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vol. title: vol. period: 1879-1880 pages in vol.: 577 |
< Sir,- Mr. Wallace seems in some respect... (continued from page 10-443) >
respondence an exact reprint of Mr. Fletcher’s words, as given in the Whitehall Review, twice occurs, and it must be remembered that the accuracy of the report was never doubted. Mr. Wallace, therefore, having twice read with great care the words which were really used, and on which the whole gravamen of the accusation rests, is still content to impugn the intelligence and fairness of a writer whom every one knows to possess both qualities in a conspicuous measure, upon the footing of a wholly garbled version derived from mere hearsay, when with a little trouble he might have refreshed his memory by referring to the original report. Considering the character of the man whom he assailed, it is surprising that he did not take the precaution of so doing.
Then Mr. Wallace gives a list of American mediums, and states that it was “to the last four or some of them” that he and many other Spiritualists “at once understood Mr. Fletcher to refer.” Now, if words have any meaning, we are to understand that immediately on the question being raised, while the actual phrase was fresh in Mr. Wallace’s mind, he thought that the words “an American” could mean at least two persons, and that Mr. Fletcher’s prompt resolve could reasonably be taken to bear reference to exposures which had taken place years before.
Further, Mr. Wallace says that Mr. Fletcher denied that he referred to Slade, and that that ought to have closed the controversy. This is begging the question with a vengeance. Why, the very charge made against Mr. Fletcher is that he did deny such reference. Mr. Fletcher was no doubt rebuked for attacking Slade, but the far graver charge was that his public denial was a cowardly falsehood. This was the real gist of the matter in which Mr. Wallace still seems to hint that Mr. Fletcher “was quite free from blame.”
I can only shrug my shoulders and wonder whether such methods of argument are commonly adopted by scientific men of the very first rank.
Lincoln’s Inn, October 2nd.
The memorial to the home secretary
Sir,—The memorial to the Home Secretary, in the last number of the Spiritualist, contains an error which should be corrected. Our friend, the Hon. J. L. O'Sullivan, was United States Minister to Portugal some time before the War of Secession in America, and was never connected in any way with the Confederate Government.
32, Fopstone Road, Earl’s Court, London,
September 30th, 1880.
An Editor's Dream
Once upon a time—as the fairy tales have it—a local editor, relieved for a time from the importunities of the foreman printer, and worried by a mass of misplaced adjectives and wrongly-spelled nouns with which a country correspondent had favoured him, dropped asleep in the editorial chair, and dreamed that he had quitted the world of paste-pot and scissors. Whilst on his unknown journey he approached a stately city, and knocked for admittance at the gleaming gates. The only response he met was a score of heads appearing above the wall on each side of the gate.
On catching sight of him the owners of the heads set up a dismal howl. One yelled out “Why the blank space didn't you notice the big egg my chicken laid?” Before he could find words to reply, another voice shrieked, “Why didn’t you leave it out of the paper as I asked you, when I was fined 5s. for not keeping sober?” and another, “Why the deuce didn’t you write a par about the paint of my new gate?” Whatever answer he was going to frame to this appeal was cut short by the following query: “What did you spell my name wrong in the programme for?” and the miserable man turned to flee, when he was rooted to the ground by this terrible demand: “Why did you put my marriage among the deaths?” and he was on the point of saying the foreman did it, when a shrill voice madly cried, “You spoiled the sale of my horse by publishing that runaway!” and another said, “If I catch you alone, I’ll lick you for what you said about me when I was before the Police Court!” and another, “Why didn’t you show up the school system when I told you?” This was followed by the voice of a female hysterically proclaiming, “This is the brute who blotched my poetry, and made me ridiculous!” Whereupon hundreds of loud voices screamed, “Where is my article? Give me back my article!” and in the midst of the horrid din the poor wretch awoke, perspiring at every pore, and screaming for help.
—Press Gazette.
Cures by Lourdes Water...
Cures by Lourdes Water:— Dr. Carter Blake is now at Brussels, investigating some of the reported extraordinary cures alleged to have been produced by the Lourdes water, and of which evidence has been deposited in the Church of St. Gudule. The late Bishop of Tournai, Mgr. Damont, who was a prominent supporter of Louise Lateau, has just been inhibited by order of Rome, from all spiritual and temporal jurisdiction in his diocese.
A Seance With Mr. Husk
Captain John James kindly invited me to his house to be present at a seance with Mr. Husk last night.
There were present Captain James, Mr. and Mrs. James, Mr. Harrison, Miss Robertson, the two Miss Corners, Mrs. Showers, Mr. Turner and myself.
The order of the phenomena, produced in the dark, all hands being held, was as usual, namely, the playing and carrying about of various hand instruments, the moving of many articles of light and heavy furniture; the voices of Irresistible, John King, Ebenezer and Tom, and finally the placing of a heavy arm chair on the table and the elevation of the medium into the chair.
Besides this the neckcloth of Captain James was taken off and with it his wrist tightly tied to the wrist of his daughter-in-law.
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Editor's notes
- ↑ The memorial to the home secretary by Nichols, T.L., London Spiritualist, The, No. 424, October 8, 1880, p. 178
- ↑ An Editor's Dream by unknown author, London Spiritualist, The, No. 424, October 8, 1880, p. 178
- ↑ Cures by Lourdes Water... by unknown author, London Spiritualist, The, No. 429, November 12, 1880, p. 234
- ↑ A Seance With Mr. Husk by Wyld, George, London Spiritualist, The, No. 429, November 12, 1880, pp. 234-35
Sources
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London Spiritualist, No. 424, October 8, 1880, p. 178
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London Spiritualist, No. 429, November 12, 1880, p. 234