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The following is an excerpt from a talk given in London in 1873 entitled Mrs. Cora L. V. Tappan’s Experiences as a Medium, given by her spirit guides.
Some twenty-one years ago, a little child or young girl of some eleven summers was seated in an arbour in her father’s garden, in one of the middle counties of Wisconsin, preparing to write a composition for school. As school-girls do not trust their first writings, she was preparing hers upon a slate previous to transcribing it for the inspection of the school mistress. While in this arbour she was thrown into a trance, and the slate was written over in an unfamiliar handwriting, and when she came out of this state she found her slate covered with a letter from some one she knew not, but addressed to “My dear Sister.” Taking her slate to her mother, she said, “Someone has written my slate allover while I was asleep.” Her mother, reading it, found that it purported to be a communication or message from her deceased sister, who had passed away into spirit-life when both of them were children, and who now addressed her in a familiar manner, recording the scenes of childhood, and signing her name. This, as you may be aware, produced a profound sensation in her mind. The mother carefully laid away the slate and said nothing to the child, who soon passed away to her playmates and forgot the whole occurrence.
In a day or two after, she was thrown into another trance while sitting by her mother’s side, and the latter, thinking it was a swoon, tried every kind of restorative; but, on seeing the hand move, she remembered the writing and went and fetched a slate. It was soon covered with writing, and one message after another was written to the mother, saying: “We are the spirits of your departed friends; we will not harm your child; but we have found a method of holding converse with the earth.”
Up to that time Spiritualism had been known only from rappings, whose vibrations, however, had even reached that outer-most region of the Far West, and every town and village had been made interested through the public prints in the “Rochester knockings,” where the Fox family—perhaps some of them are now in your midst—first came out as the mediums of communication between the spirit-world and yours. Trance-mediumship, however, was then unknown; and although the parents of this little child had heard of and had even heard the rappings, they had no knowledge whatever of the phenomena of entrancement, not knowing that any human being could be thrown under this influence and speak for departed friends. Up to that time the education and culture of this girl had been such as are received by country children in obscure districts, where the government of the United States of America has provided from the public funds for the maintenance of primal schools. Reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, a small portion of grammar—these were the first, last, and only instructions she ever had from that day until the present. Her subsequent culture has been entirely in the hands of those invisible guides who, as we have stated to you, will relate what her experiences have been.
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Buckle has said that people partake of the climate, altitude, and quality of the soil of the place where they were born. She was born in one of the southernmost tiers of counties of the State of New York, the Far West as it was then called, in the midst of high hills, cradled amidst storms, where the head-waters of rivers that flow in three different directions take their rise. There also were the hardy sons of pioneers who had settled in that portion of the country when it was a wilderness. She was descended from a strict Puritan stock, who are not given to too much belief in the marvellous, and who fled from native England that they might find freedom of worship. In these western wilds her parents settled. Her father was not of a religious turn of mind, having read of the free-thought and advanced notions that were then in the world. Her mother belonged to the church in early life; but she also afterwards became a free-thinker. We tell you these things that, you may know that her culture was such as is given to the children of parents, whose practical piety and daily life render anything like sophistry, wilful deception, and a desire for the marvellous utterly impossible.
Passing in early life from the western part of New York State to Wisconsin, she was far removed from the centres of so-called civilisation, and from any thought of what was going on in the great world, which was then being agitated by new thoughts and notions. It is true that mesmerism was known to the scientific men of America, but she did not know of it. It is true that clairvoyance had developed some of the powers of the mind; she, however, did not know of it. It is true the “Rochester knockings” had been known for two or three years; but nothing of the wonderful import that they conveyed had even dawned upon her understanding.
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Previous to migrating to Wisconsin she was six months in Massachusetts, in a small community called Hopedale, whose founder, Adin Ballou, has since become a Spiritualist, and published a small work on Spiritualism, which you have doubtless perused. We refer to him because his son, then a young man of seventeen or eighteen, passed away from earth soon after and became among the first who influenced this medium—became, in fact, one of her guides and teachers. He was prepared by his father’s liberality of opinion and by the social and religious teachings and practical Christianity that formed the basis of that community. Thus the young man was ready to enter upon a spiritual life of progression. He had heard of this modern opinion; but when he entered spiritual existence he did not know of any of the methods of control. Soon after his departure he was made aware of this medium, then in Wisconsin. His own spirit-friends conducted him thither, and he became from that time—it was about the year 1852—the guiding spirit, or the mouthpiece to the circles of spiritual intelligences who control this medium.
Her first form of mediumship was that of writing, as already stated. The neighbours and friends, rapidly hearing of this singular event, came thronging to the house evening after evening, and the rooms were often filled with those who were anxious to discover what this new thing might be. Her teacher, a woman of profound piety and earnest desire to know the truth, was so moved by this singular phenomenon, that, in the secrecy of her room, she knelt and prayed that it might be made known to her whether the extraordinary gift possessed by her favourite pupil was of the angels, or not. In a few days she had a most singular answer to that prayer, by becoming one of the most powerful healing mediums. Her maiden name was Miss Mary Fulsom. She afterwards married a gentleman named Hayes, and her wonderful healing powers were famed throughout the entire southern part of the State of Wisconsin. This direct answer to prayer proved that she also possessed a mediumistic organisation, though it had not previously been known.
Meanwhile, Cora’s guides entranced her, and became enabled to speak as well as write through her. They also developed her spiritual vision, so that she was able to describe to those who came their spirit-friends, telling each as they entered the room, what spirit-friend came with them, and describing them so accurately that those who came readily recognised some deceased child, friend, or parent. You must remember that this child had no knowledge of psychology or clairvoyance, whereby persons are enabled to read the minds of others, and that her parents were equally ignorant of these phenomena, and could only, as fact after fact accumulated before their vision, bow and receive in candour and sincerity that which had suddenly come to their fireside and home.
After a time the guides intimated that a German physician would control the medium, and would examine diseases, and prescribe for or treat them by the laying on of hands. This German physician never gave his name; but in the period of four years, during which time he was constantly with the medium, he prescribed for diseases, spoke the French, German, and Italian languages, with which, of course, she was utterly unacquainted; and so far as physicians who were present, and who frequently employed his agency through this medium, could determine, was fully experienced in every branch of the medical profession.
In the village of Lake Mills, Wisconsin (where they then resided), the medium, attended by her father, would pass round from house to house, where she had been sent for—she in a profound state of trance—and the German physician, as though really there in person, would cause her to examine the case, give prescriptions, make suitable magnetic passes, and then pass on to another house. One instance will serve to show the power of absolute control. A carpenter residing in the village, whose name can be had any time by applying to the medium, was using a plane when a splinter from a board was inserted under the nail of the third finger, which, as all physicians know, is exceedingly sensitive, because two nerves centre there. The finger rapidly swelled, and inflammation set in. He employed the usual physician, who, after several days of excruciating pain and suffering, lanced the finger to the first joint. Some days after gangrene set in, and the carpenter begged of his wife, who was not a believer in Spiritualism, but rather believed it to be of Satanic origin, to send for Cora and her father to come and ease him. She would not do so, and the physician would not listen to anything of the kind. In the middle of the night, however, after this gentleman had experienced nearly three weeks of suffering, Cora was aroused from slumber by the spirit-physician, who caused her to go to her father’s bedside and bid him rise also and go to the suffering man. They did so. The wife was hanging over the man, who was in the utmost agony. The physician also was there, unable to alleviate his pain, and telling him his arm must be amputated. He again begged of them to send for Cora, but they did not do so, and so the spirit sent them there.
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When Cora, under influence, entered the room, the spirit-physician asked the surgeon for his case of instruments. He precipitately left the house, affirming he would not be responsible if the man was killed. He fortunately, however, forgot his case of instruments. She then took—still in this state of trance—the proper instrument, unbound the hand and arm, and proceeded to cut out the gangrene from the finger. When this was effected, she bound up the wound, bandaged the hand and arm, made passes over the patient, and left him in a profound slumber. From that time she visited him each day until he was able to get about, which was in about two weeks. He never lost the use of the hand; the joint of the finger only remaining a little stiff. These facts can be attested to by persons living in that town. All persons she thus treated were not cured: you can imagine that could not be; but many were cured, many relieved, and all in a measure alleviated from suffering.
Wherever she would go, crowds would gather to meet her, for it was a great marvel in those days. Whether she was really under the influence of spirits, or whether it was some unconscious action, the fact was most wonderful. During the time of healing, teaching would go on, and answers to questions, spiritual truths, and the laws governing spiritual influences would be expounded.
In that same village of Lake Mills a circle was formed for receiving instruction concerning spiritual life. In this circle “Mr. Ballou,” the young man who had departed from life, would give instructions concerning spiritual existence, telling them of the new life he had entered, of the control of spirits over mortals, and causing many of the members of the circle to be developed as mediums.
In the second year of her mediumship she returned on a visit to her native place in New York State, where her teaching and healing went on. It is a rural district, quite thickly populated, and for many months she rode from town to town, from village to village, and from farmhouse to farmhouse, accompanied by her friends and relatives, teaching the spiritual gospel—telling them of the new revelation that had come to man. In her thirteenth year she did this. At this time crowds would gather at her places of meeting, and there listen to these wonderful teachings. The whole people of the neighbourhood would assemble—farmers, and even doctors, and lawyers, and clergymen—to listen to this new wonder that had come into the world. But it was not all new to them: in various families mediums had already appeared, and many were prepared to welcome, with almost perfect vision, this new ray of light from the spiritual world. Many had anticipated it, and had seen, with clairvoyant vision, when spirits would hold converse with mortals.
In the autumn they returned to Wisconsin. There her father prepared a small hall or large room in his own house, and the public were invited one evening in each week to come and listen to a discourse. What girl of thirteen years, in any community, and especially of a rural district, unused to the precocity of city life, would venture to stand up before an audience and answer questions, and hold theological discussion and metaphysical controversy? We venture to say there are none. This was done, and through a child of thirteen years. These truths and spiritual questions were given publicly, openly, and all were invited to attend. The answers to questions were very similar to what they are now, making, of course, all due allowance for the facility her guides have acquired during years of control. But in order that her brain might not be overtaxed, and her physical system have time for growth and development, it was not deemed proper to press this matter of speaking too far, and so more difficult duties were left until after years.
In her fourteenth year, her father passed away from earthly life. This was her first severe trial. How she was sustained in this trial may be understood from the fact that when by his dying bed her spiritual vision was opened, and she described to her mother and friends the process of the departure of the spirit from the body, each step of its progress being marked by her description, she at last saying, “Oh, father is not dead; for he stands there, and bids you not weep. He has never lost consciousness for one moment; for while the spiritual body was being formed, his own consciousness seemed to be active in aiding his spirit to shake off the shackles of the mortal body;” and he stood up in spirit triumphant, having, after very few hours of suffering, passed from earthly life. There were no mourners in that house. There could be no mourning, since death did not come since, really, the enfranchised had already appeared and spoken, and since, through the mouth of his own child, he had revealed that he was not dead, but a living soul. The remains were tenderly put away, but his presence abode for ever in the house, and in a few hours joined those who had developed her as the means of his entire conversion to spiritual truths before leaving the body. Such is the advantage of knowing into what world you are going when you die; since, if you do not know, you go blindly and tremblingly. After two hours he had held open converse with spiritual beings. Already his child had told him of the spiritual life, so that he knew what kind of existence he was going to enter. There was no hesitation, no reluctance, but obedience to the will of God, which will call you all home some day; and if you should know you are going to your friends, how much better than to stand trembling on the verge of the grave between doubt and fear.
During the passage to and fro with her friends from east to west, she had to encounter many converts and persons who became interested in these manifestations, among others also citizens of Buffalo. Buffalo was become famous. Certain doctors of divinity, hearing of the Rochester knockings, caused the Fox girls to be brought to Buffalo, where they (the D.D.’s) were formed into a committee to investigate these knockings. After having subjected these girls to every possible test these gentlemen could think of having seated them on glass, placed their hands on glass plates and their feet upon glass balls, and done everything else to ensure there being no electricity having examined their clothing, taken off their shoes and stockings, and thus awaited the results, these gentlemen pronounced to the expectant world the solemn verdict that the “Rochester knockings” were caused by snapping of the toe joints! No matter whether it occurred on the wall twenty feet away, or in every part of the room, the gentlemen had arrived at this conclusion. Amidst an admiring world they retired to their original obscurity.
The knockings went on and vibrated to the uttermost parts of the earth, bearing always the same message: “We are the spirits of your departed friends: we are not dead, but do live and can speak to you;” and many doubtless here present can testify to the manifestations in the presence of at least one of these girls,* of whose genuineness there can be no possibility of doubt.
* Mrs. Kate Fox-Jencken, now in London.
However, it was in the year 1855 that Buffalo was destined to have its greatest epoch of excitement concerning Spiritualism. In that year were developed there the now notorious and famous Davenport Brothers. Cora knew them as lads, sat with them in many circles in their father’s house, and knew, from their obscure parentage and common unpretending manners, that there was no possibility of fraud and deception. These manifestations went on, and Buffalo became the centre not only of these brothers’ manifestations, but a large society of Spiritualists employed as their speaker Thomas Gales Forster, who was known as the most eloquent advocate of Modern Spiritualism. Cora was only fifteen years of age. She was also employed by the same society as one of their speakers, and at the forenoon, afternoon, or evening service would preface the discourse of Mr. Forster by a prayer, a poem, or some remarks, under the influence of her guides. The afternoons were devoted to conferences. There she answered questions concerning spiritual existence, and in many instances delivered discourses of from a half to three-quarters, or an hour’s duration without preparation.
Aside from this work she sat in what are now called seances, but which is not a term for a mode of conversazione; she sat there, and under influence submitted to the examination of many of the most intelligent men of that city, who questioned her while in the trance-state concerning spiritual life, concerning history, concerning science, concerning metaphysics—all those things people are wont to ask when they have unlimited license.
From the age of fifteen, the power of healing that had been bestowed upon her was withdrawn to give place to speaking and teaching. At sixteen she went to New York. New York had then in its intellectual circles been made aware of Spiritualism. Some of the members of the Fox family had moved there. There were Judge Edmonds, Professor Mapes, Drs. Gray and R. T. Hallock, and others. Some of the most intellectual of New York society investigated these phenomena. Spiritualism had already begun to take hold of the minds of the people. She came there in this preparation, and spoke under the influence of different and higher powers than her immediate guides, and from that time to the present doubtless the public discourses that she has delivered would number 3,000 at least. These were entirely impromptu, without preparation, and for the first ten years on subjects selected by committees chosen from the audience. In New York there would perhaps be an audience of about 3,000 people, who would choose a committee which would propose a subject, after she had taken her seat. There is no girl of sixteen, whatever her culture, who could possibly endeavour to stand before an audience in a city, the metropolis of the country, and challenge the clergy, men of science, professional men, to disprove her statements upon spiritual philosophy, moral and religious ethics, upon history, science, or upon any proposition that had been there given her. No one would dare to do this in mature years; and we ask you as men accustomed to debate, whatever your profession, if, entirely impromptu and unaided, you could upon your life-long subject speak for an hour if called upon in an emergency?
But this was not done by one spirit. A circle of spirits who had seen her powers from her childhood, and had adapted and taken good care of these powers, were ready always and in attendance to give response; and whenever the subject was in the particular department that they knew, the one who gave the lecture would be the one who had most knowledge upon that special subject. So you see spirits do not profess absolute and infinite knowledge; but wherever there is a channel of communication, those spirits who can influence that channel avail themselves of it, and discourse upon such subjects as they are familiar with.
We give these facts as they were recorded in the journals of the day and as they appeared to the outside world; for you must go behind the scenes to the spirits who impressed her, to get at the why and the cause of all this seeming ascendancy over the mind of the medium. In debates there would sometimes be as many as seven clergymen; and we need not say that it required no small amount of decision on the part of the chairman to keep these clergymen, not from overwhelming the speaker, but from quarreling among themselves. Oftentimes the subjects selected by the committee—the committee having been chosen by the audience—were of such a nature as to require no small degree of ability, or rather a great exhibition of mental and intellectual gymnastics, merely to satisfy the whim of some one particular individual. In such cases the audience were the victims; because the spirits cannot be responsible for the subjects given to the audience. But we may say, after the experience of many years, that committees, as a usual thing, do not choose the very best and most interesting subjects. We give it as our candid opinion that they do not choose well, that in the captiousness of their inquiry they will go beyond the subject, forgetting they have an audience to please, and that the primal question is that of spiritual existence. However, we do them the justice to their say, that, whenever a committee was called upon to give opinion they invariably gave a fair verdict. When called upon to state whether there was collusion, they were always unanimous in declaring that, whatever cause might underlie these manifestations, there was no possibility of deception. The desire for a knowledge of spiritual truths increased, and one by one the scientific, political, and other subjects were dropped, the primal subject being the desire to know the laws that control and govern spiritual existence.
As we have stated before, in the period of fifteen years doubtless 3,000 public discourses have been given, not including private addresses, poems, and all those casual utterances which were given to personal friends. No professional speaker, who writes and prepares his lectures beforehand, ever delivers that number of lectures in a lifetime. One lecture serves a season; one discourse, with a little alteration, serves many times. There never has been, in her case, the repetition of a discourse. The same subject undoubtedly may have been treated many times, as the audience may have desired; but the language and form of delivery have been each time different; and by no manner possible of mental cerebration could the speaker conjure up answers to the variety of subjects presented to her. By no possibility of unconscious action of the mind could facts in history, in philosophy, in science, answers to the various political and moral questions agitating the community, discourses on mind and matter, be conjured up in the brain of any human being at a moment’s warning. This, however, has been the result. We leave it to those who have read any of the discourses to determine their quality the quantity is what we especially call your attention to, and the fact that they have been delivered without preparation on her part.
Some four years ago, after this repeated lecturing, with very slight interruption, for many years, her spirit-guides gave a private series of discourses upon spiritual ethics. These have not as yet been published, but they were given in the presence of five persons when she was prostrated with illness, and unable to raise her hand. But from that time her spiritual vision was opened more deeply and profoundly than ever before; and though the laws of spiritual life had previously been talked of, they had not been revealed fully and wholly, and in a complete system, until then. This series of discourses will be given in due time; and meanwhile we refer—and we do it with hushed voice, and with hearts, we trust, that will meet with the fullest response—to one influence. We found, from her childhood, at times there came upon her an illumining of her face, an uplifting of the heart, an exalting of the whole being, and a hushing of all who were present. Seldom did she speak but her spirit-guides fell back when that influence came, and looked up also to that higher source, whence life and power of love come upon us. In this presence, and under this influence, the few words that she would sometimes speak would strike home to every heart, and whenever those present suffered with illness they would seem to be healed.
Upon this bed of sickness, above referred to, where she lay four years ago, these things came to her vision, and the light of a matchless Countenance, the glory of a surpassing Power, a face that alone can express the Divine Humanity, beamed upon her sight. She was promised restoration; she was promised also that the powers should be augmented that her spirit-guides had given. That promise has been fulfilled; that voice has not been silent; that presence has kept most sacredly the words given to our medium. An epic was given under the inspiration of poets, that was published two years or more ago in America without any explanation of the manner of its production. It received from the literary critics the usual complement of praise or blame; but its history was that in the trance every word was dictated, every page was folded as dictated and laid away, and when the whole was given, it was arranged under direction and then published to the world. It was an epic poem concerning the history of America; but many have pronounced it equal to the best literary productions of this age; while she in her normal state has no knowledge of epic composition, has not studied its methods, and knows nothing of its rhythmical and other regulations. These are simply facts; still, at the close of a discourse, in private, and at the suggestion—oftentimes on the spur of the moment—of friends, a poem or song is given, some specimens of which you may have heard.
We now come to the last, and that is the restoration from illness brought on by nervous prostration two years ago. She was near the verge of the grave from exertions in physical ways, and labour and anxiety had brought on this disease. Her spirit-guides had striven to overcome it; but we cannot always even control our mediums, for when we are absent they have a will and an individuality of their own, and will oftentimes do that which makes them ill, and which we are obliged to undo. This illness was brought on by overexertion. For eighteen months she was helpless and could not walk. Even her spirit-friends were doubtful of being able to cure her. She waited patiently, thinking it time to depart. We received from those who were higher than ourselves, even from the very Face and Voice referred to, assurance that she would not die, and at last, having prescribed for her utmost quiet and freedom from toil, we were enabled to restore her and bring her for the first time before an English audience last September. How rapid that recovery has been you all know who have witnessed her increased strength and power since that time. But no miracle more profound was ever performed in history than that; without the aid of medicines, indeed, without the aid of aught save the power of her spirit-guides, she was restored from that bed of illness; and that healing power was purely and wholly directed through her own lips and under the direction of her spirit-physician.