HEALTH OF MEDIUMS

 

Mediumship in its best form depends on a healthful organization. It is not, however, maintained that such must be the condition for sensitiveness in its broad sense. On the contrary persons who are almost devoid of this faculty, become highly sensitive by sickness, and in others sleep brings on the essential conditions of sensitiveness not at all experienced during wakefulness.

 

It cannot be denied with truthfulness that excessive use of mediumship impairs the health. It rapidly exhausts the nervous force, just as excessive study or physical labor would do, only more rapidly. But this does not testify against its own use any more than illness often brought on by physical fatigue would show that labor is harmful. Professional men break down in their vocation and those who delve with their hands grow rapidly old. The demands made on those who have been able to give reliable manifestations have been such that they could resist with difficulty, and they have been over-worked. The sweeping assertion, however, that "all the best" mediums suffer in health or become dissolute, is unsupported by facts. Many of the best have had health and attained length of days. The most remarkable, A. J. Davis, has for more than half a century been practicing his rare gifts, and today is a type of health.

 

Judge Edmunds, who possessed wonderful sensitiveness, lived to a ripe old age. Mansfield must exceed the three score and ten.

 

Dr. F. L. H. Willis was broken in health in his youth, and has never fully recovered, yet his forty odd years of labor as a medium, physician and lecturer, have preserved rather than detracted from his strength. Luther Colby, one of the most sensitive, and who did not spare himself, remained at his editorial post till past four score years.

 

D. D. Home, the most marvelous sensitive, suffered from causes entirely distinct from his mediumship, and was supported, rather than oppressed, by his spirit friends.

 

Of the Fox Sisters, Leah, who became Mrs. Underhill, and while retaining her remarkable gift, did not give it publicity, lived past the average length of life.

 

Margaret, whose attractive personality was sufficient to win the love of Dr. Kane, the eminent Arctic explorer; find Kate, who married Mr. Jencken, of England, were both compelled by adverse circumstances to support themselves by their mediumship. In consequence they were overwrought, and constantly suffered on the verge of nervous prostration. The so-called "confession" was made by a Catholic priest gaining hypnotic control of Margaret, and with a manager, scheming to give a moneymaking show. They only gave one, for after explaining just how the raps were produced by the medium, the sounds began and were so distant from her, and peculiar, that deception was shown to the most skeptical to be impossible. The show was not repeated and some leading Spiritualists of New York City, becoming acquainted with the facts, and that her failing health demanded that they should assist her, gave her home and care until her departure to the spirit land—the existence of which she had done so much to prove to others. Yet to the last the rappings came to her bedside, and those in attendance were cheered by the answers received.