s this Budget began in
the _Athenaeum_. It was commonly attributed, the book to my wife, the
preface to myself. Some time after, our names were actually announced by
the publisher, who ought to know. It will be held to confirm this statement
that I announce our having in our possession some twenty reviews of
different lengths, and of all characters: who ever collects a number of
reviews of a book, except the author?

A great many of these reviews settle the matter _a priori_. If there had
been spirits in the matter, they would have done this, and they would not
have done that. Jean Meslier[340] said there could be no God over all, for,
_if_ there had been one, He would have established a universal religion. If
J. M. _knew_ that, J. M. was right: but if J. M. did not know that, then
J. M. was on the "high priori road," and may be left to his course. The
same to all who know what spirits would do and would not do.

A. B. very distinctly said that he knew some of the asserted facts,
believed others on testimony, but did not pretend to know whether they were
caused by spirits, or had some unknown and unimagined origin. This he said
as clearly as I could have said it myself. But a great many persons cannot
understand such a frame of mind: their own apparatus is a kind of
spirit-level, and their conclusion on any subject is the little bubble,
which is always at one end or the other. Many of the reviewers declare that
A. B. is a secret believer in the spirit-hypothesis: and one of them wishes
that he had "endorsed his opinion more boldly." According to this reviewer,
any one who writes "I boldly {196} say I am unable to choose," contradicts
himself. In truth, a person who does say it has a good deal of courage, for
each side believes that he secretly favors the other; and both look upon
him as a coward. In spite of all this, A. B. boldly repeats that he feels
assured of many of the facts of _spiritualism_, and that he cannot pretend
to affirm or deny anything about their cause.

The great bulk of the illogical part of the educated community--whether
majority or minority I know not; perhaps six of one and half-a-dozen of the
other--have not power to make a distinction, cannot be made to take a
distinction, and of course, never attempt to shake a distinction. With them
all such things are evasions, subterfuges, come-offs, loopholes, etc. They
would hang a man for horse-stealing under a statute against sheep-stealing;
and would