spiritual mediums were developed throughout the eighteen societies. Says Mr. Evans, in the letter referred to :

"In truth, all the members, in a greater or less degree, were mediums. So that physical manifestations, visions, revelations, prophecies, and gifts of various kinds, of which numerous records are kept, and, indeed, divers operations, but all of the same spirit, were as common as gold in California." He says that these spiritual manifestations were of three distinct degrees. The first, being for the complete convincement of the junior members; the second, for the work of judgment, the judging and purifying of the whole people by spiritual agency; and the third, for the ministration of millennial truths, to various nations, kindreds, tribes and people, in the spirit-world, who were hungering and thirsting after righteousness. And that spiritualism in its outward progress will go through the same three degrees in the world at large, being only yet in its first degree in the United States. Spiritual manifestations, he maintained, were God's answer to the hearts' cry of earnest men and women, seeking facts, not words, in attestation of the "Word of Life." (See Howitt's" History of the Supernatural." Ed. 1863, London. Vol. II, P, 194.)

His affirmation of the genuineness of the Eddy materializations, it will be seen, is unqualified and positive. He neither detected any fraud on the part of either of the brothers, by his external powers of observation, nor by his internal function as a seer; in which particulars he goes beyond the position I should be willing, at present, to assume. But I must admit that, in my case, I am hampered by the exercise of only the ordinary

faculties, and therefore may have contracted suspicions that time would prove groundless. If they were not mere suspicions, unsupported by what I consider adequate evidence, I should not hesitate a moment in stating what they are. If I withhold my unqualified endorsement of the entire genuineness of their verity, in the face of such an apparently overwhelming mass of evidence, it would ill become one who desires to proceed to his conclusions with deliberation, to throw suspicions into the scales, which are trembling in the effort to find a balance.

The files of many of the leading secular newspapers furnish ample testimony in favor of the Eddy mediums, and very little against them. Perhaps I should qualify by saying, very little that is entitled to consideration. There are many hasty accounts of single séances, either by persons who went to Chittenden to find support for preconceived prejudices; or by others, who could not see the forms distinctly enough in the obscurity of the chamber, to distinguish their physical contrasts with each other, and did not remain long enough to so familarize their eyes with the light, or themselves with the features of the room, so that they might judge of these peculiarities of form, stature and bearing, as compared with those of William Eddy.

Strangely enough, Mr. Evans' views of the genuineness of the Eddy materializations, find unqualified endorsement by a sect, communistic like his, but its very antipode in one of the fundamentals of belief, I mean the so-called "free-love" society called "The Oneida Community." A committee, consisting of Dr. T. R. Noyes and Mr. F.

Wayland Smith, visited Chittenden on the 2d of November, and upon their return published a report in the a Oneida Circular, the official journal of, the Community, which I have the permission of Mr. Smith to use in this Chapter. He charges me, however, to give it as the expression of his individual opinion concerning the Eddy manifestations; adding that the Community are investigating Spiritualism through their own mediums, and in time will give an authoritative opinion upon the subject.

After describing the committee's arrival at Chittenden, their reception by the Eddys, and the materializations at several successive séances, the writer says :

"The third evening Honto was dressed very prettily, having a bright, phosphorescent diamond on her forehead, and another in her belt. The light from these rose and fell constantly. Her skirts were quite short, so that her stockings and moccasins were visible. She played and sang, danced, and then asked for a pipe. Horatio lighted his for her. She took it and smoked vigorously, so that the light from the burning tobacco reflected on her features, enabling me to see distinctly her copper-colored cheek, the bridge of her nose, and the white of her eye. She smoked and played at the same time, and was so overcome with this double intoxication of her senses that she remained out too long. She suddenly handed back the pipe, and started rapidly towards the cabinet, but just as she reached the curtain, she collapsed into a shapeless heap on the floor, only one hand being distinguishable. The curtain fell back over her, and in half a minute she again appeared, apparently as bright and strong as ever. "At Horatio's light-circle' the tambourine rattles ; the harmonicas sound ; the guitar is held up in plain view and thrummed ; the bells are thrown about ; hands of different sizes and shapes are thrust through the opening between the shawls and passed over the faces of the persons, sometimes tweaking their beards with unpleasant force ; a hand minus the little finger is held up over the top of the curtain ; a large black chair, which has been placed near the table in the recess, is held out horizontally by a strong hand which grasps one leg ; the visible hands write on cards, names and messages for various guests, etc. At one time, I saw the guitar held up above the curtain by its extreme head, the strings being turned towards us, so

that I could see their whole length, in which position it was vigorously thrummed, and yet, though there was a bright light shining on it, I could not see that any thing touched the strings to cause the sounds. All this time the three persons in front of the curtain sat motionless. The supposition that it was their hands which we had seen, and which had caused the manifestations I have described, is, from the nature of the circumstances, their position, etc., simply absurd."

The " dark-circle " phenomena also excited the wonder of the Committee. Says Mr. Smith :

But the most wonderful thing was the ring test. The candle was lighted, and we saw that Horatio was securely tied, as at first. Then, by his direction, an iron ring six inches in diameter and of three-eighths inch metal was found and placed on one corner of the table. Elder Evans, who had that day arrived, was then invited to sit in Horatio's lap and see that he did not stir. A lady also changed her position, so as to sit in front of the Elder and hold his hands. Thus there could have been no collusion or trickery. The candle being now extinguished, the fiddle sounded for a couple of minutes, when the light was again called for. The match was no sooner struck than we saw the Elder still seated on Horatio's knees, Horatio still securely tied. But the iron ring was now on Horatio's right arm above the cord, and his coat had been taken off and lay on the floor beside him ! Then the medium said, 'Mr. Frost, please open the door for two spirits who cannot get in.' "Mr. Frost tool: the candle and went to the door. Returning instantly, he placed the light on the table, within two feet of the ring as it hung on Horatio's arm. Then, while we were all looking directly at it, we saw the ring drop to the floor and roll away I had previously marked this ring, by scratching a bright spot on the inside of the weld with my knife. I now picked it up, and found it to be the same ring. When the ring was put on, and again when it was taken off, Horatio Eddy, the medium, underwent a violent shudder. " I have now brushed hastily over the main facts which came under our observation. I am aware that Dr. Beard, and many other skeptics, are exerting themselves to prove that all these phenomena are produced by jugglery and tricks cleverly executed by the Eddy brothers. But after studying the men as carefully as possible during the four days we lived with them, I cannot believe them dishonest. It would tax my credulity much more severely to believe that this is jugglery, than to believe that it is what they say it is, the work of

spirits ; for to believe that it is jugglery, is to ascribe to these two simple farmers all and more than all the combined skill of every prestidigitator who has ever visited us. The most that the skeptics undertake to prove is, that many of these phenomena might be produced by sleight of hand; no one has been able to prose that any of them are so produced by the Eddys."

Mr. Smith writes me that they "have found a very peculiar medium in Syracuse, N. Y., who gets direct writing in a good light, under very satisfactory conditions," and sends me a printed report of the visit made to him by the Communists." Says Mr. S.:

"This medium is a broker, moves in the best society, and does not allow his name to be mentioned in this connection. I suppose there are a hundred such in the country, who will come out of their shells by and by, when Spiritualism has become somewhat less unpopular with the would-be wise men of the world."

Every investigator, of respectable social position, can indorse the correctness of Mr. Smith's concluding remark. I, myself, have met within the past fortnight in private families, in different cities, two lady mediums, whose Spiritualistic phenomena are of the most wonderful character, equaling anything I ever read of, except the materializations that are now attracting so much attention. When the ban is removed, the world will be astonished to discover how many mediums were long since developed  in the circles of our best society.