The Missing Link In Modern Spiritualism Part 27

ANOTHER STATEMENT FROM D. UNDERHILL.

"SUNDAY NIGHT, August 1, 1859.

"We retired about eleven o'clock. I had locked the door opening from the hall into the front room, also the door leading from the same hall into the bath-room. The door leading from the hall to the bed-room was locked on the inside by Leah; but after retiring she was in doubt as to whether she had locked it; whereupon I arose and went to the door, tried the lock, and found it fast. I then returned to bed. In a few moments we were startled by the springing of the bolt of the lock of that door.

Leah exclaimed, 'What's that?' I replied, 'It's nothing but the springing of the bolt of the lock;' supposing that when I turned the k.n.o.b the bolt had failed to spring into its proper place. 'No,' she said, 'it is something more than that.' Very soon we heard sounds, as if Spirits were on their knees on the floor patting the carpet with their hands. I commenced asking questions, and received responses by the same sounds.

"It was soon evident that one or more Spirits were around our bed. My questions were answered by a hand patting me on the head. Soon something was pa.s.sed over our faces, just touching us, after which lights appeared over us. They pa.s.sed to my side of the bed, and a cloth was placed upon my right shoulder and pressed heavily--at times as with two hands; also on the arm. When the pressure left my arm the light again appeared on or over us, waving about us, as if to gather force from the atmosphere.

During all this time hands were distinctly visible holding the cloth with a bright phosph.o.r.escent light upon it. Then the sheet with which I was covered was drawn down and the cloth was placed upon my stomach and chest. On feeling it with my hands, I found it was a coa.r.s.e towel.

Repeated pressures were made in this way for some time, after which there was an alarm of fire in the neighborhood. I dressed myself, and went out, returning in about half an hour. On my return I again locked the door and extinguished the light, and went to bed.

"My attention was attracted to a bright light on the floor, when, at the same time, Leah noticed a bright, flashing light, rising from the mantel, and showing the picture over it distinctly. She called my attention to it. The foot-board of the bedstead obstructed my view, but on rising I noticed several lights, also one which appeared above the mantel. I arose and went to satisfy myself that there were no matches lying around, when, reaching the spot, I found the light was very brilliant, and emitted a strong phosph.o.r.escent vapor. Placing my hand upon one of the lights, I found it to be a small granule of phosphorus, comparing exactly with those which we had before found deposited in the earth. Several of these granules were lying near by, and also in the candelabrum on the end of the mantel-piece.

"As I was about to resume my place in bed, the alphabet was called for, and the Spirit spelled out, 'Look in the fire-place.' On looking I discovered a number of pieces or granules of phosphorus on the bricks inside of the fire-place, which was closed tightly with a screen or summer-piece. The Spirits said they had placed them there to avoid damage or danger, as my getting up and going out had disturbed the forces too suddenly.

"A few evenings afterward, there were again manifestations of phosphorus, which were so strong that I was fearful they might set fire to the bed, and as a matter of precaution, I procured a pail of water and placed it beside the bed. It was then spelled, 'Keep pa.s.sive, and there will be no danger.' I was then directed to place paper and pencil under the bed, which I did, and very soon we heard the scratching of the pencil on the paper, which was badly scorched, and a third part of it burned; but the writing was plainly visible. The paper was lost, and I do not now remember the communication written upon it. The Spirits said, however, that the scorching of the paper was caused by the forces being too strong."

"SAt.u.r.dAY NIGHT, July 31, 1859.

"About ten o'clock P.M. Leah and myself were in the second story. I was sitting by the front window, leaning my hand against the cas.e.m.e.nt, dozing. Leah had pa.s.sed into the back room, and was returning to the front room, when she was startled by heavy tramping, apparently close behind her. The sound was similar to that of a person walking in wooden shoes. She called to me. I started, and met her in the middle room. When Leah stopped walking the footsteps ceased, but as soon as she commenced again the same heavy steps kept pace with her. We pa.s.sed into the front room, where she called me to try a test. She sat down in a high chair, and I seated myself on the floor, in front of her, taking her feet on my knees. Very soon the same sounds were produced on the floor beside her chair; showing very clearly that the sounds were produced independently of her, not even causing any nervous start or electric motion on her part.

"D. UNDERHILL."

CHAPTER XXI.

BOSTON AND THE HARVARD PROFESSORS, 1857.

AGREEMENT FOR AN INVESTIGATION BY A COMMITTEE OF HARVARD PROFESSORS--EXPULSION OF A STUDENT FROM THE DIVINITY SCHOOL FOR THE CRIME OF MEDIUMSHIP--PROFESSOR FELTON--AGa.s.sIZ--VARLEY, THE ELECTRICIAN OF THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY.

On the 16th day of June, 1857, we left our home in New York, at the earnest solicitation of friends in Boston, to attend an investigation which had been arranged in accordance with the following note:

THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES.

"We, the undersigned, hereby agree to submit the question in controversy between us in regard to the phenomena of Spiritualism, so called, to the investigation and award of the Committee, consisting of Professors Aga.s.siz, Pierce, and Horsford, and Dr. Gould, according to the terms of the paper annexed.

_Boston Courier_, by GEORGE LUNT.

H. F. GARDNER.

"CAMBRIDGE, June 9, 1857."

DR. GARDNER'S CONDITIONS.

"Meeting to be held in a suitable room in the city of Boston, to continue six days, or a longer time if desirable, and two hours each day to be devoted to the investigation, commencing at 4 and closing at 6 o'clock P.M.

"All the arrangements and details for the forming of the circles to be entirely under the control of Dr. Gardner, except the Committee may remain out of the circle so formed if they choose to do so. If the phenomena are produced under the arrangements as ordered by Dr.

Gardner, and they are not satisfactory to the Committee, they shall have the right to require them to be produced under such conditions as in their judgment will be satisfactory to them.

"As harmony is an essential condition for the production of the manifestations, it is agreed that no loud talking or exciting debate or other unnecessary noise shall be allowed in the rooms during the sessions, and that each person present shall be treated with that respect and courtesy which is due from each person to every other in the society of GENTLEMEN.

"There may be present at each session the writer in the _Boston Courier_, and a friend, and the four gentlemen composing the Committee of Investigation, Dr. Gardner, and any number of persons not exceeding six at any one time, at his option, such being selected and invited by Dr. Gardner.

"The writer in the _Courier_, and the gentlemen composing the Committee, agree that, while they are at liberty to exercise all the shrewdness and powers of observation which they are capable during the investigation, they will not exercise their will power to endeavor to prevent the manifestations, but allow them to be produced under the most favorable conditions which a thorough scientific investigation will permit.

"The words 'to be provided by Dr. Gardner' first being stricken out, and the words 'and a friend' inserted, it is further understood that the proceedings are not to be published until the investigations are closed.

"_Boston Courier_, by GEORGE LUNT.

H. F. GARDNER."

We questioned, at that time, the propriety of leaving New York to attend to this request, as to do so would necessarily cause us to break our engagements at home. And, as to the contest between the professors of Harvard College and the Boston Spiritualists, mediums, etc., we cared very little at that time whether they (the professors) should p.r.o.nounce for or against us, and for this reason: that it may be safely averred that while intelligent, scientific minds, honestly and studiously devoted to their legitimate labors and investigations, have been, and are, glorious pioneers in the advancement of human knowledge, _there are subjects_ touching which scholastic eminence furnishes but a poor outfit for special and honest investigation. But we had met the equals of these Boston and Harvard professors long ere this; and here let me add we seldom received enlightenment through scientific opponents. Many successful experiments had been made by honest, intelligent, and educated investigators, which proved, beyond all cavil, what _their science_ could not fathom--and did not wish to.

It will be remembered, I doubt not, that Professor Eustis, of the Scientific School, once caught the foot of a Divinity student out of its proper place under the table, and that the said professor cried "fraud,"

and brought an accusation against the student before the governing faculty of the university, who, in their high wisdom, knowing not what they did, expelled the young man for the "heinous crime of owning an erratic foot."

I am unable to state here at what time this occurrence took place, but the public press, at that time, very extensively condemned the action of the collegiate authorities in that case; and, in doing this, Spiritualism necessarily came more or less in for consideration. Great doubt was expressed, in the press editorials of the day, of the honesty of the professors in thus expelling the student without giving him an opportunity to prove his integrity. The expulsion of this young Divinity student was simply because he was a Spiritualist and a medium, and refused to abandon the sacred truth which he had learned and tested in his own person; and it was in the full spirit of the old New England persecutions for honest opinion obnoxious to dominant authority; which, fortunately, had no longer the power to hang or burn. But the world moves, after all, in spite of such persecutions, to which history soon does the justice it has rendered to Galileo; and the leading scientific journal of New England, published at Cambridge itself, an organ of the Scientific faculty of Harvard, has recently put itself in the line of modern progress in reference to this very subject of Spiritualism.

Fierce and rude attacks were made in the columns of _The Boston Courier_, _by these professors_, upon mediums, Spiritualists, and all who had any faith in the phenomena; insinuating at the time that, "If mediums believed in themselves, they would only be too eager to exhibit their powers before those who are most sceptical."

In reply to these attacks Dr. Gardner made the following proposition, viz., That a committee of twelve disinterested men shall be selected by the princ.i.p.al editors of _The Boston Journal_, _The Boston Courier_, and _The Daily Traveller_, which committee shall arrange all the preliminaries of the discussion, and decide upon the strength of the arguments, adduced for and against the Spiritual origin of the various forms of manifestations of the present day, usually denominated Spiritual.

The challenge to a public discussion was declined, but in lieu of it the following statement appeared in _The Courier_, which was well understood to have proceeded from Professor Felton, of Harvard:

"We will pay $500 to Dr. Gardner, to Mrs. Henderson, to Mrs. Hatch, or to Mr. or Mrs. anybody else who will communicate a single word imparted to the 'Spirits' by us, in an adjoining room; who will read a single word, in English, written inside a book, or sheet of paper, folded in such a manner as we may choose; who will answer, with the aid of all the higher intelligences he or she can invoke from the other world, _three questions_--which the superior intelligences must be able to answer, if what they said in _The Melodeon_ was true; and we will not require Dr.

Gardner or the mediums to risk a single cent on the experiment. If one or all of them can do one of these things, the five hundred dollars shall be paid on the spot. If they fail, they shall pay nothing; not even the expense incident to trying the experiment."

Immediately on receipt of this challenge from the professors, Dr.

Gardner replied, "Now, Mr. Editor, I accept the offer, as I do also the distinguished gentlemen named as the committee, provided the person or persons making the offer will agree to let all of the conditions of the arrangement come within the scope of those natural laws within which we believe Spirits are confined in producing the manifestations above referred to; and I will meet the person or persons making the offer at any time and place, after next Sabbath, which he or they may name, to make such arrangements as are necessary to a thorough and scientific test of this great subject.

"H. F. GARDNER.

"May 27, 1857."

The committee named in the _Courier_ was George Lunt (editor of that paper), Prof. Benjamin Pierce, chairman, Prof. Aga.s.siz, Prof. Horsford, and Dr. A. B. Gould.

The place of meeting was in the upper room of the Albion Building, corner of Tremont and Beacon Streets, Boston.

I and Katie accepted an invitation to go to Boston to lend our contribution to this investigation, with disinterested self-sacrifice for the sake of the cause, and in support of Dr. Gardner, one of the best of men and Spiritualists, who thus stood forward as its representative and champion. I may mention that this was anterior, not subsequent to the Phosphorus affair related in the preceding chapter.

There were present Miss Kendrick, George A. Redman, J. V. Mansfield, the Davenport brothers, Katie and myself--mediums.

The committee of Spiritualists were Mr. Allan Putnam, Dr. Gardner, Major G. Washington Rains.

At the first meeting Dr. Gardner expressed his dissatisfaction with the idea of a penalty of $500, or of any money, to be paid by the _Courier_, and this seemed to meet unanimous approval; so that no ground remained for the position afterward taken by the professors, that they had to make an award, as stakeholders and judges, of $500 on the presentation of certain specific phenomena laid in Prof. Felton's original (unsigned) article in the _Courier_, while the doc.u.ment above quoted, of June 9, 1857, between the _Courier_ and Dr. Gardner, is conclusive to the effect that it was to be a general scientific investigation. It will be seen below how the professors afterward quibbled over this point, and avoided making a report of any results, but only an "award" that the $500 was not claimable, because the specific phenomena originally put forward by Prof. Felton had not been exhibited; while at the same time promising a future report, which report they _never came up to the scratch of making_. It was generally understood that a draft of a report had been proposed by a portion of them, but suppressed because deemed more "damaging to Christianity" than one favorable to Spiritualism. So that Harvard has ever since remained under the odium and ridicule of never having made a report, of which, in what they called an "award," it had recognized that the duty was inc.u.mbent on the professors, and which they had expressly promised to make. It was in vain that for months and years the Spiritualist papers of Boston clamored for the promised report, and jeered at those who evidently found it impossible to make one which should not be more or less favorable to Spiritualism.