The Death-Blow to Spiritualism Part 9

were heard, both when their feet and knees were held and when they were not held. And then she introduces this weak and transparent piece of hypocrisy so familiar to those who have ever had to do with so-called "mediums":

"We are now familiar with the fact that spirits often refuse to act in the presence of those who bring to the occasion, not a candid and fair spirit of inquiry for the satisfaction of an honest skepticism, but a bitter and offensive bigotry of prejudice and invincible hostility, which does not really seek, but rather repels the truth, and but little deserves the favor of its exhibition to them by the spirits."

The further report of the doctors contained these points:

"_The two females were seated upon two chairs placed near together, their heels resting on cus.h.i.+ons, their lower limbs extended, with the toes elevated and the feet separated from each other._ The object of this experiment was to secure a position in which the ligaments of the knee-joint should be made tense, and no opportunity offered to make a pressure with the foot. _We were pretty well satisfied that the displacement of the bones requisite for the sounds could not be effected, unless a fulcrum were obtained by resting one foot upon the other, or on some resisting body. The company waited half an hour, but no sounds were heard in this position._

"The position of the _younger_ sister was then changed to a sitting posture, with the lower limbs extended on the sofa, _the elder sister sitting in the customary way_, at the other extremity of the sofa. The 'Spirits' did not choose to signify their presence under these circ.u.mstances, although repeatedly requested to do so. The latter experiment went to confirm the belief that the _younger sister alone_ produced the 'rappings.' These experiments were continued until the females themselves admitted that it was useless to continue any longer at that time, with any expectation of manifestations being made.

"_In resuming the usual position on the sofa, the feet resting on the floor, the knockings soon began to be heard._"

Then the doctors held the knees of the fair performers to ascertain if there was any movement when the sounds were heard:

"The hands were kept in apposition for several minutes at a time, and the experiments repeated frequently, for the s.p.a.ce of half an hour and more, with negative results; that is to say, _there were plenty of 'raps' when the knees were not held, and none when the hands were applied, save once; as the pressure was intentionally relaxed (Dr. Lee being the holder) two or three faint single 'raps' were heard, and Dr. Lee immediately averred that the motion of the bone was plainly perceptible to him. The experiment of seizing the knees as quickly as possible, when the knockings first commenced, was tried several times, but always with the effect of putting an immediate quietus upon the demonstrations_."

No sensible person can doubt that the statements of facts within their actual knowledge, made by these three eminent physicians, are absolutely true. They say finally:

"_Had our experiments, which were first directed to this joint failed, we should have proceeded to interrogate, experimentally, other articulations.

But the conclusions seemed clear that the 'Rochester knockings' emanate from the knee-joint._"

What a pity they did _not_ "interrogate" other articulations!

The report, erroneous as it was in its conclusions, contained so much significant truth that Mrs. Fish was at first staggered by its purport.

But in March, 1851, she wrote again to the press a lengthy letter, in which she feebly attempted to counteract the effect of the doctor's opinion, and incidentally made some grave admissions. Referring to the fact that whenever the "mediums" were kept in constrained positions there were no "manifestations," she made this remarkable admission:

"_It is true that when our feet were placed on cus.h.i.+ons stuffed with shavings, and resting on our heels, there were no sounds heard, and that sounds were heard when our feet were resting on the floor_; and it is just as true that if our friendly spirits retired when they witnessed such harsh proceedings on the part of our persecutors, it was not in our power to detain them."

Then she remarks that certain things happened _after the medical gentlemen left_:

"Our feet were held from the floor by Dr. Gray and Mr. Clark, in presence of the whole committee, on the evening of the investigation made by the medical gentlemen (after they left); and the sounds were distinctly heard, which was allowed by the committee to be a far more satisfactory test, as they could distinctly hear the sounds under the feet, and feel the floor _jar_ while our feet were held nearly or quite a foot from the floor."

About this time, a suspicion that the "raps" were made by use of the toes, first found expression, but it never seems to have been followed up to the point of verification. Indeed, the secret seems to have been kept absolutely for forty years, and was only revealed by the lips of Mrs.

Margaret Fox Kane.

I cannot refrain from quoting in this place an incident from the record of the common enemy, which further ill.u.s.trates the imbecile audacity with which they parade their abominable fraud before the eyes of sensible persons. At a seance, in which wonderous things were done under a table, around which the company including Mrs. Fish and one of her sisters were closely seated, one, Mr. Stringham, apparently a doubter, asked:

"May I leave the table while the others remain, that I may look and see the bells ringing?"

The "spirits" answered:

"What do you think we require you to sit close to the table for?"

And the veracious writer adds:

"_When spirits make these physical demonstrations, they are compelled to a.s.sume shapes that human eyes must not look upon._"

I should be guilty of an historical omission did I not also notice a somewhat formal investigation made by a committee of Harvard Professors and others, appointed to satisfy the exigencies of a newspaper controversy in Boston in 1857, and which Mrs. Ann Leah Fox Brown and Miss Catherine Fox attended. The results were wholly unsatisfactory and inconclusive from a scientific standpoint, though the moral effect of this outcome was strongly against the spiritualists, who were, of course, bound to prove their positive side of the case, and failed ignominiously to do so. The committee consisted of Professors Aga.s.siz, Pierce and Horsford, Mr. George Lunt, editor of the Boston _Courier_, Dr. A. B. Gould, Mr. Allen Putnam, Dr. H. F. Gardner and Mr. G. W. Rains. The last three were p.r.o.nounced spiritualists.

Professor Aga.s.siz, who in particular had studied mesmerism and so-called clairvoyance most carefully, and who believed to some extent in the former, declared with emphasis that there was an easy physiological explanation of all the effects that the "Fox Sisters," or any other "rappers," produced. The raps caused by the "Fox Sisters" on this occasion were but feeble and uncertain. When other "mediums" were under examination, the close watch kept upon them by the learned investigators seemed greatly to disconcert them and prevented the possibility of any p.r.o.nounced "manifestations" taking place.

The _Courier_ had issued a challenge offering five hundred dollars to any one who would "communicate a single word imparted to the 'spirits,'" by its editor "in an adjoining room," who would "read a single word in English, written inside a book or sheet of paper folded in such a manner as we may suggest; who would answer with the aid of all the higher intelligences he or she can invoke from the other world, _three questions_ * * *;" and it added:

"And we will not require Dr. Gardiner or the 'mediums' to risk a single cent on the experiment. If one or all of them can do one of these things, the five hundred dollars shall be paid on the spot. If they fail, they shall pay nothing; not even the expense incident to trying the experiment."

The Committee made a report which declared that nothing had been done which ent.i.tled any one to receive the sum offered by the _Courier_.

Therefore no award was made.

A library might be written containing only accounts of private investigations of "spiritual phenomena" by able and scientific observers, all of which conduced to but one verdict, that every pretense of Spiritualism is a fraud. I deem it more appropriate, however, and entirely adequate to my purpose, to restrict my citations from such inquiries to those which had an absolutely undeniable official or authoritative character.

CHAPTER XI.

THE SUPREME AUDACITY OF FRAUD.

The mult.i.tude of forms that a certain kind of deception, when once it obtains a foothold in the public mind, will a.s.sume, is often wonderful.

Spiritualism has resorted to all the trickery that for ages has been used to delude and delight the populace.

Much of it could be traced back to the very first mountebanks who wandered about the streets of the ancient cities, or squatted at the gates of palaces or in market-places to catch the frequent obolus from the curious pa.s.ser-by.

In every country under the sun, the trade of deception has been turned to the account of religious superst.i.tion. The Hindus, in particular, excel in this branch of necromancy. The marvelous things that Aaron and the Egyptian sorcerers did before Pharaoh, are really as nothing compared with what the modern jugglers of India and China perform. All of the developments of the art that have taken place in the West, seem but trivial imitation beside these, and indeed they are little better.

No sooner had Spiritualism made many proselytes, than there was no limit to its audacious pretensions. Its apostles imagined that they could go on duping the world and even hoodwinking the scientists, and that by appealing to the Federal government for a formal investigation of its claims, which they could not have believed for a moment would be granted, they could obtain a sort of quasi-official recognition of their so-called new religion.

Accordingly, on the 17th of April, 1854, a pet.i.tion was sent to Congress, bearing fifteen thousand names, and was presented in executive session by Senator s.h.i.+elds of Illinois. As a rather skillful contemporaneous characterization of the matter, what he said on this occasion is of historical interest. The following were his words:

I beg leave to present to the Senate a pet.i.tion, with some fifteen thousand names appended to it, upon a very singular and novel subject. The pet.i.tioners declare that certain physical and mental phenomena of mysterious import, have become so prevalent in this country and Europe, as to engross a large share of public attention.

A partial a.n.a.lysis of these phenomena attest the existence, first, of an occult force which is exhibited in sliding, raising, arresting, holding, suspending, and otherwise disturbing ponderable bodies, apparently in direct opposition to the acknowledged laws of matter, and transcending the accredited power of the human mind. Secondly, lights of different degrees of intensity appear in dark rooms, where chemical action or phosph.o.r.escent illumination cannot be developed, and where there are no means of generating electricity, or of producing combustion. Thirdly, a variety of sounds, frequent in occurrence, and diversified in character, and of singular significance and importance, consisting of mysterious rapping, indicating the presence of invisible intelligence. Sounds are often heard like those produced by the prosecution of mechanical operations, like the hoa.r.s.e murmer of the winds and waves, mingled with the harsh creaking of the masts and rigging of a s.h.i.+p laboring in a sea. Concussions also occur, resembling distant thunder, producing oscillatory movements of surrounding objects, and a tremulous motion of the premises upon which these phenomena occur.

Harmonious sounds, as those of human voices, and other sounds resembling those of the fife, drum, trumpet, etc., have been produced without any visible agency. Fourthly, all the functions of the human body and mind are influenced in what appear to be certain abnormal states of the system, by causes not yet adequately understood or accounted for. The occult force, or invisible power, frequently interrupts the normal operations of the faculties, suspending sensation and voluntary motion of the body to a death-like coldness and rigidity, and diseases. .h.i.therto considered incurable, have been entirely eradicated by this mysterious agency. The pet.i.tioners proceed to state that two opinions prevail with respect to the origin of these phenomena. One ascribes them to the power and intelligence of departed spirits operating upon the elements which pervade all natural forms. The other rejects this conclusion, and contends that all these results may be accounted for in a rational and satisfactory manner.

The memorialists, while thus disagreeing as to the cause, concur in the opinion as to the occurrence of the alleged phenomena; and in view of their origin, nature and bearing upon the interests of mankind, demand for them a patient, rigid, scientific investigation, and request the appointment of a scientific commission for that purpose.

I have now given a faithful synopsis of this pet.i.tion, which, however unprecedented in itself, has been prepared with singular ability, presenting the subject with great delicacy and moderation. I make it a rule to present any pet.i.tion to the Senate, which is respectful in its terms; but having discharged this duty, I may be permitted to say that the prevalence of this delusion at this age of the world, among any considerable portion of our citizens, must originate, in my opinion, in a defective system of education, or in a partial derangement of the mental faculties, produced by a diseased condition of the physical organization. I cannot, therefore, believe that it prevails to the extent indicated in this pet.i.tion.

Different ages of the world have had their peculiar delusions.

Alchemy occupied the attention of eminent men for several centuries; but there was something sublime in alchemy. The philosopher's stone, or the trans.m.u.tation of base metals into gold, the _elixir vitae_, or 'water of life' which would preserve youth and beauty, and prevent old age, decay and death, were blessings which poor humanity ardently desired, and which alchemy sought to discover by perseverance and piety, Roger Bacon, one of the greatests alchemists and greatest men of the thirteenth century, while searching for the philosopher's stone, discovered the telescope, burning gla.s.ses, and gunpowder. The prosecution of that delusion led, therefore, to a number of useful discoveries. In the sixteenth century flourished Cornelius Agrippa, alchemist, astrologer, and magician, one of the greatest professors of hermetic philosophy that ever lived. He had all the spirits of the air and demons of the earth under his command. Paulus Jovious says that the devil, in the shape of a large black dog, attended Agrippa wherever he went. Thomas Nash says, at the request of Lord Surrey, Erasmus, and other learned men, Agrippa called up from the grave, several of the great philosophers of antiquity, among others, Sully, whom he caused to deliver his celebrated oration for Roscius, to please the emperor, Charles IV. He summoned David and King Solomon from the tomb, and the Emperor conversed with them long upon the science of government. This was a glorious exhibition of spiritual power, compared with the insignificant manifestations of the present day. I will pa.s.s over the celebrated Paracelsus, for the purpose of making allusion to an Englishman, with whose veracious history every one ought to make himself acquainted. In the sixteenth century, Dr.

Dee made such progress in the talismanic mysteries, that he acquired ample power to hold familiar conversation with spirits and angels, and to learn from them all the secrets of the universe. On the occasion, the angel Uriel gave him a black crystal of a convex form, which he had only to gaze upon intently, and by a strange effort of the will, he could summon any spirit he wished, to reveal to him the secrets of futurity. Dee, in his veracious diary, says that one day while he was sitting with Alburtus Laski, a Polish n.o.bleman, there seemed to come out of the oratory a spiritual creature, like a pretty girl of seven or nine years of age, with her hair rolled up before and hanging down behind, with a gown of silk, of changeable red and green, and with a train. She seemed to play up and down, and to go in and out behind the books, and as she seemed to get between them, the books displaced themselves and made way for her. This I call a spiritual manifestation of the most interesting and fascinating kind.

Even the books felt the fascinating influence of this spiritual creature; for they displaced themselves and made way for her. Edward Kelly, an Irishman, who was present, and who witnessed this beautiful apparition, verifies the doctor's statement; therefore it would be unreasonable to doubt a story so well attested, particularly when the witness was an Irishman. Dr. D. was the distinguished favorite of kings and queens, a proof that spiritual science was in high repute in the good old age of Queen Elizabeth. But of all the professors of occult science, hermetic philosophy or Spiritualism, the Rosicrucians were the most exalted and refined. With them the possession of the philosopher's stone was to be the means of health and happiness, an instrument by which man could command the services of superior beings, control the elements, defy the abstractions of time and s.p.a.ce, and acquire the most intimate knowledge of all the secrets of the universe. These were objects worth struggling for. The refined Rosicrucians were utterly disgusted with the coa.r.s.e, gross, sensual spirits who had been in communication with man previous to their day; so they decreed the annihilation of them all, and subst.i.tuted in their stead, a race of mild, beautiful and beneficent beings.

The "spirits" of the olden time were a malignant race, and took especial delight in doing mischief; but the new generation is mild and benignant. These "spirits," as this pet.i.tion attests, indulge in the most innocent amus.e.m.e.nts and harmless recreations, such as sliding, raising and tipping tables, producing pleasing sounds and variegated sights, and sometimes curing diseases which were previously considered incurable; and for the existence of this simple and benignant race our pet.i.tioners are indebted to the brethren of the rosy cross. Among the modern professors of Spiritualism, Cagliostro was the most justly celebrated. In Paris, his saloons were thronged with the rich and n.o.ble. To old ladies he sold immortality, and to the young ones he sold beauty that would endure for centuries, and his charming countess gained immense wealth, by granting attendant sylphs to such ladies as were rich enough to pay for their services. The "Biographies des Contemporains," a work which our present mediums ought to consult with care, says there was hardly a fine lady in Paris who would not sup with the shade of Lucretius in the apartments of Cagliostro. There was not a military officer who would not discuss the art with Alexander, Hannibal or Caesar, or an advocate or counselor who would not argue legal points with the ghost of Cicero. These were spiritual manifestations worth paying for, and all our degenerate "mediums" would have to hide their diminished heads in the presence of Cagliostro.

It would be a curious inquiry to follow this occult science through all its phases of mineral magnetism, animal mesmerism, etc., until we reach the present, latest and slowest phase of all spiritual manifestation; but I have said enough to show the truth of Burk's beautiful aphorism, "The credulity of dupes is as inexhaustible as the invention of knaves."

A writer of that time says: