Inside View of Spiritualism.
By Editor
IN 1880 was printed a pamphlet of 184 pages, at the Seventh-day Adventist publishing house, entitled, "The Nature and Tendency of Modern Spiritualism." This was the fifth edition of that work, revised, which was first published some years ago, written by the present editor of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Chapter Eight of that work has the following for its subjects: "Dangers of Mediumship—Spirit Control—Evil Propensities—Gratification through Mediums—Consequent Crimes." The evidence given on these points are all from Spiritualist authors, most of them well-known, and from publications issued by Spiritualist publishers. Among these authors are Judge Edmunds, Dr. Hare, Hudson Tuttle, Prof. Brittan, Dr. Randolph, Warren Chase, etc. This chapter and these proofs were not in the earliest editions of our work on Spiritualism; the proofs given did not exist when the work was first published. We give this chapter entire in a few short articles in the SIGNS, because the evidences are as good and as applicable to-day as the day they were written. And being quite sufficient to prove the points we wish to make, we shall not add much to those given in the book. We know there are thousands of our readers who have never seen these evidences, and who do not know that such things exist. But they ought to know them, and understand the nature of the work which is increasing on every side. They need to have that knowledge on these subjects which will, through faith in the author of divine truth, guard them against the influence of this monstrous deception. And we shall copy our comments very nearly as given in this book; if any wish to see the whole proofs given in regard to Spiritualism, taken from Spiritualists' own writings, they will find the book advertized in this paper. Notwithstanding all evidence that has from time to time been presented to the world, of the Satanic origin and evil tendency of these spirit workings, many are so deluded as to court the influence of these spirits, and desire to be developed as mediums. We would that our words of warning could reach the ears and touch the hearts of all such. But Spiritualists will claim that we magnify the danger—that we view the subject from a wrong stand-point, and with eyes of prejudice. It has been our aim throughout this work to present Spiritualism as it is,—and as it is presented to the world by its own adherents and advocates. We have not offered as evidence the testimony of their enemies, or of those not well acquainted, by observation and experience, with its workings. Let this fact be marked. We now propose to examine the subject of the dangers of mediumship, or spirit control, and this altogether in the light of proofs presented by themselves. The following points are presented to us by spiritualistic data:— - The spirits control the mediums, acting, not only independent of, but against, their wills.
- The spirits have all the evil dispositions, propensities, and desires, of wicked, debased persons in this life.
- These desires they have no means of gratifying until the recent discovery of mediumship.
- Spirits do now gratify their desires by inducing such desires in the mediums, causing them to indulge in evil practices, of the gratification of which the spirits partake.
As some of the testimonies now offered bear upon more than one of these points, we shall not arrange the evidence under each head respectively, as that would involve the necessity of repeating them, and thus add to the number of our pages. Of the great influence and power of spirits over the mediums, no one who has not examined the matter can have any idea. Dr. Gridley gives an account of an aged medium, of sixty years, living near him (in Southampton, Mass.), whose sufferings "in two months at the hands of evil spirits would fill a volume of 500 pages." Very little of this ever becomes known outside of the "circles." The following extract will give some idea of the above case:— "They forbade his eating, to the very point of starvation. He was a perfect skeleton; they compelled him to walk day and night, with intermissions, to be sure, as their avowed object was to torment him as much and as long as possible. They swore by everything sacred and profane, that they would knock his damned brains out, always accompanying their threat with blows on the forehead or temples, like that of a mallet in the hands of a powerful man, with this difference, however; the latter would have made him unconscious, while in full consciousness he now endured the indescribable agony of those heavy and oft-repeated blows; they declared they would skin him alive; that he must go to New York and be dissected by inches, all of which he fully believed. They declared they would bore holes into his brain, when he instantly felt the action suited to the word, as though a dozen augurs were being turned at once into his very skull; this done, they would fill his brain with bugs and worms to eat it out, when their gnawing would instantly commence.
These spirits would pinch and pound him, twitch him up and throw him down, yell and blaspheme, and use the most obscene language that mortal can conceive; they would declare that they were Christ in one breath and devils in the next; they would tie him head to foot for a long time together, in a most excruciating posture; declare they would wring his neck off because he doubted them or refused obedience."—Astounding Facts from the Spirit World, pages 253-4. On page 94 of this work Judge Edmonds is quoted as saying that entire spirit control, or the "exclusion of the medium's selfhood—a suspension of his own will," is very rare. See his "Spiritual Tracts," No. 4, p. 7. But this language proves that he believes that it does sometimes occur. An approach to it is given in his second volume on Spiritualism, Dr. Dexter being the medium. He says:— "It was altogether a very extraordinary manifestation. It was conducted throughout with unusual and, indeed, unknown violence. He took entire possession of the Doctor, not merely of his arms, as others did, and the Doctor said he felt an almost uncontrollable desire to strike me, and to commit acts of violence." Appendix A, Vol. ii, page 512. The following case was given in the 13th No. of the Spiritual Telegraph:— "A lady who had joined the Methodist Church, in Cleveland, only two weeks previous, was thrown into a magnetic, or as our Western friends call it, a spiritualized condition, and called for music; and after she had danced fifteen or twenty minutes, was suddenly released, and returned home, I presume none the worse for what she could not help." Prof. Brittan thus speaks of Mr. Davis' mediumship:— "During the delivery of 'Nature's Divine Revelations,' Mr. Davis was profoundly entranced, and so far removed from the sphere of outward consciousness as to be temporarily absolved from the obligations of the earth-life. . . . Of course in his state of waking consciousness he was no more accountable for what had been uttered during the trance than the reader is responsible for his dreams, or for unconsciously talking in his sleep."—Telegraph's Answer to Mahan, pages 8, 9. Of mediumship, he further says:— "We may further add, in this connection, that the trance mediums for spirit intercourse are equally irresponsible. Many of them are totally unable to resist the powers which come to them from the invisible and unknown realms."—Id., page 10. This passive state of the mediums in all forms of manifestation has long been inculcated by the spirits. The following was published in 1852:— "Such is the physical and mental condition of minds that we intend to make a great change in them before we write what will be necessary. The writing will not be the commencement of our work, but will follow other manifestations as soon as will be expedient. . . . The writing will be executed with great rapidity, when mediums shall become wholly passive."—Pilgrimage of Thomas Paine, page 250. A well-known Spiritualist writes:— "I have seen a medium gently magnetized and thrown into a trance in one minute by the imperceptible influence of the spirits, in accordance with their own original proposition, reluctantly acceded to by the medium and her friends; during which, sometimes she had visions of the spirit world, and at others became entirely non-cognizant of everything transpiring in either world. In the latter case, the spirits, as previously promised, made use of her organs of speech, unconsciously to herself."—Ballou, quoted by Dr. Hare, page 320. The following scene of the possession of a medium is described by Dr. Gridley, who offers the fullest proof of the truth of his statements:— "We have seen the medium evidently possessed by Irishmen and Dutchmen of the lowest grade—heard him repeat Joshua's drunken prayers, exactly like the original—imitate his drunkenness in word and deed—try to repeat or rather act over his brutal deeds (from which, for decency's sake, he was instantly restrained by extraordinary exertion and severe rebuke)—snap and grate his teeth most furiously, strike and swear, while his eyes flashed like the fires of an orthodox perdition. We have heard him hiss, and seen him writhe his body like the serpent when crawling, and dart out his tongue and play it exactly like that reptile. These exhibitions were intermingled with the most wrangling and horrible convulsions."—Astounding Facts, page 19. Much more to the same intent might be added, but this will not be dissented from. The power of spirits to control the mediums is very great; indeed it is unlimited, as these testimonies show. And we shall presently show how this power is used and abused. Closely connected with the foregoing are some of the following, given to show the disposition of the spirits. Says Dr. Randolph:— "Many of these denizens of the mid-regions of space are insane—in the higher sense all are so—and to them lust and its gratification, dram-drinking and mal-practice of all sorts, is a reality."—Dealing with the Dead, page 150. "Another admitted that he was drowned in consequence of getting dead-drunk. On being asked if he was happy, he answered, 'Damned happy.' Having evidently been a seaman, who had sailed under an officer who was present, he had preserved the usual fondness of sailors for tobacco and grog. This propensity he could not avoid displaying, notwithstanding his having passed death's dread portal, and the obvious inutility of expressing to mortals his craving for these pernicious stimulants. Thus it appears that in the spirit world one means of retribution for indulgence of bad propensities in this life, is subjection to their ungratified cravings."—Dr. Hare, Spr. Sci. Dem., page 137. EDITOR.
(To be continued.)