646 



SPIRITUALISM 



the so-called dead. The following is a definition 

 given in the London Spiritual Magazine, for many 

 years the best exponent of the subject in Great 

 Britain : 'Spiritualism is a science based solely on 

 facts; it is neither speculative nor fanciful. On 

 facts and facts alone, open to the whole world 

 through an extensive and probably unlimited sys- 

 tem of mediumship, it builds up a sulwtantial psy- 

 chology on the ground of strictest logical induction. 

 Its cardinal truth, imperishably established on the 

 experiments and experiences of millions of sane 

 men and women, of all countries and creeds, is that 

 of a world of spirits, and the continuity of the 

 existence of the individual spirit through the 

 momentary eclipse of death; as it disappears on 

 earth reappearing in that spiritual world, and be- 

 coming _an inhabitant amid the ever-augmenting 

 population of the .spiritual universe.' 



The movement known as ' modern spiritualism ' 

 is usually considered to have commenced in the year 

 1848, with certain mysterious noises and movements 

 occurring in a house temporarily occupied by Mi- 

 Fox and family at Hydevtlle in the state of New 

 York ; and his two daughters, Margaret and Kate, 

 aged twelve and nine years respectively, were the 

 first individuals recognised as mediums, in whose 

 presence the phenomena more particularly occurred. 

 It must not be supposed that the phenomena them- 

 selves were at all new. Throughout all history 

 there are records of similar occurrences. Such 

 were the disturbances at the ancient palace of 

 Woodstock in 1649; at Mr Mompesson's at Ted- 

 worth in 1661 ; at Epworth parsonage in 1716, in 

 the family of Mr Wesley, the father of the founder 

 of Methodism ; the Cock Lane ghost in London 

 investigated by Dr Johnson, Bishop Percy, and 

 other gentlemen ; the extraordinary occurrences in 

 the house of Mr Jplison in Sunderland in 1839, 

 which were investigated and published by Dr 

 Clanny, F.R.S., and authenticated by sixteen 

 witnesses, including five physicians and "surgeons ; 

 and numerous less important cases recorded in the 

 works of William Howitt, Rol>ert Dale Owen, Dr 

 Engene Crowell, and many older writers. But 

 none of these occurrences attracted much attention 

 or led to any systematic investigation of the sub- 

 ject. What especially distinguishes the year 1848 

 is that it was the starting-point of a movement 

 which has grown and spread continuously, till, in 

 spite of ridicule, misrepresentation, and persecu- 

 tion, it lia.s gained converts in every grade of 

 society and in every civilised portion of the globe. 

 Spiritualism is now to lie found as frequently 

 ninong the highest aristocracy as among the middle 

 classes and tiie poor. It has its full proportion of 

 lielicvers in the foremost ranks of science, litera- 

 ture, and art, und in all the learned professions. 

 In every European conntiv. in America, and in 

 :ralia there are numerous periodicals which 

 diffuse a know -ledge of its phenomena, its teachings, 

 and it.s philosophy ; while it claims to have pro- 

 foundly modified the teaching of some among our 

 clergy ns to the nature and pin-jMise of the future 

 life. These facts and characteristic* hroadh dis- 

 tinguish modern spiritualism a* l.ciug \t-\ y different 

 from anything that has preceded it, and claim for 

 it a respectful consideration. 



When the knockingsand movement* of furniture 

 were first heard and seen they were assumed to be 

 due to some trick or other natural cause, and there 

 was in every case and throughout the whole course 

 of the movement a strong prejudice against any 

 other explanation of them. When the Fox family 

 could not detect this cause the neighlwurs were 

 called in, but equally without result. It was soon 

 observed that the more violent sounds or motions 

 occurred in the presence or in the immediate 

 vicinity of one or other of the little girls, and 



every precaution was taken against possible trick 

 on their part. They were closely watched, were 

 held hand and foot, were tied in bags or put to 

 stand barefooted on pillows, but all in vain. The 

 raps or loud knocking* on doors or tables, on floor 

 or ceiling, occurred just the same. But this was 

 only a part of the phenomena. It was observed 

 that the noises occurred at request, or as if in reply 

 to observations. Then the alphabet was used, anil 

 questions were answered by raps at certain let ten 

 which, when written down, formed connected 

 words and sentences. In this way the statement 

 was elicited that the sounds were made by the spirit 

 of a man who had been murdered in the'house and 

 buried in the cellar. After several explorations 

 human bones with charcoal and lime were dis- 

 covered there. Some confirmatory evidence as to 

 this murder was obtained, and some of the previous 

 dwellers in the house stated that they also hail 

 been disturbed by unaccountable noises. The 

 excitement caused by these occurrences was so 

 great that in order to satisfy the curiosity of 

 visitors the Fox family were obliged to submit to 

 public exhibitions and tests of the remarkable 

 phenomena occurring in the presence of their chil- 

 dren, and thus public mediumship began. But at 

 the same time other mediums were discovered in 

 different parts of the country, as if a special 

 development of this abnormal power were then 

 occurring. A few of the more remarkable of these 

 mediums may be here briefly referred to. 



In 1845 an altogether illiterate \outh. Andrew 

 Jackson Davis, the son of a ]>oor weaver and 

 apprenticed to a shoemaker at I'onghkeepsie, New 

 Vork, began to exhibit remarkable ]>wers as a 

 trance s]>eaker and a clairvoyant healer of diseases. 

 During his trances he exhibited such extensive 

 knowledge of subjects quite lieyond his waking 

 abilities or acquirements as to attract the attention 

 of learned men, and under their auspices he de- 

 livered in New York l.">7 lectures which were after- 

 wards published in a volume of 800 pages. These 

 powers have continued to be exerted during a long 

 life. One of his disciples was Thomas Lake Harris 



(q.v.), whose Lyric of the (Sul,l, // .ti/i . a poe f 



:;s| jiages. was diet-lied in ninety-four hours, and 

 in the opinion of William How it! deserves the 

 praise that has been given it of possessing almost 

 Miltonic grandeur. Just about the same time 

 (1846-50) the Davenport brothers began to exhibit 

 the remarkable physical phenomena that puzzled 

 so many observers in every part of the world; 

 and it was about the year 1846 that the celebrated 

 medium Home, then thirteen years old, had 

 his first vision of a boy friend, 300 miles away, 

 who intimated to him* that he li.nl died three 

 days before at a certain hour, which was after- 

 wards found to lie perfectly correct. 



Natureaml Umi'ii- I'ft/n I'lninnm-im. In almost 

 every case the medium is a IM-I-SOII who in youth 

 sees visions and heais >,,ices which often' com- 

 municate intelligence of distant and sometimes 

 future events quite unknown to himself or family. 

 Following sildi phenomena, and apparently to 

 attract the at tent ion of other m-rsons, noises usual ly 

 occur: sometimes voices are heard, and sometimes 

 musical sounds. Then follow movements of ma- 

 terial objects, either visibly or more often in the 

 dark, or in such a way that the result only is 

 seen. Kooms and even houses are sometimes 

 shaken; bells sometimes ring violently without 

 material cause ; flowers, fruits, or other objects are 

 brought from a distance into closed rooms, some- 

 times of particular kinds ax desired at the m< nt 



by those present. Another curious phenomenon is 

 the lying and untying of knots. Sometimes the 

 medium is tied in such a manner that it is plainly 

 impossible he could have so tied himself ; some- 



