REMARKABLE SPIRIT-VISITATION.—Dr. G. A. Lathrop, from the Pacific coast, while in our office a few days since related some remarkable facts occurring in the experience of a distinguished gentleman of his acquaintance, a man of vigorous intellectual powers and of high reputation for candor and intelligence. One day, while at work in the garden, he observed, on suddenly looking up, that a deceased friend who left the form some twenty years since was standing by him, looking as youthful as when he last saw him in the body. This unexpected visitor, whose countenance was distinctly recognized, proceeded to inform his mundane friend that he was his guardian spirit, and had come to warn him against entering into a contemplated business relation with a certain man who was, at the same time, represented as unworthy of his confidence. This interview lasted about half an hour, when all at once the mysterious visitor disappeared.
Subsequently this guardian came to his earthly friend on several different occasions, usually in the night. At one time the clothes were abruptly drawn from the bed, and on awaking he discovered a luminous cloud in his apartment which gradually assumed the form of his well-remembered friend, who approached and seating himself on the bedside conversed familiarly for two hours. In the course of this interview the gentleman inquired of his transmundane friend how he should know that the character of the person against whom he had been warned was such as the spirit had represented. The latter promised to show him the past life of the man referred to, and to convince him of the correctness of his statements. Subsequently, the whole life of that man, embracing his most secret and reprehensible deeds, together with the various localities known to him, came up in remembrance before the medium; he seemed to see them, and they appeared as familiar as the scenes and incidents of his own existence.
Since that time the gentleman who was favored with this extraordinary experience has been forced to yield to the conviction that spirits do converse with mortals. Prosecuting his inquiries through external channels, with a view either to disprove or verify his spiritual impressions, he has found already that, to a great extent at least, the picture presented to his interior vision was drawn faithfully and to the life. It is worthy of remark that this gentleman had no knowledge of the phenomena and claims of Spiritualism at the time his guardian spirit first visited him in the garden. Other spirits now come to him, and their visits are constantly increasing in frequency and interest.—Spir. Tel.
SPIRIT PICTURES.—Mr. S. B. Brittan, editor of the Spiritual Telegraph, has been lecturing in Portland to very general acceptance; and of the many wonderful things said and shown by Mr. B. to the good folks of that city, the Portland Transcript, among others, gives the following note:
"The spirits, of late, seem to be turning their talents to good advantage. Spirit art, in reproducing the past, and the great actors in it, is certainly opening a wide field for our observation and delight. Who would not like to look upon the faces of the great men who have given laws and opinions to all ages—of Moses, Plato, Socrates, and the rest. If we are to believe the invisible gentlemen who go rapping about people's houses we actually saw the portrait of the great Socrates the other evening, at one of the lectures delivered here by Mr. S. B. Brittan. It purported to have been drawn, through the hand of a young lady of New York, by the spirit of an ancient Greek sculptor, and whether actually a portrait or not, was certainly worthy of the old philosopher. The mountainous brow and classic Greek features were worth going far to look upon. Several of the other heads, whether coming from a hand of flesh or Spirit, were admirably drawn."
A SPIRITUALLY PRODUCED LETTER.—During a recent visit for lecturing purposes, to Verplanck's Point, N. Y., (where Spiritualism has lately received a strong impulse,) the writer was told of the following occurrence: At a circle holden in the village a few evenings previous, the room being darkened, (or partially so,) and while all were seated at the table, a somewhat brilliant light was seen upon the door, and at the same time something flew from that direction which upon examination proved to be a letter. It was addressed to the medium, and purported to have been written by the Spirit of a young man with whom she was formerly acquainted. It was in the hand-writing of the young man, and besides speaking of other things, answered a query to which the medium had given expression a few minutes before. At the moment this letter thus mysteriously appeared, one of the company was clutched by the back of the neck by what appeared to be a preternatural hand. They are confident that these occurrences could not, under the circumstances, have been the result of any trick, even had there been a person present thus dishonestly disposed.
SPIRIT POWER.—I am one of a party of gentlemen who meet regularly every Saturday evening for the purpose of holding communication with Spirits. We hold our meetings in the office of Mr. A. H. Frank, over his Sash and Blind manufactory, situated at the corner of Oak and Clinton streets. At our meeting of last evening we had some very startling manifestations. The table, a very heavy one, was moved about the room, rocking to and fro, and finally was raised into the air, where it floated like a feather for several seconds, and all without the contact of mortal hands. The door was locked by one of the company, and the key taken out and laid upon the table. The spirits were then requested to open the door, and in a few minutes the key was seen to rise from the table and move slowly (on the air) towards the door; when there it was inserted into the key-hole, the bolt thrown back, and the door thrown open; and lastly, but not least, the steam engine below was put in motion and ran nearly three minutes, by the watch, after we were enabled to get down stairs to it.—Christian Spiritualist.