SPIRITUALISM, a term formerly used to designate the doctrines and religious life of a class of mystics who professed to be under the sensible guidance of the Divine Spirit, and who were distinguished by a habit of spiritualizing the Sacred Scriptures. Jacob Böhme, Mme. Gayon, Miguel de Molinos, and Mme. de Bourignon, though not all ostensibly of the same communion, are representatives of the somewhat numerous class of religionists, particularly of the 17th century, to whose teachings and practice the appellation of spiritualism has been applied. Latterly, however, especially in the United States, the word has been employed exclusively to designate the belief in and practice of open intercourse with the spiritual world. This alleged intercourse has attained an extraordinary development in recent times, and especially since about the year 1848. Although it was not until that period that the so called spiritual manifestations assumed a form and conspicuousness which forced them into universal notice, it is asserted that many startling instances of them, as precursors and prophets of the more signal wonders, had been in the course of development during many years previous; and that, in fact, the spiritualism of the day is the growth of a century. We are referred to the alleged fact that 100 years ago Emanuel Swedenborg was in fall and open communication with the spiritual world, and in daily converse with spirits and angels, with all the familiarity with which man converses with man. There is also a tradition that while Swedenborg was on his deathbed, he was asked by a friend whether in that solemn hour he still adhered to the statements and doctrines set forth in his books; when he answered emphatically in the affirmative, adding that in about 80 years from that time events would occur that would greatly tend to bring his teachings into general notice. It is noted by spiritualists as a singular coincidence that the 80 years from that time (1772) expired in 1852, at which time the alleged spiritual phenomena, corroborating in many respects what Swedenborg had taught concerning spirits and the spiritual world, were exciting universal attention. In his book on VOL. XV.-1

"Divine Love and Wisdom" (paragragh 257) Swedenborg avers that a man in whom the spiritual degree of the mind is open may come into angelic wisdom "by laying asleep the sensations of the body, and by influx from above at the same time into the spirituals of his mind."-Clairvoyance appears to have played an important part in the introduction of modern spiritualism, and a historical sketch of the latter, to be complete, must include some notice of the former. Jung-Stilling, in his various writings on pneumatology early in the present century, appears to have been the first to notice that clairvoyants, during their more exalted states of ecstasis, professed, with what seemed to him satisfactory evidence, to be in converse with invisible intelligences. The same claims to open intercourse with the spiritual world, with many phenomenal evidences which he regarded as establishing their truth, were afterward noted by Dr. Justinus Kerner, and detailed at large in his biography of one of his patients, Frederica Hauffe, more familiarly known as the seeress of Prevorst, and who is said to have been in a magnetic state for most of the time during the last 7 years of her life, describing the persons and repeating the language of what she represented to be spirits, and being often accompanied with mysterious rapping sounds. Many similar instances of alleged intercourse with the invisible world through clairvoyance subsequently occurred, not only in Germany and other parts of Europe, but in the United States; but none of these phenomena were of so remarkable a character as those presented in the case of Andrew Jackson Davis. (See DAVIS, ANDREW JACKSON.) Thrown into an abnor mal state of mind and body by the process of magnetism, this young man, while professing to be in immediate converse with the spiritual world, dictated a large 8vo. volume which was published under the title of "The Principles of Nature, her Divine Revelations, and a Voice to Mankind." In a portion of this book that was dictated in the autumn of 1846 (pp. 675-'6) the entranced author distinctly predicted that the communication with the spiritual world would ere long assume "the

form of a living demonstration." The same prediction is said to have been frequently repeated by the young clairvoyant in his interviews with his visitors. Another event is spoken of as possessing some significance in connection with this history. In the spring of 1843, the societies of Shakers at New Lebanon and Watervliet, N. Y., and several other communities of that fraternity, almost simultaneously became the subjects of strange psychological experiences, during which certain of the members would lose all personal consciousness, while influences purporting to be the spirits of persons of different nations, and who had lived in the world in different ages, took possession of their bodies, and spoke through their vocal organs. Shakers who personally witnessed these phenomena describe them as being very impressive, and a constant burden of their communications was: "Treasure these things up in your hearts; say nothing of them, for the present, to the world's people, but the time is not far distant when these same wonders which you now behold shall be witnessed extensively in the world." These manifestations continued for a year or more, when they suddenly ceased, the alleged spirits bidding the "brethren" farewell, with a promise to come again before many years, when their manifestations should be addressed not merely to a select few, but to the world in general.-The commencement of the "spirit-rapping" phenomenon was as follows: Some time in the year 1847 the attention of Mr. Michael Weekman, who resided in the little village of Hydesville in the township of Arcadia, Wayne co., N. Y., was called to certain rapping sounds upon the door of his house, which he was unable by the most diligent efforts to trace to any visible cause. Mr. Weekman soon afterward vacated the house, and the family of Mr. John D. Fox moved into it. In the latter part of March, 1848, this family was startled by mysterious rappings that were heard nightly upon the floor of one of the bedrooms, and sometimes in other parts of the house. They endeavored to trace the sounds to their cause, but failed. On the night of March 31, having been broken of their rest for several nights previous, they retired to bed earlier than usual, hoping to be permitted to sleep without disturbance. The sounds, however, were resumed, and, occurring near the bed occupied by two of the daughters, the youngest girl, then about 10 years old, attempted to imitate them by the snapping of her fingers. Whenever she would snap her fingers, the raps would immediately respond by the same number of sounds. One of the girls then said: "Now do as I do; count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," at the same time striking her hands together. The same number of raps responded, and at similar intervals. The mother of the girls then said: "Count 10;" and 10 distinct raps were heard; "Count 15," and that number of sounds followed. She then said: "Tell us the age of Cathy [the youngest daughter] by rapping one for each year," and the

number of years was rapped correctly. Then, in like manner, the age of each of the other children was by request indicated by this invisible agent. Startled and somewhat alarmed at these manifestations of intelligence, Mrs. Fox asked if it was a human being that was making that noise, and if it was to manifest it by making the same noise. There was no sound. She then said: "If you are a spirit, make two distinct sounds." Two raps were accordingly heard. The members of the family by this time had all left their beds, and the house was again thoroughly searched, as it had been before, but without discovering any thing that could explain the mystery; and after a few more questions, and responses by raps, the neighbors were called in to assist in further efforts to trace the phenomenon to its cause; but these persons were no more successful than the family had been, and they confessed themselves thoroughly confounded. For several subsequent days the village was in a turmoil of excitement, and multitudes visited the house, heard the raps, and interrogated the apparent intelligence which controlled them, but without obtaining any clue to the discovery of the agent, further than its own persistent declaration that it was a spirit. About 3 weeks after these occurrences, David, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Fox, went alone into the cellar where the raps were then being heard, and said: "If you are the spirit of a human being, who once lived on the earth, can you rap to the letters that will spell your name? and if so, rap now 3 times." Three raps were promptly given, and David proceeded to call the alphabet, writing down the letters as they were indicated, and the result was the name "Charles B. Rosma," a name quite unknown to the family, and which they were afterward unable to trace. The statement was in like manner obtained from the invisible intelligence, that he was the spirit of a peddler who had been murdered in that house "some years previous. At first, we are told, the raps occurred in the house even when all the members of the family were absent, but subsequently they occurred only in the presence of the two younger daughters, Catharine and Margaretta. Soon after these occurrences the family removed to Rochester, at which place the manifestations still accompanied them; and here it was discovered, by the rappings at the letters of the alphabet in the manner before described, that different spirits were apparently using this channel of communication, and that in short almost any one, on coming into the presence of the two girls, could get a communication from what purported to be the spirits of his departed friends, the same often being accompanied by tests which satisfied the interrogator as to the spirit's identity. A new phenomenon was also observed in the frequent movement of tables and other ponderable bodies without appreciable agency, in the presence of these two young girls. These manifestations, growing more and more remarkable, attracted

numerous visitors, some from long distances, and the phenomenon began, as it were, to propagate itself, and to be witnessed in other families in Rochester and vicinity, while, as coincident therewith, susceptible persons would sometimes fall into apparent trances, and become clairvoyant, and reaffirm these raps and physical movements to be the productions of spirits. In Nov. 1849, at the request of the alleged spirits, a public meeting was called in Corinthian hall, Rochester, for the purpose of submitting these phenomena to the investigation of a committee to be appointed by the audience, with a view to the publication of a report concerning their nature and claims, whatever the decision respecting these might be. The Misses Fox appeared upon the stage, the phenomena were freely manifested and were subjected to many tests, and a committee appointed for their investigation, after having continued their experiments there and elsewhere for several days, reported that they were unable to trace them to any mundane agency. From that time, and especially from the time the Fox girls arrived in New York city in the following month of May, the alleged spiritual manifestations became the subject of extensive newspaper and conversational discussion; their facts were published far and wide; "mediums," through whom they were said to occur, sprang up in different parts of the country, and were multiplied by hundreds and almost by thousands and for several years spiritualism constituted one of the most prominent themes of public discussion. Among the mediums of the alleged spiritual manifestations there have been representatives from all classes and conditions of mankind, male and female, high and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned; and even little children in their swaddling clothes are said to have been, in some few instances, mediums for the raps. The alleged mediums have been classified as rapping mediums; mediums for tipping and turning tables by a slight touch of the finger; mediums for the movement of ponderable bodies without contact; mediums for the production of phosphorescent lights in a dark room; mediums for playing on musical instruments in a manner beyond their ordinary abilities; mediums for involuntary writing; impressional speaking, seeing, hearing, personating, and healing mediums; mediums in whose presence are produced drawings, and pictures in colors, and writings, and also in many instances tangible and visible living human forms; and mediums for the development of other mediums. By the raps and tipping of tables, and by the control of the medium's organs to write and speak, the spirits are supposed to express their own peculiar intelligence in a degree of perfection proportioned to the development and passivity of the medium; and it is averred that persons while under the spiritual afflatus have often spoken in foreign tongues which they had never learned; and writings in languages to them unknown

have, in a few instances, been produced in their presence, as we are told, by invisible hands. Mediums for the movement of ponderable bodies without hands, are said to be sometimes also mediums for the preternatural movement of their own bodies; and intelligent and respectable persons testify that they have seen the medium Henry Gordon float in air several feet above the floor, for several minutes, without the slightest physical contact or support, he being at the time deeply entranced. Individuals long deceased, it is said, have often been personated by mediums so that their surviving friends would instantly recognize them, and their earthly history has been accurately detailed, though the mediums may never have known nor heard of them. Persons report that the spirits of their departed friends have been seen and correctly described, and their words repeated, though to all but the medium they were invisible and inaudible; and obstinate diseases, on which the skill of the physician has been exhausted in vain, are said to have been quickly cured simply by the imposition of the hands of the medium while under spirit influence. Spiritualists admit that many impositions have been practised under the name of spiritual manifestations, but they aver that in most instances cheats could not have been palmed off even if designed, and that in other cases there could be no possible motive for deception, as the investigations were carried on in private families, while the mediums were their own sons and daughters. The "Spiritual Register" for 1859 estimates the number of actual spiritualists in America at 1,500,000; those who have more or less faith in the doctrine, but do not openly espouse it, 4,000,000; public advocates, 1,000; mediums, public and private, 40,000; places for public meetings, 1,000; books and pamphlets, 500; periodicals, 30. Spiritualists, however, are not associated under any regular organization, but have their representatives among all sects and parties of religionists and non-religionists, and these estimates of their numbers can be considered as only approximately correct.-Spiritualism numbers among its avowed converts in America many persons well known in the walks of science, philosophy, literature, and statesmanship. While it has its converts from every religious denomination, no small proportion of its advocates are from the ranks of those who previously doubted or totally disbelieved the immortality of the soul, and who affirm that they carry their sceptical tendencies into the investigation of this subject. On matters of speculative theology, there seems to be among them the widest latitude of opinion, though a majority of them perhaps are in their speculations inclined to what may be termed a sublimated naturalism. They tell us that it is not the object of the spirits to teach theological dogmas as by any authority superior to that of man, but rather, by the mental and physical phenomena incidentally presented in the course of their manifestations, to