Genre:

Letter, Spoof

Subjects:

Spiritualism, Supernaturalism, Psychology, Imposture

    Discusses an extract from a 'provincial journal' by its 'London Correspondent'. The reporter observes that spiritualism is 'exciting more and more attention in London' but opines that 'the belief in the spiritual nature of the manifestations is decreasing in proportion as the belief in the reality of the manifestations themselves increases'. The letter-writer agrees with this suggestion, but criticises 'your Sadducees' for referring such phenomena to '"unconscious cerebration", and "muscular action"', because such causes cannot account for séance manifestations such as tunes being played on accordions without fingers touching the keys. Believes spiritualists are equally at fault in their explanations. Notes that Joseph Glanvill's Daemon of Tedworth (a version of which was published in Glanvill 1726) describes how chairs moved about by themselves in a way reminiscent of spiritualist séances. Doubts whether this was caused by 'muscular action, voluntary or involuntary', although allows for the possibility that it might have been due to a tricky medium using 'an invisible wire'. Denies that such 'spiritual' manifestations are caused by the spirits of 'defunct relations' and, appealing to 'mythology and etymology', suggests that they are caused by 'demons or goblins'. Concludes with the claim that 'the spirits of Spiritualism are either Hobgoblins or Humbugs'.