MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS.
J. HEDDON--S. CHAMBERLAIN--JOHN E. ROBINSON--A. UNDERHILL--GEORGE
LEE, M. D.
The two following letters, from Mr. Heddon and Judge Chamberlain to me,
I take from _The Cleveland Plaindealer_, in which paper they are thus
prefaced by the editor:
"_More Testimony._--Some friends of Mrs. Fish, on learning her intended
visit to this city, gave her many flattering letters, signifying their
great esteem for her and confidence in the 'good cause,' as they call
it, of the doctrine of Spiritualism. Among the many such testimonials we
select the following from J. Heddon, Esq., and Judge Chamberlain, men of
the first standing in their community."
J. HEDDON.
"STAFFORD, May 9, 1851.
"RESPECTED MADAM: As Mr. Chamberlain and myself left Rochester before we
had an opportunity of copying those Spiritual manifestations, I will now
transcribe and send them to you by mail, and Mr. Chamberlain engages to
do the same. You are at perfect liberty to make any use you may think
proper of mine, including or omitting the name, as you may think best;
for I am alike indifferent to frowns or flattery. I feel a lively
interest in the cause, and I believe many of my friends will be induced
to pay you a visit on your return from the West; and most assuredly
your humble servant among the rest. The communications I copy _verbatim_
on the other side of the sheet.
"Wishing you a pleasant and successful visit to Cleveland, I am
"Your most ob't servant,
"J. HEDDON."
"STAFFORD, May 9, 1851.
"You are aware that, for the first time, I had manifestations on my
person of the presence of Spirits at your house on Thursday last, after
which I received the following communication from my Spirit friends. My
wife thus addressed me:
"'My dear: I am with you always; in the silent hour of midnight, when
all is quiet, I rest upon your bosom and bless you, and keep you safe.'
"_Message to her Child._--'Teach her to know her mother watches over
her; tell her she has a mother "still living," teach her to know that
death hath no terror--the transition from Earth to Heaven is past
description; we shall all be again united. All is well.'
"The Spirit of my father then said: 'I sanction all she has said--the
Truth will rise triumphant--the cause is good. God rules victorious.'
"In answer to a question whether I should have manifestations at home,
my wife replied, 'I will make sounds upon your pillows.'
"The Spirit of a recently departed brother said, 'Tell her (our mother)
I thought of her when I was dying, and desired to see you all, but when
my soul was released I came to your abode, and was greatly delighted
with my privileges. Things will change with you, and you will rejoice
and know the truth.'
"The numerous test questions I kept no record of, and consequently they
are omitted here.
"J. HEDDON.
"N. B. My brother died far away from home, which accounts for the above
message to his mother."
S. CHAMBERLAIN.
"LE ROY, N. Y., May 10, 1851.
"MRS. A. L. FISH:
"I herewith annex a copy of an account of some incidents which occurred
at your house on the 7th inst. The following _mental_ questions were
asked and replied to by the Spirits in the usual manner.
"I asked if the Spirit I then had in my mind were present? Answer,
'Yes.'
"I then asked if the Spirit would give me a message. The alphabet was
called for and the following was spelled out:
"'I used to oppose the subject. I departed this life within the last
year; I am convinced of the reality of these things now. I visited
Mrs. Fish soon after I left the mortal body, and was pleased with my
interview. I scorned the idea of visiting her when I lived on earth,
but now I am delighted to call occasionally and listen to the
communications. I wish I had known something more about these things
before I left the earth.'
"I asked him to give me the letters of his name; which he did. This I
considered a good test, as no one present could know whom I had in my
mind; and the fact of his death and opinions on this subject were true,
as I had been intimately acquainted with him for a period of twenty
years, and had had many interviews with him on the subject.
"I then asked, mentally, for the Spirit of a new acquaintance, with whom
I had a misunderstanding while in life, which was not settled at his
death. I asked him, mentally, what he had to say on the subject? The
alphabet was called for, and said, 'We are good friends again. All
differences are now settled forever.'
"I then said, mentally, 'Perhaps I was wrong.' He said, 'No, I was in
fault.' I asked him to spell his first name, which he did. I asked the
Spirit of my father-in-law if I should have a medium in my family. He
answered, by alphabet, 'You have a medium in your family already;' which
was true. I asked in what way. He replied, 'A medium in writing.' This
was also true. I asked him to spell his name, which he declined. I
asked him why the Spirits declined, generally, to give their names. He
answered, 'That would convince the sceptic too easily.' He then said,
'No good thing can be obtained without some labor--the husbandman must
till his ground before it will bring forth much fruit.' There were many
other questions and answers that I consider equally good tests, but have
no time to give them now.
"Wishing you much pleasure and true friends through life,
I am very sincerely yours,
"S. CHAMBERLAIN."
This Judge Chamberlain was one of the most respectable citizens of Le
Roy, N. Y.
JOHN E. ROBINSON.
"ROCHESTER, May 23, 1851.
"DEAR FRIEND LEAH: Your letter was received two days since, and I thank
your punctuality in thus early remembering not to forget me. The
accompanying half-sheet was very welcome to Rachel. You could hardly
have written more, under the circumstances. I will therefore excuse you
for not giving me a particular account of things up to the date when
yours was penned. I shall, however, expect a long letter from you soon,
written all to me, and as the warfare has, by this time, fairly opened
between our friends, the Spirits, and their antagonists in Cleveland,
you will have enough to tell me. The result of the 'passage at arms' is,
of course, not doubtful to any who, like me, are aware of the temper of
the weapons which the Spirits wield against their opponents. But we are
all interested, exceedingly so, in looking on, while the battle is waged
in a new field, with fresh antagonists confident in their own strength
because ignorant of the power of the opposing force. It is amusing, this
confidence of inflated ignorance! but it is such a universal weakness,
that we can hardly any longer wonder at its manifestation. You have so
often witnessed it, and have so often triumphed over those who came to
sneer and scoff at you, that I think you can well afford now to keep
your temper well harnessed on such occasions, and let your auditors see
how calm, how confident you are, while awaiting their overthrow. Why,
Leah, you can afford to wear a smile and confront, with an unflashing
eye, the deriding, sneering sceptic, or even the enraged bigot, who
backs his authoritative condemnation by relating falsehoods that have
been a thousand times refuted. 'But it is difficult,' say you, 'for me
to be _more_ than mortal.' I know it, and doubt very much if I could be
half as patient as you are. But I am at a _safe distance_, and have
hazarded giving you (very modestly) this quiet hint. The application
of whalebone to a man's back _may_ help his manners and regulate the
movements of his tongue and pen, but it is not very apt to convince
his reason. Mr. Sackett, probably, is quite aware of this; and his
administration of the corrective was evidently intended for the moral
improvement of the _Herald_ man. You wish he (Mr. S.) would come and
mete out such justice to the Rochester editorial fraternity. I do not.
They are not _worth_ the _trouble_ of horse-whipping, and besides, only
be patient, Leah, and you will see them yet so confoundedly trounced by
the Spirits, that it will last them till the orthodox judgment day damns
them. It is to be hoped you are wise enough to retire from company
sufficiently early in the evening to give you time for rest. There is
scarcely anything which more destroys one's equanimity of mind than this
neglect of rest. Now will you remember and take care of yourself? I have
not yet done with you, for this reason--you need scolding once in a
while, and have but few friends who are willing to do it; so I shall
remind you, on all proper occasions, of your delinquencies. It occurred
to me the other day that we were wrong in so often thinking, latterly,
that Spiritualism had made but little advance in some time. It is true,
so far as our knowledge is concerned; and the number of mediums for
Spiritual communications seems very limited. But all this while the
subject has been taking hold of people's minds in _all parts of the
country_. They do not stop thinking because a few church conferences
and priest-ridden journalists tell them to. Editors who have some
independence will write, and their readers will digest anything which is
made palatable by the semblance of candor. There is, perhaps, no one
subject which is more thought of throughout this country and Europe at
this very time than these Spirit, demonstrations. I believe you will go
to England and France; but when, and how, and under what auspices, I
will not try to guess. Tell Calvin I am obliged for the papers sent by
him. I have not seen any of the inmates of your house since you left. I
would call there if there were any necessity, but you have left matters
in safe custody.
"Say to your sister Maria I hope the journey affords her pleasure, both
in seeing a part of the beauties of the great West and in rendering you
assistance, who so often want a sister upon whom you can lean and rely
with confidence.
"My best regards to her and Calvin, as well as yourself.
"Yours truly,
"J. E. R."
A. UNDERHILL.
"CLEVELAND, O., June 19, 1851.
"MY DEAR FRIEND LEAH:
"I trust you will appreciate the motive that prompts me to write
this to you. I have thought much on the subject, and will make a few
suggestions. Your position, as a family, before the world, is now of
great importance. The fact of communicating with Spirits has not only
been fully established in the minds of a few, but is becoming generally
acknowledged by the intelligent world. Your record will necessarily form
a great part of the history of the world from this time onward, and
though your present trials and perplexities seem past endurance, yet
patience and perseverance, until a final triumph overtakes you, should
be your polar star and watchword.
"There ever have been martyrs for truth's sake, and ever will be; and
though it may be grievous to bear the taunts and sneers of the ignorant,
self-wise, and conceited bigot, yet, if the cause demands it we must
endure the sacrifice and look beyond for the reward. I, who have battled
for years with the enemies of progress, have become inured to their
unblushing insolence, and while I handle their errors without much
mercy, I pity their ignorance. _You_ are differently situated, and
_severely tried_ on every hand, but you are enlisted in the good cause,
and you must not look back but upward and onward. Thousands are joining
your ranks, and your banner floats over the world. We are all fighting
the good fight of faith, and our motto is, 'Truth and justice to all
mankind.'
"Other mediums are being developed, and their name will soon be legion,
their power and influence irresistible. Already might you as well try to
turn back the waters of the Niagara as to stay the onward march of the
cause in which you and your family have been selected to take the lead
and 'fight the good fight.' My dear Leah, remember the 'wise man' who
'built his house upon a rock, and the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for
it was founded upon a rock.' Let 'false prophets' arise (as I know they
will) and 'come to you in sheep's clothing.' You are in the right and
have nothing to fear. Many, too, will try to usurp your rights, but
trust in God. 'Fear not, neither be dismayed.' Take courage, then, my
dear friend, and do not despair. Fight with reason, truth, and prudence,
but never surrender to cowardly slander or bigoted insolence; never,
never!
"Now, what I wish to say is this: The relations in which you stand to
the origin of this unbounded subject, make it highly important that your
whole history should be carefully preserved. In fact, you should keep a
daily journal, and record therein the progress and developments of this
new (and to many) startling science--for so I deem it. The fact is that
your names must form an inseparable part of the history of modern
Spiritualism, and it is important that you should have that justice
which the truth alone can give you. Hence, while it is fresh in the
mind, your mother, yourself, or some one should carefully collect and
arrange these early facts, in such a way as to secure them and place
them where they belong, beyond all doubt or argument; and also, as far
as is in your power, you should enter daily, if but two or three
times, the distinguished names of your daily investigators, the names
of the places you visit, and the thousand calls 'to come' from every
part of the United States and from Europe. Do not neglect or deem it
unimportant, for the time will come when it will be deeply regretted
(if not by you) by those who come after you. Without saying more at
this time, please accept my best wishes, and be assured of my
co-operation and willingness to share with you all the jeers and
taunts of sceptics or obstinate bigots. I much prefer the former, as
there is more hope for the sceptic than the bigot. I choose to stand
with a few who are in the right rather than with the many in the
wrong. Smiles or frowns are alike unheeded when they come from the
ignorant or _self-wise_.
"Most truly and respectfully your friend,
"A. UNDERHILL."
GEORGE LEE, M.D.
"BARRÉ, MASS., June 30, 1851.
"MRS. ANN L. FISH:
"DEAR MADAM--I address you almost as a stranger, although I had the
honor of a short acquaintance at your place in Rochester, last
September. I was at your house on the same day with several clergymen
from Massachusetts. I was then on my way to Mt. Morris on business. A
lady from Mt. Morris visited you, a Mrs. Mashon (an acquaintance of
yours). While I was stopping there at her house, she informed me that
yourself and sisters were about to leave home for a time, and I was much
disappointed on finding you were all absent when I returned, as I was
then anxious to further investigate those mysterious manifestations. I
felt that I had been severely scathed in this world by the loss of all
our children; and although I was educated strictly in the orthodox
church and its tenets, yet I was somewhat sceptical in regard to the
soul's immortality. You cannot wonder that I should seek confirmation of
the soul's future life.
"When, therefore, I heard those mysterious sounds for the first time at
your house, it produced a thrill of joy, as being the strongest evidence
of a future life that I had ever met with; and though I was satisfied
that there was no trick, no collusion in the sounds, yet I have not been
so certain that it might not be some newly developed or newly elaborated
electrical effect; yet the evidence is in favor of its Spirituality. It
is the most natural solution of the whole subject, and I should regret,
as much as any one, to have it prove otherwise.
"I am satisfied that the mediums are honest and unconscious of the
primary cause of the phenomena. I am somewhat acquainted with
Swedenborg's writings, and very well acquainted with A. J. Davis and his
writings. I consider Davis and his writings among the greatest wonders
of the world. That a young man, without education, without even having
read books, should have given to the world such far-reaching thought and
profound philosophy, upon the most abstruse and metaphysical subjects,
is a marvel indeed! The history of mankind cannot produce a parallel
fact. And yet we do not suppose he has no errors. He does not claim
infallibility. In 'Nature's Divine Revelations' he says, 'Let then what
I am impressed to state, be received as true or rejected as false, as it
addresses itself to your judgment, or according to its appeals to your
reason.'
"The highest angel in the universe could not give the whole philosophy
of the universe, because that Spirit does not possess a perfect
knowledge of _all things_; and I have seen many criticisms of Mr.
Davis's writings, but they generally show that the writers of them do
not comprehend him; and although some strictures may be just, the great
majority of them evince a real misapprehension on the part of their
authors.
"Le Roy Sunderland has made two: one upon Mr. Davis's recent work,
'The Philosophy of Spiritual Intercourse.' In both of Mr. Sunderland's
criticisms he shows his own want of discrimination. Dr. Gridley has
another article in _The Spirit World_ as a criticism of Davis. It
darkens knowledge with words. They do not take a very comprehensive view
of Davis's philosophy. They seem to forget that Davis uses language
figuratively.
"I am somewhat acquainted with Mr. Sunderland, have been at his house
recently, and heard the rappings in presence of his daughter, Mrs.
Cooper, as a medium. The rappings are obscure--not more than one-quarter
as loud or as distinct as I have heard them at your house--much of the
time so light as scarcely to be heard; yet I was satisfied at the time
that they were the same kind of sounds. I have been before several other
mediums; the sounds are all much smaller than at your house.
"Mr. Sunderland seems to be unsettled in his mind about the Spirit
world, and about the Spirits being good or bad, or _how much_ evil; and
is rather disposed to fall in with Swedenborg, at present, on that
subject. Mr. Sunderland will do some good with his paper, but I regret
some of his articles. This criticism upon Davis is most unjust and
uncalled for.
"I am confident Mr. Davis is more correct, more consistent in his
philosophy of the Bible and the Spirit world, than Swedenborg.
"Nature and Reason is the standard whereby Davis directs to test all
these subjects. God manifesting himself in Nature, in the Universe, is
a true revelation to man, and whatever corresponds to the philosophy as
discovered in Nature is truth.
"If a revelation is given us not in harmony with philosophy which is
_known_ to be true, then that revelation is false. Davis's standard and
general philosophy cannot be overthrown; Davis sometimes being himself
in sympathy with higher or purer Spirits, may use language to convey too
high or too pure conceptions of the Spirit world; but if Davis is too
high, Swedenborg is too low. His hells are inconsistent with a God
of wisdom; and if the doctrine of progressive development can be
established, or is true, as I think it is, then Swedenborg's doctrines
are not all true; but that is the great doctrine of Davis's philosophy,
and if it is true, it is all we need. Ultimately we must all become
right.
"Although Swedenborg was a very learned and good man, and was
Spiritually enlightened while on earth, yet his mind was trammelled by
his preconceived theological views. Davis's mind is under less bias, and
more free. I am well convinced his writings are destined to produce a
great effect upon Christendom. Such men, or writers, as Sunderland,
Farrald, and others who follow Swedenborg in part, do not seem to take
in the whole ground in one view. They view the Universe in fragmentary
parts. They do not seem to consider that a certain relation exists
between all things. That
'All are but parts of one stupendous whole,
Whose body Nature is, and God the soul;'
that Law is necessary as Light; all is an effect of the same interior
cause. The higher could not exist without the lower; and surely without
the lower there could be no progress, and without the parts the whole
could not exist. Higher and lower, evil and good, heat and cold, are
relative terms, comparatively positive or negative. I have not written
one word of what I intended to write, and what I especially requested a
reply to. So you see that nearly my whole letter is a digression. But
now to the subject.
"I correspond with the Rev. A. Wilder, of Syracuse, N. Y., who lately
wrote to me that a Doctor Boynton, an itinerant lecturer, had been at
Syracuse and informed him and Prof. Bush, of New York City, and others,
that he, the said Boynton, had been at your place at Rochester, and was
there informed by a cousin to yourself (a lady) how the rappings were
made, and that it was all a trick done in various ways, by the toes and
by the fingers, etc. Dr. Boynton said that he pretended to be friendly,
got communication with his father's Spirit (who was not dead), and then
he detected this lady in rapping and charged her with it; and she owned
up to him and taught him how to rap, which he was practising. To me this
seemed absurd and like a falsehood. I replied to my friend, and used
some pretty strong language to convince him that Dr. Boynton was an
impostor, a deceiver, a liar, and unworthy of credit. I said to him that
a man who went to your place and was permitted to investigate the matter
fairly, 'without money and without price,' and then went around the
country telling such stories, would not need his ears much lengthened
to bray, and what I wondered most at was, that Prof. Bush and Rev. A.
Wilder, M.D.--for he has both letters prefixed to his name--should give
any credit to him. But, notwithstanding this, friend Wilder writes me
again and says he has no reason to question the veracity of Dr. Boynton.
"Now I wish you to reply to me and give me the facts in this case, so
that I may be able to know them, and relate them to my friends, Doctor
Wilder and Prof. Bush. These two men are both Swedenborgian preachers,
and Dr. Wilder is also a medical lecturer in the medical school in
Syracuse. A. J. Davis says, in his recent work on Spiritual intercourse,
that the mediums sometimes may produce the rapping or other
manifestations unconsciously to themselves: being impressed by the
Spirits or a strong desire to do what the Spirits are about to do, or
what they greatly desire themselves. Whether anything of the kind occurs
with yourself or sisters, I never learned. If so, candidly and honestly
inform me.
"There are things which we shall all better understand by and by.
"I saw Mr. A. J. Davis a few days ago. He says, 'There is a better time
coming.' I don't know whether this will reach you at Rochester. I
believe you are much absent. I heard from you in Buffalo through
a Mrs. Bond, of Mt. Morris. You will recollect a rather tall,
light-complexioned lady who had lost a sister and infant. She read to me
her questions and answers to them before yourself and sister Margaretta.
This lady is talented, one of earth's progressive spirits. She first
informed me of the opposition you met with in Buffalo. Since then I have
noticed in the papers your reply, etc., to Doctors Lee, Flint, and
Coventry.
"You have my sympathy in your trials. It appears to me that you have
great reason to rejoice that you were instrumental, in the hands of
Supreme Powers, in giving to the world a more substantial assurance of
an immortality, and you have, through the tests you freely submitted to,
forever silenced the theory of C. Chauncy Burr, and put to shame his
emissaries. I have but little fellowship with Dr. Charles A. Lee, of
Buffalo, although I bear the same title and am a relative of his. Mrs.
Mashon, of Mt. Morris, is a friend to you, and said she was formerly a
neighbor of yours. Her testimony gave you a good moral character. It
might be useful, if necessary, in your case with Burr.
"I do not know what your intentions may be with C. C. Burr, but am glad
you noticed him as you did. He is a great impostor. Mr. Grimes is
another.
"Yours fraternally,
"GEO. W. LEE, M.D."
JOHN E. ROBINSON.
"ROCHESTER, March 23, 1852.
"DEAR FRIEND LEAH: It is alike a pleasure and a duty for me to thank you
for your very welcome letter, which came to hand this morning. A letter
from you had become of so rare occurrence, that this was, I assure you,
particularly pleasant to me. It reminded me forcibly of some favors of
the kind which past years bear record of, and which served, in no slight
degree, to give me those more pleasurable emotions in which consists the
happiness of life. I thank you very much for the message transmitted.
There is something in the communication _very like that sister_ from
whom it purports to come. So like, that after reading it and pondering
upon the language, I fell into a half reverie, and imagined I could see
through the veil that separates us, and could read in the eyes that
looked lovingly upon her brother, a confirmation of that which your
pen transcribed for me. I will keep it a long time, as a remembrance,
and will be again obliged, whenever a repetition of the favor may be
experienced without taxing your patience and generosity beyond its
friendly bounds. I presume I should have become a medium long ago if
my condition had been suitable; I have no doubt of the wisdom of the
Spirits in refraining from intrusting me with the commission such
mediumship would have imposed. My nervous temperament is somewhat
peculiar, and I am quite satisfied now that I would have been a poor
servant of the cause, if anything like a position in the front ranks of
it had been assigned me.
"As it is I am as ever a deeply interested spectator of the events as
they transpire, and looking, with entire and unflagging confidence, for
the time coming when the more glorious fruits of these newly developed
truths will ripen for the eye best fitted to appreciate them. I think,
sometimes, that this Spiritualism advances upon the world of mind as the
inflowing tide of ocean floods the shore. It seems to come in waves;
each succeeding one beats further upon the strand than its predecessor.
Is it not so? And is there not in the one an approximation to the
grandeur of the other? But you never stood, when a child, on Newport
beach, and may not see the meaning of my remark. I have tried to watch
these things clearly, and, without a spirit of assumption, I think I may
say I have made no great mistake in the matter in its earliest stage. I
predicted the very course, on the part of the priesthood, which they
have since taken (see Charles Beecher's report). I claim no shrewdness
for this, because it is the only one they can take and maintain
themselves to their last hour. It is their last stronghold! and when
that falls they fall with it. Now of your proposed visit to Rochester.
The friends will, of course, be very glad to see you, and will expect
you to make less haste to get away. I told Isaac what you said about it,
but have not yet seen Amy. Her health is much improved, and she is the
same blessed woman she ever was, and, I know, wants to have a good visit
from you and Katie Fox.
"Yours truly,
"J. E. R."
SAME.
"ROCHESTER, May 23, 1852.
"DEAR FRIEND LEAH:
"So you have really broken your long and persevering silence! I am
obliged to you for the letter, which was received last evening, and
especially for the postscript added thereunto. You know it is said that
a woman's letter is never finished without a P. S.; but it is seldom so
generous in its dimensions, or so full of sentiment, as to outweigh that
to which it is appended.
"What a dishonest world this is! Your letter is half cheerful, half sad;
and I, who know your life about as well as any one, do not wonder that
it should be so. I am thankful, Leah, that the Recording Angel always
tells a straight story upon the pages of his manuscript; thankful for
myself, for you, and for others, that we are not to be judged in that
Court whose sentence is final upon ex-parte evidence. Had my lot in
early life been cast as yours was, I do not think I should be as good as
you are, or even as happy.
"And this task which the Spirits have imposed upon you of late years, is
anything but a light one. It has its brighter side, as I well know, its
lightening influences; and were this not the case, no one, not even
yourself, could endure the wear constant and severe, upon the mind, for
a single year. I can only advise you (just here), as I often have, to
devote sufficient time to rest; and do not rob yourself of that which
nature demands, and which she _will have_ or impose a penalty.
"I am glad to know that you find friends, whom you do so much prize,
among your lady visitors. You and I agree in one thing at least, that
a true and noble-souled woman is worth a thousand of the average
standard; and it is something to be able to appreciate and love such
a character. Do you not think so?
"Isaac and Amy received your letter to them to-day and sent it to me to
read.
"Your friend,
"J. E. R."