Sunbury American

THE "RAPPINGS" EXPOSED.

A Mr. Vose, of Boston, has published a description of the manner in which what are called the "Spirit Rappings," are produced. He asserts that these mysterious sounds are produced by electricity. It is his practice to place his hands flat upon the table, and then strongly will that the sounds shall be produced, on which the raps are distinctly heard in the order and the number he desires. He says that, during the operation, the electricity can be plainly felt escaping from the ends of the fingers.

The faculty of producing these sounds is confined, according to Mr. Vose, to comparatively few persons, not one out of twenty possessing it. He regards the practice as exceedingly pernicious to health. The whole nervous system is violently excited; the organs, glands and tissues sympathize; and, in a short time, the person becomes thin, pale, nervous and consumptive looking. In the young the constitution may be shattered for life. It is courting ill-health, if not remotely inviting death, to practice these rappings.

In cases of persons of strong will, no table is needed to produce the sounds. Such, by a little practice, can throw electricity from the body in any direction they pleased, and whenever the expelled electricity meets a hard substance, the noise follows. By the exercise of the same power, according to Mr. Vose, tables, chairs and other articles of furniture may be made to move. Some persons have this latter faculty, who cannot produce the sounds, and vice versa. It is not always the fingers that produce the sounds, when in contact with a table. Mr. Vose declares that he has frequently performed the experiment with his chin.

Some time ago it was said, by a medical gentleman who had investigated the subject, that the rappings were produced by snapping certain bones in the knee joint. It is quite possible that, in some instances, the sounds may have been produced in this manner, or the knee joint, which was felt to move, might have been the point of departure for the electricity. The explanation does not, in any sense, invalidate this. Mr. Vose has arrived at his opinion, by personal experience, which is always more trustworthy than observation. He bears the reputation, moreover, of an intelligent and veracious man.

We have always believed that, sooner or later a rational explanation would be discovered, not only for these sounds, but for the moving of chairs, tables and other articles at the will of the "medium." The tricks of jugglers are frequently more wonderful, but as we understand how they are produced, we are not astonished: whereas, in this case, the spectacle has been exhibited of thousands becoming dupes to female imposters, and believing that departed spirits would hold communication with this world by so vile a medium as knocking. We trust, now that the absurdity is exposed, to hear no more of the "Rochester Rappings."