"These were two mountaineers, who had been sent out to search for the lost man, and he was rescued at last, at the very extreme of exhaustion.

"This extraordinary and evidently truthful narrative not only furnishes striking evidence-which its author plainly did not intend-of the reality of spirit-manifestation and guardianship, but also illustrates some of the laws or conditions of spiritmanifestation, which are but little understood by people in general. It further illustrates the inconsistencies and absurdities (not to say blasphemies) into which deniers of the spiritual theory are ready to plunge to avoid its plain conclusion.

"Our author first styles the kindly appearance of his old friend, as a spirit, to rescue him in his peril, a 'strange hallucination,' and yet, with a singular confusion of ideas, immediately declares that to him it was 'Providence!" and in a subsequent part of his narrative acknowledges himself indebted to that mysterious protection which comes only from the throne of the Eternal.' According to this, Divine Providence interfered to save him by means of a cheat, a delusion, a LIE! Not more creditable was the 'suggestion of many of the author's friends, that the friendly apparition was a freak of 'insanity.' What clearer evidence could have been given of the action of a wise and benevolent personality, distinct from the wanderer's own mind? How much more rational the belief that a spiritfriend actually came to his rescue, than that delusion or disease should have assumed such shape, and performed so signal a service! In fact, the readiness of sceptics to attribute such plain evidences of divine or angelic guardianship over humanity to hallucination and insanity, is in itself a conclusive proof of their own metal unsoundness, if nothing worse. Jesus is said to have charged those who stupidly attributed to the devil the good works performed through his instrumentality with the guilt of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost! Do not the purblind deniers of spirit-visitation in our day, who see only 'hallucination,' 'insanity,' or 'the devil' in the divinest acts of angelic ministry, commit a similar folly?

"But, it may be asked-If this was really a benevolent spirit-friend who interposed to guide Mr. Evarts out of the wilderness, why did he not present himself at an earlier period? Why not at once have guided him back to his companions, or them to him, as soon as it was known that he was lost, and before they had left the vicinity? or, better still, why not have prevented his becoming lost at all? Would not this have been a far greater kindness?

"Without professing ability to unravel all the intricacies of human experience, a slight knowledge of some of the conditions

N.S.-VII.

F

which appear to be necessary to enable spirits to sensibly manifest their presence, or to effectively influence minds in the body, enables the Spiritualist to suggest answers to questions of this character, which perplex the minds of many inquirers.

"In the first place, it is evident that-admitting spirit-guardianship to be a fact-all persons cannot-at all times and in all circumstances at least-see or hear spirits, or receive direct and controlling impressions from them. Probably neither Mr. Evarts nor his companions were, in their ordinary condition, either spirit-seers or easily impressible persons. But it is well known to those who have investigated the subject, that many persons, seemingly unimpressible naturally, may become susceptible to spirit-impressions, and even clairvoyant and clairaudient, by pursuing certain courses of diet and regimen, and especially by such fasting as shall reduce their physical vitality to a low ebb. The case of the old prophet, Daniel, is well known to all Bible readers, as are the frequent injunctions in the New Testament to fast and pray,' as means of obtaining spiritual or divine guidance and illumination. The instances are almost innumerable in which persons, brought by disease and physical weakness near to the point of dissolution, experience, as they claim, an opening of their spiritual senses, and are thus granted, ere they depart, joyful interviews with friends gone before, and cheering glimpses of the bright world' over there.'

"Now it appears from his narrative, that Mr. Evarts had become greatly reduced by many days and nights of struggling through an almost impassable wilderness, and by subsisting almost wholly upon a scanty diet of thistle-roots, when first his 'ghostly_counsellor' succeeded in making himself seen and heard. Doubtless he was unable to do so at an earlier period. So, no doubt, spirit-guardians are often powerless to warn or rescue us from impending danger, on account of our own condition.

"Again, it may be asked-Why did the Doctor,' if really a spirit and an old friend, refuse to converse with the lonely wanderer on other subjects than the way and means of escape? It might be thought a good opportunity in which to enlighten his mind about the condition of disembodied spirits, the possibility of their manifestation, and the philosophy of Spiritualism generally, of which he was apparently profoundly ignorant. On the other hand, it seems quite probable that the friendly spirit saw that any such conversation, and the mental excitement which it would evoke, would be a tax upon the waning strength of the starving man, which at best would scarcely suffice to bring him to the place of rescue, and hence wisely refrained. Besides, it is possible that the spirit may have been unable to

control the conditions to do more than give the briefest necessary directions.

"But it may be urged that the obvious illusions which Mr. Evarts describes as succeeding the final disappearance of his clerical friend, give conclusive proof that he was but a phantom of a disordered brain. A little examination, however, will render this conclusion less convincing than at first it appears. One plain difference is that the Doctor' was clearly recognised as a former acquaintance-a person totally distinct from the narrator in all respects; while the last described 'companions' appeared to be, or to represent in some way the arms, legs, and stomach of our traveller. Mr. Evarts does not tell us very distinctly how, or in what shape, these supposed members of his own body presented themselves to his senses, but an accompanying pictorial illustration gives us to understand that he saw them as five distinct shadowy or ghost-like forms, in the complete human shape, attending his steps, and conversing with him as distinct persons. It may be difficult to give a satisfactory interpretation of an experience so singular and so vaguely described, yet some of the facts stated suggest an explanation that seems at least plausible. Mr. E. states that their companionship afforded him pleasure, and that their entreaties induced him to do many things for their seeming comfort'—that is, we must suppose, for the comfort of his limbs and stomach--which otherwise would have remained undone. It may be then, that the kind Doctor, having got him well on the road to deliverance, resigned him to the guardianship of other friendly spirits, who in his weak condition thought best, whether wisely or unwisely, not to astonish him with a disclosure of their real character, but to cause or allow him to suppose them to be his own arms, legs, &c., personified, in order to induce him to greater care of those members, the use of which was so necessary to his escape, and at the same time to cheer him with companionship.

"If this interpretation of these strange appearances be correct and we doubt if a more reasonable one can be offeredthen they afford an additional evidence of spirit-manifestation and guardianship, rather than the contrary. As a whole, the narrative is a striking confirmation of the basic truth of Spiritualism. The wonder is, that it reached the public through the highly orthodox pages of Scribner, whose present conductor (J. G. Holland-Timothy Titcomb) has long been known as one of the most bitter and bigoted opponents of this heavenly truth. Probably the author's willingness to overslough his holier convictions, and profanely call his angelic deliverer a 'hallucination,' rendered his effort acceptable to that eminently

religious journal. Had our modern orthodox editors flourished in St. Peter's time, they would have given no credence to his story of deliverance from prison, unless indeed he had been willing to say that his shackles were stricken off and the prison gates opened by 'a strange hallucination!""

NOTES AND GLEANINGS.

DR. CARPENTER AT ST. GEORGE'S HALL.

In

WITH every disposition to welcome good arguments against "Spiritualism," we cannot but feel that Dr. C., who lectured yesterday evening on this subject at St. George's Hall, is not likely to do more in the course of his crusade against the "delusions at which he is so busily railing, than echo prejudices enlisted already on his side. Considering its authorship, we cannot help thinking his reasoning surprisingly weak. face of such a Report as that issued by the Dialectical Society it is futile to string together idle illustrations showing that from time to time many people have been seized with manias for different kinds of extravagant folly. Whatever explanations may be ultimately given for the manifestations recorded, or concerning which certain persons assume to furnish records, it is clear that the delusions of Spiritualism, if they are wholly delusions, cannot be accounted for in the same way that Dr. C.may explain epidemic hysterics amongst the girls associated together in a factory, or the mania for mewing like cats which once took possession of the nuns in a certain convent. Amongst the men who give us their experience of Spiritualism, there are several who cannot be supposed susceptible to the influences that may have sent the factory girls into hysterics, or induced the nuns to mew; but apart from this, the impulse which leads a person to commit some fashionable extravagance is utterly unlike that which would induce some one else to say he saw a table rise up in the air without any one touching it. We have not much reverence for the Dialectical Society, and the management of its affairs by the Committee appointed to investigate Spiritualism is open to criticism in many ways; but it must be acknowledged that the believers on the Committee, however unscientific and illogically they may go to work themselves, can at any rate afford to laugh at the way in which Dr. C. attempts to refute their statements. His lecture of last night could easily have been blown to atoms by an ordinarily intelligent representative of the opinions he

assailed. He selected, as he has done on former occasions in writing on this subject, if we may assume the accuracy of the generally received view of the authorship of a recent treatise on Spiritualism, a few of the most extravagant and imperfectly attested stories about spiritual phenomena, and dismissed them with little sarcasms that involved no argument whatever. And he once more aired an utterly unreasonable hypothesis, attributing all successful raps given in answer to questions to the quickness of the mediums in following the nervous signs of expectation which the questioners are supposed to give when pointing to the right letters. That explanation may apply in the majority of cases; but there are some to which it is impossible that it can apply, and this discredits it altogether. We do not want to side with the Spiritualists; but it would be affectation at the present day to say what a year or two back we might have been entitled to say, that no evidence is before the world in support of their views that demands respectful consideration.Evening Standard, 15th January, 1872.

[A somewhat longer but not more favourable notice of Dr. Carpenter's lecture was in the Daily Telegraph.]

A FACT FOR DR. EDMUNDS.

Mr. Guppy, commenting on Dr. Edmunds' Communication in the Report of the Committee of the Dialectical Society, says :

But I must state one circumstance which, according to marital confidence, must have been known to the Doctor. We gave a séance to Serjeant Cox at his own house. The only person there we had ever seen before was Mrs. Edmunds. Mrs. Guppy, on entering the séance room, said, "Who is the greatest unbeliever?" Serjeant Wheeler, of Liverpool, said, "I have never been at a séance before.' Mrs. Guppy said, "You hold one of my hands and Serjeant Cox the other," which was putting herself pretty well in the clutches of the law. Two of the serjeant's friends secured my hands. Flowers came for ten minutes in batches, all the time persons at the table exclaiming, "Are you sure you have hold of Mr. and Mrs. Guppy's hands ?" "Yes." Serjeant Cox, when the surprise of his friends had a little abated, made a remark which I have never forgotten. It was: "No conjuror permits you to hold his hands while he is performing his tricks." Robert Houdin and the Wizard of the North are very clever fellows, but take them between two gentlemen, each holding a hand, and their legs, moreover, being wedged in, and let them try. Now Mrs. Edmunds heard all this, saw all this, and presumably told her husband, and all this long before the Report of the Dialectical Society was published.

SOUTHEY ON SPIRIT-MANIFESTATIONS.

That such things should be, is probable, à priori; and I cannot refuse assent to the strong evidence that such things are, nor to the common consent that has prevailed among all everywhere in all ages-a belief which is Catholic in the widest acceptation of the word. They who have endeavoured to

persons