Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

OF THE EXISTENCE OF SPIRITS. 2791410. '^ I liavc endeavoured to discover if tables have tlie faculty wliiclijaccording to the ritual, is possessed by the devil (I/'h (Jdmon.s) to penetratethe hidden and the future, and I have found in this direction moreerror than truth. As to the superior physical force which, according tothe ritual, is possessed by the devil, (Ics demons,) there is not a single turningtable in the world, whose movement cannot bo arrested or retarded byenveloping the hands of the experimenters in silk :which proves that thetables have not a power supra naturam, and that of course it could not bethe devil who furnishes the momentum. But what gives more force to thereasons on which I rest, for not referring the motive-power to an evilspirit, is this: that having made them separately known to four prelates ofthe church of France, three of whom are conspicuous in the religious investigationof these phenomena, begging a due examination and reportmy opinion is in error, that I may retract and write against the tables,not one of these prelates has pronounced me wrong, nor in the least blamedmy exposition of facts. And in case it may become necessary to establishthis fiict, I retain the letters of these prelates. Let us now pass to theconsideration of the mediums.*1417. " Hearing that there were persons whose hands, without theirwill, were made to write some very extraordinary things, and that thesepersons were called ^ mediums,' one day, in order to assure myself of thefact, I took a crayon in my hand, and placing it on paper, concentratedmyself as much as possible. But a few minutes had passed, when I feltmy hand controlled without my will, and saw it trace some lines, letters,ifHaving reached this stage of our author's remarks, his translator begs leave to submit[•••them to a transient review. It is evident that his investigations in the physical demonstrations,relating to spiritual philosophy, fall very short of the intelligence of the presenttime. He seems to be a total stranger to that flood of truth and love that has for yearsbeen pouring its blessings on the hearts and minds of tens of thousands of delighted andgrateful recipients in the Western hemisphere, and by the very means that appear to havebeen fully in his power of reaching that heavenly boon, but which were all exhausted toconvince the world that the devil has nothing to do with it.This is certainly a point gained on Catholic ground, and had our friend supplied someargument equally conclusive for theologians of the opposing school, he would probablysave them the sin of making out of the devil, by imputation, a veritable saint.The question will naturally arise with his readers. If the power and intelligence do notemanate from the devil, from whom or what do they emanate? But on this subject, fromsome reason that can only be guessed at, our author, the abbot, is so far silent. Theconfirmed theory of spirit intercourse, when the vehicle is mechanical or automatic, makeSthe character and intelligence of the communication depend on the communicating spirit,subject to apparent irregularities. But our author, in his hurry perhaps to prove his favouritepostulateof excluding the devil, makes them depend on the one, as he says, who"consults the table." If he speaks Greek, then the table talks Greek, and ditto for allother languages, Sec. But certainly the marquis would corner him here. He says, also,that the motive power is intercepted by a non-conductor, as silk round the hands.Although this may be true to some extent with feeble mediums, still the fact that tablesoften move without contact with any one, must nullify the abbot's theory, whatever it,may be.]