The Spirit Land

CHAPTER II.. Inductive Philosophy Not Understood.

INDUCTIVE PHILOSOPHY NOT UNDERSTOOD.

Ignorance of it the cause of many superstitions.--Lights seen in marshy grounds, &c.--Supposed to be supernatural.--Causes of these lights, and phenomena connected with them.--Shrinking and swelling of pork in boiling.--Cause.--Supposed influence of the moon in making soap, grafting trees, cutting timber, &c.--Lunar influence in matters of wedlock.--Love not to be fed on moonshine. 22

CHAPTER III.. Ignorance of the Causes of Dreams.

IGNORANCE OF THE CAUSES OF DREAMS.

Fruitful source of superstitions.--Opinions of ancient divines. --Dreams related in the Scriptures.--Their object.--Principles of mental philosophy applied to modern dreams.--Examples of singular dreams.--Dreams occasioned by sickness.--Fulfilment of certain dreams.--Causes of the same.--Remarkable case of a German student.--Case of a member of Congress.--Amusing case concerning a passage of Scripture.--Necessity of a pure conscience, and a careful attention to our stomachs. 24

CHAPTER IV.. Effects of the Imagination on the Nervous System.

EFFECTS OF THE IMAGINATION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Ignorance of it has given rise to many superstitions.--Experiments of Mesmer and Deslon in Paris.--Singular developments.--Trials at Dr. Franklin's house.--Children uninfluenced by mesmeric operations. --Magnetizing a tree in Dr. Franklin's garden.--Experiments upon two females.--Effect produced.--Experiment upon a female by Dr. Sigault.--Practice among the Chinese.--Girl frightened to death by a Gypsy.--Practice among the New Zealanders.--Killing others by incantation.--Intercourse with departed spirits.--An account of Perkins's metallic tractors.--Their supposed influence in various diseases.--Suspicions concerning them.--Experiments with wooden tractors.--Result of these experiments.--Statements of a modern mesmerizer. 29

CHAPTER V.. Ignorance of Mental Philosophy.

IGNORANCE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY.

This ignorance a cause of many superstitions.--Case of a person who slept in a bed room supposed to be haunted.--Skeleton seen by moonlight.--Apparition seen by Dr. Gregory.--Case related by Dr. Conolly.--Ship's crew frightened by an apparition.--Young lady supposed to have been murdered by pirates.--Cases of impressions connected with bodily disease.--Phantasms in febrile diseases.--A farmer frightened to death by a light in the road.--A figure like Death striking a lady in her side with a dart.--Illusion of sight and hearing.--Case of a lady who saw her absent husband standing by her side.--Countenance of a friend seen in a mirror.--Tunes heard.--Inverted objects.--Visions of the world of spirits.--Case of Baron Swedenborg.--Case of a lady in Boston, who saw her deceased grandmother.--The phantom ship seen in New Haven.--The science of optics.--Of nauscopy.--Cases of mirage. 38

CHAPTER VI.. Ignorance of True Religion.

IGNORANCE OF TRUE RELIGION.

God the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.--The natural world governed by regular laws.--Sign of the howling of a dog under the window.-- Lucky and unlucky days.--Sir Matthew Hale's opinion.--Early laws of Connecticut.--Superstition of sailors.--Timidity of Voltaire.-- Peace and happiness on all days.--How procured. 50

CHAPTER VII.. Belief in Witchcraft.

BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT.

A witch as regarded by our fathers.--Compact or agreement with the devil.--Carried through the air on brooms and spits.--Anointing their bodies with a magical ointment.--How to prepare the same.--Singular ceremonies at the meetings of witches.--How they afflicted others. --The bewitched pins shown to Grace Greenwood.--Mode of examining and trying witches.--Witch catcher in England.--How he was arrested and condemned.--Singular record on a church book in Scotland.-- Notice of the Salem witchcraft.--How such superstitions are to be done away.--Witches and wizards of modern times. 53

CHAPTER VIII.. Necromancy and Fortune Telling.

NECROMANCY AND FORTUNE TELLING.

Moll Pitcher, the queen of the race.--Her place of abode.--Company that visited her.--Member of a church sent to consult her.--Casting out evil spirits in Syria.--Account of Lady Hester Stanhope.--The astrologer of Hopkinton, Massachusetts.--Chief characteristic of fortune seekers.--Effects produced upon them. 58

CHAPTER IX.. Fairies, or Wandering Spirits, and Gypsies.

FAIRIES, OR WANDERING SPIRITS, AND GYPSIES.

Description of fairies, habits, localities, &c.--Subterranean spirits in Wales, called Knockers.--The Brownies in Scotland.--A farmer in Ireland who was tormented by fairies.--Method taken to appease their anger.--Spenser's poem of the Fairy Queen.--Gypsies and their employments.--Casting the evil eye.--Safeguard against it.--Charm of the Bible and key.--Superstition called the elf-shot.--Practice of poisoning animals, and the cure.--Superstitions concerning the loadstone.--Translation of St. Luke into the Gypsy tongue.-- Singular notions of the Gypsies concerning it.--Condemned by the royal edict at Madrid.--The Gypsy choirs at Moscow.--Anecdote of Madame Catalini. 61

CHAPTER X.. Omens, Charms, and Divination.

OMENS, CHARMS, AND DIVINATION.

Books published upon these things.--Their injurious tendency.--A sample of their contents.--Practice of boxers.--Whistling in a storm at sea.--Setting hens on an odd number of eggs.--Salutes of an odd number of guns.--Omen concerning the number thirteen. --Methods of ascertaining who will be a future husband.--Crossing of knives.--Click of insects.--Advent of comets. 76

CHAPTER XI.. Modern Miracles.

MODERN MIRACLES.

They partake of superstition.--Instructions of the Savior concerning them.--Object of Scripture miracles.--Modern miracles not satisfactory. --Judge Howe's opinion concerning Christianity.--Times of miracles ceased. 79

CHAPTER XII.. False Prophets and Christs.

FALSE PROPHETS AND CHRISTS.

History of the prophet Matthias.--His career in Albany and New York. --His deceptions upon conspicuous individuals.--His arrest for alleged crimes.--Account of John of Leyden.--Sketch of Cochrane, and his impositions. 81

CHAPTER XIII.. Mormon Superstition.

MORMON SUPERSTITION.

Account of the golden plates found by Joseph Smith.--Their translation and publication in a volume.--Peculiar style of the writings.--Attempt at imitation.--Mormon preachers speaking with new tongues.--Increase of the doctrine, and why.--Mormon cities not to be identified.--Strong indications of fabrication.-- Fluency and earnestness of their preachers.--Traits of the Cochranites.--Effects produced upon their hearers.--An account of the real origin of the Mormon Bible, and its author.--Of Joseph Smith, Jr., the Mormon prophet.--His early characteristics. --Exposure of the indecent ceremonies at Nauvoo; as established by Smith and others. 96

CHAPTER XIV.. Miller Delusion.

MILLER DELUSION.

Prophecies of Mr. Miller.--His computation of time.--Management to suit his own particular views.--Keeping the world standing thirty years on a simple if.--Various blunders and mistakes. --Confession of his errors.--False information respecting signs. --Disappearance of stars.--Of the Aurora Borealis.--Shooting stars.--Sun and moon turning to blood.--Darkness of the sun.-- Its cause.--Remarkable appearances in various ages of the world. --Opinion concerning Halley's comet.--Ignorance of the constitution of comets.--The comet of 1770.--Tests of signs that shall indicate the end of time.--Scientific men stationed in various parts of the earth.--No such changes as have been spoken of by the second advent preachers, observed by them. 102

CHAPTER XV.. Intercourse With Departed Spirits.

INTERCOURSE WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS.

Spirits, ghosts, and spectres seen in all ages.--Account of the magic crystals, or divining glasses.--Seeing spirits in Egypt.-- Lady Blessington's crystal in England.--Spirit of Lord Nelson described.--The Latin language commonly used by spirits.--An account of spirits that live in the SUN.--Spirits conversing with human beings.--Mode of communication by letters of fire, or large printed capitals.--Interview with the spirit of Pharaoh.--His present dwelling in the planet Jupiter.-- Information gleaned in conversation with him.--Swedenborg's account of Sir John Franklin.--Describes his situation, blocked up by ice.--Spirits do not understand about latitude and longitude.--Description of the spirit of Socrates, his dress, &c.--Account of the emperor Alexander in the spirit world.-- Dickens's account of fashionable dupes in England.--The sciences of astrology and magic.--Practices of high titled ladies in London.--Account of famous conjurers, or fortune tellers.-- Account of the "rappers," or "knocking spirits."--Children frightened by their noises.--Snapping of fingers, and clapping of hands, imitated by the spirits.--Mrs. Fox asks questions of a spirit.--Answers given by a succession of raps.--Account of a ghost that appeared in Waltham, Massachusetts.--Conversation with the ghost by a gentleman.--Said he had been murdered, and told by whom.--Tones of the ghost, (unearthly,) its mode of walking, &c. --Great excitement on account of the ghost.--Mode of communication with the rapping spirits.--Tables and chairs moved, sounds heard, &c.--Band of music, beating of the bass drum, and roar of artillery. --Guitar played by unseen hands.--Ladies' hair taken down and braided by spirits.--People touched by unseen hands.--How spirits produce the sounds of music.--How they make the rapping noises. --Account of an interview with the spirit of Dr. Franklin.-- Sounds heard like trying the batteries in the telegraph office.-- Occupation of Franklin in the spirit world.--Getting up a line of communication between the two worlds.--Dr. Franklin predicts great changes in the nineteenth century.--Connection of magnetism with the spiritual rappings.--Clairvoyant interpreters between men and spirits.--Spiritual postmasters, letter paper, and envelopes. --Letters received from the spiritual worlds.--The Spirit Journal, in Auburn, New York.--Its pages edited, controlled, and superintended by spirits.--The prophets and apostles its conductors, acting under the LORD SUPREME.--Blunders and errors of the rapping spirits. --Ignorant spirits.--Mischief produced by them.--Swedenborg's account of their stupidity.--How to distinguish the sounds made by an ignorant or an intelligent spirit.--Wonderful precocity of infant spirits.--Progression of spirits, both upwards and downwards.-- The spirit of Dr. Channing deteriorated in the other world.-- Theological teachings of the rapping spirits.--Prophecy of Swedenborg concerning the year 1852.--Noises of the rappers indicative of the approach of his prediction.--Are to be considered as omens of a new advent.--Compared with the Miller prophecy of 1843.--Miracles, both of the rappers and the Millerites.--A sick man and his bed taken up by spirits.--The body of a Mr. Gordon taken up by spiritual hands.--Miracles wrought in favor of Millerism.--Miracles wrought in favor of witchcraft.-- Millerites taken up by spiritual hands.--Strange noises made by spirits among the Adventists.--Houses shaken, mirrors shattered to pieces, furniture broken.--Four women carried through the air on a pole.--Testimony under oath respecting it.--Account of a bewitched ventriloquist.--Witches in 1850. --What the editor of a Boston journal says of them.--Witches, ghosts, spooks, and hobgoblins, in all ages of the world.-- Account of a haunted house in Boston.--Every window illuminated at midnight.--A young man frightened by the scene.--Singular notion of the Greenlanders respecting the cause of thunder, and of the Aurora Borealis.--Notion of the ancients concerning the foundation of the earth.--Of the mathematician Kepler.-- Performance of Signor Blitz.--Effects produced by ventriloquism. --Singular vibrations of the guitar.--Spirit rappings considered as a new science.--Noises heard by the Wesley family, in 1716. --Noises heard by Martin Luther.--Empty barrels and hogsheads tumbling down stairs.--Information of past, present, and future events.--The fortune tellers in comparison with the spirit rappers. --Spirits unwilling or unable to spell their own names.--Spiritual communications on the decline.--Contrast between the doings of ancient and modern spirits.--Swedenborg's information concerning the spirit of Melancthon.--A clairvoyant interview with Tom Paine. --Account of an interview with Mr. Sunderland.--Dialogue with a young lady.--Interview with a clairvoyant medium in Lowell.--Facts respecting mesmeric operations.--People deceived by "sympathetic spirits."--Judson J. Hutchinson made insane.--Exposure of the deception practised upon him.--Davis's account of Benjamin Franklin.--Dr. Phelps concerning the "spirit rappers."--Singular developments at his house.--How tables, chairs, &c., are moved by spirits.--Exhibitions of "chin music" in London.--Singular transactions in England, as related by Dr. Thomas Dick.--Tricks performed by Joe Collins of Oxford.--Spirits seen by the votaries of St. Vitus, and the Shakers of later times. 118

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