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    Aira 11, I860.] The Saturday Analyst and...

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    SELF-EDUCATXOX. 3)0P.iii'S Dunciii'l i-t...

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    The Devils Of London. Rtiiie Devils Of W...

    into a state of stupefaction ? Who has not seen the same rustic , on his bumps being' rubbed , go through a variety of antics , supposed to correspond with the passions excited ? That was all the rage some fifteen or twenty years ago , but when electro-biological seances begun to be held , in greengrocers' back parlours and tavern tap-i'OomsY electro-biology went out of fashion , and the . bumps of society got 3 holiday . But now we . have changed all that ; we have got a mystery of a novel shape and form , something quite new , or at , least as new as anything can be in a world where there is nothing new under the sun . We have heard- many accounts of the wonderful thing's which have happened at spiritual seances , both in Paris and in London , and all we have wanted to enable us to make the sayings and doings of the spirits a subject of serious

    public remark , has been a well-authenticated relation of Avhat has taken place . This we now possess . A writer in the " Cornhill Magazine , " for whose good faith and honourable character the editor publicly vouches , retails a variety of manifestations of the most extraordinary nature . At the first seance he went to , the table was so delighted to see him , that it actually ran across the room to meet him . We will give his own words : ¦ '' At my request , a question was put as to whether I might join the seance . The answer was given in the affirmative , with tumultuous energy ; and , at the same moment , the table commenced a vigorous movement along the floor , till it came quite close up to me . " But there was a more Wonderful table still . " In accordance with an instruction received through the alphabet , we finally removed to a small round

    table , Avliich stood on a slender pillar with three claws . Here the noises and motions thronged xipon us faster and faster . . . . . The table seemed to be inspired with the most riotous animal spirits ... It pitched about with a velocity which , flung off our bands from side to side as fast as we attempted to place them . " Presently , this remarkable table rolled over on its side , and sank to the floor ; -tlieri'lt got up , and ran about the room . " \ Partof the journey , " we are quoting the trustworthy witness ' again ,, "it performed alone , and We were never able to reach it at any time together . Using the leg of the large table as a fulcrum , it directed its ' elaws towards . ' the ottoman * which it attempted to ascend . . ... . Itslipped'down '¦ at first , but again qiuetlyresiuned its task / and , at lastbv careful Riid persevering efibrts , it accdmplishedvthe top ; of

    , the ottoman , and stood oil the : summit of the column in the centre , front wlience , iii a few moments , it descended to the floor by a similar process . " This iswonderful ; enou ^ h ^ ih ' 'all ' - " eoi ) scsien « e , ; if ,-. ajs " our trusworthy correspondent" assures Us , no one assisted the table in its movements ; but something far more wonderful still remains to be told . Weave at a seance now , at which the ^ celebratedMr . Home is present . There is the great man seated in the window , not by aiiy ' ineans a CkaLiosTito in appearance ^ but a very mild specimen of that familiar humanity which you pass every hour in the day , and see nothing remarkable in . We are . assured tliat Mr Home is as modest as he looks , and that the vulgar stories

    which liave been circulated about him , give altogether a false impression 6 f his character . He plainly and unreservedly tells you that he is perfectly impassive in these matters , and that whatever Imppens , happens front causes over which lie has no control . When the sonJi re began , the spirits intimated in the usual manner , namely , by raj > s tluvAlic lights . must be extinguished . The company were -iA ^ ilin ast . to tal darkness , and all eyes were immediately turned ¦ towardsliho ^ vln ^ We quote again : '" Presently , tlie tassel of the cord of the springblind began " to tromble . Slowly , and apparently with caiition or diihcullV , the blind began . -to descend . . . . . several times , at ¦ but

    interval ' s , the blind was raised and '¦ pulled down , capricious as ¦ the movement appeared , the ultimate object seemed to . be to diminish the light . " The ' persona seated round the table , and . many of them we re ladies , felt a twitching at their knees , as of ; a . boy ' s hand partly scratching , partly striking and pulling them in play- soon after , what seemed to be a large hand came under the table-cover , ' Our trustworthy witness , somewhat too eager to satisfy his curiosity , seized it , felt it very sensibly , butthe next instant it went out like air in his grasp . This phantom hand—the one we presume which appeared to ' the . Emperor of the Fur . Noji . and signed his undo s nauie— performed a variety of feats , too numerous torment urn . _ Lot us come , to the accordion , which lay at a distance from the floor . That accordion played tunes of itw own accord . The air was wild , vnd full of strange transitions , with a wail of the most pathetic it him

    swootucss running through it , " The ears which heard never befoi-o been visited by a sound so line . " Mr . Home takes his turn next like the lust vnultor in the circus , who comes an to outdo . iill the othorn . and jump over all the six horses at once . When the ju » cord " , im liail finished its tu . , he wid , " My chair is moving ; 1 am oil" the ground ; don't notice me . " But , our eye-witness could mot restrain his curiosity , and he did notice the . great medium . Jn u moment or two ho spoke iiguin . Ho was then up in tTiu iwr . As Sio iwccmlod higher he described his position . Our oyo-wrtmw does not suy ilmt ho saw him there . It was at iiwt perpendicular , and jAitovwardH horizontal . Now , however . they saw Mr . H < im w « . nK « ro -tm » iHWmir-ouaJudci . uLJaio . window to the other , lout loromost ; lying horizontally "V the nir . AtnotigiirhylroVCTcdiK'iiieHduuiluvl . vvuvur ^ the comptinv ' s huuds , allowed our infovmmit ti > touch In * loot , ana then descended . Wo should not omit to montkm that this performance was enlivened by a , tune from the self-noting aoc . mlion on . the luMiru turn wcii iiuus

    floor , and it is also uttesto < l thsrt . Hjnritu were ^ about tho room sUmmmlod by coloured atmospheres . All tins roiulH like a chapter of the disc-used limciuM in " Becklbrd \ uthek . lot it is gravely related as an actual occurrence by " > wine and trustworthy man . He solemnly uiunns that hu suw these things . Did he see them , or did ho imagine he Hawthorn ? Almurd as is the

    idea of spirits rapping out their communications ( often with a total disregard of spelling and grammar ) , of tables dancing about a room , and clambering up ottomans , and of a man floating horizontally over a drawing-room table , we'will not venture to say that these absurdities have not happened . We may , however , be permitted to remark upon the curious similarity between these manifestations and the tricks and cheats which were played off , by pretenders to spiritualism in past times . M . Louis Fio-n j er , in his ' Histoirc du Merveilleux dans les temps modernes , " gives an accpunt of the miraculous doings of the JDevils of Londun , wliich in some respects bear a strong analogy in their nature to the feats of the spirits of our modern drawing-rooms , which , adopting the title , we have called the Devils of London . Londun is an old town situated in the modern department of Vienna , and the ancient province of Poitou . In the vear 1632 it became famous for manifestations of a

    demonological character . Spirits of evil took possession ot a convent of Frsuline nuns there , and a favourite feat of the demons was lifting their victims up in the air . The superior , who was possessed by AsMopErs , raised herself high enough to astonish the vulgar , but just as the miracle was being proclaimed , an inquisitive person raised her robe and disclosed to those standing round that one of her feet touched the ground . Another spirit , or rather demon , greatly astonished the natives by lifting off people ' s caps , and keeping them suspended in the air . He held his seances late at nig-ht by the dull light of torches . On one occasion , however , it was discovered that all his necromancy consisted of a horsehair line and a hook . When Asmodeus was unable to answer a question , he was accustomed to rap out ; according to the manner of the period , that t t

    he was allud agens—on one occasion , in conducting o hell he soul of Lis Puoinythe Procureur of the parlianient of Paris . ) The spirits in those days , as now , were not universal linguists . They could only speak the language of persons who called them up , and they were not always good grammarians . The spirits of Johnson and" Bacox have come up in our ( lay fearfully to belie their character for erudition , and the ability to specie the English language with propr iety . ) AsMODEps rapped out shamefully-bad Italian , and appeared to be quite insensible to the necessity of an accusative case after an active verb . When ia Scotchman asked him tbe Scotch word for spmethirig , he answered , , " Bens non vplo 1 " It seems a little strange that spirits in all ages should hayehad such a decided partiality for lifting people . But toreturn . to our own spirits . They are not ' all Conjurors . Mr . Dickers gives a very different account from that of Mr . THACKEiiAy ' s trustwortliy

    correspondent . At his seaince a spirit announced itsehV and rapped . Who was the spirit ? A brother , and his name was Edwabd . ISTow the person ¦ :. ' far ' - whom-the communication was . said . - to- -be , intended never had a brother of the name of Edward , Tfien the spirit scratched Tippn a piece of paper , and the medium , a youngladyv was caught making the noise with her finger . When the table reared itself up , this young lady ' s thumbs were ; discovered underneath it . The lvnee-twitcliing business was done , ; but this keen eye-witness , who resisted spiritual influence , distinctly felt the young ladv doing it with her foo ^ An old guitar was played under the table , but it only gave out a noise without ' any melody whatever , such as could have been produced by sweeping' the hand or foot over the strings at intervals ., ; These miracles ^ which wei-c regarded as such by some in the company , were plainly proved by one observer among- them to be " rHnnsj" fiiYfnTnrT ^^^^^ r ^ t J ^^ . > - ^ V : ^ a ro ready to admit , that it does not follow because this lady medium is an impostor , tJISfr

    therefore Mr . Home and , other inediiims ai-e impostors also . But , at the same time , it is but fair to argue , that if these things can be done by a clumsy operator so as to satisfy all but one person in thecompany , a dexterous , medium may be able by the same means to . satisfy everyone . Tho lady medium ¦ who failed . so signally to . impose upon the witness whom we have quoted , did every thing which was done at Mr . Home ' s seance ( and to the satisfaction ot the majority of her audience ) , Except the one feat of suspending herself in the air . . And with regard to this , we nmst remark , that it is necessary for ' the . conviction of thoso present , that the medium , should himself announce that he is in the air ; they arc not sensiblethat he is in that position until they are told . In this age of scientific discoveries

    research wo should be very , cautious how we reject now ^ Fifty years ngo the notion of travelling at the rate <> f thirty miles , an hour was ' openly scouted in tho House of Commons us a mere phantasy : we now " travel at the rate of sixty iniles nnhour . Who * , twenty years ago , could have conceived it possible that a message could bo sent from London to Paris in u few seconds ? . We uroj . therefore , williug to give tho spirits a patient , hearing , and a- fair trial . At present , however , when failure and success are so evenly balanced in the demonstration of the new science , if such it may bo called , wo must wait until tho scale is decidedly turned to tlie one side or the other , before we can muketip our minds to suy \ vnether spirit rapping is a gospel truth or an impious imposture .

    Aira 11, I860.] The Saturday Analyst And...

    Aira 11 , I 860 . ] The Saturday Analyst and Leader . . 717

    Self-Educatxox. 3)0p.Iii's Dunciii'l I-T...

    SELF-EDUCATXOX . 3 ) 0 P . iii'S Dunciii'l i-t more onueted than road ; it is , perhaps , in-/ 7 Ioi r d ~ tTurlim 3 r " BtTtdiLHt-fttvKiy ~< if 4 iiM ~ paeU ^ pHHjjiijjrts being tlie only . oiuj gcncviuly known ; but it is full of general trutU und mlmirablo ¦ exprossiou , aivd t'ki bait aimed viciously \\ t sonio luckUiss individual , ¦ piMvouully olloiwivc to the poi ' t , pussoji like u Whit ' worth rillo buli . t lUrough a whole file of the same ycnun , gjnorally -liuxious tirtlu > s « » to wlu ' ini they may bo i-. idividuully unknown , and plinriiig lollies of winch no imnieiliiUo information may ]) erhaps oncur id tho ruadcr . i ho echo of one of Pope ' s shots is continually vutllinty in our ears , very pour

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 11, 1860, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_11081860/page/5/