the patients came up and asked, a ticket was at once given, no 'carte' was offered for sale, no attempt made to sell, but several persons while waiting to enter the house, went up to, asked for, and obtained a 'carte,' paying a franc (tenpence) for it." I may add that I bought three, being portraits of Jacob in different positions, so that I might have the exact physiognomy of the man, and add them to the collection of portraits I am gathering of the mediums in America, England, and France, who have in years past borne the burden and heat of the battle of the Modern Spiritual Revolution. As to Jacob's alleged rudeness, I saw none towards any of the 28 persons present when I visited him; and as to the expressed fear that the spirits will leave him if he goes on in such an unchristian way, it is answered by simply stating that Jacob is a Jew. Enmore Park, Norwood Junction.

JOHN JONES.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CURTAIN.

and

There is a curtain hanging between embodied and disembodied spirits. With our natural eyes we do not see this curtain, nor do we see that which it hides from our view. Its warp woof are tightly woven from the fabric of the external plane of human thought. To many of us it is so thick, so impenetrable, that never a gleam of light, never a whisper, never a strain of music, comes to us from the other side. Shadows come over us-sorrow-laden clouds heavy with rain,-darkening our windows and shutting out the sunshine of joy from the house. We bow our heads; we hear moaning voices and muffled footsteps; then all is silent. We rise up to hear the tidings that somebody has gone behind the curtain-some darling has gone to sleep on this side to wake up on the other. There are death and sorrow here; there are birth and rejoicing there, where "Life and Immortality are brought to light." Here the "solemn brood of care" mourners and sympathising friends, toil wearily along; there, angels and "ministering spirits" "encamp around" the holy mountain, and lead the new immortal with happy greetings, songs, and hallelujahs along the flowery margin of life's river. While on this side we are laying away in the narrow house the lifeless tenement of clay, gazing for the last time upon the face once radiant with the soul's expression; on the other side the angels are wishing the new comer a happy arrival, smiling with delight as they converse with him on the new life, as they lead him away with winning words, saying, "Be welcome, we will now show you something new."* The friends and

*Swedenborg's Spiritual Diary.

kindred who loved us here are all waiting for us on the other side. Here we ofttimes toil and "sweat under a weary load;" on the other side we shall "rest from our labours," and find delight in those angel activities where the shining hosts flock together on their errands of love and mercy, and wherein there is no weariness.-The Independent.

THE TRAVESTIE OF SPIRITUALISM AT THE POLYTECHNIC

INSTITUTION.

The British Journal of Photography, in its issue of August 14th, has a long article on "Modern Spiritualism.-The Polytechnic Institution.-The Davenport Brothers." It seems that at this "house of popular science," the leading feature for a considerable time past has been an optical illusion, professing at once to rival and to explain the "Spiritual Manifestations. The editor gives แ an account of what we saw during a visit recently paid to that interesting establishment." A hat, chair, table, coffin, and a lady, were raised two or three feet from the ground and left suspended in mid-air. This was all. The editor compares or rather contrasts this with a Davenport séance he attended; and proceeds to say :

It is now time to commence to give an explanation of these wonders. When the hat in the Polytechnic exhibition was raised, we distinctly saw that it had been elevated on a piece of glass pushed up from beneath. Although it had been surmounted by a lighted candle for the purpose of casting a deeper shadow below, it was by no means difficult to discover the aperture through which the plate of glass was pushed. This also serves to explain the manner in which the lady, the table, the coffin, and the chair were raised. It was cleverly done, but not sufficiently so to elude the ocular observation of any person with sharp eyes who was capable of examining and reporting upon such feats. By the skilful management of the light there is no danger whatever of any reflection being cast upon the front surface of the glass.

To the tyro who desires to "overcome the laws of gravity" in this manner we simply say that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection and, by skill in placing the lights in front, no one will readily detect the means by which the figure is raised. By this simple means the Polytechnic miracle is performed, and Mr. Tobin, its inventor, is entitled to credit for the manner in which he carries out the idea.

How, it may now be asked, are the Davenport manifestations performed? If the clever successor of the famous Robert Houdin, after due examination, was forced to pronounce the exhibition to be "inexplicable," we need not feel abashed at confessing ourselves to be in the same predicament. Every facility for detecting the origin of the manifestations was afforded, but without avail so far as we were concerned. Of one thing, however, we were well assured: neither the Davenports nor either of their two associates who were on the platform effected anything of what we had seen. Their being tied during the whole time was security of a certain kind; but much better was the assurance afforded by their being held by strangers, with whose names even they were and are now unacquainted.

Our chemical readers know what is meant by catalysis, that is, a body acting by means of its presence, such as the influence exercised by peroxide of manganese when used with chlorate of potash for producing oxygen. Analogous to this seemed to be the agency of the Davenports in inducing phenomena

which appeared to us to be subject to no rules of physics with which we are acquainted.

The editor follows this with an account of a visit he paid to the Marshalls. The séance was, without doubt, a failure, and was confessed to be such by the medium. He concludes by remarking:

If we have found the "manifestations" at the house of the Marshalls unsatisfactory and inconclusive, we are equally bound to express our opinion that the travestie of Spiritualism at the Polytechnic is a signal failure.

SINGULAR STORY.

The death of Mr. F. H. Wiggin, proprietor of the Northumberland Arms, Bermondsey, took place on Thursday morning, the 8th inst. Mr. Wiggin retired to bed the previous night in his usual health and spirits, but at 5 o'clock in the morning he ruptured a blood-vessel, and in six hours he expired from exhaustion. It seems a remarkable presentiment of his death was made known to him two months previously, when, to amuse his children, he drew upon a slate a coffin, and wrote an inscription, a verbatim copy of which was inscribed on his coffin plate on his interment, as follows:-"Frederick H. Wiggin, died October 8th, 1868, aged 40." This sketch and inscription he showed to his wife, and others who happened to be present. The remains of the deceased, who was much respected, were, on Monday, taken from London to Horton, for interment by the side of his father's grave.-Daily News, 19 October.

THE REV. T. L. HARRIS AND "THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE NEW LIFE."

WE have watched with interest all the little that has become known, of the interior workings of this experimental seeking after the inner life. With all the more interest, as the personal claims of Mr. Harris to infallible utterances have become more and more developed, and his rule over the new community has in consequence become more and more absolute. On former occasions we have had the opportunity of stating our opinion of these claims, and whilst fully admitting and delighting in the beauty and the truth of much that Mr. Harris has written, we have felt it our strongest duty to protest against the infallibility of his utterances. Many of his more earnest friends, too earnest as we thought them, objected to the line we took, which was necessarily a stringent one, inasmuch as it compelled us to put forward instances in disproof of his pretensions, and which were

not palatable nor easily reconciled with his being the very truth itself. We did this too at a time when we thought that it was needed in the interest of some, who were evidencing a too complete reliance upon Mr. Harris, and in the hope that what we brought forward might save a too late discovery by them.

We hear recently that our strictures were not un-needed, though they were disregarded, and that subsequent events have proved their truth. Our only antagonism is against infallibility, whether it be of Harris or of Swedenborg, or of any other man; and our object is to warn against the acceptance of any utterances whether spiritual or otherwise, excepting upon their own intrinsic merits.

We shall not be surprised if a full account of the interior working of the "Brotherhood of the New Church" as it is developed at Erie, when it shall come to be published, will put this question of infallibility in a light which will be quite satisfactory to those who have given these warnings, and which will prevent others from being misled by their inconsiderate zeal, and search after a truth, which must evidently be sought by another method.

Notices of Books.

THE SPIRITUAL HARP.*

THE Spiritualists of America are very mindful of the Apostolic injunction not to forsake the assembling of themselves together. Besides their Conventions-of which there is always one on hand-and their grove meetings, picnics, and other occasional gatherings, they have whenever practicable their periodical meetings and lectures:-in some of the principal towns the largest halls that can be obtained are used for these purposes. Then there are the Children's Lyceums which they have founded, and which promise to become, as they certainly should be, highly popular. They find that music is an essential element in education and in school government, and they also fully appreciate its special importance at their meeting harmonizing and blending the hearts as well as those who meet together. And in order that all effectively in these exercises, books have been specially for them; they have their "Psalms of Life,

*The Spiritual Harp. A Collection of Vocal Music gregation, and Social Circle. By J. M. PEEBLES and J. O. Musical Editor. Boston: WHITE AND COMPANY, Banne be had of J. BURNS, Camberwell.

Spiritual Devotion," and "Spirit-Minstrel-a Collection of Tunes and Hymns appropriate to meetings for Spiritual Intercourse;" and now we have from the Banner of Light Office a large handsome volume of nearly 300 pages, containing about as many Harmonies, Songs, Choruses, Chants, Anthems, and "Spirit-Echoes" as there are days in the year; the words being accompanied (as they always should be) with the music of the tune to which they are to be sung. We have often noticed that for want of this each person at church seems to consider himself at liberty to sing the tune he likes best, or perhaps the only one he happens to know; and so the congregation, with jangling and imperfect articulation, too often "sing to the praise and glory of God" in a style that must make even an Italian organ-grinder shudder.

In the "Greeting" which takes the place of the usual "Preface" it is stated, that "at least one-third of the poetry and three-quarters of the music is original." We regret this, and wish that these original compositions had been more sparingly used, so that in their place we might have had a little more of the music of the old masters and of the best modern composers, and of the words of our great poets--the mating of perfect music unto noble words.

We could, for their sakes, well have spared a number of pieces and tunes by the long list of obscurities whose names appear in the index, where they will be seen by many for the first time. To name only a few of the pieces which we think might appropriately have been introduced into the volumethere are Vaughan's "They have all gone into the world of light;" Herbert's "Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright;' Addison's "The spacious Firmament on high;" Dryden's "Creator, Spirit, by whose light;" Longfellow's "Footsteps of Angels," and "Psalm of Life;" Holmes's "The Living Temple;" Whittier's "The Over-Heart," and the verses "O brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother;" Cowper's "God moves in a mysterious way;" Elliott's "Forest Worship;" Nicoll's "High Thoughts," "Arouse thee, Soul," and "The bursting of the Chain;" Lynch's "Heart of Christ, O cup most golden;" Bryant's "Hymn of the City;" Vedder's "Temple of Nature;" Peabody's "Hymn of Nature;" Wordsworth's "Labourer's Noonday Hymn;" Barton's "The Divine Omnipresence," and first four stanzas of "The Spirit's Aim;" Moore's "O Thou who dry'st the Mourner's tear;" Harris's "Oh! lone is the Spirit on Life's troubled ocean;" Wotton's "How happy is he born and taught;" Harriet Martineau's "All men are equal in their birth," and "Beneath this starry arch;" and Mrs. Browning's "The Sleep ;"-based on the text which forms the refrain to