Such an one puts himself out of the reach of
argument; and by such incredulity makes it impossible to prove
anything to him."
We are called upon to admit the infallibility of MR. DIBDIN'S senses, as
well as his good faith, although we have the opposing testimony of
FARADAY, and although, whilst Table Turning is, as MR. DIBDIN himself
says, practised daily by tens of thousands, there has been no one
satisfactory exhibition of the wonder in public. _Punch_ has tried Table
and Hat Turning. The hat and the table gave signs of beginning to turn;
which ceased, not at his command to stop, but on his reminding the rest
of the party that they were not to push.
PROFESSOR FARADAY, by the way, fares very badly at the hands of MR.
DIBDIN, who not only insinuates a doubt respecting the "spiritual
attainments" of that philosopher, but also uniformly spells his name
with two R's. He has also as above, SOCINIUS for SOCINUS, and for
Swedenborgian, Swedenborgeon. Perhaps he has derived his orthography
from tables, which he mentions as having been found to spell badly;
indeed, trustworthy as tables are esteemed in matters of arithmetic,
they have never been accounted authorities in regard to spelling.
But MR. DIBDIN is not to be laughed at--although he may himself hold up
other people to something less innocent than ridicule. He observes that
"It may seem very wise and great to laugh down a weak brother; but
surely it is neither kind nor brotherly."
Nevertheless, it is not easy to repress a risible emotion when we
picture to ourselves a party of weak brethren sitting round a table to
see if they can get the devil into it. MR. DIBDIN says it is necessary
to keep the hands on the table. Does the evil spirit, then, flow out of
the fingers' ends into the mahogany? and does MR. DIBDIN think that he
has acted as the devil's conductor? We shall next have Calvinistic
clergymen making pump-handles work, and turning mangles to the same
account as tables, by Satanic action.
However, it is certain that the dreadful nonsense in the book before us
was rapped out _either_ by the devil, _or_ by MR. DIBDIN, or his
friends. If we had any doubt on the subject, we should give them the
benefit of the doubt; but we are afraid that none can be reasonably
entertained.
* * * * *
IMPROVEMENT AT GUILDHALL.
Whatever may be said against the Corporation of London, it may be truly
said of that great body
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