THE NEW YORK MIRACLES.
"Can such things be, Without our special wonder ?"
SPIRITS are reported to have manifested themselves in the state of New York, with a rapid increase of that invisible population. In its present aspect the case is a sort of multiplication of the Cock Lane Ghost; but it is remarkable for its duration, its wide geographical distribution, and its connexion with the questionable facts of mesmerism. The manifestations began about two years ago, in "a house" of "Western New York," and in the shape of " a simple hollow rapping," which could be traced to no visible rapper. The neighbours assembled sometimes to the number of three hundred ; searched from garret to cellar, investigated, and finally listened in passive wonder. The invisible rapper was found to be significant in the noises, and also a responsible being, inas- much as answers were given to questions : the ages of children were counted correctly, in raps; a child who snapped her fingers thrice was answered by three raps; and it was soon discovered that raps in reply to questions bore an affirmative meaning. But the rapper proved a scholar apt at the hornbook— "The question was put, 'Are you a spirit?' The answer was by rapping— three raps. By this means they found that it purported to be the spirit of a man. Many expedients were resorted to by which to find out the name of the MAU whose spirit was making these manifestations. At length a stranger asked, If I will call the alphabet, beginning with A, will you rap when I come to the first letter of his name?' The answer was affirmative. He then commenced 4A,B, C'—when he came to C there was a rap. Again he went on, and it rapped at H; and in that way he spelled out the name of 'Charles Rasme.' As before stated, these sounds have from that time been heard in various families in that place, and the cities of Auburn and Rochester, and various places in the country. Although confined to this rapping sound, the mode of communication has gra- dually improved, so that many very curious and astonishing sentences have been spelled by the USB of the alphabet. It no longer purports to be the spirit of one man or person; but when an individual makes the inquiry, Who is it that wishes to communicate with me?' they will generally get the name of some friend or relative—a mother, father, sister, or brother, who has passed from visible existence. Many persons have made the trial, and have had names spelled out to them of their friends, unknown to any persons present. Strangers have tried the experiment, and had their names spelled out before any person present knew it or where they came from. "In each family where the sounds appear there seems to be some one or two whose presence is necessary to insure communications freely. Generally we find that these persons are susceptible to magnetic influences and clairvoyant, although we have heard it where there were none that had ever been magnetized or were known to be clairvoyant."
About a year ago, this new sect of Rappites became known to the editor of the Nem York Tribune, a Fourierist journal ; and the journalist was reduced to a state of provisional belief in the genuineness of what he witnessed, until it should be contradicted. Early in November last he received "a message" that the mani- festations must be made more public ; and the editor obligingly placed himself at the disposal of the invisible correspondent ; under whose " directions " a public lecture on the manifestations was delivered in the Corinthian Hall of Rochester, on the 14th November; a committee was appointed, and next evening the committee made a report on the affair. To the questions of this committee, it seems, the answers "were not altogether right, nor altogether wrong " ; so the new Rappitea are not infallible. Another committee was appointed, including two physicians and two Honourables, who investigated the manifestations in the office of Chancellor Nirhittesley ; then a third committee, entirely composed of sceptics ; also a committee of ladies,—as there always appear to be "ladies" involved in the manifestations. "The ladies" of the haunted houses were "disrobed," stood upon pil- lows, upon glass, tied, placed under the stethoscope to secure that the sounds should not be vocal, and held by the hand : still the Rappites rapped ; a vibration or "jarring" was felt on the floor and throughout the room during the raps ; and questions, asked openly, on paper, or even "mentally," were duly answered.
"Thus the matter stands at present; and whether it is only a remarkable
phenomena [sic] which will pass away with the present generation, or with the persons who seem now to be the medium of this extraordinary communication, or whether it be the commencement of a new era of spiritual influx into the world, it is certainly something worthy the attention of men of candour and phi- losophy. "E. W. CAPRON, Auburn, "GEORGE WILLETS, Rochester.'
Something of course there is in these signs; but what? Con- jecture makes many alternative answers to that question. It may be a juggle ; and if so, it is remarkable among juggles for its ex- tensive spread over the soil of the Empire State, and for the numbers publicly juggled. As to the numbers and respectability of dupes, precedents might be found; but the geographical ex- tension seems to be new. It may be a new natural pheenome- non,—such as a new function discovered by persons in a mes- merized state, who are conspiring to keep it unknown. It may be a newly-established or newly-revived communication from some kind of creature imperfectly cognizable to our sense, as a human being must be to a sightless worm. Or—it may be a real manifestation of " spirits." The last possibility is suggested by an innate feeling in the human mind to presume the existence of supernatural beings. In one sense, supernatural creatures there cannot be, since all must conform to the supreme laws which rule the universe. In another sense, supernaturalism is identical with the proposition that creatures exist of which human senses are not cognizant; a probability established by the progress of science, which con- tinually discloses to us things partially cognizable, and some wholly unknown previously ; while the nature of other things— such as the "imponderables "—is very problematical. Whatever creatures manifest themselves, we may always assume that they are our fellow creatures, in the sense of being subject to the uni- versal God.
But that these sounds should be emitted by any order of " superior" beings, is unlikely on the face of the evidence ; it is also unlikely that they should be alien from humanity.. Some traits will be observed in the narrative common to all such affairs. The " spirits " deal unhesitatingly with things not belonging to nature at large, or the spiritual world at large, but artificially contrived by humanity : they dodge about closets and cupboards, they are intimate with human usages, they have learned not only the human but the Anglo-Saxon alphabet, and can spell. A good deal of humanity in all this, though not more than might be shown by a very foolish impostor. The second trait is the tendency of the "supernatural" visitants to deal exclusively with trivialities and puenlities,—startling women and children with raps, spelling names, and counting the ages of children "correctly." Now, before it can be supposed that any higher or- der of beings would stoop to such triffings, we must alter our whole ideas of what is superior and inferior. If these Rappites are "spirits," they appear to be spirits of a very juvenile understand- ing, and quite inferior to the average of mankind : if they are "ghosts," then the ghostly condition is one of degradation—as a mathematician might say, it is dotage "produced.' However, it is impossible to repel a curiosity to learn the issue of the maid. festationa which thus hold our brethren of New York in wonder- ing amazement.
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