Part 7

"Waking in the night, the _strange_ drawing process instantly commenced, and I felt and saw within me the figure of an angel, whose countenance resembled that of Christ, descending from a morning sky towards me, and bearing upon his shoulders a large cross, whilst from his lips proceeded these words--'Love, mercy, peace, but not till after death.' Again my soul _trembled with anguish_, for that strange portentous word, '_death_,' was ever written within me or without. This peculiar stage of development soon produced a singular affection of my throat, an affection of the mucous membrane, which caused several times a day, and especially when rising in the morning, the _most distressing sensations_. After suffering thus for several days, the mysterious writing informed me that I must take a _certain quantity of port wine_ every day, and then the sensation would leave me." And she adds, "I followed the spiritual direction, and found almost immediate relief."

The spirit doctor, in fact, after the dreadful suffering the scholar had gone through, prescribed a "drop of comfort," a drop of the spirit of Alcohol, which spirit is very much like these rapping spirits, _deceitful_ and _dangerous_, and this, we may presume, is the reason why the medicine adopted the name of "comfort." Well, some people will say that some little _comfort_ was needed after so much _dis_comfort and suffering--but _why_, all this suffering? Cannot these spirit drawing-masters instruct their pupils in this poor, wretched, miserable style of drawing, without all this misery and punishment? If not, I should think that very few ladies or gentlemen would like to take lessons in drawing, or, indeed, in any other art, under such painful circumstances. A _spirit_ drawing-master's card would, I presume, be something like the following:--

In taking one more extract from "Comfort," I hope that I am not giving any discomfort to that "medium," who, from my _in_most heart I hope and trust, is now enjoying that rational and natural comfort which all well-wishers to their fellow-creatures wish strangers to feel, as well as their friends. The medium proceeds to say:--"Ignorance of their real nature and of their alternate purposes in the progress of civilization and development of mind, has already caused _immense misery_ in many directions, and will cause more and more, even infinitely worse, until the time arrives that the medical world will follow the example of Dr. Garth Wilkinson in his valuable pamphlet on the treatment of _lunacy_ through _spiritualism_, and calmly regard this growing development not as insanity, but as a _key whereby to unlock insanity_"!!!

I have not the slightest notion of what this pamphlet contains, but from the above very _un_comfortable opinion expressed by "Comfort" upon this matter, it seems to me that a sufficient "_key_" is here given to unlock, if not all, at all events, the greater part of the mysteries of this _spirit drawing_ and _spirit writing_, and, indeed, the whole of this spirit movement.

I would here call the attention of the medical world to the way in which the spirits are acting towards that body. I presume that they are the spirits of deceased members of the profession; and if so they are acting in a most unbrotherly, underhanded manner, in fact, undermining the profession altogether by "rapping" out prescriptions from _under the table_, for which they do not take a "rap" as a fee. Yes, "advice gratis" for nothing. I entreat medical men not to smile at my remarks, for they may be assured that there is a dark conspiracy--I cannot say "afoot," because spirits have no feet--but I may say in hand; and as matters stand at present, it looks as if "THE D. _without_ the M., and DR. FAUSTUS" had entered into a partnership to destroy all medical doctors by introducing a system which they could not only not practise, but, as far as I am able to judge, could never understand, and which, though it is given in the "_Light_ in the Valley," "_read_" they may, and "_mark_" they may, "_learn_" they cannot, and "inwardly DIGEST" they never will.

In the concluding pages of the "Light in the Valley," a letter is introduced, which is evidently written by a highly-educated person, in support of "an occult law," and from all that is stated in this letter the writer might as well have said at once, I believe in witchcraft, or that craft which enables an ignorant old woman, who is called a "witch," to make contracts with the Evil One, for the purpose of torturing, or making miserable for life, or destroying unto death, her neighbours, their children, or their cattle; and that an ignorant old man, under the name of a "wizard," may do the same; also, in astrology, or "ruling the stars," to predict coming events, or the future fate of individuals born at particular periods of the year, according to the position of the stars at that time; or in "fortune-telling," performed either by "crossing the hand" with a piece of money, got out of some simpleton's pocket for that purpose, but which never gets back there again; or by bits of paper, called "cards;" to which also may be added, as a matter of course, I believe in ghosts, hobgoblins, and in everything of a supernatural character.

We can readily understand why the ignorant and uneducated believe in all these matters; the cause is traced and known; but it seems almost impossible to believe that educated persons, even with a small amount of reflection, can put their faith in such superstitious delusions; and if the question is put to such persons, as "show us any good" resulting in the existence of an "occult law," we may safely defy any one to show _one instance, where any good has ever resulted from such a belief_ in what they term the deep "arcana of Nature's book," or rather unnatural nonsense. Whereas, on the other hand, the amount of evil arising from this source has been fearfully great, and the murders many; dragging poor old creatures through ponds, and hanging them, and even torturing them to death in a way too disgusting to describe. Our own records are, unfortunately, too massive of such ignorant and savage atrocities; but not only were such deeds enacted in this (at that time) so misnamed Christian land, but also in other countries denominated Christian; but which title their brutal acts gave them, like ourselves, no right to assume; not only in Europe, but also in America. In that country, about the year 1642, many poor old women were persecuted to death. One woman was hung at Salem for bewitching four children, and the eldest daughter afterwards confessed to the tricks that she and her sisters had played in pretending to be "bewitched."

But in our own time we find that this belief in the power of foretelling events leads to much mischief and misery, and from certain facts we may be assured that there is a larger amount of evil from this cause than is made known to the public. The "occult law" leads to many breaches of the law of the land, and to serious crime; it opens the door to gross imposture, swindling, and robbery, misleading the minds of simple people, and turning their conduct and ways from their proper and natural course, and the strange _unaccountable_ conduct of some persons might be easily accounted for, when traced to this "fortune-telling" foolery. The happiness of one family was destroyed only the other day by a deaf and dumb "ruler of the stars," who is now in penal servitude, and who would have been executed had the offence been committed some years back. Several such "rulers of the stars," or "fortune-tellers," have been hung for similar crimes, in my time, one I remember was a black man, hung at the Old Bailey.

The _clothes test_ cannot be brought to bear upon the predicting of events, but there is a _test_, which may be brought with equal force upon this question, which is, that although these prophets profess to tell what is going to happen to others, THEY CANNOT FORETELL WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEMSELVES, for if they could, they would have, of course, avoided the punishments which the law has, and is constantly inflicting upon them for their offences. And Mr. "Zadkiel," for instance, would not have brought his action against Admiral Sir Edward Belcher, if he could have _foreseen_ the result; after which, no doubt, he cried out, "Oh! my stars!--if I had known as much as I know now, I never would have gone into court!"

A "Bow Street officer" (as a branch of the old police were styled) told me that he had a warrant to take up a female fortune-teller, who was plucking the geese to a large amount. Her principal dupes were females, and he being a _gander_ had some difficulty in managing to get an introduction (for this tribe of swindlers use as much caution as they can). He however succeeded in getting the _wise_ woman to tell him his fortune, for which he professed himself much obliged, and told her that as he had a little faculty in that way himself, he would in return, tell her, her fortune, which was, that she was that morning going before the magistrate at Bow Street, who had some power in this way also, and he would likewise tell her her fortune. She smiled at first and would not believe in what he said, but he showed her the warrant, and all came true that he had told her; but nothing came _true_ of what she had told him.

From the high and pure character of many persons well known to me, who are mixed up in these _seances_, it is _almost_ impossible not to believe their statements of these wonders, the truth of which wonders they so _positively_ assert. _If_ true, they are _indeed_ wonderful; but _if tricks_, then do they surpass all other tricks, ever performed by all the "sleight of hand" gentry put together, who ever bamboozled poor credulous, simple creatures, or astonished and puzzled a delighted audience. There can be but _two sides_ to a question, _true_ or _false_; and, as already hinted, it remains for the mediums to prove their case, and to place the matter in a better light than it stands at present, which is indeed a very dim and uncertain sort of "night light;" but as, up to this time, their assertions are at variance with what has hitherto been considered as sound sense and understanding, those outside the "circle" have not only a right, to be cautious of stepping into such a circle, but, until some more reasonable reasons are given--even putting aside the _cui bono_ for the present--unless some rational natural cause can be assigned, they have a right to suspect the whole, either as a _Delusion_ or a _Disease_.

But even if this party _prove_, that these "thing-em bobs" are _real_ spirits, they appear to be so dreadful and dangerous, and there really is such a "_strong_ family likeness" between some of them, and a certain "_Old Gentleman_," that I would say "the less they have to do with them the better;" but even supposing they are not "so black as they are painted" (by their mediums), if even they are a sort of "half-and-half," nevertheless, I would say--

"Rest, rest, perturbed spirits rest;" For if not for you, for us 'twill be the best.

There _may_ be, as already observed, more things _between_ heaven and earth than were dreamt of in the philosophy of Horatio; but let the "inquiring spirit" _rest_ assured that amongst these "things" there could not be included the _Ghost_ of IRON ARMOUR; and though 'tis said "there's nothing like leather," yet none of these said "things" could have been the LEATHER of "TOP-BOOTS"--no, not even the LEATHER of the "TOPS" nor the LEATHER of the "SOLES" thereof.

In concluding, I will just add to this Addenda, that,--

Although I _have_ seen, (in the "mirage," in the sky) A ship "upside down," the great hull and big sails, No one, has ever yet seen, such things, as the _Ghosts_, Of HATS or WIGS, or of short, or long PIG-TAILS.

And this is the "long and the short" of my

DISCOVERY CONCERNING GHOSTS, with A RAP AT THE RAPPERS.

THE END.

HABBILD, PRINTER, LONDON.

TO BE PUBLISHED BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

PUSS IN BOOTS,

TO FORM No. 4 OF

GEORGE CRUIKSHANKS FAIRY LIBRARY.

The other Numbers already Published being

HOP O MY THUMB,

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK,

AND

CINDERELLA.

ALSO, PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION,

THE ADVENTURES OF MR. LAMBKIN;

OR, THE BACHELOR'S OWN BOOK.

NOW ON SALE,

THE SHILLING EDITION OF

THE BOTTLE.

* * * * *

THE LOVING BALLAD OF LORD BATEMAN. COMIC ALPHABET. ILLUSTRATIONS OF SIR WALTER SCOTT'S DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT.