Portage Sentinel

Rev. C. Chauncey Burr, who acquired quite a celebrity a little over two years ago as a lecturer on the science of Biology, and who has greatly increased his fame by his exposition of the Spirit Rappings, entertained the citizens of our town on Thursday and Friday evenings with two lectures on the latter subject. What impression has been made upon the public mind by this 'expose' we have not as yet been able to determine, though we have not yet heard of any renunciation of the spiritual theory by any of its advocates, and we presume the unbelievers are still more confirmed in their unbelief. Mr. Burr is a very popular and impressive speaker, but in our opinion, would command more respect and esteem if he would abandon his personal abuse and aspersion of character, both in his public lectures and private conversations. It is difficult to conceive of the necessity, in the investigation of this subject, for gross attacks upon the characters of the editors of the Pittsburgh Post and Cleveland Plain Dealer, unless he seeks to build up his own reputation upon the ruin of the fair fame of others. But what these aspersions of personal character have to do with the expositions of what Mr. Burr terms 'gross frauds' and wicked tricks,' is beyond our power to divine. Of the character and effect of his lectures further than this, we have, at present, neither the time nor disposition to speak.