A SEANCE WITH SCOTCH SPIRITUALISTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 478, 27 November 1869, Page 3

A SEANCE WITH SCOTCH SPIRITUALISTS.

The Glasgow Mail publishes the following amusing account of a spiritual seance attended by one of its contributors. The writer says :— •" When I reached the place of meeting, about half-past eight o'clock, I found the host and other two gentlemen present. The first-named is a firm believer in spiritualism and all its developments in con nexion with furniture; and, moreover, hois also a ' medium.' He is a member of a club consisting of a few believing mortals, and any imaginable number of disembodied spirits who attend the meetings by turns with commendable regularity. Seances take place once a week, and a summary of the proceedings is duly pet down in a minute-book with as much gravity and formality as if the inspired coterie were the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt. In a few minutes the company was increased by three more gentlemen and a boy about 15 years of age — two of the former being 'mediums,' making three spiritualists and five ordinary mortals, or eight of a company altogether. The business of the evening was introduced by the recital of remarkable experiences on the part of the ' mediums.' One had been frequently thrown into a trance, and had seen uuutterable things therein. A second had been the moans of throwing solid and respectable tables into fits of delirium, in which they tilted and turned about, leaped to the ceiling, danced like Eastern dervishe3, and answered questions like oracles. He assured us that when a piece of furniture was fully charged with ' the spirit- iufluence ' he could leave the room and yet the table would continue its 'manifestations ' in presence of a host of unbelievers. ' Can you do that in my presence to-night ?' said I. 'Yes,' replied the medium, ' and I'll do it as sure as fate.' ' Then go a-head,' said I. Medium number three gravely informed the company that he had ordered a heavy lootable to follow him out of the room and through a long lobby, which it did without hesitation. After the company had been duly prepared with a selc tion of stories such as these, a small card table was set down in the middle of the room, nnd five of U3 drew our chairs round it, with our open hands upon the top. I inquired how long it would be necessary to sit in this position before the ' manifestations ' would begin, and was told that two or three minutes would do. We sat like a set of born simpletons for sixteen minutes, but the spirits made no signs of their presence. All this time I watched the hands and feet of the ' medium ' as carefully as I could, and, although I felt a slight pressure once or twice, the table positively de-< dined to tilt or turn. At length I put my hands into my pockets, pushed back my chair, and said, 'I have had quite enough of this nonsense;' but the word was 'Hush' from the leading medium, and an assurance that the ' immortals ' h*d arrived. In a minute more the table began to vibrate and turn a little to one side, and tilt up a few inches, but no sooner did I lay hands upon it a second time than it became fixed as a rock. The mediums could not account for this eccentricity on the part of tho card-table, although I could have enlightened them at once. They believed that some' pemirbing influence ' was at work, and I could have staked my existence that said influence was in the palms of my hands, assisted by a pair of wide-awake eyes. Then we tried a heavy, oval-shaped table, with results somewhat similar. In this case, however, the gas was screwed down to a mere ' blink,' and the spirits were coaxed and almost implored to manifest their presence in any shape they thought proper, but not a movement was made. Once more I withdrew my hands and got out of the circle, and then, and not till then, the table exhibited signs of animation. It shook a little, and turned a few inches from side to side, but the movements were decidedly slow. Again the " disembodied' were pressed and courted by the mediums to put on the steam a little stronger. One of these gentlemen invited the spirits to tilt up the table with a will, and to hit me a convincing slap with it on my unbelieving nose, but they did not. The mediums felt themselves nonplussed, and I felt a strong inclination to laugh I pitied the poor fellows, because they seemed extremely anxious to get up a spiritmoving scene, and the disappointment was rather galling. In this emergency the little card-table was once more tried with an encouraging degree of success. It tilted and turned about with remarkable agility at the word of command, but then it was light of foot and easily set in motion. Then the spirits were addressed in familiar terms by the mediums, and the answers came iv the shape of one tilt of the table for ' No,' and three tilts for ' Yes.' At this time none of the company had a hand upon the little table except two of the mediums, and as a consequence I was not the least astonished by its cantrips. It was moving from side to side like the ' lay ' of a hand-loom, until one of the gentlemen present suddenly exclaimed, 'Mr , you are lifting the table.' The operating medium's countenance assumed an. aspect of confusion and virtuous indignation combined, and turning round upon the outspoken gentleman, he said, ' That is a kind of insinuation to which I never make a repb'.' Of course the answer was satisfactory, and the manifestations went on ; but I must now describe a conversational scene between the mediums aud the immortals. The attendant spirit was asked if it claimed relationship with any of the company, and the answer was three tilts, signifying ' Yes.' A few more questions brought out the fact that the attendant was the ghost or spirit of tho operating medium's mother, but this I thought was not at all satisfactory. In these circumstances I ventured to suggest that one of my defunct relations should be summoned, and then I might be able to test the value of the spirit testimony. The presiding medium consented, and the following query was put —

1 Has the Rambler any relative among the spirits at present in the room ? ' 'No,' was the tilted answer. ' Can you send for any spirit-relative of his ? ' said the medium. 'Yes,' replied the table; and before one could say Jack Robinson my defunct relative was at my elbow, and ready to answer any reasonable question. It announced itself as the spirit of a departed sister, and as I hud such a relative, and had lost her by death, the medium made a very good beginning. The next question was -•' What is your name ? ' and the medium commenced to repeat the alphabet, when the table tilted at the letter K. 'How old were you when you died?' and the answer by tilts was ' twenty-two years aud four months.' Very particular thought I, but I said nothing, and the medium went on. ' How long i.s it since you went to the land of spirits ? ' ' Five years and seven months,' was the answer. ' Did your brother love you dearly ? ' An emphatic affirmative was the reply; and then the medium turned towards me with a solemn expression of countenance, and said, ' Now, Mr So-and-so, is this the truth, or is it bosh ?' ' Well, it is precious like bosh,' answered I, ' and for this reason — My sister was called Isabella, and not any name beginning with a K. She died forty-five years ago instead of five; she was only two years of age instead of twenty-two ancl seven months, and as she died about a month before I was born, I could neither love nor hate her very intensely ! ' The face of the medium lengthened a little on hearing this, but his faith was not shaken iv the least; he merely turned towards the table aud said, ' Are you an evil spirit ?' and the answer was ' Yes.' ' Have you come here for the purpose of deceiving us ? ' Again the answer was ' Yes.' ♦ Get you gone, then, in the Lord's name,' said the medium, and the spirit of my little story-telling sister ' absquatulated ' without more ado; and this is how the spirit mediums get over their difficulties. Another spirit was summoned, and, obedient to the summons, it came. It claimed to be fraternally connected with a gentleman present, but as it could not tell its own name correctly, it was also dismissed as a ' lying spirit,' and this put an end. to the seance as far as Iwas concerned. The leading medium expressed profound regret that the manifestations had not been more decided, anel the answers of the spirits more correct, as it was calculated to leave some of the company still in doubt. I assured him that, for my part, I entertained no manner of doubt upon the subject; and I neither did, nor do."