Show HOW IT ORIGINATED JA Hydesville the Birthplace of Modern Spiritualism THE NAUGHTY FOX SISTERS Cracklnc Toe Joints In Fun Starts a New Religion Which Has Since Gained a Great Many Adherents HIDISnLLI N Y March 27 1500 Special correspondence of THE HCUALU Next Monday March 31 will be celebrated cele-brated by spiritualists all over the world ns the fortyfirst anniversary of the origin of modern spiritualism and it was this pleasant little village which gave it birth Hydesvillo is a quaint old place dull anti sleepy with an indescribable finished appearance ap-pearance conveying the idea that it is absolutely abso-lutely completed and that no more building or other changes can ever tako place here Many of its picturcsquodwcllings arc overgrown over-grown with vines and their architecture includes just such a porch as a tired pedestrian pedes-trian or cycler delights to rest in on a hot l summer day It was in ono of theso old fJ r frame houses still pointed out to visitors here that in 1S4T occurred tho riKST MANIFESTATIONS OF MODERN SriKIT UALISM familiar to the present believers in that faith Though the Fox sisters Margaretta and Catherine through whom tho first revelations of supposed spirit power were made have recently denounced thomselves as charlatans who have been willfully perpetrating a gross and premeditated fraud for many years and though they have stated that the bocalled spirit rap pings which created such an immense sensation fortytwo years ago were produced pro-duced by a voluntary cracking of their toe joints tho faith of believers in spiritualism is in no wise shaken L Tho latter say that though the Fox sisters may be impostors as they declare themselves to be yet the great truths and tri nciples of modern spiritualism stand as Sftnly i and shine as brightly as ever They say that these date back far beyond the time of the Fox girls Even in that low rambling twostory house in which those mendacious young women first cracked their toe joints it is claimed that genuine spiritual phenomena were observed before the Fox girls ever inhabited it In 1847 the house was occupied by ono Michael Weckman and his family a poor ignorant i laborer with no thought beyond his daily toll for his daily bread He and his family were soon troubled by mysterious raps beard in all parts of their dwelling especially especi-ally at night an annoyance that increased to such an extent that sleep became impossible impos-sible During all this time the Fox sisters then mere children aged eleven and nine Fears lived with their parents several nilcs away so that they could not possibly A have had a hand or a toojoint in tho mysterious rappings at Mr Weekmans house It was this constantly increasing annoyance of loud raps which though diligently investigated could not bo traced to any human agency and soon caused Mr Weckman to abandon his residence Then it was that on March 1 iSIS Mr John D Fox and his family became its occupants oc-cupants Tho mysterious raps still continued con-tinued Tho neighbors were called in on several occasions and every possible effort was made to trace their origin but in Tain YamIt It was on tho night of March 31 of that same year of iSIS that THE MYSTERIOUS HAPS first gave evidence of being directed by Borne controlling intelligence The family had retired during a Brief lull in them the-m sterieus rappings when suddenly it began be-gan again occurring this time near the bed occupied thy the two little daughters Mar garotta and Catharine Tho latter began Ito I-to snap her fingers in imitation of the sounds which immediately responded Now do as I do she cried count 123 tf 56 at the same time striking her hands together Mrs Fox the girls mother then desired tho unseen agency to count ten and that number of raps immediately followed Tell us the age of Cathy tho younger daughter by rapping once for each year said the mother and ten distinct dis-tinct raps wer heard Startled by these manifestations Mrs Fox asked if it were a human being who was rapping but no answering sound was UCueard If you are a spirit make two distinct dis-tinct responded sounds sho said and two loud raps f Kate Fox in her late exposures of spirit 4 valism has declared that she and her sister were producing these mysterious raps while lying in bed and almost choking with laughter at tho clever impositions they Were practicing on their mother The power of cracking their toe joints by which they produced their spirit rap pings they had accidenily discovered and had practiced until they had acquired great proficiency Be that as it may these supposed sup-posed manifestations of spirit power created an intense excitement The family froso from their beds and searched every portion of the house without result The heigh nors were called in and numerous questions asked to which answers were received re-ceived from the mysterious raps By sunrise sun-rise the whole village was on the spot and thelittle house was crowded in every part VJPinally tho spirit was asked to spell out his it her name by rapping at the correct letters let-ters as the alphabet was repeated As a result the name of Charles B Rosma was obtained and the spirit said he was a pod filer who had been murdered in that house E few years before Soon after the Fox family removed to Rochester New York and the same spirit pal manifestations continued in their now home but only when Catharine or Mar garetta were present By using the letters of the alphabet in the manner already indicated in-dicated the Fox sisters said that they found a great number of departed spirits who desired to converse with them and to aBe them as a medium of communication With their departed friends At length the alleged spirits communicated communi-cated to the Fox girls their desire that there should bo held a public meeting at which a committee of investigation chosen by tho audience should determine whether I they were genuine spirits and produced frtheir socalled manifestations without juman aid Such a meeting was accord lUg held at Corinthian hall Rochester in November 1S40 The Fox sisters appeared pn the stage and the spiritual phenomena being freely manifested were investigated by a committee of prominent gentlemen Who after continuing their researches for jeveral days reported their inability to Ice I-ce them to any human agency i THE FAME OF TUB FOX SISTERS jras J now national and when they appeared si New York in the following May an aouncing themselves as spiritual mediums medi-ums a phrase which originated with them they created an intense furore These two young girls had thus founded anew a-new faith to which they gavo the name of Spiritualism Humble as was its origin led insignificant as was tho character of tI first manifestations it soon found a Jmltitnde of believers in both hemispheres Spiritual mediums quickly sprang up all ver the country and were soon multiplied by hundreds and even by thousands No potter evidence of the power of the now aIth over the minds of tho men and of its perpetuity could possibly be desired than he fact that even its denouncement as the malloxvcst flimsiest humbuggery by those who founded it and their statement Ibat it is an outandout fraud originated by b two little girls solely in a spirit of mis Jhlef have been powerless to overthrow or ivcn to shake it But believers in spiritualism now go far Jack beyond the Fox sisters for the origin pf their faith So long ago as the seventeenth seven-teenth and eighteenth centuries there were siaiiy persons who professed to be underlie under-lie direct guidance of the Divine Spirit V Jtnd who may in that sense have been called < f iniritualists Those same individuals also 9 Claimed to be in full and open communica Vnn with the spiritual world and to hold daily conversations of the most familiar character with spirits and with angels Prominent among such mystical thinkers were Jacob Bohme or Boehmen SpenerJ Godfrey Arnold John William Peterson John Albert Bengel Heinrich Jung Still ings Madame Guyou Octinger and Swcd enborg The last named when on his death bed in 1772 predicted that in about eighty years from that time there would be a general revelation from the spiritual world which would bring his teachings into general notice and to confirm their truth a prediction which it is claimedwas fulfilled in iSIS just seventysix years after the death of Swedenborg by the manifestations of spirit power which were then made here in Hyaesvillo and which soon attracted general attention throughout through-out tho world Besides this prediction of Swedenborg tho birth of modern spiritualism was twice prophesied In 1S43 some members of the Shaker communities at New Lebanon and Watervliet New York seemed to be under some strange psychological influence which threw them into a trance state While in that condition they delivered long discourses dis-courses in the names of eminent men of bygone ages by whose spirits they said they were possessed After theso manifestations had continued for nearly a year the spirit ono day bade the brethren a solemn adieu telling them i to say nothing to the worlds people of what had passed but to treasure it in their hearts and promising that in a few years they would return and show to the whole world the same manifestations which they had revealed to a chosen few of the pious members of the Shaker communities In that same year of 1843 one Andrew Jackson Jack-son Davis a poor ignorant country lad in the employ of a farmer of Orange county New York was mesmerized into a trance state by William Levington and ever afterward after-ward seemed to have the power of passing into such a condition at will Though so illiterate that bn COULD SCARCELY READ OR WRITE yet in the fall of 1840 while in tho trance state ho dictated under the title of The Principles of Nature Her Divine Revelations Revela-tions and a Voice to Mankind a learned treatise on ontological cosmical theological theologi-cal spiritual and social subjects In this work he predicted that Communication with the spiritual world would ere long assume as-sume the form of a living demonstration 11 a prophecy which spiritualists believe to have been fulfilled as were that of Swed enborg and that of the spirits to the Shakers Shak-ers by the manifestations at this village in 1S474S To the unbeliever modern spiritualism its most improbable feature and that which tends most largely to bring it into discredit dis-credit is the alleged necessity for spiritual mediums If the spirits of the dead have power to communicate with relatives and friends who have not yet learned tho great secret why can they not do so directly without requiring the intervention of a third person who was wholly unknown to them in life Why should the spirit of a mother or wife communicate with a son or husband nn matter that should ho kent sacred between them through a socalled medium who perhaps is coarse and vulgar vul-gar in nature and the last person that either would choose for tho repository repos-itory of their confidence Then again the very vague and general nature of the great majority of communications communi-cations and messages received from the spirit world tend to create and confirm skeptics Instead of conversing on some theme known only to the dear departed and the relative or friend with whom he is communicating com-municating which would bo to tho doubter confirmation strong as proof of holy writ the spirit merely says in ninetynine cases out of one hundred that ho is happy in tho spirit life and wants to meet you there There is urgent need for a new duo of Fox or other sister who shall proclaim a new revelation of spiritualism which shall enable en-able the spirits to wholly dispense with mercenary mediums and to hold direct converse con-verse with relatives and friends on earth GEOFFREY WILLISTOX CHRISTINE |