The Spiritualist newspaper > No.125, January 15th 1875

THE SPIRITtJALlST.
35
Jan. 15, 1875.
trospective analysis, of affording much conscientious satisfac¬
tion even in this life, on finding they have been appreciated
by beings of the upper world; what happiness or misery must
we all have in store for ourselves hereafter, when we com¬
mence in the next life to review all our earthly actions, and
find them either smiled or frowned upon by those whom we
most love and respect, on our arrival in the spheres'. Conse¬
quently, we shall be wise to consider this, when resolving upon
our acts of to-day and to-morrow.
7th January, 1875. C.
THE ORGANISATION OR BRIXTON SPIRITUALISTS.
Sib,—I hear that there are many Spiritualists in Brixton
and neighbourhood, but that there is no organisation, and
that there would be no difficulty in forming a society for the
investigation of Spiritualism and kindred subjects, if some
one living in the neighbourhood would undertake the work
preliminary thereto. This in substance has appeared in your
columns. I should be glad to assist in forming an association
of the above kind. Perhaps those Spiritualists and would-be
inquirers in Brixton, Stockweli, Clapham, and district who
would like to join the society would correspond with me on
the matter.
Mr. David H. Wilson, M.A., LL.M., bf Lavender-hill, S.W.,
who is well known to your readers, writes to me, thoroughly
approving of the project. Arthur E. Rendle.
12, Methley-Btre6t, Kennington-park-road, 11th January, 1875.
A SCOTCH POEM ON PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS.
The following lines, giving an account of an incident which occurred
about twenty-five years ago in the place mentioned, were written by the
late John Milne, “the Glenlivat Poet,’’ a character well known overall
Scotland about that time. The account here given was no exaggeration of
the story, which was then generally accepted:—-
Some time ago I have heard a story tell’d.
About some folk that had amaist been fell’d
At Baldairoch—wast frae Aberdeen—
The like for mony a year there hadn’a been.
The evil spirit—to his name rebuke—
Took up a hantskip in the folks peat-nuke;
Afore the fire they could’na sit. for fear,
For peats and clods [cam’ bang* in the fleer.
Xhe bearbeatar—O’ great weight and size,
Aft like a bird into the air did rise,
It did flee o’er the houses like a lark
And fell down at the folks taes wi’ a Turk,
The folk did think that a’ was lost,
The very cheese ran to the fire to roast,
The steels and chairs to heaps o’ boards were ca’d,
The very wheels gat tae and ran like mad.
Baith oot and in the folk were clean bombazed—
And far andnear the country was amazed;
The aufu’ cloddin’ scarcely e’er devalled,
Until at last the parson—he was called—
"Wha tried to smooth the matter wi’ a prayer—
But still the clods cam’ bang in here and there,
And when the sun ga’ed do*vn they grew mair . thick,
The folk saw naething ’till they fund the lick.
James Chalmers,
Constitution-road, Dundee,
Dec. 21,1874.
. SPIRITUALISM IN HOLLAND.
Sir,—In your paper I find the translation of an article from
the Arnhem, News about Messrs. Bastian and Taylor. I send
you herewith a pamphlet in which you will see our defence of
the above-named remarkable mediums. The war of words
going on in the Dutch papers about this a€air shows abun¬
dantly that.the conclusion of the Arnhem gentlemen are not
sustainable, are too hasty, and that their utterances originate in
their ignorance of Spiritualism and its phenomena.
The Hague Spiritualists would be the first to throw out
false mediums, but we cannot include in that category
Messrs. Bastian and Taylor, of whose medial powers we have
had the most striking proofs. With them we had carriage of
solid objects from outside the circle; direct writing out of the
reach of the mediums (even on my lap); voices while Mr.
Bastian’s mouth was filled with water; names obtained from
relations of the sitters in the spirit-land‘previously unknown
to the mediums; an iron ring put on and taken off, the
medium being bound, sealed, and leaves of paper placed under
his feet on which the outine of each foot was traced; in
the light and also under test conditions we obtained hands
and music.'
As to the study of Spiritualism in our country. We possess
now in Mr. Masch, of Rotterdam, a very good physical
medium ; he visits us nearly every Tuesday, and we obtain,
while he is in the cabinet and the investigators are round the
table in the room, lights, rope-tying and untying, touches,
playing of bells, direct writing, and so on, “ Harry,” for that
is the name of his spirit guide, promised to materialise and to
show himself. At Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Leyden, the study
of Spiritualism is still going on. A small book has just been
published by Mr. Rutgers van der Loeff, containing among
other items, some of the experiences of Mr. Crookes. Steadily,
but slowly, Spiritualism is making its way here, and we gene¬
rally much prefer the English manner of investigation, viz.\
the study of facts, which we think to be better than the start¬
ing of new dogmatic and speculative systems. May Spirit¬
ualism bloom ! A. J. Riko.
The Hague, Holland, Jan. 11th.
Passed to Spirit Life.—Miss Eliza Till, sister to Mrs.
Cook of Hackney, well known to some of those who once at¬
tended Miss Cook’s seances, departed this life on Wednesday,
Jan. 6th, and her earthly body was interred yesterday, in the
churchyard of her native village, Cobham, Kent.
Shakers’ Aid Fund.—In addition to the sum of .£100,
reported in the daily papers, Mr. A. C. Swinton, Hill House,
Anerley, and Mr. A. Glendinning, Erances-terrace, Victoria-
park, have received £31 5s. 6d. Part of the latter sum was
expended for food and necessaries for the sufferers during the
extremely cold weather. If the Shakers are reinstated in the
farm, and some gentlemen appointed to act as trustees, two
persons have indicated their willingness to subscribe liberally
towards the purchase of stock.
Mesmeric Phenomena in Lausanne.—Mr. Algernon
Joy, who is still in Switzerland, writes from Lausanne
“ Some years ago, a lady here, with whom I am connected,
and all of whose family I know intimately, allowed herself to
be experimented upon by an amateur mesmerist, who had
never tried his hand before. Pn a very few minutes she was
in a deep trance, from which he in vain attempted to rouse
her, not knowing in the least how to set about it. But the
spirits had got hold of her, and she began babbling of green
fields, &c., in a way that frightened her superstitious relations
out of their wits. At last, when the mesmeriser, who was a
doctor, had done everything he could think of, she was put
to bed, and in course of time became quiet, but was long
in waking, and was unwell for some days. Some time after,
when this had been almost forgotten, she was one of a circle
which tried table-turning. The doctor above named was not
present, but in a few minutes my friend was entranced
again, as deeply as before, and again began talking, ‘all
sorts of things.’ Some time after this, at a ball, she suddenly
went off in the arms of a gentleman with whom she was
waltzing, to his great terror. Another time she pulled up
short in the middle of a tune she was. playing on the piano,
perfectly rigid at first, as on the other occasions. ■ She
cannot bear to be spoken to on the subject, and has, I
believe, had no recurrence of the * disagreeable symptoms’
for some years past. There are, .so far as I know, no
Spiritualists here. As elsewhere, most people ‘ know,’ that
it is all humbug, the remainder that it is mortal sin.”
Spiritualism in Liverpool.—An agreeable social
gathering of friends and others interested in the “ Spiritual
Mission Services” inaugurated by Mrs. Ohlsen, local medium,
at Farnworth-street Lecture-hall, Liverpool, was held in that
hall on Wednesday evening last week, at eight o’clock, Mr.
John Lamont in the chair. He spoke in favour of spirit-
communion, interspersing his remarks with incidents of per¬
sonal experience with mediums in private life who did not
hesitate to give their services for the public good, too often
without any other reward than that of a clear conscience and
the calumny of their friends and the investigating public.
His remarks were received with that attention which shows
the estimation in which the hard-working-vice-president of
the Liverpool Psychological Society is held by all classes of
inquirers into Spiritualism. At the close of his address he
observed that he had a pleasing duty to perform, namely, to
present to Mrs. Ohlsen a handsome purse containing four
sovereigns, as a token of recognition from the frequenters
of that hall, for her services so freely given during the last
seven months. Mrs. Ohlsen was completely taken by sur¬
prise, and unable to express her feelings at this indication of
cordial sympathy and approval. Several spirits entranced
her in succession, and delivered some interesting addresses,
after which the proceedings closed. Mrs. Ohlsen’s gifts are
clairvoyance, hearing mediumship, test and trance speaking.
She is the wife of a working man, and gives her services for
the love of Spiritualism.