Discussion—Mesmerism V. Spiritualism.

Mr Morgan interposed an objection to the conclusions of Spiritualists respecting the source of their manifestations. He thought that Mesmerism and Spiritualism were two distinct things, and that the phenomena ought to be classified, not confounded. He could thus account for Mr Foster's phenomena on clairvoyant and mesmeric principles. He described the mode of writing on the pellets of paper, and said it indeed seemed marvellous how they could be read by the medium; but he could narrate a similar instance quoted from Dr Ashburner in the "Zoist," vol. 6, showing that Major Buckley in his experiments, could make clairvoyants, while wide awake, read the mottoes in nuts by merely passing his hands over the objects. Forty-two clairvoyants could by this means read the mottoes simultaneously. This, he thought, was more wonderful than Mr Foster's experiments, which he concluded were mesmeric and not spiritualistic. Mr Morgan continued by giving some cases from his own experience. On one occasion he was ill, and asked a boy whom he was in the habit of mesmerising, to describe his physical condition. The clairvoyant proceeded, and gave a perfectly accurate anatomical description of the internal viscera, though he was entirely ignorant of the structure of the body—pointed out a black congested mark as from a bruise, and said there were two others in the brain, over causality—gave the causes of them as proceeding from reading and "making things." Mr Morgan thought this a blunder, as he had been engaged in no mechanical operations. The boy said it was "what lights the streets," meaning gas, and Mr Morgan at once recollected, that he had been giving much attention to some chemical experiments. The boy then described the whole of the apparatus used, and the room in which it was done, and when taken into it afterwards at once recognised it. The boy said he saw all the circumstances described, pho- page 18 tographed as it were, on Mr Morgan's brain. Mr Morgan, therefore, contended that Mr Foster might do likewise, and that it was clairvoyance and not spiritualism.

Dr M'Leod said that the experience of spiritualists went further than that. When he visited Mrs Marshall's, he got information on subjects of which he was not at the time cognisant, so that neither the spirits nor the medium could obtain the information from reading his brain.

Mr Bums contended that mesmeric phenomena and spiritual phenomena were identical, only that mesmerism was performed by spirits in the flesh, while the spiritual manifestations were performed by disembodied spirits. In both cases they were psychological, and in accordance with the same psychological laws, therefore, though similar manifestations were produced by what are called mesmerism and spiritualism, yet it was no proof that mesmerism was a fact and spiritualism a myth, but rather that spiritualism was the great fact of which mesmerism was a branch. Man was now a spiritual being or he never could be one, and from his spiritual nature all forces and phenomena proceeded. Mere facts and instances could never settle the question: the investigation required to be based on a knowledge of principles. It was a well-known fact that disembodied spirits could control subjects and produce all the phenomena of the mesmerist. Though we were spirits now, yet our condition of consciousness was a physical one—hence we were not cognisant of our spiritual existence; but under mesmeric or spiritual manipulations, the state of spiritual consciousness or clairvoyance could be induced, so that Mr Morgan's objection fell to the ground. Those who were subjects for the manipulation of spirits were called mediums. Mr Bums then described the operations of writing and drawing mediums as they had been presented to his experience; how pictures of six or seven colours had been executed with crayons or paints by mediums who knew nothing of art; how valuable information in philosophy and morals had been given; also advice in regard to health and medical prescriptions. He narrated the case of a lady who was rendered sleepless for several days and nights with a violent attack of pleuralgia. She was nearly worn out with pain when she thought of her spirit friends. In less than an hour her sister, who is a writing medium, and had not been acquainted with the action of her mind towards the spirits, went up stairs with the following prescription, written automatically, by the spirits controlling the action of her arm:—"Lie on your back, and inflate your lungs forty times, even though it cause you much pain, then move into a darkened room and sit fifteen minutes." The lady did so, and while in the darkened room felt the influence, as it were, of mesmeric passes over page 19 the affected part, which removed nearly all trace of pain, and next day she was quite restored. Mr Burns gave other instances of medical care and guardianship which clearly demonstrated the certainty, beneficence, and utility of spirit intercourse. He also gave a case of the spirits throwing a young woman, a medium, into the trance state, similar to what a mesmeric operator would, and against which she for a certain time resisted. In this state she not only went through the ordinary phenomena of clairvoyance, describing persons and places she had never seen, but talked with spirits, beheld spiritual states and societies, and got promise of many instances of spirit intercourse which have since come to pass. On another occasion she traced a robbery by the same means. These mediums are often conscious of the influence of the spirits. It falls on the head at the top, over the phrenological organ of Spirituality, and proceeds down the muscles of the arm, giving a volition not of their own, and causing them to write, draw, and do other unpremeditated acts. Mere mesmeric experience could never settle the question. Medium-ship, and the intercourse of living beings with spirits, was a privilege and function of the human soul, and to understand it required a deep knowledge of anthropology and investigation of the spiritual nature of man. It would yet be seen that spiritualism would explain mesmerism, instead of mesmerism explaining spiritualism. Mr Morgan had quoted Dr Ashburner, but the doctor was now a spiritualist as well as Dr Elliotson; and both now declare that their acquaintance with spiritualism has thrown a flood of light on their former investigations, and entirely reversed their convictions in many respects. It ought to be remembered, also, that the late accomplished and lamented Professor Gregory of Edinburgh was an intelligent spiritualist. Mr Burns also referred to the writings of Professor Brittan of New York, one of the most experienced psychologists, and to Dr Dods, an experimental and healing mesmerist, who, after many years of resistance to the truth, at last acknowledged that he was in great part a medium for the operations of beneficent spirits.