Inside View of Spiritualism.
By Editor
THE SPIRITS CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED.
(Continued.)
THE following experience of a circle of "six ladies and gentlemen," is taken from the Boston Bee. The spirit of a dog first identified itself; the paper states:— "Several satisfactory answers were given relative to its name, that of its late master, time of its decease, etc. . . . The next spirit was that of a cat, who revealed the secret that it had been drowned while at a very tender age, in a cistern, by a young lady who was present. The answers in this instance were correct and satisfactory.
"After this, a gentleman (who was a medium) asked if the spirit of a favorite horse was present. The raps were in the affirmative. The raps then gave the name of the horse by the alphabet, its age, the number of years it had been dead, the name of the place where it had been struck by lightning," etc. [Copied from Professor Matteson.] In these instances the most satisfactory "tests of identity" were given. Who has ever known any better to be given by any spirits? Dr. Hare became satisfied that he was conversing with Christ, but Woodman says:— "For our part, we do not believe that Jesus Christ has communicated through any medium directly during the present century, though we do not pretend to know. If he should come to communicate, how would he be known? No living person would know him by his form, his voice, or his writing. No person could be induced to recollect by the relation of unpublished facts in his life, or by any peculiar marks or idiosyncrasies of character, for all these are unknown. So far as we could see, there could be nothing to identify his person. If the communication should be in any respect impure or immoral in its tendency, it would stand self-condemned. If it should be found in perfect harmony with the divine law, still it might come from some other intervening spirit."—Reply to Dwight, page 65. These remarks would apply to any other as well as unto Christ. And if the professed Christ should communicate "in perfect harmony with the divine law," Mr. Woodman would be inclined to regard it as some intervening spirit—and lying spirit, of course, professing to be what it was not. But suppose it professed to be one who had lived in the present century, with whose form, voice, writing, character, etc., we were acquainted, could we identify him with any greater certainty? A. J. Davis, in the Herald of Progress, Feb. 1, 1862, in answer to a question concerning the appearance of spirits, says:— "These appearances are intended merely as reminders and as tests of identity. All intelligent spirits are great artists. They can psychologize a medium to see them, and to describe them, in the style which would produce the greatest impression on the receiver. . . . They can easily represent themselves as being old or young, as in worldly dress or in flowing robes, as is deemed best suited to accomplish the ends of the visitation. They substitute pantomime and appearance for oral explanations." In the Spiritual Telegraph of July 11, 1857, the leading editorial is entitled, "On the Identification of Spirits." The following is the commencement of the article:— "The question is continually being asked, especially by novitiates in spiritual investigations. How shall we know that the spirits who communicate with us are really the ones whom they purport to be? And for want of a satisfactory answer many minds are thrown into perplexity, and even doubt as to whether the so-called spiritual manifestations are really such. In giving the results of our own experience and observation upon this subject, we would premise that spirits unquestionably can, and often do, personate other spirits, and that, too, often with such perfection as, for the time being, to defy every effort to detect the deception. Not only can they represent the leading personal characteristics of the spirits whom they purport to be, but they can relate such facts in the history of said spirits, as may be known to the inquirer, or to some one else with whom the communicating spirit is or has been en rapport. And this, in our opinion, is done so often as to very materially diminish the value of any specific tests that may be designedly instituted by the inquirer for the purpose of proving identity; and that if direct tests are demanded at all, we would recommend that they be asked for the purpose of proving that the manifesting influence is that of a spirit, rather than to prove what particular spirit is the agent of its production." So it appears that all their talk about "tests" and "test mediums" is entitled to no credit whatever. The "experience and observation" of the editor of the Telegraph entitles his testimony to as much credit as that of any Spiritualist in the country. According to his view, we can only assure ourselves "that the manifesting influence is that of a spirit," which we would not deny, but we cannot ascertain "what particular spirit" is communicating, as they "personate with such perfection as to defy every effort to detect the deception." This is all that we have ever claimed or could claim, in regard to this great system of falsehood. The following from the same article is equally expressive of their characters and actions:— "From much experience and observation, however, we are satisfied that if, after having received in all good faith, such messages directly from the spirit friend whom it purports to be, we proceed to inquiries about matters of theological faith or speculative philosophy, or even about such practical concerns of human life as may involve the ambition, conceits, or prejudices of other spirits than the one with whom up to that moment we have been talking, other spirits who may be more nearly related to, or who may have more perfect control over, the mediums, will most probably assume instantly the name and position of our friend, pushing the latter aside, and will set forth his own theories, fancies, and probably falsities, using the name of our friend and all the confidence we may have gained in the latter's identity, by way of enforcing what he would have us believe. And we receive the communication perhaps with the utmost surprise that our friend, in passing into the spirit world, should have so soon changed his opinion on that particular subject!" What a confession is this! How completely are all their tests of identity and claims for reliability swept away! Mr. Tiffany has also given pointed evidence on this subject:— "When communications are received through public mediums, the probabilities are that the communicators belong to a very low plane of development, and that the communications cannot be relied upon, whatever may be the professions of the communicator. There is almost always an influence which belongs peculiarly to each medium—an influence which seems to be a presiding spirit, which that medium will usually recognize, answering to the name of 'Jim' or 'John.' It is generally the case that this spirit will be found on hand first, and is the one to do whatever is to be done, and he becomes the father, mother, brother, sister, or friend of everybody. . . . The circumstances of a public circle are exceedingly unfavorable to getting communications from spirits of a high degree of refinement. The most that can be obtained under such conditions is some external evidence of spiritual existence. The point to which I wish to call your attention is the almost universal fact that mediums devoted to external manifestations, while under the influence of this presiding spirit, are under an influence to deceive, to cheat, which is almost irresistible. It does not matter particularly how good manifestations they get. I have seen this deceptive disposition manifested in mediums who could get very remarkable manifestations, such as the movement, in the open light, of a table with several men standing upon it."—Lect., pages 122-3. According to this high spiritualistic authority, all the mediums advertised to give public seances are deceivers and cheats, and subject to a deceptive influence; as the Scriptures say of this class, "Deceiving and being deceived," and those who consult them are mere dupes. Mr. Tiffany has spoken our mind exactly. "Not one per cent. of the manifestations have had a higher origin than the first and second spheres. These spheres being full of low, ignorant, deceptive, mischievous, selfish, egotistical spirits, fond of controlling media, they have, by reading the minds of mortals, and picking up old poetry, essays, and the floating notions of the times, with a few facts obtained from higher spheres, passed themselves off for our friends and relatives and the great and good of all ages."—Spiritualism As It Is, page 16. "The fact is, good spirits do not appear one-tenth as often as imagined; the majority of spiritual appearances are but out-creations—subjective images of the seer objectified—else are psychological projections of other minds—images impressed upon the susceptible person's brain."—Dealings with the Dead, page 255. A. J. Davis, in "Present Age and Inner Life," says:— "A medium may obtain thoughts from a person sitting in the circle, or from a mind even in some distant portion of the globe, and still be wholly deceived as to the source of them. Because, so far as all the primary interior sensations and personal evidences are concerned, such impressions do appear and feel, to the receptive vessels of the medium, precisely identical with those which emanate from a mind beyond the dominion of the tomb." So, according to the great seer, all the phenomena of test-mediumship may be produced without any spirit influence at all! Jacob Harshman, a medium, writes:— "Under these influences, they become impatient with the spirits, who do our work by immutable laws. And under such a state of excitement, they respond to their own questions, by a law which they do not understand, and consequently mistake it for a spiritual operation."—Love and Wisdom, page 28.