SOMETHING LIKE A DOCTOR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 674, 21 July 1870, Page 3

SOMETHING LIKE A DOCTOR.

A Ne"w Phase op Spieithaxism. A Dr. Newton, who has just arrived in England from the United States, and who claims to possess, through spiritual aid, power to heal the sick and afflicted, addressed audiences, and gave manifestations of his peculiar "gifts." The Liverpool Mercury says that the doctor's hearers were all respectable looking people, and many were persons occupying good positions in society. The doctor explained to his hearers that his great principle was love ; that he loved everybody; and that he received his power to heal the sick from the Father, and through the angels ; that he was deficient in oratorical power, bnt that that deficiency was supplied by the angels. He then went on to say : — "My power of healing is not limited. I can heal a multitude as easily as a few. I can do just as well on 5000 as on a small number. My dear brethren, I love you, and I say blessed are ye who open your souls to receive the love principle. The power of healing which I possess is a magnetic power, and sometimes I do things that arc perfectly astonishing. My secretary, Mr Watson, was for a long time perfectly blind. Last August I performed on him, and cured him almost instantly. I will now give you a specimen of my great power. I will cause a shock to pass from me which will be felt more or less by all present, and if any one is in pain after it let him come to me and I will cure him." The doctor then stood up, extended his arms, threw back his head, closed his eyes, made a sudden start as if he were about to cast himself head-foremost into a river, raised his head again and shook it in a manner which gave the impression that he had really taken the plunge, had risen to the surface, and shaken his dripping hair off bis face, and then, opening his eyes, - took a general survey of the persons before him. This constituted the " shock," which, however, made no vivid impression upon any one. Selecting a man from amongst his audience, he exclaimed, " That poor cripple is now healed of his lameness. You, my brother, you had pain when you came in. Do you feel better ?" TheJ person addressed rpse and replied that the pain from which he had been suffering when he entered the place was gone, whereupon the doctor invited him to step up to where he was standing. Seizing him by the hand, he put to him the following extraordinary questions : — w D.o you love me ?" "Do you love me as a brother ?" The man replied in a subdued voice — we suppose to the satisfaction of his_ interrogator, who took his head into his hands, stroked his face, laid his head upon his breast, and kissed his forehead. Then , placing one hand on his head, he raised the other and said in a very solemn manner — "In the name of the powers that be, I say, Disease, depart from thee." A gasp for breath, and a violent shaking of the head

with the eyes closed, accompanied by asudden ' convulsion of ' the body, completed the charm. Then the former sufferer replied that he was" quite better, •walked quickly across the room without the aid of a stick,, went through several twis tings at the.'reque3t" of his benefactor, ' and retired. A sturdylooking man with a strong northern accent here rose.and said, '*•. I tak* exception to ;?' what ye say. Ye say all' pain has left thef people in this room; " Noo T have : suffered for' a long time, and am nae better."— Dr Newton, addressing his hearers, said* " You heard, my brothers and sisters; the gentleman says he has suffered for a long time, and is now better."-^" I "beg- your pardon. You misunderstand me." I saidl am nae better." " Oh, will you step out ? Do you love me ?" "I love all- men." "Dp you- love me as a brother?" "I hope I • love' all men as brothers."— After this short dialogue the ' doctor took his patient by the hand and asked him from what he suffered. Hereplied tc Rheumatism." The doctor then put him' through one or two movements, and asked him to raise his arms above his head,"; but he exclaimed, "Icanna lift baith." Dr | : Newton here : complained that his patient talked- too much; he should only answer questions. The gentleman referred to evidently felt hurt by this observation, for he exclaimed, " Hoocan I without speaking ?" The doctor, . .. dismissing the Scotchman on his persisting '-• that, notwithstanding the Bhock, he f was £■- "nae better," said—" My dear friends, this; ■■' is a case of a very peculiar sort; this person / has a very strong will; he is very positive ' in his will principle, but yet one of these ' cases that gives me fortitude, and brings out the stronger the power that I have. My dear friend, did you believe I ; could cure ? you before you came up" here?"— The head : strong'patient replied, " Certainly not 1" and immediately, fell into disgrace, the whole audience- turning upon him a look of unutterable displeasure, which expressed plainly the impression left by the: man* who would not lay his rheumatism at the feet of the spiritist. During the morning and evening meetings from thirty to forty personß went up to be healed of ; their diseases/and, with the exception of the case just named, ; all expressed themselves improved after receiving the *' shock." In the evening a gentleman in the room stated: that a friend who sat near him, a Mr Ashley, was thought to be on his death-bed that morning from „. hemorrhage of the lungs, but in consequence of a visit from DrNewton he was enabled to walk a mile that afternoon, .and was in comparatively good health. The gentleman re- .-* f erred to corroborated the" statement., He, had not until Sunday left hi? room since: , December, except when removed once in a bath chair. The doctor intimated that he was going to London, but would return to Liverpool. If he stopped there, he said, the streets would : be so crowded that people would be unable to pass ; it had been so wherever he had gone. He did not work for money but for love.