we shall show hereafter, are perfectly parallel to facts everywhere occurring in these

Page 5Scienifcally Explained and Exposed. 5 circles, whenever and wherever thinkers visit them, and put questions there with wise discretion and full self-possession. In reflecting upon these cases we call to mind the conscious fact, that at the time when each name was designated, our thought was directed to that specific name, and so directed in the first three cases without reflecting upon any inferences to be deduced from the answers received, and in the last three for the specific purpose of obtaining facts for the solution of an important problem in science. The facts strictly common to these two cases are these: that, in each case alike, there was a definite response to a purely mental question, of the character of which none but we could be conscious; and that the name given, in every instance, accorded with the identical one upon which our thought was, at the moment, definitely fixed. Hence the question arises, to wit: Did our mental states determine the action of the force through which these responses were obtained, or was the determining cause the mental states of a spirit from another sphere? Here, on the hypothesis that such facts do exist, we have the question imposed upon science to settle. All must agree, as we have said, that the action of this force in the production of these phenomena, supposing them to be real, is determined by the mental states of minds within these circles, or by those of spirits from

Page 66 Phenomena of Spiritualism another sphere. The question for science is: Which of these hypotheses is the true one? It may be a matter of interest and profit to the reader, perhaps, should we here indicate the method of inquiry in conformity to which we have endeavoured to obtain a scientific answer to this question. Several years ago, an instrument, or machine, called Planchette, was very extensively sold and used throughout the United States. The instrument consisted of a thin piece of board fixed upon a frame that moved upon wheels or rollers, so arranged that the instrument could be readily moved in any direction. When a pencil was so fixed to the end of the instrument, that the point of the pencil would touch a sheet of paper upon the table, all was in readiness for the desired experiments. When individuals place their hands upon the top of the instrument and hold them there for a time, it begins to move, and letters, sentences, and answers to questions mental.and verbal, are written out upon that sheet of paper. What is very peculiar about the Planchette is, that by no acts of will can it, by any possibility, be made to move the pencil so as to write a single letter, word, or sentence. It is only as the ends of the fingers touch the surface of the board referred to, and all volitions are suspended, that any letters, words, or sentences will be written out. Here, spiritualists exclaim, is palpable evidence of

Page 7Scientifically Explained and Exposed. 7 the agency of spirits in moving the instrument so as to produce these results. A company of eduJ cated minds formed themselves into a circle for the purpose of discovering the specific cause of these phenomena. After the most careful and extended investigation, they found that the most fixed relation existed between every one of these phenomena and a specific, and corresponding, mental state preexisting in some mind, or minds, within the circle. So it was found everywhere, when corresponding inquiries were made, and Planchette took its place among the abortions of the past. About this time, another instrument was invented, and called Planchette Out-done. On a thin board circles were drawn, circles within one another, and circles from the centre of which lines were drawn to such words as Yes and No, to the days of the week, and to numerals from one to one hundred, etc. Taking between the fingers the end of a silk thread, to the other end of which a small metallic ball was affixed, and holding the ball over the centre of these circles, we might put any questions we pleased, and the motion of the ball would be in the directions which would indicate specific answers to said questions. Here, as before, spiritualists affirmed the demonstrated presence of spirit-agency. Wishing to determine the real character and cause of these facts, we approached the instrument in this manner: with

Page 88 Phenomena of Spyiritualism holding vision totally from the location of any words and figures upon the circles, we held the ball as required, and asked the question: Am I about to take a journey? it being my purpose to do so. Under these circumstances, the ball absolutely refused to move in any direction. We willed it to move, and entreated the spirits, if any were present who had the power to do so, to move that ball in some direction. There it remained, however, utterly motionless. At length, we looked out the locality of the term Yes, and then repeated the question: Am I about to take a journey? Instantly the ball moved in the direction which indicated the right answer. In utter ignorance of the locality of the name of any day of the week, I then put the question: On what day of the week shall I start on this journey? In this state of things, no action of my will, nor any " spirit from the vasty deep," would move that ball. When the inquiry was repeated, after the location of the right day was known, the right answer was obtained. The same identical facts attended the inquiries: How long shall I be absent from home? What is my age? and many others. We from hence drew the following deductions: that there may be in nature a force whose activity is determined by mental states-a force not yet, as before stated, generally recognised by scientific men; that in the cases under consideration, the mental states deter

Page 9Scientfically Explained and Exposed. 9 mining the action of this force were undeniably mundane, and not extra-mundane; and that we may have here a key which will unlock all the mysteries of Spiritualism, a principle which will enable us to explain all these so-called spirit-phenomena. With this specific inquiry distinctly in mind, namely, Is the cause of these phenomena mundane or extramundane? we have investigated these phenomena. These investigations we have pursued after having clearly determined what the essential characteristics of these facts must be-if their cause is mundane, on the one hand, or supra-mundane, on the other. Of this fact we are absolutely assured, that when these phenomena shall be investigated in accordance with a strictly scientific method, all mystery about them will disappear, and they will be found to be as readily reducible to fixed laws of nature, and as explicable by said laws, as are any other classes of known facts; and that, admitting all spirit-facts that can, with any show of reason, be affirmed to be real, we have no more occasion to call in the agency of extra-mundane spirits to explain these facts, than we have to do the same thing to explain the facts pertaining to the transit of Venus.

Page 10o Phenomena of Spiritualism THE DIVERSE THEORIES PERTAINING TO THESE PHENOMENA, AND THE METHODS OF INQUIRY, AND LAWS OF EVIDENCE BY WHICH ANY ONE OF THEM CAN BE VERIFIED. Before we can proceed intelligently in the investigation of any class or classes of facts, we must, first of all, settle definitely the proper method of inquiry to be observed, and the specific laws of evidence applicable in such cases. We propose now to do this' relatively to the phenomena under consideration. All the theories which have been put forward for the explanation of these facts may be classed under the following denominations, namely, the Humbug Theory, that which refers all these phenomena to trickery and imposition; the Satanic Agency Theory, that which admits the facts to be real, and their determining cause supra-mundane, but affirms that cause to be the Father of Lies; the Spirit Theory, that which, not only admits and affirms the facts to be real, but refers, for their causes and explanation, to the agency of disembodied spirits who have left this world; and the Mundane Theory, that which also admits the facts, and refers, for their explanation, to mundane causes exclusively. We propose to consider each of these theories in the order stated; our present object being, not to prove or disprove any one of them, but to fix and determine the proper method

Page 11Scienzlfically Ex/pained and Exposed. I I of inquiry in each case, and the immutable conzditions on which each can be scientifically verified, provided such verification is possible. We begin with The Humnbug Theory. All the other theories, it will be borne in mind, admit, that among the so-called spirit-phenomena there are real and important facts-facts which have no connexion with trickery and imposture, facts which require a scientific scrutiny and explanation. On what conditions can this Humbug Theory be verified? It is no verification of this theory, we reply, to prove that very many and very important classes of these so-called spirit-phenomena are deliberate impositions, or even that all of these " dark room showings " are of this character. If we grant all this, as we readily do, a large residuum of essential facts will be left-facts against which no such charge has ever yet been sustained. What gave Spiritualism its chief influence in America was the fact, that, for a long time, its claims were opposed on the hypothesis that it was either true, or was, in all its facts, a gross and intentional imposition upon the public; the mediums being everywhere able to convince all who entered their circles that their leading facts were no impositions. The first medium we ever personally knew was one of our own pupils, who utterly repudiated Spiritualism in all its claims. In circles in

Page 1212 Phenomena of Spirilualism which he was the medium, all the phenomena which appeared in any of the spirit-circles were developed, and that when all present with him utterly repudiated the system under consideration. One of the best table-movers I ever saw was an aged and venerable member of my own church. At any of our houses, or in any circle, he would take a stand or table, and after laying his hands or fingers gently upon its surface for a little time, the object would begin to move, and perform antics which no one could induce by any manipulations controlled by the will. I can affirm, without fear of contradiction, that no well-informed American will deny, that in our country all the essential physical and intellectual phenomena of Spiritualism have been, not only witnessed, but produced, in many circles in which no single spiritualist was present, and where the exclusive object was to determine by experiment what phenomena can be developed by the means employed in the spiritcircles. Individuals, under such circumstances, have no motives for imposing upon themselves or others. It is a well-known fact, that in America, in England, and on the Continent-in France especially-all the essential physical and intellectual spirit-phenomena have been produced in circles formed for no other purpose than determining by experiment what is and is not true in respect to these phenomena. To charge such persons with the intention to practise deception

Page 13Scientifically Explained and Exposed. 13 upon the public, is but to evince that we ourselves are too much the creatures of prejudice to discern facts as they are in the world around us. Those who would verify this Humbug Theory, must not adduce mere admitted deceptions, but take into account the facts affirmed by spiritualists in common with intelligent non-believers in this system-individuals whose judgments are based upon independent experiments of the most reliable character, and whose veracity is unimpeachable. The Satanic Agency Theory. This theory admits and affirms the phenomena of Spiritualism, the phenomena generally claimed to be real, and refers them to satanic agency as their determining cause. On what conditions can this theory be verified? On three conditions, we answer, exclusively: proof that the cause of these facts must be extra-mundane, in the first instance; in the next, that this cause cannot be spirits from this world, but must be of an exclusively satanic character; and, finally, that these phenomena are controlled in accordance with the revealed character of the devil as the arch-deceiver of the race. Will any thinker attempt to verify all the above propositions? each of which must be proven, or this theory must be abandoned. That Satan desires that Spiritualism should become the accepted faith

Page 1414 Phenomena of Spirilualism of the race, we have no doubt. To prove that even the mass of these accepted facts are the exclusive results of his direct and immediate agency, is quite another matter. If it shall be shown, as we believe it will be, that the cause of these phenomena is exclusively mundane, then this santanic hypothesis becomes a demonstrated error. If, granting the supra-mundane cause of these facts, it should appear that we have as good evidence of their being produced by departed spirits, as we have of their satanic origin, then the theory under consideration cannot be verified. Finally, if it should appear that the revelations of Spiritualism are uniformly of an order so low, inane, and so palpably self-contradictory, as to preclude the idea of their origin with such an intelligence as Satan undeniably is, the dogma that he is the immediate and exclusive author of these revelations becomes absurd. Satan may "transform himself into an angel of light." He is not, however, a fool. A system of error originated by him for the people of this century, it is quite safe to say, would bear a character for greatness in some respects corresponding to the intelligence of this century. Satan must be aware of facts in the universe in advance of scientific discovery, and events in the world around us in advance of our present knowledge. How easy it would be for him, in his sovereign control over

Page 15Scizenifica/ly Exlained d n Exposed. 15 these communications, to render his circles reliable sources of information on all such subjects, and thus impart to Spiritualism itself a most plausible verification. Are there circles of this character? The advocates of this Satanic Agency Theory must show that such are the real facts of the case, or, to be self-consistent, they must abandon their theory. If it should be found that these circles are, on no subjects not known to us, reliable sources of information; that in respect to facts of which we are not informed all these communications are void of higher credibility than mere imagining, or "prudent guessing," no prudent thinker will regard them as controlled by a being of such vast powers of knowledge and sources of information as Satan undeniably possesses. Satan does not care to lie when a lie will not answer his end. To suppose that he will lie when a lie will defeat, and giving right information will accomplish, his ends, is to impute to him greater folly than revelation or common sense will allow. The Spiritualistic Theory. The common doctrine of all who admit the leading facts of Spiritualism is, that these phenomena are the direct and immediate result of the action of some force in nature, by whatever name that force is designated; and that these phenomena are effects

Page 1616 Plhenomena of Spiritualism of the action of the said force as controlled by spirits in the circles or from some extra-mundane sphere. This common doctrine implies the existence in nature of a force the action of which, when the proper conditions are fulfilled, accords with, and is controlled by, mental states. The question for science, in this case, is whether these mental states pertain to spirits in, or out of, these circlesspirits dwelling in bodies in this mundane sphere, or coining into these circles from some other spheres. The doctrine of Spiritualism is, that the phenomena under consideration are produced through the action of this force as directed and controlled by the mental states of spirits who were once in the flesh as members of our race, but are now inhabitants of the spirit-realm. Through this force, mankind are now in communication with the disembodied realm of spiritual existences; just as in the matter of intellectual intercourse the people of England are, by means of telegraphic and other sources of intercourse, in communication with the peoples on the other side of the Atlantic. If this is really and truly the case, then the two kinds of intercommunication will, and must, have the same essential characteristics. In the same essential particulars in which one is a reliable, or unreliable, source of information, the other will be. We do not send messages across the ocean to obtain answers in

Page 17Scientifically Explained and Exposed. I 7 respect to questions about which we are as perfectly informed as they are, but to obtain information in respect to subjects about which they may be informed and we are ignorant. The information thus obtained, also, is found to be so reliable that the most important business transactions are prudently regulated by it. If we are through these spirit-mediums, also, in real communication with the realm of minds, not living in the flesh on the other side of the Atlantic, but dwelling in the undiscovered country, we shall find that intercommunication in this latter case has, in all essential particulars, the same characteristics of reliability and unreliability as in the former. We have, for example, a mother in the spirit-land. While she lived these were the fixed characteristics of her communications to us. In all particulars in which we were both alike well-informed, we, of course, ever found her perfectly truthful. Equally trustworthy did we invariably and especially find her in respect to facts known to her, but about which we were ignorant or misinformed. In these relations, with perfect reliability, she would with special care enlighten our ignorance, or correct our errors, as the case might be. We enter a spirit-circle, and are there professedly put into communication with the same mind that, while in the body, we called our mother. As the immutable condition of identifi2

Page 1818 Phenomena of Spiritualism cation, we are bound to require that her present communications shall have, in all essential respects, the same characteristics of reliability as her earthly ones had. There are many facts of which we are both fully and equally informed. There are many others about which she has a perfect knowledge, and we are wholly ignorant, or misinformed, and have the means of ascertaining the truth as it is. Suppose, now, that we should find that all her communications have, in all respects, the same identical characteristics of reliability that her living ones had. We should, in such case, be bound, as we judge, co admit that we are in actual communication with the spirit of that mother. Suppose, on the other hand, that on all subjects in respect to which we and she must be equally informed, we find all answers to be true; and that on all subjects about which we are ignorant or misinformed, and she perfectly informed, all communications and responses have the immutable characteristics of utter unreliability, making no nearer approach to the truth than common imaginings and guessings do. In such case we should dementate ourselves and gracelessly slander our mother, if we should admit that it is her spirit which is communicating with us. Answers to questions about which she and we are equally informed have no bearing whatever upon the question of her presence or absence, it being

Page 19Scienlfically Explained and Exposed. 19 as probable, to say the least, that our thoughts determined these answers, as that hers did. In respect to the unreliable communications, we cannot admit that they came from her without affirming that, since her residence among the spirits, she has become a lawless liar, and we are perpetrating an act of self-dementation in so doing. As these responses have no other characteristics than vain imaginings or imprudent guessings, we are bound by all the principles of logical integrity to conclude that these lying imaginings and guessings are unconsciously our own, and not consciously hers, as they must be conscious lies, if they proceed from her at all. No candid thinker will question the validity of the test of identification now under consideration, and the necessity, if we would not be most senselessly deceived in a matter of grave importance, of subjecting the claims of Spiritualism to the most rigid application of this test. In illustration of the manner in which this criterion has been applied in numberless instances in the United States, we will here allude to a fact stated in full in the body of this treatise. A gentleman, while sitting in a circle in the city of Boston, became impressed with the conscious fact, that the answers and communications obtained invariably accorded with specific thoughts previously, and at the time, present in his own

Page 2020 Phenomena of Spirituaiism mind. Hence, the question arose, whether his own thoughts, and not those of spirits supposed to be present, had determined these responses and communications. To satisfy his own mind on a question of such fundamental importance, he entered upon a series of experiments, so conducted as not at all to disturb the harmony of the circle, or awaken a suspicion in any mind of his intent. After extensive trials, he found, that by a conscious and secret regulation of his own thoughts, he could wholly suspend these phenomena, or give any direction to these communications he pleased. He would put a question, for example, and then fix his thoughts upon a specific answer which he knew to be false, and about which, as he was equally aware, the spirit assumed as present was well-informed; and that specific error would invariably be affirmed as true. The same fixed correspondence between the communications received and his own voluntarily-determined secret thoughts, obtained in all other instances. The conclusion which the inquirer deduced from such facts need not be specified. This individual understood at once the reason why, in all cases in which the inquirer and the spirit supposed to be present were both well-informed of the facts inquired about, the answers received were correct; that in cases where the inquirer was in error and the spirit well-informed, the error of the

Page 21Scient'licaZly Explained and Exposed. 21 inquirer, and not the truth as it must have been known to the spirit, if present, was reported; and, finally, why, in all cases where the inquirer was wholly ignorant, and the spirit, if present, must have been well-informed, the answers had the fixed characteristics of unreliability which peculiarize mere guessing. Suppose, now, that, in the progress of this treatise, it shall be rendered fully and undeniably evident, that the above are the fixed characteristics of the intellectual communications obtained in all the circles throughout the wide domain of Spiritualism, then, in the judgment of all minds not desirous of being deceived, the high claims of the system "vanish into nought." If, on the other hand, the advocates of the system can show that these communications have, as far as we can test them, the known characteristics of reliability which peculiarize communications between individuals in this world, then the claims of the system must be admitted. It will also be claimed by spiritualists, and that with truth, that in these circles; entirely new information is sometimes obtained-information in respect to subjects about which the inquirers, and all persons present, are totally uninformed. What test, to determine the fact of spirit-presence or absence, shall be applied in such cases? The answer is obvious To prove that such information has come from "the

Page 2222 Phenomena of Spiritualism spirits" it must be rendered undeniably evident, that this same kind of information is never derived from the action of exclusively mundane causes. If, on comparing the facts presented, we find them to be identical, in all essential characteristics, with other facts originated in circumstances where the presence and action of "the spirits" are not at all to be presumed, then all evidence in favour of the claims of Spiritualism-evidence based upon such facts-totally disappears. No test is more evidential and important than this; and to its application the system will be held to the strictest account, provided our object is truth. We should dementate ourselves, if we should admit, as proof of spirit-presence and agency, facts of the same character as are known to result from exclusively mundane causes. We here notice the capital error on which the claims of Spiritualism have thus far, dark-room seances aside, been, for the most part, based. An individual enters a circle, and puts a question to a spirit assumed to be present-a question pertaining to a subject about which, as he well knows, all in the circle, himself excepted, must be absolutely ignorant; a subject about which, as he is equally aware, himself and the spirit supposed to be present are perfectly informed. It is assumed here, that if the right answer is now given, the action of the force through which the answer is obtained must have

Page 23Scientifically Explained and Exposed. 23 been directed by the mental states of the spirit referred to. Here is a fundamental error. How do we know but that the action of this force may have been determined by the mental states of the inquirer, and not by those of any disembodied spirit at all? This is the very question to be determined by a careful investigation of the facts before us. Take away, as we must do, or violate all the laws of scientific deduction, the evidence derived from this one source, and all the most essential evidences of Spiritualism disappear at once. Again: amid the multitudinous false communications which are continuously obtained in the spiritcircles, once in a while some statement is made relatively to some fact about which all present are profoundly ignorant-a statement which turns out to be true. This fact is at once heralded abroad as proof absolute of the claims of Spiritualism, and this without any inquiry whether precisely similar information is not often obtained through exclusively mundane causes. What an infinite and presumptuous leap in logic we have here! Before any valid inference whatever can be based upon such facts, it must be rendered undeniably evident that no such facts are ever originated through causes acting in the world around us. A company of individuals seat themselves around a table, and place their hands upon its surface. Soon

Page 2424 Phenomena of Spiritualism the object begins to move and to perpetrate wonderful antics; singular effects are also produced upon the bodies of individuals in the circles; or, from unknown causes, articles in a room or house begin to be strangely and spontaneously moved towards and from one another. We are compelled to admit that the era of old superstition has come again, when people infer merely from such facts, that " the spirits " are acting in our midst. Yet it is upon such unindicative facts as these, that the claims of Spiritualism are almost exclusively based. Leave such facts out of the account, as they undeniably should be, and the claims of the system vanish into nought. The Mzundane Theory. We have already indicated much which pertains to the proper presentation of the character of this hypothesis. The advocates of this hypothesis admit the leading facts claimed by spiritualists as real, the reality of the force through which these phenomena are produced, and the agency of mind in the control of this force, as far as intellectual communications are concerned. What it claims is that the mental states by which this force is controlled in the production of such phenomena belong to minds in these circles, and not to spirits from any higher or lower sphere. We must bear in mind here, that the force by which these phenomena are produced, is developed by the

Page 25Scientifzjcally Explained and Exposed. 25 circles in which these communications are obtained, and that that force is here developed by exclusively mundane causes. Without absolute proof to the contrary, we should conclude, that the causes which developed this force within these circles, control it while acting there. The burden of proof undeniably lies with the spiritualist, and not with the advocate of this mundane theory. All that is requisite to annihilate utterly the claims of Spiritualism, and to vindicate for that under consideration perfect claims to our regard as the true hypothesis, is to show conclusively that all these phenomena may be the exclusive result of mundane causes. If we should be able to go further than this, and to show, undeniably, that a large portion of these phenomena, and these among the most essential, must be regarded as being the result of exclusively mundane causes, and that the entire residuum of spirit-facts can be readily accounted for by reference to such causes, then, as all will admit, this mundane hypothesis will have received a strictly scientific verification. This is what we propose to accomplish in our future presentations. In regard to our leading facts, we would say, that, in a work previously published, the mass of these facts have been before the American public for more than fifteen years, and the reality, and correctness of the statement, of not one of them has been

Page 2626 Phenomena of Spiritualisn questioned even by spiritualists themselves. Since his views were first made public, the author has been watching the progress of facts bearing upon the subject, and setting them in order for the establishment of the truth. All the facts which have come to his notice tend but in one direction-the confirmation of the mundane hypothesis as he has developed it. Through letters and verbal communications from leading minds in many parts of the United States, we have been advised and urged to give to the public, in a newly-arranged form, what we have formerly published, and have since gathered, upon a subject which may be truly said to be attracting the attention of Christendom. It is in accordance with such advice, and our own convictions of what the public interests demand, that the present work has been prepared, and is now commended to the careful and candid examination of the friends of truth. The principles laid down in this introduction will, as we judge, fully prepare the reader to appreciate the bearing of the facts and arguments which may be presented. THE AFFIRMED VISIBLE, TANGIBLE, AND AUDIBLE MANIFESTATIONS OF SPIRITUALISM. Before proceeding to a direct consideration of the facts before us, it may be deemed important

Page 27Scientzfically Explained and Exposed. 27 that we say a few words upon the affirmed visible, tangible, and audible manifestations of the spiritsmanifestations which have attracted so much attention during the few years past. In America, permit us to say, all these manifestations, the latest-invented ones not excepted, are "known and read of all men " as detected and exposed impositions. These wonders had their origin in an obscure town in Southern Ohio, and individuals travelled hundreds of miles, and paid very heavy admission fees, to enjoy the exalted privilege, as was afterwards demonstrated, of being miserably humbugged. When the imposition was exposed in that locality, similar and still greater wonders attracted public attention in others. Among the most celebrated of these impostors were the Davenport family, their performances being simply more inexplicable than those which had been exhibited elsewhere. In many of the places in which they appeared, however, they were detected in their impositions in the very act. For what they did in the city of Adrian, or are believed to have done, nobody supposes that any but the vilest spirits from the lower regions would keep them company. In the city of New York, they were proclaimed in all the papers as having been openly detected while in the act of perpetrating their detestable impositions. At this time, we read in a number of the

Page 2828 Phenomzena of Spiritualism Banner of Lig'ht, the central organ of Spiritualism in the United States, a full account of these disclosures. In this article these Davenports were affirmed to be a family of vile and detected impostors, and the public were warned against them as such, and were protested to against holding Spiritualism as in any way responsible for the doings of these individuals. The manner in which the impositions of such individuals were exposed, was various. Sometimes, for example, the orifices of the trumpets, which the spirits were affirmed to blow in the darkness, were secretly covered with paint, which was found to cover the lips of the villains when the light was restored. At one time, when there was a show of spirit-hands, at the opening in the front of the dark closet, individuals were permitted to touch those hands. One strong man suddenly grasped one of those hands, and held it fast. The spirit struggled desperately to get free. The hand was held, however, until the fact was rendered demonstrably evident to the audience, that that hand belonged to a lying spirit in a human body skulked away in that dark closet. Here the most mysterious of their feats were copied. An individual well known in the city where we reside when at home, said to some friends of ours, from whom we received the account, "Go and get a rope; and having tied me just as you did them, leave me alone, as you

Page 29Scienlfically Explained and Exposed. 29 left them, and see what the result will be." This was done. After the man was left alone a little time, the door-the only one by which the room could be entered-was opened, and there sat the man with the rope in his hand. This man affirmed that no spirit but his own had anything to do in "loosing his hands," and laughed, as well he might, at the spectators for supposing that none but spirits could untie ropes under such circumstances. The manner in which the Davenports were exposed in the city of New York was on this wise. The individual who was to extinguish the lights, left one of the burners lighted so slightly that the fact was not perceived. When the performance in the deep darkness was at its height, the noise of trumpets, stringed instruments, etc., being at the loudest, and individuals were being touched by spirit-hands, the light was suddenly let on; and there stood the whole Davenport family engaged in their fiendish impositions. By similar means were they, time and again, detected and exposed; yet, they would go into communities where they had not been before, and by their satanic impositions persuade multitudes of people that these elsewhere detected and exposed impostors were attended with audible, visible, and tangible manifestations of the presence of disembodied spirits. After deceiving many in America, they passed over to England, and palmed off upon

Page 3030 Phenomena of Spiritualism untold multitudes here their impositions, which had become stale and intolerably offensive on the other side of the Atlantic. Yet we may safely challenge spiritualists to produce, through any of their seances, higher evidence of spirit-presence than has been furnished by these detected and exposed Davenports. All the showings of all the other mediums are of the same identical character, and are no more inexplicable than are the doings of these men. One of the most popular means of convincing the people of the presence of spirits, was experiments of this kind. The medium would request individuals to write out sentences on pieces of paper, and then lay them, the blank surface upwards, upon the table. The spirits were then requested to read the writings on the slips, and afterwards guide the hand of the medium to write out what was contained on each slip. To convince the audience that all was done with perfect integrity, one man was appointed to sit at the table and watch the medium, and another to take up the papers in succession, and then, after the medium had read what the spirits had guided his or her hand to write, to read what was upon the paper in his hands. While such seances were being held in the city of Kalamazoo, in the state of Michigan, the late Squire Haskal, editor of one of the daily papers in the city, noticed that before the spirit-writing occurred, something

Page 31Scient/icaIfy Expylained and Exposed. 31 was said, or done, evidently with design, to draw away the eyes and attention of people from the table and fix them upon some object in a distant part of the room, giving the medium time to lift the slips and read what was on them. He accordingly suggested to some friends, that at the next seanzce he should be appointed to sit at the table and watch the medium. This was agreed upon. As preparatory for what was to follow, Squire Haskal prepared two papers exactly like one another, and wrote upon each a sentence unlike what was written upon the other. When seated at the table, he laid one of these papers before the medium, and requested the spirits to reveal what was written thereon. After the usual act of diverting attention on her part, he took occasion to make some remarks, in the progress of which he, for a moment, diverted the attention of the medium and all others, as she had before done. During this moment, the papers were exchanged. When attention was restored to the business in hand, Squire Haskal requested that the present should be considered by the spirits, the medium, and the audience, as a test experiment, and hence, he would earnestly request the spirits to read with the greatest care that paper again. All this was agreed to by the audience, the medium, and, as affirmed through her, by the spirits. The medium, as moved by the spirits, wrote out what they had read upon

Page 3232 Phenomena of Spiritualism Squire Haskal's paper, and she, with great assurance, read what they had guided her to write. The man appointed to do so then took up the paper, and read that. To the amazement of the medium, and the surprise of the audience, the two were found not to agree at all. Squire Haskal then requested the man to read the other paper, and this was found to have been exactly copied by "the spirits." The medium was terribly enraged, and demanded that Squire Haskal should leave the platform at once. This he avowed himself well pleased to do, as he had exposed to the audience the cheat which was being played upon them. We state the facts as related to us by Mr. Haskal himself. It was by such disclosures as these that these seance wonders, the occasional newly-invented ones excepted, lost their interest and influence in America. We would here remark also, that the art of thus reading communications, and that without the aid of spirits, has now been carried much further than was ever done by spiritualists. Another important fact demands special attention here. Not only have these wonder-workers been exposed as deliberate impostors, but their impositions, in all essential particulars, have been copied. Everything which they can do by the affirmed aid of spirits, has been, and is being, performed, not only in America, but in London and Paris; and far more mys

Page 33Scienifically Explained and Exposed. 33 terious things than these so-affirmed spirit-mediums can do is being done also. We have referred to the manner in which these wonders have been copied in America. Let any individual visit the nightly exhibitions of Maskelyne and Cook at the Egyptian Hall, London, and he will witness the performance, and that avowedly without the aid of spirits, of all that is claimed to have been done by their aid in the spirit-seances. We will refer to a few facts which we and other friends witnessed there. On a carpeted platform, everywhere in full view of the audience, stands a cabinet eight or ten feet high. This box stands upon rollers, and is freely moved in all directions. In front is a door with double openings, and at the right side, a little higher than the doors, is an opening into the cabinet-an opening in the form of a diamond. When the door or doors are opened, the audience have a full view of the entire inside of the box. A committee from the audience carefully examine this box within and without, rolling it in all directions to find whether it has any secret exterior connexions. Having fully satisfied themselves, they report that the cabinet is a strictly honest affair. In other parts of the room, and wholly disconnected with this box, are a table, chairs, etc. The main exercises of the evening commenced with a striking exhibition of table-moving. A gentleman and lady seated themselves at the ends of 3

Page 3434 Phenomena of Sliritualism a table, and placed their fingers upon the top of the same. The object immediately becomes violently agitated, moving in various directions, and finally turning bottom-side upwards, at quite a distance from the floor. This feat over, the lady leaves the table, and advances near the centre of the platform, where no visible object touches her but the carpet on which she stands. While standing there, she begins to ascend, as if borne upward by invisible powers. When she has reached a height of from two to four feet from the floor, and while she is standing thus "in mid air," an individual strikes with a cane under her feet, to prove that she is sustained there by nothing between her and the floor. After remaining in this position for some time, she is quietly let down to the floor, and takes her leave of the audience. The time has now come for the cabinet exhibitions. Two men enter the box, and seat themselves opposite each other. The committee now enter, and with cords fasten the hands and feet of the men to bolts, which have been previously examined with all care. Everything is made as fast and secure as the committee know how to do it. When the committee leave the cabinet, the men become visible to the audience, and all see them fastened with cords as securely as human ingenuity knows how to do it, seals being placed upon the knots of the

Page 35Scientl/cally Explained and Exposed. 35 cords. Musical and other instruments are laid in the centre of the box, and placed out of contact with the men. The doors are now closed upon these men, and they are "left alone in their glory." Hardly have the doors been closed, however, when "spirit-hands" appear at the opening referred to, and an arm is put out quite to the elbow. Then the instruments are played upon and sounded, and a great "spirit-racket" is made inside that box. "After the uproar has ceased," the doors are opened, and the men appear, as securely fastened as before. The committee go in and find that not a bolt or cord has been apparently moved. A metallic ring, large enough to be passed over the hand on to the arm, is presented to the committee. The object, after being examined and found to be solid throughout, and marked so that it may be known when seen a second time, is placed in the box, with the request that one of the men would place it upon his left arm. After the usual time the doors were opened, and the ring was found upon the right arm of one of the men. He was reminded of his mistake, and was requested to change the ring from the right to the left arm. This was accordingly done. Then, the doors being closed again, the ring was immediately thrown out upon the platform. The doors being opened, and all found secure as before, one of the men was requested, as the next performance,

Page 3636 Phenomena of Spiritualism to take off his coat. The doors being closed and then opened as before, the man's coat was found upon the bottom of the box, and he in his shirtsleeves. A request was then made that someone in the audience would lend his coat, that "the medium" might put it on. This request was complied with, and after a little time the garment was found upon the back of the man in the box. The entire room was then darkened for a few moments, and when the light was thrown on again, the coat was found to have been taken from the back of the "medium," and laid in its owner's lap. The door of the box was then closed, with the request that the men inside should release themselves from their bonds. In about one minute the doors were opened and the men were seen standing there, with the cords lying at their feet. Between each experiment the men in the box were not only exposed to the full view of the audience, but the committee made a careful examination of the bolts, cords, lnots, and seals, to see that all were in the same state as at the first. After a little period, all the lights were extinguished, and we found ourselves in "the palpable obscure." Soon, objects, made partly visible by phosphorescent light attached to them, passed all about over our heads; a hand and arm appeared holding a tambourine; and notes of wind and stringed instru

Page 37Sczen/jfcally Explained and Exposed. 37 ments were heard in the atmosphere of the room all above us. When the din ceased, and the lights were restored, nothing was visible to account for the phenomena which we had witnessed. "The seance" closed with what seemed more mysterious than anything we had witnessed before. A trunk was placed upon the platform, and when opened a man came forward and laid himself down in the trunk. We all saw him lying there. A bit of a straw was given him, to be put out through a hole after the trunk should be closed. The lid was then put down and locked, and the trunk was bound with cords as securely as could be desired, and upon the knots of the cords seals were placed. When all was done, the bit of straw was put out of the hole designated, to render it demonstrably evident that the man was in the trunk. The trunk was then put into the box; and after it had remained closed less than two minutes, the doors were opened, and there stood the man, while nothing about the trunk was, to all appearance, changed at all. All the above, which are exact copies of the highest wonders of Spiritualism, were affirmed before the audience to have been performed by legerdemain, and without any help whatever from "the spirits.", Still more seemingly inexplicable, and explanatory of "the spirit-wonders," are the feats of legerdemain as nightly performed in the Hondin Theatre in Paris.

Page 3838 Phenomena of Spiritualism The French Government, finding that its authority over the people of Algiers was endangered by the Mahometan priests, and that the power of the latter over the former was sustained mainly by affirmed spirit-manifestations of the identical character which are occurring among spiritualists in Europe and America, sent over to Algiers a Mr. Robert Hondin, one of the most distinguished legerdemain wonderworkers in France. The mission of Mr. Hondin was to repeat before the people all the affirmed spiritmiracles of the priests, to add to these many others which they could not copy, and then reveal openly the manner in which all such deceptions were perpetrated. This was done, and the power of the priests over the people was broken. The wonders which Mr. Hondin performed in Algiers are now being repeated in the Hondin Theatre in Paris, and there modern spirit-wonders are not only being re-enacted, but far out-done. We will present two of these performances, as related to us from original observation by Professor Gregory, President of the Illinois Industrial University, in the United States, and Dr. Shurfey, formerly a surgeon in the United States army. The first performance to which we refer was on this wise. A young lad came out before the audience, and while standing in open view, and in the clearest light in their immediate presence, an individual approached and placed over the lad an object

Page 39Scientfcally Explained and Exposed. 39 in the shape of a barrel. The man stepped back, and drawing a pistol from his pocket, fired it at the object before him. No sooner had the report of the pistol died away, than the voice of the lad was heard from the gallery announcing himself unhurt. The barrel was then taken up and found to be empty. A large trunk was then brought upon the stage, shown to the audience to be empty, affirmed by the committee selected by the audience to be in that state, was locked, and the key retained by them. The trunk was then most thoroughly bound round in every direction by cords, which were firmly tied together and seals placed upon the knots. After this, a thick canvas covering was placed over and buckled firmly around the trunk. The whole was then bound round with cords fastened together, and sealed as in the first case. On being called, an individual looking like a Moor comes forward, with something like a bag upon his arm, and is asked if he can put himself into that bag, tie it over his head, as a bag of meal is tied up, and then put himself into that trunk without disturbing any of its fastenings. On his expressing his belief that he can perform the feat, circular curtains are let down around the trunk. When all has been fully examined by the committee and pronounced in due order, the stranger passes in where the trunk is, the committee standing all around to guard against deception. After standing there for a while,

Page 4040 Phenomena of Spiritualism the curtains are raised, and nothing appears but the trunk, with no appearance whatever of having been disturbed. The committee now uncover, and open the trunk, and find lying in it something looking like a bag of meal tied up firmly at the top. The object, in full view of the audience, is taken out, placed on end, and untied at the top. The covering drops down, and there stands the Moor, as he passed into that curtained environment. While all the wonderdoings of the spiritualists are fully copied, such additional wonders are performed without the aid of "the spirits," and to expose the impositions of Mahometan priests, and spirit-mediums in Christendom. The people of England may be interested to learn somewhat of the doings in America of Katie King, who occupied for some time the thoughts of tle citizens of London. According to reports in the papers here, the portion of her hair which she allowed to be clipped, appears as veritable human hair, and her garments, the portion which she also allowed to be cut off, to be of English manufactory. In the reports we have read of her manifestations, it would seem very difficult, if not impossible, to account for her appearances and disappearances, or for her entrances and departures from the house where she appears, on the supposition that she is a spirit in a veritable human body. Hence the inference that she must be a visitant from the spirit-spheres. The idea

Page 41Scienltfically Explaincd~ and Exposed. 4 I that she is such a' spirit might account, perhaps, for her bodily appearances and disappearances, entrances and exits, but not at all for similar facts relatively to her English manufactured clothing. If this homemade outer garment could be made to enter and pass out of that house, and to appear and disappear in it, the same, as it would appear to a philosopher, might be true of a human body inside of that garment. We leave these suggestions to the reflections of the reader. According to American accounts, the cloth cut from Katie's garments is unlike any produced in any manufactory known to the people of London. Granting this, the case is not altered at all. The cloth is of a kind which can be cut and sewed like any other, and has the same characteristics of solidity, durability, and earthliness as any other cloth. Now, put a human body into garments made of such cloth, and it is, undeniably, no more difficult to account for the entrance into and exit from, or for the appearance and disappearance in, any room, of that body, than it is to account for similar facts relatively to the garments which that body wears. If we should judge otherwise, we should be compelled to admit that our logic and common sense both were in an abnormal state. Katie, then, as far as the facts under consideration are concerned, is no validly-evinced spiritpresence from any higher sphere than this.

Page 4242 Phenomena of Spirituaism Katie, however, after entertaining the people of London for a time, informed them that, having been called to a higher sphere, she must leave them for ever, or, at least, for the present. In regard to her new and more exalted sphere, we are now able to report its location. She left the small village of London and was transferred to the second story of a brick house in Ninth Street, in the great city of Philadelphia, in the United States of America; the first floor being occupied as a music store. Here she appears in the service of two mediums, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, formerly well know in London. Her manifestations in this city, as reported in the American papers (our statements being taken from Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, as given from original observations)-her manifestations here, we say, are mainly a repetition of those in London, with this difference, that she here allowed herself to be sketched at full length. We would say, that if hers is a fair example of countenances among the celestials, we have but poor hopes of physical improvement there; and from Katie's verbal communications we are compelled to infer that she has been but a dull scholar during two centuries of schooling in the upper spheres. Katie did not make a long stay among the people of Philadelphia; being ambitious, no doubt, of occupying a still higher sphere, and she makes her next appearance, under the guardianship of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, in the great

Page 43ScIentically Explained and Exposed. 43 city of Blissfield-a city located ten miles east of our residence when at home-a city of somewhat less than two thousand inhabitants, and located in the state of Michigan. Here, on the first floor of a common frame house, the people from all parts around were, when our last daily papers of the Adrian Times arrived, being entertained with the same spiritmanifestations with which Katie had previously "astonished the natives " of Philadelphia and London. Our Times' reporter gives a very clear account of the mysterious facts which he witnessed in one of these seances. The facts detailed are identical with the mysteries witnessed in Philadelphia and London. The reporter, however, found the people of Blissfield, from certain facts which they had noticed, almost, or quite, unanimous in the belief that the whole affair is deceptive, and the seance reported was suddenly brought to a close by some noises heard outside the house. The people, as the reporter affirms, manifest no disposition whatever for acts of disorder or violence. Their avowed plan is this-to watch the house on all sides and know whether any clandestine entrances occur; and if Katie shall appear in the seance room, to have several persons there who shall seize her, and hold her fast until she shall vanish from sight and touch, or be compelled to reveal herself as a human being. Had the London examiners manifested similar wisdom, Katie would now be "known

Page 4444 Phenomena of Spiritualism and read of all men " as a veritable " spirit-presence" on the earth, or as "a deceiving spirit" in a human body. While watching the house outside, an individual in man's clothes was dimly seen slyly approaching the back part of the house, in the vicinity of a bedroom contiguous to that in which the seances are held. This individual was caught, and, after breaking a gutta percha cane into three parts about the head and shoulders of the man by whom he was caught and held, confessed himself a woman. After being refused the most earnest request to be permitted to approach and rap three times on the outside of the house where the seance was to be held, the man-woman was, at her piteous entreaties not to be compelled to be seen by the multitude, told to "go and sin no more." While a Katie was thus caught outside the house, no Katie King appeared in the seance room that evening, and Mr. Holmes the next day sent a man to Adrian to purchase a cane like that which had been broken. The people of Blissfield will have it that the real Katie King has been caught and verified as a woman in man's clothes in their midst. What is singular about the matter is, that, on an attempt to hold another seance, the people being on the alert, Mrs. Holmes, after the visitors had paid their money and were seated in readiness for the "spirit-manifestations," had a fit, from which she could not be recovered, and the audience left with less money

Page 45Scientifcally Explained and Exposed. 45 and, perhaps, with more wisdom than they had before they were treated to "just nothing at all." The reason assigned by Mr. and Mrs. Holmes for these failures, as reported from them in the Adrian Times, is the following:"They gave the seance in good faith, and the fact that they had no manifestations from materialized spirits was on account of the plan laid by the parties in attendance, that, should Katie appear, they would seize her. This would cause the spirit, as well as the mediums, much pain. The spirits were, of course, aware of this, and refused to appear. Further than this they had no explanations to make." To us, it appears that the public will not accept these as sufficient reasons for such non-appearance. Had Katie been caught, or suffered herself to be caught, and then vanished, as she might have done, had she been the spirit she pretended to be, the fact of such disappearance would have convinced the world of her real spirit-character. Her refusal to meet such a test lost her a golden, opportunity to verify her pretensions, and throws more than suspicion over them all. The messenger of the Times now went down to Blissfield, and agreed with Mr. and Mrs. Holmes for a test seance, the individuals to be selected by the messenger, and to be constituted equally of believers and unbelievers in Spiritualism. When the conditions

Page 4646 Phenomena oj Spiritualism were submitted to Katie, this answer, as reported by the mediums, was received from her. We give her response with facts and remarks as stated in the Times:"She will not consent to appear while the bed-room in the rear of the cabinet is occupied. Parties will, doubtless, put their own construction on this change of programme. To many it will be evidence of the truth of the Blissfield theory, that with the bed-room occupied and the doors leading to the main room guarded,'Katie' is unable to appear. It is certain that when, on the occasion of a recent seance, Mr. Blaisdell, of Blissfield, occupied the bed-room,' Katie' stated that she'gained strength' from him. But then her appearance was preceded by a dark seance, and the doors leading to the main room were not carefully guarded." Lest anyone should affirm, that we have in America a pseudo-Katie, we will give the account of her manifestations as given in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, and the Adrian Times. After describing the preliminaries, Mr. Leslie's account thus proceeds: "The light being now lowered a little, but not so as to render surrounding objects invisible in any degree, we were one and all requested to join in singing, for the purpose, it was said, of " harmonizing the influences." Preferring to keep our eye upon the

Page 47Scientlfcally Explained and Exposed. 47 small openings, and the cabinet door, that, after our inspection, had been closed and latched, we declined to give any specimen of our vocal powers, although those about us began to sing, and most tunefully, some melody that was unknown to us. In the course of a few moments, we thought that we perceived the curtain that hung before the lower pentagonal aperture move; and scarcely had the idea taken possession of us when the white and shapely arm of a woman was thrust through the opening, and the latch that fastened the door lifted, by apparently soft, taper fingers, out of the staple. The arm was now withdrawn, and almost instantly afterwards a sweet, young face appeared at the same aperture, with a soft, low'good-evening,' which we must confess rather astonished us. The salutation being eagerly returned by all present, one of the mediums, neither of whom moved from our side during the seance, asked the mysterious visitant whether she thought she should be able to leave the cabinet during the seance, when she replied,'I will try.' This phase of the phenomena was what we most desired to witness. Nor were we kept long in suspense; for, in a very few minutes, the cabinet door opened slowly, and out stepped, in full view of us all, and just as she is represented in our illustration, the socalled spirit of the now famous Katie King! Although set down as a denizen of the other world,

Page 4848 Phcnomzena of Spiritualism she seemed to us to be as objective a reality as ever trod this earth. She walked among us, permitted us to touch her hands, and her white robe; and spoke to us in good round modern English, which we considered somewhat extraordinary, seeing that she lived upwards of two hundred years ago, when the quaintness of Spencer overshadowed her native tongue. This and some kindred circumstances, which had previously come to our knowledge, we did not pause to analyze at the moment, for we felt that she was a very mysterious being, at least, and we were engaged in scrutinizing her person with all the coolness and vigour at our command. She was exceedingly handsome, and appeared to us to be about nineteen years of age, and of medium height. She wore a white robe of some singular fabric, and a light drab veil wound gracefully about her head. The folds of her dress concealed her feet, but her arms were bare, and, like her figure, exquisitely moulded. Her complexion was absolutely transparent, and her hair, instead of being dark as generally represented, was, in our opinion, auburn, with a golden tinge. She wore no ornaments, and after remaining with us four or five minutes, and making a few very commonplace observations, she re-entered the cabinet without closing the door. Here she stood facing us for a few seconds, when Mrs. Holmes asked her whether she could disappear before the

Page 49SczentficalZy Explained and Exposed. 49 visitors as she had done on previous occasions. To this interrogatory she made the same reply as she had to the other; and, surprising to relate, gradually faded away into thin air before us, until not a vestige of her was to be seen. Nor was this all, for a few moments subsequently, and outside the cabinet, within three or four feet of us, she began slowly to form again, until she stood before us in all her perfection once more. After this, she bade us a kind'good-night,' and, re-entering the cabinet, she disappeared before the door was closed; and the seance was at an end." After detailing the early manifestations, in which there was a showing of hands and faces, the Adrian account proceeds thus:"After this many others in the room, including the writer, were permitted to step to the cabinet, and receive touches from the hand of the mysterious personage. The reporter asked and received permission to shake hands with her, and received a very light pressure of the hand. Whether that hand was human or spiritual he does not pretend to say. Mrs. Holmes then asked the mysterious visitor whether she thought she would be able to leave the cabinet during the seance, and she replied, "I will try." During all this time there was singing by those present, or music by a violin and guitar. There was a short time of suspense, the only sound 4

Page 5050 Phenomena of Spiritualism being the low, subdued sound of the violin; then the cabinet door opened slowly, and there stood, in full view of all in the room, the so-called spirit of the famous'Katie King.' She was clad in the traditional white flowing robes of the'Summer Land,' and appeared about nineteen years of age. Although said to belong to another world, she appeared as real as any being in the room, but with more of an ethereal look. Her white robe hung gracefully about her, while her head seemed enfolded in some kind of a veil. Upon her neck hung a beautiful cross, which glistened in the light. After a moment, she stepped back into the cabinet and closed the door. Soon afterward she appeared again in the open door. After standing an instant she stepped forward into the room some four or five feet, almost within touching distance of the writer. Here he had an excellent chance of observing her appearance. Her arms were bare, her feet were concealed by the folds of her dress, and her figure was finely moulded. Her. complexion was almost transparent. After a little time she again returned to the cabinet. Mrs. Holmes then asked her if she should place a chair for her, and received an affirmative answer. A chair was placed near the cabinet and the door soon opened, and'Katie' appeared again, walking out in the room as before, and then turning and sitting in the chair, where she

Page 51Scientifically Explained and Exposed. 5 remained a few moments, and again retired to the cabinet." It will be readily granted, that the American, if not the same, equals the English Katie. In view of the facts before us, we claim, that all valid evidence of her being a spirit-visitant from "the undiscovered country " is utterly wanting. It is undeniable that no more mysterious facts are recorded of her than are known to result from exclusively mundane causes. This takes away absolutely all valid evidence of the genuineness of her spirit-pretensions. The hair cut from her head, and the garments she wears, are, as none will deny, of an exclusively mundane character. Such objects cannot be made, without miraculous interposition, to appear and disappear, as those belonging to Katie do, but by tricks of legerdemain. If by such means such objects may be made thus to appear and disappear, the same, undeniably, may be true of a human body to which such hair belongs, and is inside of such garments. The facts developed at Blissfield clearly evince her as a "false spirit" in the flesh. Why did not Katie King appear in the seance in the house on the evening when the man-Katie was caught outside of the house? Why did Mr. Holmes send a special messenger ten miles to Adrian, to replace the cane which the man-Katie had broken over the back of her captor? Why does Katie now, after

Page 52^52 Phenomena of Sp iritualism having found that she "gained strength" through the presence of an individual in that bed-roomother avenues of access to her cabinet being then left unguarded-and after all the arrangements for a test seance have been agreed upon (one specific item of the agreement being that a man shall be in that bed-room while the se'ance is being held)-why does Katie now refuse to appear at all, unless that contiguous and convenient room shall be left for her exclusive occupancy? If she is a spirit, as she affirms herself to be, why does she not suffer herself to be caught and held fast, and then vanish from the sight, and touch, and grasp of those who hold her? Permit us, before closing our observations on these seazaces, to refer to two or three facts which have come to our knowledge during our short stay in London. A personal friend of ours, a gentleman of high intelligence and integrity, a graduate of Cambridge University, was invited to attend a seance in a family whose reputation was such as to induce-if any such pretensions could-absolute confidence in the integrity of the whole exhibition. He, with several other friends, having paid the large admission fees required, took their places among other spectators. After the preliminaries were gone through with, a lady-medium having been put into a mesmeric sleep, and seated within the box, various spirit-faces appeared at the

Page 53Scientifcally Explained and Exposed. 53 window, and communicated with the audience,-individuals being permitted to touch the hands and clothing of the spirits. At length a face partly covered appeared, and, with the sweetest smiles, bowed to our friend. As he looked at that countenance, he became fully convinced that there was before him the veritable face of a sister who had died a few years previous. Of course, he was deeply moved; and affirmed to his parents, on returning home, that he had that evening seen the spirit-face of their departed daughter. At a seance subsequently attended by our friend, a man was the medium placed within the box. In this case a male ghost appeared, and a very vulgar one too, his manner and language being very gruft and uncouth. The ghost, however, freely conversed with the audience, and gave to all who approached him a cordial shake of the hand. On taking his hand, our friend perceived that it had the warmth of a human hand, those who had taken it before having affirmed it to have been ghostly cold. Our friend remarked to the ghost that his hand was then warm, and not cold, as it had been when touched by others, and asked him if he could not render his hand cold as it before had been. This the ghost promised to do. While the cooling process, which was quite long-continued, was going on, our friend put some paint, having prepared this beforehand,

Page 5454 Phenomena of Sp/ritualism on the inside of his middle finger. The hand, on being taken a second time, was found to be still warm, but damp,-it evidently having been held in cold water. That hand was consequently in the proper state to receive and retain the paint put upon it. Immediately after this the seance was broken up. As the medium came out of the cabinet, however, the paint was visible on the back of his hand. A spiritualist gave this explanation of this fact: "Whatever you do to the spirit," he remarked, "you do to the medium,"-a statement which held literally true in the case before us. Such an explanation may satisfy a spiritualist; but what will be its impression upon all truly sane minds? Our friend, however, has, since this last disclosure, had no desire to visit the seances in search of ghosts. We have full permission to employ our friend's name, when we have occasion to do it. The papers gave an account, some weeks since, of light being suddenly thrown on one of the circles of a dark seanzce, in this country, and there stood revealed before the audience the medium manipulating the faces of the simpletons in the circle with spirit-hands. The indignation of the audience turned, not upon their deceiver, but upon the individual who revealed to them the fact that they were being humbugged. By special invitation of a friend, we attended one of the so-called most

Page 55Scientificaily Explained and Exposed. 55 wonderful of these seances. The thought that any rational being could infer the evidence of spiritpresence and agency from what was exhibited there, has led us to repeat an exclamation which we recal from our child's spelling-book, namely, "Oh, the folly of sinners! " What was pronounced by the manager as the leading wonder of the whole exhibition was the following: The medium, a young woman, being placed in the cabinet, and bound with cords, as is usual in such cases, a large bucket was placed in her lap, with this announcement, that after the doors had been closed for a little time, and then re-opened, that bucket would be found to have been taken from her lap, and placed over her head. On reopening the cabinet, the bucket was, in fact, found as promised. What power on earth could perpetrate such a feat as that but " the spirits "? If we continue to reason thus, shall we not be compelled to conclude that our ancestors must have been monkeys? Since writing the above, and after my manuscript was fully completed, news has come from America, intelligence of facts, which have closed up the occupation of ghost-exhibitions in that country. The debut of Katie King was, for a time, a great success in Philadelphia,-so great, that she was becoming an object of worship with spiritualists. The following is a stanza from one of the hymns which were being sung in her praise:

Page 5656 Phenomena of Spiritualism " Oh, gather round, and let us sing The praises of sweet Katie King, Who, from her bright and happy sphere, Comes smiling to us mortals here. Chorus: Then with sweet voices let all sing The praises of sweet Katie King." In their adoration of the heavenly visitant, ladies took off their jewelry and choicest ornaments, and gave them to the ghost, who promised to take such gifts with her, as keepsakes, to the celestial spheres. Her standing indorsers were the celebrated Robert Dale Owen, and Henry T. Child, M.D., of Philadelphia. In a late number of the Atlantic Monthly, Mr. Owen gives to the world a history of the facts which he had personally witnessed in respect to Katie, in the seances of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. The facts, as he affirms, lead us to one or the other of these conclusions, namely, Katie King is a veritable spirit from "the undiscovered country," or "human bodies, without leaving a trace behind them, can freely pass through brick walls of the thickness of two or three feet." The fact, admitted by Mr. Owen, that when Katie disappeared, the solid jewelry, which she took with her, disappeared also, did not in the least stagger his faith in the validity of his logic. A gentleman of the city, however, in shaking hands with the ghost, perceived that "the sweet Katie King" had a very foul breath,-a fact of a seeming

Page 57Scienlztfcally Explained and Exposed. 57 mundane character. This gentleman then determined to search out the whole matter. Keeping his eyes open as he was walking the streets of the city, he soon discovered a woman who was putting up in a certain house-a woman who was in all respects "the image and likeness" of the ghost Katie. This woman, as he found, always visited the Holmses prior to the holding of the seances, accompanied them to the room where the exhibitions were held, and, without leaving the place, was never visible in the audience. Having furnished the ghost with jewelry which he would recognise as soon as he should find the articles again, he now sought with much care a personal acquaintance with the woman referred to, and succeeded to his full satisfaction. In the course of their interviews the woman exhibited, for the entertainment of her new acquaintance, the mass of jewelry of which she was possessed. Among the articles exhibited, the gentleman selected those which he had himself furnished, and then confronted the woman with the charge, that she was the veritable Katie King. At first the charge was stoutly denied. When the proof was presented, however, she made a full confession, restored the jewelry to those from whom she had received it, and has since, under oath, given in the public papers a full account of the manner in which her deceptions had been perpetrated. The individual who drew from Katie the confession

Page 5858 Phenomena of Spiritualism of her impositions was, at first, at a loss to determine how to make his discovery known, and to do it in a manner which would secure public confidence. He finally determined to lay the facts before Dr. Childs and Mr. Owen, and let them be the first to undeceive the people. This they promptly did, each, in a card published in The Banner of Light, the organ, as stated before, of Spiritualism in the United States, recanting his indorsements of the seances of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. Mr. Owen, in the meantime, sent to the conductors of the Atlantic Monthly an agonising request that his article which he had furnished them, demonstrating the ghostship of "the sweet Katie King," with a foul breath, should not appear in their columns. The request came too late, however, and our friend was compelled to appear before the world in a very unpleasant predicament indeed-a predicament of which the New York Tribune thus very properly speaks:" A man who is too strong-minded to believe in Christianity, and yet who finds no difficulty in believing that spirits come out of a closet, and dance breakdowns on a platform, and spin mosquitonetting out of the air, is scarcely a promising subject for argument. To say he disbelieves the Bible because he cannot understand it, and believes in Katie King because he has seen her, simply shows that he is as vain of the feebleness of his understanding as he is of the blindness of his eyes."

Page 59Scientjifcally Explained and Exposed. 59 As the deceptions perpetrated by the young and beautiful widow with one child, Mrs. Frances, or'Eliza, White, "the material spirit of Katie King," were of a legally criminal character, she was informed that it was right and proper for her to make a full exposure of the whole concern with which she had been connected. This she at length did as above stated, detailing, at full length, the manner in which she would seemingly vanish and reappear before audiences, her manner and places of concealment, when her hiding-places, the bed-room and others, were searched both before and after the sedances, and all the other deceptions of herself and Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. The following account which Mrs. White gives of the manner in which their seances were brought to a close in Blissfield will interest the reader: "An evening was set for a party who were to come from Adrian. The inner circle was formed by Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, the family who lived in the house, and a Mr. B., a merchant of Blissfield, and two or three more friends of the family. The Adrian people were kept in the rear, and scattered about the room. I was playing the part of Katie,:as usual, in the cabinet, and was in the act where Katie was disappearing and reappearing. I had faded away, and was just rising up to full stature, the cabinet door standing open, when Mr. Brown sprang

Page 6060 Phenomena of Spiritualism forward and caught me in his arms. I had presence of mind enough not to scream. Mr. Holmes immediately grabbed Mr. B. by the heels, which threw him down. In the struggle I escaped. Mrs. Holmes immediately darted into Mr. B.'s arms, calling for someone to turn on the lights. When the lights were turned on, Mr. B. was lying in a horizontal position, with his heels outside the cabinet and his head inside, and Mrs. Holmes in his arms. I had escaped from the cabinet into the back room, taking with me the black cloth I held over me when I disappeared, and the stool I had been standing on. Mrs. Holmes declared that Mr. B. had grabbed at the spirit and caught her. Of course the excitement for a few minutes was very great. Mr. Holmes then shut the cabinet door. I returned into the cabinet and commenced imitating'Dick,' telling the audience how foolish it was for anyone to attempt to catch a spirit; that Katie was very indignant at the gentleman grabbing her medium." Mr. B. affirmed, however, that, contrary to his will, the ghost forced herself, at the time of his fall, from his arms, and that afterwards Mrs. Holmes, who was sitting in her chair, as all knew, at the time when the ghost was caught, forced herself into his arms. So the public believed, and, as Mrs. W. states, no more stances were held at the west, and all parties returned to Philadelphia, where the disclosures above

Page 61Scientzfically Explained and Exposed. 6I presented were made. On these disclosures I make the following remarks: I. The identity of this Mrs. White with the supposed ghost, Katie King, is an absolutely verified fact, which no candid person will dispute. 2. If we compare the accounts given by Mr. Owen and other credible witnesses, of the facts presented by the Katie King of Philadelphia, with those recorded by credible witnesses of the doings of the Katie King of London, the former will be found to be quite as mysterious, and of as difficult explanation, as the latter; and the fact, that the former stand revealed to the world as demonstrated impositions, takes away wholly all evidence that the latter are not of the same character. 3. As the Katie King manifestations are more mysterious and of more difficult explanation than any and all others ever presented in any seances in Christendom, all evidence that ghosts have appeared in any of these seances is utterly annihilated. Hence it is that, as we have said, the occupation of ghost-exhibitors is gone, as far as the United States are concerned. It remains to be determined, however, which portion of the Anglo-Saxon race, that on the east or west side of the Atlantic, has the strongest propensity for being humbugged. The test applied at Blissfield may appear to some rather rude. We will propose one against which no such objection, or any objection of any kind, can

Page 6262 Phenomena of Spirita/lism be made. Let the city authorities of London, or the Faculties of Oxford or Cambridge, designate four or six ladies, and as many gentlemen, of known reputation for integrity and intelligence. Let these individuals attend the ghost seances, and if a female ghost appears, let the ladies, and if a male ghost shows itself, let the gentlemen, encircle, and lay, not a violent, but a firm, grasp upon the person appearing. If said person shall vanish from sight and touch, then all the world will admit that a veritable ghost has appeared among us. If, on the other hand, the person grasped turns out to be-a human spirit in a human body, then all will know that these seances are base deceptions. Christ, as we know, did submit to an analogous test to prove that He was not a spirit. Why should not modern ghosts submit to a similar test, and thus demonstrate the fact that they are ghosts? Let the public universally demand such a test, and not another seance will ever be held in Christendom, and that for the reason that these ghosts and their exhibitors know absolutely that their seances are vile deceptions, and that such tests will demonstrate them to be such. While such disclosures were being made in the city of Philadelphia, others of about equal importance were made in the cities of New York and Boston. An individual in the former city, being determined to know the truth on the subject, went to the noted

Page 63Scienhifcally Explained and Exposed. 63 Andrew Jackson Davis, who now keeps the great spiritualistic book-store in that city, and asked him if he could designate, among the quite one hundred individuals who were known to be holding seanzces in the city, one or more whose integrity could, in his judgment, be relied on. Knowing, as he did, that the question was put for the simple purpose of correct information, Mr. Davis refused, not only to designate such persons, but to express an opinion that there was one individual among them who was not habitually dealing in fraud and deception. When three of the most distinguished of all the others were designated and inquired about, Mr. Davis refused to express an opinion favourable to their integrity. His only reply to all such inquiries was, " You must, as I do, find out the facts for yourself." The inquirer then visited the three mediums referred to, and detected them in the grossest attempts at deception conceivable. No candid mind can read the disclosures which this man has made through the columns of the New York Herald, and not infer that the trade of those mediums is " lying wonders." The mediums to which I now refer, do not make revelations, as Mrs. Fish and the Fox girls did,-that is, by means of real facts of nature which require explanation, and which we shall hereafter attempt to explain,-but by means of slight-of-hand tricks which have been invented and connected with Spiritualism

Page 6464 Phenomena of Spirituaiism since its origin. The following article from the Boston Globe will, notwithstanding its length, be regarded as worthy of a place in our pages. "A young man lives within five miles of the state house who has made a study of all the tricks and illusions of modern legerdemain, and is an accomplished performer therein, whose interest has been excited upon the subject of Spiritualism. Some of his friends had become devout believers in Spiritualism, and he, feeling assured in his own mind that they were the victims of fraud, went to work to investigate and expose what had been to them the strongest evidence of spirit-presence. After three visits to the seanzces of Mrs. Hardy, in this city, he became convinced that he was master of the whole subject, at least so far as the dark-circle manifestations were concerned, and could give a successful seance of his own, without the help of spirits. Accordingly he arranged for the sitting at his own home, and it took place last evening. The same representative of the Globe who made a visit to Mrs. Hardy and gave an account of what he saw, as it appeared to him, was among the persons invited. "A company of seventeen persons, all specially invited to see an expose of the dark-circle manifestations, gathered at this house. When they had all come together, they were taken to a room in which chairs were arranged in the usual way for a circle.

Page 65Scientfically Explained and Exposed. 65 They took their places, the chairs being drawn close together, making a ring of ten or twelve feet in diameter. The amateur "medium" took a chair in the middle of the circle, simply imposing the same conditions upon the company as are exacted by the professionals. The feet of one of the visitors were placed upon his to make sure that he did not move from his place, and he patted his hands together with a distinctly audible sound all the time, to show that they were not occupied in producing the manifestations. The hands of the persons in the circle were clasped together in the usual way. The light was then turned out, and, after the momentary pause usual in such cases, the raps were heard which announced the presence of the powers of darkness. The patting of hands continued without intermission, and presently a fan was seized from one of the party, and fanned the faces of the sitters all around the circle. Hands were shaken and patted, knees were slapped and faces touched by invisible beings. A watch was taken from one person and given to another on the opposite side of the circle. One man's cravat was taken off and given to another, and afterwards placed on the head of the owner. A music-box which had been placed in the hands of one person with the key in that of another was taken away and given to another in another part of the circle. The key was taken and the box wound up, and it could be 5

Page 6666 Phenomena of Spiritualism heard tinkling through the air, above the head of the performer; and all the other demonstrations usual in these circles were produced with all the effect of the genuine spiritual seance. Finally, there was a cessation for a moment; raps were heard, indicating that the performance was over for the time being, a light was struck, and our amateur'medium' was discovered in precisely the position he occupied when the gas was turned out, quietly clapping his hands; and the person who held his feet testified that he had not moved. After a little rest, he took a new position, with a different person holding his feet, and substantially. the same performance was repeated. All the persons present, several of whom had been believers in Spiritualism, declared that the manifestations were every way as perfect and satisfactory as any that they had ever experienced. "The young man then tried an experiment with perfect success, which he said he had seen Mrs. Hardy try three times, but without success, because, as she claimed, the conditions were not right for a proper working of the spirits. He was tied to a chair with a cord, the lower and upper part of his body, and had his wrists tied together with a handkerchief, in such a way that one would suppose that he would be unable to do anything. His feet were secured, as usual, a glass of water placed on the floor some feet from his chair, and the lights

Page 67Scienitfcally Explaized and Exposed. 6, turned out. Instantly the clapping began, and similar demonstrations to those already described were kept up for a few minutes, and then a light struck, when the performer was revealed in the same position as before, with the cords and handkerchiefs securely tied, and the glass of water standing on his head. Yet another feat, more remarkable than this, followed. An ordinary padlock, which closed with a spring, was locked, and the key given into the keeping of a young lady. A cord was passed through the clasp and tied together with one hard knot after another, until more than a foot of knots was produced. This was thrown upon the floor. Then an euchre pack of cards was taken, including all the suits from the ten to the ace, and enough thrown out to reduce the number to seventeen, the number of persons in the circle. After due instructions had been given, the circle was formed in the usual way, with the medium in the customary position, clapping his hands. The lights were again turned out. The cards were taken from the box and shuffled by one person and passed to his left-hand neighbour, who shuffled them again, and so on around the circle. The person who began the shuffling then took the top card, and passed the pack along, each person taking off the top card in like manner, thus using up the entire pack. Then the first person interrogated the medium as to the card which the said person

Page 6868 Pheznomena of Spiritualism held.'Is it a heart?' Is it a diamond?''Is it a spade?''Is it a club?' At the mention of some one of the suit, distinct raps were heard, indicating that that was the one.'Is it the ten?''Is it the jack?' Is it the queen?' etc., was then asked, and when the right denomination was named the raps were repeated. So it went on around the entire circle, each person, meantime, having the card in his or her pocket, and being warned to remember what it was, according to the information of the raps. This process being completed, the light was struck. The'medium' was bound up and tied to his chair with the cord that had been fastened so securely upon the lock, his hands were tied together with a handkerchief, and he was securely blindfolded with another handkerchief, and the lock was clasped into the button-hole of a gentleman's coat. Moreover, every person, without exception, found that he held the card designated in the dark by the raps. "Now, of course, everybody was anxious to know how it was done. It was as mystifying as anything accomplished in the dark by professional mediums. The young man volunteered to give the first manifestations with the gas burning. The circle was formed in the approved way, the raps were made with his knuckles on the chair without perceptibly interrupting the clapping, to indicate that the conditions were right. In an instant he slipped off his

Page 69Scientifically Explained and Exposed. 69 coat, and his arms were bare to the shoulders. While he kept clapping with one hand, sometimes on the upper part of his arm, sometimes on the face, he stretched out the other hand, seized a fan, and fanned the faces all around. With one hand and then the other he clapped knees, shook hands, patted faces, and did everything done before in the dark without any intermission of the clapping, any moving of the feet, or any audible movement of the body. The whole thing was as simple as'rolling off a log.' The coat was put on, one arm at a time, while the other hand kept up the patting sound on the performer's cheek, and the raps were given telling that the show was over. A woman with loose sleeves, furnished with a bit of elastic, would not have to take off or put on any garment. The other and more puzzling tricks were not explained, but everybody believed the assurance which they received, that they were tricks, and nothing more. The young man claims to have learned the art from his visit to Mrs. Hardy's circle, and to have obtained indubitable evidence that it was performed as he had shown. What the evidence was he stated, and it certainly seemed to be beyond question." Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, it is well known, made quite a sensation in London before they opened rooms in Philadelphia. Mrs. White-this is not her real name, it being, at her earnest entreaty, kept from

Page 7070 Phenomena of Spiritualism the public-was persuaded to furnish the letters which she had received from Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. We give one of these, as an example of the rest, that the public may understand by what kind of persons sensible people are being humbugged. Of the individuals who practise these deceptions, those that I have met with are uniformly of a low order of mind, with two exceptions-a bold and fearless impudence (like that with which a vile louse was once seen walking over the silk dress of a fair lady), and a sly cunning, which makes them perfect adepts in the arts of deception. Those who originated, and carried to the highest perfection, the ghostse'ances of the United States, were wholly from the lower strata of society. Mrs. Holmes was accustomed to call her Katie, Frank, and Frankie. Of the authenticity of the following letter, and others of a kindred character, the Philadelphia Enquirer affirms that there can be no doubt. We feel humiliated when we read it, to think that sensible people will consent to be humbugged by such minds. " BLISSFIELD, AuguZst 24, I874. "DEAR FRANK:-I wish I could see you to day it is very dull here in this little town, Nelson is,ritten too and I expect he will rite ali the news to you you need not bee afraid of our not dooing the fair thing with you for we shall. I have been

Page 71ScietiJcalI/ly Explained and Exposed. 7 quite cick and am not able to set up now but thought I must rite a few lines to you I got dispointed in gitting the money that I told you I expected I found my brother in poor circumstances so he could not pay me eney thing but Nelson says he will send you fifty dollars next week then you had better cum as soon as you get this how is Sam getin along let me know. A kiss for you, from "JENNIE HOLMES." "exkuse this for I am cick to day love to Sam I must tell you something good Nelson and I have been very good to each other we have not had a cross werd since we left home that makes me feel glad and you will sympathise with me wont you dear Frank." PHOTOGRAPHY AND SPIRITUALISM. The main reliance of Spiritualism, at the present time, as I have recently been informed by a very intelligent spiritualist in this city, is upon spiritphenomena connected with the art of photography. Spirits now disturb photographers (of the spiritualistic class) by causi