The Spiritualist newspaper > No.155, August 13th 1875

&tjg. 13, 1875.
THE SPIRITUALIST,
83
some of the lower spirits who ordinarily produce the manifes¬
tations, and who perhaps take a pleasure in increasing the
discord. These remarks are made with no desire to screen
the medium in question, who is known to be untrustworthy,
but taking this particular seance upon its own merits, all the
results may quite possibly have been brought about because
those who made up the circle did not understand conditions.
For some reason or other there is a strong reflex action be¬
tween the sitters and the manifestations, and unless every one
of the'sitters and the medium are spiritually joined together—
if not by affection at least by strong good-will—disagreeable
results are likely to follow. At the same time, it must be
admitted that there are some exceptional mediums and spirits
who will play tricks when there is no fault in the circle, and
when all the sitters have a strong antipathy to anything dis¬
honourable.
The question of the amount of moral responsibility of
powerful mediums requires to be well argued out; it is quite
certain that while in the trance state they are helplessly under
the control of an unseen power ; it is equally certain that
when awake and apparently in their normal state their pas¬
sions, their words, their thoughts, and their actions are very
commonly more or less stimulated by the same power, so
that the problem whether a medium so much under the con¬
trol of spirits that they are able to free him from sealed bonds
in the twinkling of an eye is at any time responsible for his
acts, remains to be solved.
Intelligent and experienced persons ought also to meet and
consider such questions; also to what extent Spiritualism
would be affected by discouraging professional mediumship;
the best methods of keeping away bad spirits from all mediums
at all times should also be ascertained. At present, real ex¬
perimental work, on which a sound philosophy can be built up,
has not often been carried on to a useful extent, so that to
multiply manifestations without understanding those already
evolved, and to carry on proselytising work without possessing
a good philosophy on which the facts already known can be
arranged, and by means of which dangers can be avoided, are
sources of weakness to the movement, and every now and then
will result in troubles analogous to those which have recently
tried the Spiritualists of America and of France.
A SKETCH IN LIGHT COLOURS.
One of our constant duties in this sphere is to go to the
Fields of the Shades, where multitudes flock from your world
in their rest-homes, tp learn of those above them, and in sym¬
pathy with them, or to gaze on such spiritual sights as their
vision is capable of. We teach them very much by flowers—
those of the sweeter and more childish nature. The flowers
are willing messengers from one mind to another. The more
intellectual of our visitants form parties of exploration or
spend their time here as much as they do on earth, in abject
humility before one great teacher or leader of their class.
I should like to give you a picture, if I can find words to do it
with, but the beautiful in this world finds but a brief vocabu¬
lary in yours.
An angel—by which we mean the perfection of what you
call a pair—star-crowned and winged as with beams of light,
leaves his dwelling to go forth with other angels to his labours.
Before I proceed let me apologise already, not for what I have
said, but for your “ words.” “ Star-crowned ” and “ winged ”
sound unreal, and possibly trivial to you. When your soul-
eyes have once beheld these images or signs, you will know
the grace they possess. The star is worn by the Teacher.
The wings are the appanage of the mission-angels, who, with
these wonderful flashes of light, cleave the atmosphere, speed
through repugnant surroundings, and bear themselves swiftly
to that place where they are needed.
The angel on the threshold of his door — adorned and
glorious with his love, taking form in flowers and birds—and
with a glance of affection to all surroundings, opens those
flashing wings and in an instant (not that wondrous thing
which you call an instant, but one of our instants)—in an
instant has vanished. Meantime, in the field of the shades
a dim and doubtful crowd are gathered together waiting in
wishful hope for their Teacher. He is there. They see but
the gleam of light that shoots from his rapid movement, and
he stands in their midst, calm, tranquil, loving, star-crowned.
How they crowd to him, these faint and feeble forms. How
they touch him and gain brighter life in the contact. How
they clasp him and grow strong, he all the while drinking
draughts of divine life from the angelic atmosphere with which
to All and gladden them. Ho turns to them now, fatherly and
motherly friend. He asks their troubles and listens to the
piteous recitals of travail on the earth of misery and dulness
from exclusion from the heavenly spheres—of craving and
thirst for better things not to be reached, with many more
such complaints easily imagined by you, yet perhaps not, for
these are the complaints of the spirit out of its bonds, not of
the spirit while actually in earth-life, and the spirit is in very
different states in the two cases.
And now ho speaks and holds the heart of each in his hand,
touching it with benign and soothing touch. He shows them
the life they must aspire to ; he teaches them to aim at the
next step in the ladder, to climb with patience, not to desire
to jump. He shows them how they must cultivate their own
souls within the narrow limit allowed them with the utmost
care and diligence, looking upwards all the while for that
smile of God which is constantly upon them. How can I tell
you his teaching, for it lies principally in influence, in the
power of contact, in strengthening and binding closer the
link between them through which he is to them the messenger
of God, and the true channel of the Father.—Through the
mediumship of Mrs. K. C.
MR. DALE OWEN’S INSANITY.
The following letter from New Harmony is published by the
Evansville (Ind.) Courier, and we learn it is pronounced “ cor¬
rect in the main,’’ by Mr. Owen’s son, Ernest Dale Owen:
“ Mr. Owen has not been kept confined to his residence, but
has spent most of his time on the streets. When he met his
old friends he would recognise them, and greet them sanely,
but if they called him Mr. 0 wen his unsound mind would soon
display itself by his informing them that his name was not
Owen—he was now Lord , giving himself a lordly title.
One of his sons invariably accompanied him in his rambles
through New Harmony, and the embarrassment and affliction
of the entire family was painful to behold.
“ Mr. 0 wen labours under no particular hallucination, but
always believes himself to be a powerful English nobleman,
with unlimited wealth. The philanthropic plans he has pro¬
posed with his imaginary wealth would make Peabody’s head
swim. Sometimes he imagines he is a great horseman, and
during these moments his mind wanders to wonderful turf
displays, and he then proposes to buy the whole State of Ken¬
tucky for stock-raising, and offers 100,000 dols. therefor. At
other times he will remain in one chair and in one spot for
hours, believing that if he stirs therefrom he will be
assassinated. His children are naturally sensitive regard¬
ing their father’s affliction, and do not allow him much
conversation with persons outside of the family, but some¬
times this cannot be helped. Those who have talked with
the old gentleman say his memory has not deserted him,
as he frequently refers to minute matters which they supposed
were forgotten. What is equally strange is that, since his
insanity, he has not referred to his connection with Katie
King, or to that individual at all, and in no other way except
by prayer has he ever spoken of Spiritualism.
“ During the past two or three days he has become exceed¬
ingly troublesome, and made threats of a murderous nature.
Yesterday his son filed affidavits before John Kilbinger and
Joseph A. Barrett, two life-long friends of the venerable man,
charging their father with insanity, and affirming that he
cannot be allowed to go at large without risk. In the after¬
noon the Justices held an inquest at his residence, at which
Mr. Owen, the physicians, and others were present. The pro¬
ceedings were very quiet, and during them the old man babbled
incoherently all the time, intermingling his talk with fits of
weeping. He was adjudged insane, and the proper papers
were sent to Mt. Vernon to the County Clerk, who will make
application for his admission to the State Lunatic Asylum at
Indianapolis.”—Banner of Light.
Sunday Services at the Cavendish Rooms.—On Sun¬
day evening last Dr. Sexton was unavoidably absent from
Cavendish Rooms, having received the sudden and unexpected
intelligence that his father had passed away from this life on
Wednesday, the 4th instant, and being therefore compelled to
leave town to be present At the funeral and to attend to the
last wishes of his parent. His place, however, was admirably
filled by Mr. Thomas Shorter, who delivered an interesting and
instructive discourse on “Religion.” Next Sunday, Dr.
Sexton will give the lecture announced for last week, entitled
“ Sacred Things,” when it is to be hoped as many friends will
rally round him as can make it convenient to attend. The
services commence at seven o’clock.