PRACTICAL SPIRITUALISM.

Evening Star, Issue 5074, 10 June 1879, Page 2

PRACTICAL SPIRITUALISM.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir, —Will you allow me spaoe in yoar paper to give a fow of the manifestations in my investigation of Spiritualism. I would not trouble you with this letter, only my experiences seem totally different to any that I have heard of here. In tho first place, I must tell you that I have held a circle for the la<t eight years in my own house. The circle consisted of some of my own family and the rest were very intimate friends, and it very rarely consisted of more than five persona. The intelligence was given by trance-speaking, distinct raps on the table, walls, ceiling, etc., planchette writing and impressions.

On one occasion we received the news of the death of a brother of one of the circle on board Bhip. Now none of his family knew where he was, as he had been away from home for over two years. Besides telling us of the accident that caused his death, we were told to write to a given direction in a town where none of the sitters had ever been, and that we should get a full report of his death. We did so, and received a letter fully verifying the communication, but tho most wonderful thing in connection with this is that at tho same time as we got our letter with the answer we received another letter from his sister in Melbourne, stating that they had received the news of his death at the circle held there, and asking us if we had heard anything about it. At one sitting we heard from the lips of the trance medium two discourses that were being delivered (at the time he was speaking) in different parts of the City, viz., by Dr Copland, at his church, and Mr Bright, at the Princess Theatre. Now, nobody left the room—in fact, the door was never opened, and by the newspaper reports tho next day we must have had nearly a verbatim report. We have had as many as six controls tho same night, each speaking a different dialect and having different voices. We have had mental questions answered by hundreds, not only to the members of the circle but to visitors also. I have never wanted a doctor for my family these five years, as one of the controls, who says he was a doctor while on this earth, has al»ays administered to our ailments, not only curing us but has also given us preventatives against fevers, etc. —besides this, hundreds of people have had relief from the same source—even when some of the medical men of this City have failed. Some letters from the patients themselves that appeared in your paper some few vea rs ago will verify this statement. Sealed letter have been sent to us and correctly answered. Whenever there is a letter coming from home for me I get the news by raps on the ceiling of my bedroom in the night, and, although I have had these given dozens of times, they have always been correct. The table has been floated in the room—it has been lifted up in spite of us all trying with all our might to hold it down. This occurred in the full glare of a large lamp. On one occasion a person in Invercargill hung a card on his bed-post, with a request upon it. We received the information, with the nature of the request, at the circle, and we forwarded the answer to it; and it was proved to be quite correct by the receipt of a letter from the party afterwards. Persons in ill health have been examined and prescribed for in Christchurch, Auckland, Melbourne, etc., and we have forwarded the recipes, without money and without price. The medium has been 'floated in the lir, and on one occasion he was slid from one end of the room to the other without moving a muscle; this too in the light. Visitors have recognised the speakers by their voices, etc., who were quite strangers to us. We have had the report given to us, through the planchette, of a conversation taking place at a house where we were going to hold a stance where they were concocting a scheme to frighten the medium when he was entranced; the persons were charged with and acknowledged it. We have been directed to go to various places, of which we had no previous knowledge, where there was sickness in the houses, to assist them, and it was always found correct. One one dark starless night myself and the medium had a beautiful light shown us that illumined the road where we were walking. It lit up about 12ft in length and 12ft in width —the rest of the road was pitch dark—and it continued with us for over an hour. We have also seen bright lights floating from the floor to the ceiling. I have drawings by the planchette iu my possession that have been done in about twenty minutes, which would be impoasiblo for any human being to do in a day.

The teachings that we have had have been of the moat elevating and ennobling nature, to which scores can testify. We always open our seances with a reading from the New Testament, or a prayer. We always sing hymns, and the subjects are generally chosen after the medium is entranced. But I must now conclude, although I could fill your paper over and over again, but I must be con teat to place these few facts before your readers, kindly thanking you for your permission.—I am, etc., J. Jackson. Dunedin, June 10.