And yet such a scientific Achilles as Carpenter has a vulnerable spot where his anxious mother, Wisdom, held him over the wonder-working flood, by which no ordinary delusion has entered, but the monstrous and gigantic one of taking Spiritualism for a mocking jest, and some millions of his fellow-men who take one and one to make two for moping and hopeless idiots.

That a scientific man can explain natural phenomena better than an unscientific one, is, or ought to be, a fact; but is far from being always true. Nothing changes so much as scientific and philosophic theories. The accepted theory of one period is exploded the next-is substituted by another, which, for a time, is positively asserted to be the only truth on the subject, yet a new scientific oracle arrives, propounds an equally infallible and unassailable theory, which, anon, another equally profound and popular oracle again explodes and clears away for a fresh indisputable dogma. The histories of both science and philosophy are each but a congeries of these learned revolutions and delusions—each of which, in its time, it was scientific heresy to doubt of, much more to contradict. No men know this better than the philosopher and the savans who are, or ought to be, familiar with the history of their departments of knowledge; and yet they have the assurance to tell plain men who rely on senses which they have found utterly trustworthy, perhaps half a century, that they are the dupes of daily delusion, and to know anything aright they must pin their faith on the infallible popes of science.

Jesus Christ knew that the unlearned portion of His disciples were as good and sound judges of the facts of His miracles as the learned Paul or the physician Luke. But to believe Carpenter, it is a wonder how the human race managed to carry on and to know what was going on in nature around them so many ages before he and his scientific faction came to inform them that they were walking in a vain show, and utterly unable to judge and know whether it were light or dark, hot or cold, whether they were awake or asleep, or were only hallucinating themselves with the notions of eating and drinking, and confounding the rank smell of a fox with the agreeable odour of a hot piece of roast beef. As is well said by one of the acutest reasoners of the United States, our scientific oracles would have us to believe that "the heavens do not declare the glory of God, but only the glory of Sir Isaac Newton and La Place."

It is time that Spirtualists should treat these arrogant and absurd pretensions of the scientific with the contempt they deserve; and we owe much to Mr. Coleman for the undaunted and manly manner in which he has met Dr. Carpenter publicly, face to face, to denounce and expose his fallacies and false statements. Of the two figures thus presenting themselves to

the public attention, who can fail to see in an instant the striking contrast-the honest nobility of the one, the contemptible meanness of the other?

The man who fights and runs away,

May live to fight another day,

but, assuredly, it will be to fight only in the same Parthian style, discharging poisoned arrows and galloping off—an image of most pitiable cowardice. For a man, like Dr. Carpenter, who has had so many opportunities of knowing practically the truth on the subject of Spiritualism, and who has made so wretched a use of them, it is a poor recompense to turn a penny by abusing in the Quarterlies what he has refused to understand. It is simply preferring the triumph of an hour to the triumph of eternity; the applause of learned and unlearned fools to the satisfaction of promoting rational inquiry, and reaping the solid fruits of honest experience.

How exactly does the language of the eloquent Tertullian, in his apology for the Christians of his day, seem addressed to the opponents of Spiritualism of to-day. "We say, then, ignorance is the first cause that makes unjust the hatred that you have conceived against the name of Christians. We are unholy in your opinion, because you are not informed of the holiness of our doctrine, and refuse to hear it. Take heed that what seems to you an excuse, be not that which renders your judgment faulty. For is there anything more unjust than to hate what you know not, even if it were otherwise a thing to be hated? Bad as anything may be, it deserves not your hatred, till it is known to deserve it. While you know not what it is, how can you justly hate it? To make the hatred of anything just, it is not enough that it be evil, but that the party who hates it knows it to be evil. As, therefore, you hate us without knowing wherefore, you hate us without a cause, and consequently, most unjustly. You are not only chargeable with manifest injustice, but make yourselves suspected of secret motives for refusing to examine what you could not possibly condemn if you heard it."

To use the words of the American philosophical writer, just quoted, Spiritualists have their substantial convictions, not founded on varying theories and speculations of science yet to be tested by other speculations and experiments in the ever onward course of scientific, but on long-tried and healthy senses, on tests scores of times repeated. In a word, on sound observation and experience, and to these added-"The great, luminous and far-reaching hope which arises out of faith in God, and which nothing else can give. Science cannot give it, because science only observes and classifies present phenomena. Philosophy, separated from spiritual insight, cannot give it, for

philosophy can only see things as they are, not as they are to be.'

In truth, the observers of facts have an immense advantage over the scientific searchers after ultimate truths. If we are to believe the past—or the profundity of nature, which the ablest intellect has never yet fathomed-science can never assert the absolute. It can never assert that it has ascertained the final and unmistakable. The knowledge of the real constituents of things on earth, and of the vital functions and operations of nature, will, there is little question, await the end of all things here. For, if nature be almost infinite in the ever-deepening series of its phenomenal causes, as it would appear to be, who shall say that he has reached the ultimate retreat of law and force? That in plain words he knows fully, fundamentally and error-free, any one natural truth.

New discoveries in science will, undoubtedly, again and again, through the ages revolutionize existing theories; will unveil laws and properties of matter as yet undreamt of; and recast not only the now prevailing terms but the very principles and dogmas of the scientific schools. Surely the professors of such a shifting system should be the last to declare themselves the only oracles of pure and positive truth, or to cast suspicion on those senses by which they themselves can only hope to make their way through the forms of matter, the direct object of the senses. But the healthy and acute observers of facts, waiting patiently for the arrival of the proper time to theorize, can in a very brief period determine, by the aid of their well-practised senses and sound understandings, what they may venture to assert as facts. Within their own proper sphere they are evidently on far solider and safer ground than the scientists. And what is Spiritualism as yet, but a system of gradually accumulating, gradually extending facts, made known by agencies not exclusively of earth, but of worlds and beings in evident and legitimate connection with it-worlds and beings on which the majority of the scientific and philosophical as yet dare not look, knowing that all fashionable guilds and corporations of knowledge would shriek at them. Some day, however, they will find that the more bold and prescient of their class will have taken the start of them, to step out as they are beginning to do, and seize the opportunities which Spiritualism is presenting more clearly day by day, to grasp secrets of nature hitherto withheld from humanity, and win laurels of an immortal verdure. "The world belongs to the brave."

GLEANINGS OF SPIRITUAL FACTS.

From Colonel Yule's new edition of "The Book of Marco Polo."

The Book of Ser Marco Polo, the Venetian, has been lately translated and enriched, and elucidated by a body of very learned notes by Colonel H. Yule, C.B., and Member of the Geographical Society of Italy, &c. These erudite notes, the result of extraordinary research on the part of the highly accomplished translator establish thoroughly, not only the entire good faith of the early traveller-" the Herodotus of the Middle Ages" as he has been not inaptly designated—but prove through he experiences of later travellers how accurate and minute were the powers of observation possessed by the dauntless and adventurous Venetian. This ancient book which fired the imagination of Columbus and spurred him on to yet more wonderful adventures and discoveries, has in all centuries since its appearance in the middle ages stirred forcibly the imagination of its readers, and been an unceasing text-book of the poets, from Chaucer to Coleridge. Presented now in its handsome modern garb, and united through the sympathetic labours of its translator with the modern world the narrative of Polo can scarcely fail to increase in popularity, and will assuredly make its fascination felt on many minds.

To the Spiritualist it must ever be a matter of interest to recognise how discoverers of new land, whether natural or mental, though ignored or condemned as impostors, or fabulists, by the sceptics of their own and even later generations, nevertheless, are infallibly justified in the fulness of time by the irresistible on-flowing of truth. "Wisdom is justified in all her children, and so is truth. Amidst the numerous grand festivals and gorgeous ceremonials described by Marco as having been witnessed by himself and his father and uncle at the magnificent court of the Grand Kaan Cublai, he speaks as follows of

MARVELS OF BUDDHIST PRIESTS.

"There is another marvel performed by these Baesi (Buddhist's Priests) of whom I have been speaking as knowing so many enchantments. For when the Great Khan is at his capital and in his palace seated at his table, which stands on a platform some eight cubits above the ground, his cups are set before him on a great buffet in the middle of the hall-pavement, at a distance of some paces from the table, and filled with wine, or other good spiced liquor, such as they use. Now when the Lord desires to drink, these enchanters by the power of their enchantments cause the cups to move from their place without being touched by anybody,

and to present themselves to the Emperor. This every one present may witness, and there are often more than 10,000 thus present. 'Tis a truth and no lie, and so will tell you the sages of our own country who understand necromancy; for they can also perform it."

The note of Colonel Yule, illustrative of this curious passage-by no means incredible to those who have witnessed the movement of objects affected by means of invisible agency in modern spiritual manifestations—contains marvels yet more singular. He says "Sanang Setzen enumerates a variety of the wonderful acts which could be performed through the Dharani, (mystic Indian charms) such were, sticking a pig into solid rock; restoring the dead to life; turning a dead body into gold; penetrating everywhere as air does; flying; catching wild beasts with the hand; reading thoughts; making water flow backwards; eating tiles; sitting in the air with the legs doubled under," &c. Some of these are precisely the powers ascribed to Meder, Empedocles, and Simon Magus. Friar Ricold says on this subject; "There are certain men whom the Tartars honour, whose all in the world, viz., the Baxito (i.e. Bakhashis) who are a kind of idol-priests. These are men from India, persons of deep wisdom, well-conducted, and of the gravest morals. They are usually acquainted with magic arts, and depend on the counsel and aid of demons; they exhibit many illusions, and predict some future events. For instance, one of eminence among them was said to fly; the truth, however, was (as it proved) that he did not fly, but did walk close to the surface of the earth without touching it; and would seem to sit down without having any substance to support him." This last performance was witnessed in the fourteenth century by Ibn Batuta the Arab at Delhi, in the presence of Sultan Mahomed Tughlak; and it was professedly exhibited by a Brahmin at Madras in the present century. It is also described by the worthy Francis Valentyn, as a performance known and practised in his own day in India. "It is related," he says "that a man will first go and sit on three sticks put together so as to form a tripod; after which first one stick, then a second, then the third shall be removed from under him, and the man shall not fall, but shall still remain sitting in the air. Yet I have spoken with two friends who had seen this at one and the same time, and one of them I may add, mistrusting his own eyes, had taken the trouble to feel about with a long stick if there were nothing on which the body rested; yet, as the gentleman told me, he could neither feel nor see any such thing. Still I would only say that I could not believe it, as a thing too manifestly contrary

to reason.'

Akin to these performances, though exhibited by professed