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Belmont Hotel N.Y. Dec 25 1864
Friend Davis
I attended Dodsworth Hall this
morning and heard a portion of a
discourse from J. S. [illegible] (I believe
his name to have been) which I regret to
say was far from responding to a
single want of my being. Who cares what
his God is a distinct personality
about 40 or 50 feet across the Shoulders
and well proportioned, or whether the
highest conception we can get of him
is in the intelligence, and manifes
tation of man, or whether he is the
life-force, and intelligence of all=
terior being? The human soul has
been for thousands of years, yearn=
ing to know its difficulties and pros=
pecting, for relief yet [turn?] which
way it will, it has to make a sup
per or moon shine. Whoever discour
ses; the soul is treated to a discus=
sion of vapory abstractions; as des
titute of importance to it as the chat
tering [sic] of a jackdaw People go from
such places, with a sense of disap=
pointed expectation, that would
Kindle the Sympathy almost of a
soulless Buccaneer. Why should
people teach who Know nothing
themselves? By which I do not mean
Scholastic, or Scientific Knowledge.
But personal Knowledge. Knowl=
edge that reaches clear down to the
soul^s^. holiest wants, and thrills
through its life currents with a
Satisfaction, that Speaks for itself
Through the individual soul is the
only place where man can get a
gleam of light. Though I have to
my tongues end all abstract Sci=
ences, and theories, that ever clai=
med attention from the gaping and
wanting multitude without know
ing myself all through I really know
nothing. It matters little whether
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gods or men frown, or approve;
let me but secure the respect, and
approbation of myself, and I will
allow others to indulge whatever
opinion they please concerning
me. The great question ever has been
"what ails man?" and "when the relief?"
Really; has any body ever told us?
Judaism founded founded [sic] upon
Moses, and his twelve Patriarchs
failed to do any thing but to make
man feel the terror of its iron
god. Christianity based upon Christ
and his twelve Apostles, refused
the Sacrificial idea, and made
the poison more subtle, and its
infections more general. Spir=
itualism Systematized by you=
self; Surrounded by the marvels
of your twelve Philosophers has
served incidentally to expose
the brassiness of of all that
has gone before it; but has
left man asking for the ful=
filment of its promises. The
answer is "Progress." The pro=
gress of the world hitherto;
has been refined villains; for
all harvest, and earnest hopes
have been cheated. I do not
believe that Moses was dis=
honest, but deceived [sic]. I believe
Jesus to have been a pure hear
ted man, and that you are
honest I never doubted. But
that the same race of intel=
ligences from behind the Scene
has produced each of these
Systems; there can be no doubt
and there have been displays
in each instance to forestall
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important inquiries, that would
have landed the earnest soul
upon the plane of individual
magnificences; beyond the reach
of those stupid Brutes that have
hitherto toyed with it. Judaism
taught fear, Christianity, Submission
and Spiritualism passivity. The
first the manifestation of a ty=
rant, the second and last of
treachery. Ask the high hopes you
indulged in ,59 and ,60 in regard to
the treatment they have received. Let
these disappointed expectations. tell
of treachery. Do not accept of apolo=
gies; for these is where all give
new advantages to the powers
that fool us. I have gone all
the way through these things.
The most shallow self decep=
tion man is accustomed to in=
dulge; is "that we attract about
us only those Spirits that are
like ourselves". This being so
we could never feel in harmo
nies. We are constitutionally
a Unity, and would in that case
be socially so. E Wheller
The above I wrote and mailed
to Mr Davis yesterday.
[Bottom third of page is torn off]
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How few years is it, that great light
was promised to us throught Spir=
itualism? Each of our earnest souls
began to exult in the prospect of a com
ing light that should both expel and ex=
plain all past darkness. From the
simplicity of the tiny saps, and encour
agement we drew from the manifest
intelligence that stood behind them, we
prognosticated better days than those
we now see in the methods of "Father
god, and great Natures plans". Who does
not see that the displays made by such
Spirits, are to beguile us from im=
portant considerations, and decoy
us on a wrong Track. It is in perfect
keeping with man^s^. treatment for all past
ages. Fox was the best Quaker and Wes=
ley the best methodist I ever heard of.
not only themselves; but all the sim=
pletons that followed them. Who would
have supposed years ago, that Spir=
itualism in the close of the year
,64 could not muster a Congrega
tion of 200 in the City of N York
to listen to the haragues of its mar
velous high Priest? And that discour
ses more dry river emanated from
a hard Shell Baptist. It cannot be
that Mr Davis has any discernment
but that he sinks with this state of
things as the Barometere with the de=
pressing condition of the weather
[Text in left margin, written downward, in pencil]
very [illegible] to day