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SECTION XV.

ADDINGS.

WHILST the closing pages of this work are in the hands of the printer, the wisdom of physical manifestations of spiritpower is obvious, from the battle now raging in the newspaper press. The "Morning Star" has opened its columns to the combatants; and while the one side is hurling "Scoundrelism, imposition, blasphemy, devilism, charlatanism, machinery, toe-joints, humbug, imbecility, and madness," and bespattering fact-witnesses with the slime-words of society; the other side is serving the guns with the grape-shot of facts; while scores of spiritualists have in fear, run behind into the ditches of obscurity, to come out with a straight spine and noble bearing, when the battle is over and won, a few veterans are repelling the attack; and all honour to Mr. William Howitt, he boldly holds the standard against the foe, and rallies the forces against the enemies of angel existence and power. The truth of the narrative of "Stranger than fiction,” is now being attested by the witnesses. Space only allows the following remarks and facts to find a record here.

DR. GULLY, of Malvern, Oct. 1860, states, "I was one of the persons present at the evening meeting. The other gentlemen present were a solicitor in extensive practice, and two well-known writers of solid instructive works-not writers of fiction-who, by-the-bye, appear to be so used to inventing that they cannot believe that any one can possibly be employed in stating facts. We were complete masters of our senses; and I submit that their evidence is worth a thousand conjectures and explanations made by those who were not present. Scores of times I have been much more agitated and excited in investigating a patient's case, than I was in observing what occurred at the evening meeting in question.

"That the phenomena therein related actually took place in the evening meeting; and, moreover, that no trick, machinery, sleight-of-hand, or other artistic contrivance produced what

we heard and beheld. I am quite as convinced of this last as I am of the facts themselves.

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Only consider that here is a man, between ten and eleven stone in weight, FLOATING ABOUT THE ROOM for many minutesin the tomb-like silence which prevailed, broken only by his voice coming from different quarters of the room, according to his then position-is it probable, is it possible, that any machinery could be devised-not to speak of its being set up and previously made ready in a room, which was fixed upon as the place of meeting only five minutes before we entered it.

"Let it be remembered, moreover, that the room was, for a good part of the evening, in a blaze of light, in which no balloon or other machine sufficient for the supposed purpose could be introduced; or, if already introduced, could remain unobserved; and that, even when the room was comparatively darkened, light streamed through the window from a distant gas-lamp outside, between which gas-lamp and our eyes Mr. Home's form passed, so that we distinctly perceived its trunk and limbs; and most assuredly there was no balloon near him, nor any machinery attached to him. His foot once touched my head when he was floating above.

"Then the accordion music. I distinctly saw the instrument moving, and heard it playing when held only at one end, again and again. I held it myself for a short time, and had good reason to know that it was vehemently pulled at the other end, and not by Mr. Home's toes, as has been wisely surmised, unless that gentleman has legs three yards long, with toes at the end of them quite as marvellous as any legion of spirits. For, be it stated, that such music as we heard was no ordinary strain; it was grand at times, at others pathetic, at others distant and long drawn, to a degree which no one can imagine who has not heard it.

"To one whose external senses have witnessed these things, it is hard to increase the insufficiency of those attempted explanations which assert the use of tricks and machinery. As I said before, it requires much more credulity to believe such explanations than to swallow all the ghost stories that ever were related. I may add that the writer in the 'Cornhill Magazine' omitted to mention several curious phenomena which were witnessed that evening. Here is one of them. A distinguished literateur, who was present, asked the supposed spirit of his father whether he would play his favourite ballad for us, and addressing us, he added-The accordion was not invented at the time of my father's death, so I cannot con

ceive how it will be effected; but if his favourite air is not played, I pledge myself to tell you so.' Almost immediately the flute notes of the accordion (whieh was upon the floor) played through 'Ye banks and braes of bonnie Doon,' which the gentleman alluded to assured us was his father's favourite air, whilst the flute was his father's favourite instrument. He then asked for another favourite air of his father's, which was not Scotch,' and 'The Last Rose of Summer' was played in the same note. This, the gentleman told us, was the air to which he had alluded.

"Intelligent phenomena, such as the music played at request, point to intelligent agents; and spiritual bodies that have quitted fleshly bodies may be at work. I, for one, wish that it were proved te be so; for a more solemn discovery than that of a means of communication between embodied and disembodied sentient beings cannot be imagined. It giddies the brain to think of the possible result of such a discovery."

DR. COLLYER, of St. John's Wood, Oct. 1860, states, "He had studied and written on Biology and kindred subjects, and thoroughly disbelieved the assertions made as to spirit-power till a few hours before writing his communication. That in his presence the table he was sitting at rose and made four bounds, and struck the door of the room; that a guitar in the hand of a young lady gave out sounds; that several were being touched by the power producing the phenomena; that he also being touched, he asked that he should be pinched; they did so, so impressively, so energetically, that he had to call out; that he, after the sitting, examined his leg, and there was the mark of a thumb and two fingers; that the next day his leg was on those places discoloured, and that he called on and showed the discolourization to the Editor of the 'Morning Star.'

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NOTE.-Why should Dr. Collyer be surprised?-JACOB was not only sensible of an angel-man, who allowed him to wrestle, so as to imprint the fact on his mind; but the angel dislocated the join t of Jacob's thigh, so that he was lame ever after. Such an incident would now-a-days be considered 'devilish.'

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DR. ROBERTSON, 1860, considering the asserted phenomena of spirit-power to be untrue, invited two gentlemen to his house; one was a Medium, Mr. Squire, and who with the Doctor and a friend, sat at a ponderous iron-clamped table, which had been made to withstand the violence of lunatics. That table

was lifted up; the Doctor defied the "power" to injure it. The table was thrown to the other end of the room, and smashed to fragments. To the surmises of biological action the broken table remained an evidence of too practical a kind to have any weight with Dr. Robertson; besides, how could a slim youth biologize a full reared man with his energies in full play?

SPIRIT WRITING, 1854.- "We were then requested to put our hand under the table, and, having complied, another letter was placed in it, in the same mysterious manner, all hands being upon the table, except the one engaged. The direction of this letter was written in hues of almost every possible degree, the words all being joined together by straggling picturesque hues like the branches of a vine, and presented a beautiful appearance to view. To a mortal it must have been a work of immense and unprofitable labour. Strange to say, it was utterly impossible to say where it began, or where it ended. There were four different shades of blue, nine of scarlet, four of red, four of brown, et cetera; and all harmoniously and artistically blended. Its interior was no less wonderful than its exterior. It was written in myriad coloured inks of every hue, shade, and degree, which were scattered over it in miraculous shades and gradations. One letter had as many as seven different hues in it. It was as follows:

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November 12th, 1854. "CREATURES OF YE FLESH,-Ye are doubtless assembled to view ye marvels of Spiritualism, inasmuch as they may ford you amusement. If any such there be now assembled at this table, it may be proper to undeceive them on certain points connected with this view-our object being not only to amuse, but also to instruct.

"To those present who cannot, or, rather, will not, profit in a moral point of view by our teaching, let them be warned, lest certain iniquities be exposed, the publication of which may, perchance, cover them with shame and confusion.

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To those who have already witnessed our manifestations, this exordium is particularly addressed. We caution them, ere it be too late, to turn their minds towards the power and wondrous mercy of that great and Almighty God, whose eye is everywhere, whose judgment, though slow, is nevertheless sure! Therefore see that ye sin no more!'

After having commented upon this extraordinary letter for

a short time, another gentleman was requested to place his hand under the table, and another letter was brought forth, but not before a violent struggle had taken place between the recipient and some unseen power that bestowed it. The hands were never stirred from the table during the whole time, and our legs had free play beneath. This letter was signed by the autograph names of nearly all present, ourself included; but none of us had any knowledge of ever having signed it. It was a short petition. It was very curiously sealed and folded. It was burnt by order of the spirits-this I saw complied with myself. Another gentleman was then requested to put his hand under the table, as the others had done. It was the same, or a fac-simile of the same letter which had been burnt, with the exception of some additional hues, and a portrait, which the other had not. A small piece of paper was then torn, having nothing upon it, and thrown under the table. We were presently desired to hold out our hand, and we received the same paper, with a name written upon it in pencil. These things were accomplished with the greatest rapidity in succession."-Charles Partridge, New York.

MORAL CONSEQUENCES OF SPIRITUALISM. By reasoning, practical study, and observation of facts, Spiritualism confirms and proves the fundamental bases of religion, namely:

The existence of an only, omnipotent God, creator of all things, supremely just and good.

The existence of the soul; its immortality and its individuality after death.

Man's free will, and the responsibility which he incurs for all his acts.

Man's happy or unhappy state after death, according to the use which he has made of his faculties during this life. The necessity of good, and the dire consequences of evil. The utility of prayer.

It resolves many problems which find their only possible explanation in the existence of an invisible world, peopled by beings who have thrown off the corporeal envelope, who surround us, and who exercise an increasing influence upon the visible world.

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