Lights and shadows of spiritualism

ABSURDITIES. 293the highest perfection. Tho "phenomena" witnessed at suchgatherings arc, in hut too many instances, tho laughing-stocksof sceptics, and the shame of every sensible spiritualist.Satiricalverse has been directed at them. Our opponents remind usthat" Shakspeare's spirit visits earth, to tellHow he and Washington are very wellAnd Lindley Murray, from the body free,Can't make his verbs and nominatives agree."The reproach is mild. Spiritual journals have again and againpublished communications whose absurdity is simply sublime.These follies are usually of the same type. A great spirit has, forno conceivable reason, earthly or heavenly, descended from hishigh home to perform strange antics before a little circle ofspiritualists. And how wofuUy these spirits have deterioratedHow wonderfully they are clad ! The favourite costume of OliverCromwell when " materializing " himself consists, we learn, of a" white muslin skull-cap, black velvet suit, and yellow top-boots."liis shoemakers, however, understand their business but badly,since in giving, by particular desire, " the stamp that dissolvedan English Parliament," Oliver altogether disarranged his illiitting" tops," and was forced to stoop and adjust them. Thenthe spirit shuffled with awkward dignity round the table, andafter solemnly kissing the whole of the sitters, male and female,bore back his skull-cap and yellow boots to the summer-land.Italy would seem to surpass both England and America in thenumber and quality of the " people from another world" who visitit. In " Notes of a Seance held at Naples " we find that, " Ofthe spirits who manifested three were in the flesh, and amongst thedisincarnated the most noteworthy were Margherita Pusterla,Dionysius of Syracuse, Genseric, Cleopatra, Eichard Ca3ur deLion, Aladdin, Belcadel, Guerrazzi, Manin, and Vico." Afterthese came " Abraham, Melchisedec, Jacob, Moses, David, Sennacherib,Elisha, Joachim, Judith, Jael, Samuel, Daniel, MaryMagdalene, St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. John." Even this con-