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

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APPENDIX. 431Conscience and reason arc ever under tlic control <strong>of</strong> expediency. Thosewho live in society must be governed by <strong>the</strong> hearts and lieads <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs aswell as <strong>the</strong>ir own : unless <strong>the</strong>y arc quite sure that <strong>the</strong> cause <strong>of</strong> truth willsuffer by <strong>the</strong>ir silence, <strong>the</strong>y should not speak to give o<strong>the</strong>rs umbrage. Ialways considered it my duty not to do any thing which would injure <strong>the</strong>institution <strong>of</strong> which I was a member for nearly thirty years. Doubtless,<strong>the</strong> sachems <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Associationdid what <strong>the</strong>y thought best, as probably Ishould have done, had I been situated as <strong>the</strong>y were, and holding <strong>the</strong>iropinions.In <strong>the</strong> letter as actually sent to <strong>the</strong> Association, I introduced <strong>the</strong> argumentsfounded on Dr. Bell'sobservations, (HI, 287, 864,) also <strong>the</strong> fiictsand reasoning submitted in <strong>the</strong> Supplemental Preface. I shall, <strong>of</strong> course,leave <strong>the</strong> reader to recur to those passages, and introduce here only <strong>the</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r portions <strong>of</strong> my letter :To THE President <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Association for <strong>the</strong> Advancement op Science :Dear Sir : Being engaged in putting a work to press, I am sorry to beunable to be present at <strong>the</strong> meeting <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Association on <strong>the</strong> 15th inst.When I was at<strong>the</strong> last meeting, I stated an experiment made with <strong>the</strong>greatest care and precision, which proved <strong>the</strong> existence <strong>of</strong> a power independent<strong>of</strong> any possible or conceivable mortal agency; and I had on thatoccasion an opportunity <strong>of</strong> experiencing <strong>the</strong> fate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dutch ambassadorwho first made <strong>the</strong> king <strong>of</strong> Ava acquainted with <strong>the</strong> fact that bodies <strong>of</strong>water can be frozen so as to enable people to walk on a solidified aqueoussurface. It was a disease <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mind in ei<strong>the</strong>r case.But let no one apply to his soul <strong>the</strong> self-complacent unction that it was myhallucination, not bigoted ignorance, that originated that diagnosis. Sincethat time, <strong>the</strong> fact <strong>of</strong> movements being made intelligibly, without any perceptibleor assignable mortal aid, has been verified hundreds <strong>of</strong> times byo<strong>the</strong>rs; while under my own intuition it has been reiterated many times,<strong>the</strong> experiment which I adduced having been repeated with every imaginableprecaution and instructive variation. * * ''^ * *About two years have elapsed, since I erroneously sanctioned Farraday'sexplanation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>manifestations</strong>, in ascribing <strong>the</strong>m to involuntary muscularaction. This arose from my being, no less than that philosopher, so utterlyincredulous and intolerant <strong>of</strong> any idea <strong>of</strong> <strong>spirit</strong>ual agency in any <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> phenomena<strong>of</strong> nature, excepting those which I ascribed to God, that I did not take<strong>the</strong> possible agency <strong>of</strong> <strong>spirit</strong>s into view; but having been obliged to admit<strong>the</strong> facts conceded by Dr. Bell, (287,) and having received interesting andintellectual communications <strong>of</strong> which he has not been informed, I cannot,with him, stop half-way : nor could he, were he to have <strong>the</strong> interestingcommunications with his <strong>spirit</strong> friends which I have had with mine.There has been a time when religion repressed science; and it wouldseem that at <strong>the</strong> present era science is to revenge itself by repressino"religious truth, by sanctioning indirectly <strong>the</strong> alleged <strong>manifestations</strong> <strong>of</strong> antiquity,while deriding those <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> present time; believing on miracles toldby no one knows who, yet denying <strong>the</strong> allegations <strong>of</strong> eye-witnesses knownto be truthful; while straining at <strong>spirit</strong>ual gnats, swallowing scripturalcamels.With high esteem, your well-wisher,BoBERT Hare.

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