lyricist, and with Alcæus himself, to drive the usurper from power. This they accomplished. Pittacus then framed a code of laws, which contained the conditions by which the political rights of the Lesbians were to be adjusted and conserved, and their behaviour and customs regulated.* The Mitylenæans, in gratitude for this service, conferred the supreme power upon him. He ruled with moderation, equity, and wisdom, for ten years, then voluntarily resigned his authority into the hands of those who had delegated it to him. During his governorship, Alcæus inveighed in satiric song against him as a tyrant; but, coming into the power of Pittacus, he showed he was a tyrant only in name, by dismissing him with this remark, " It is better to pardon than to punish." Here are a few of the sayings of 'Hyrradius' prudent son, old Pittacus, "It is a hard task to be really good." enemies." "Power shows the man." "Speak evil, neither of your friends nor of your "Of all wild animals, the tyrant is the worst; of all tame ones, the flatterer." He died in the third year of the fifty-second Olympiad (B.C. 569.) PERIANDER, the son of Cypselus, of whom the Delphic Oracle said— "Behold a man whom Fortune makes her care, Corinthian Cypselus, Eetion's heir; Himself shall reign, his children shall prevail; But there the glories of his race must fail;" was born at Corinth, in the first year of the twenty-ninth Olympiad (615 B.C.). He succeeded his father in the tyranny of Corinth, retained his power forty years, and died, aged eighty, in 535 B.C. He was a munificent patron of art and learning. Inextricable confusion exists in the ancient records regarding him. Diogenes Laertius, in his life of Periander, paragraph sixth, remarks that "Sotion and Heraclides, and Pamphila, in the fifth book of her Commentaries, says that there were two Perianders; the one a tyrant, the other a wise man, and a native of Ambracia. Neanthes of Cyzicus makes the same assertion, adding that the two men were cousins. Aristotle asserts that the Corinthian Periander was the wise one; but Plato contradicts him." It appears to us, on account of this uncertainty, preferable to leave the events of his life and reign unnoticed, and to note only a few of his reputed sayings; these alone now interest us. We believe that Plutarch's “Banquet of the Seven Sages" is generally regarded as inauthentic, if not altogether spurious, else we might here quote the interesting conversation said to have been held by them at the court of Periander. These maxims, attributed to him, deserve record:"Rashness is dangerous;" "Practice does everything;" "Whatever you agree to do, perform it;" "Pleasures are transitory, honour is immortal;" "Be moderate in prosperity, prudent in adversity;" "Punish not only the accomplished crime, but the intended one;" "Be always the same to your friends, whether happy or unfortunate." * Aristotle's "Politics," Book II., chap. 9. + See also "Herodotus," II., 20; III., 47; V., 92; besides Larcher's notes to the second edition of his translation of "Herodotus;" Aristotle's "Politics," III., 8; V., 8, 9, and 12; Bayle's "Dictionnaire Historique et Critique." We believe there is a paper entitled, "Recherches sur les Années de Périandre," in the fourteenth volume of the " Memoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions," from which some information might be gained; this, however, we have never seen. CLEOBULUS, governor of Lindos, a town in the island of Rhodes, the son of Evagoras, was born about 631, and died about 561 B.C. (fifty-fourth Olympiad). His government was wise and just, mild and temperate. He is said to have been remarkable for personal strength and beauty, and to have studied philosophy in Egypt. His favourite maxim, μέrpov äρioтov-moderation is best-formed the fundamental principle of Aristotle's "Ethics." His other reputed sayings coincide with the character tradition gives him, e. g., "Do good to your friends, that they may become more friendly-to your enemies, that they may become friends;" "Hear more than you speak;" "Avoid injustice;" "Restrain the love of pleasure;" "Be neither fickle nor ungrateful;" "Be not haughty when prosperous, nor downcast in adverse circumstances;" "Let daughters of marriageable age be women in understanding;" "Devote your highest powers to the good of your country." We must defer till a future opportunity our notices of the maximists, Epimenides, Anacharsis, Pherecydes, the fabulist Æsop, &c., as well as our general remarks on this era of Greece and Philosophy, in which "Grave and time-wrinkled men, with locks all white, Gave laws, and judged in strifes, and taught the way of right." Philosophy. HAVE WE SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOW MADE TO MAN FROM A SPIRITUAL WORLD? AFFIRMATIVE ARTICLE.-III. THERE are some questions of importance that possess but little interest, except to a few: they refer to certain branches of science or departments of knowledge about which only the professional or the studious are concerned. Not so with the question now before us; it refers to a subject which has interested men of all classes in all ages of the world. Man is conscious of the possession of a spirit within him which is superior to the frame that it inhabits; and revelation comes to teach him that this spirit is divine in its origin and immortal in its nature. Revelation comes to teach man that he may hold fellowship with the "Great Father of his spirit" and, to excite his affections, it tells him how his Maker is still his preserver, kindly watching over him, supplying his bodily wants, and, by the influence of his Holy Spirit and angelic agencies, ministering to the necessities of his soul. This revelation from God to man was made “at sundry times and in divers manners." Dreams of the night, when "deep sleep falleth upon man," were frequently the media which the Almighty used for communicating his mind and will; while at other times his servants saw visions, "heard a voice," or were directly inspired by the "Spirit of the Lord." These truths-which necessarily imply the existence of a spiritual world, and the fact that communications from it have been made to man-will, we presume, be admitted by all who take part in the present debate; and the question here comes, Have we sufficient evidence to prove that such communications are now made to man? We have read with deep interest the affirmative articles on the present question which have appeared in the pages of this work. We admire the ingenuity with which our friends have constructed theories to support their reasoning, and to account for the phenomena of table-rapping and table-talking; but we are not at present prepared to admit the truth of those theories; and, fearing that the rejection of the theories by the readers of the Controversialist might appear to ne cessitate the rejection of the affirmative of the question, we desire to present a few plain old-fashioned reasons why this should not be the case. That there is a spiritual world, and that communications from it have been made to man, we shall not, as previously hinted, attempt to prove; but, taking this for granted, we proceed to maintain that there is nothing in the character of past communications to lead us to suppose that any period would arrive in the world's history when their repetition would be impossible or undesirable. On the contrary, we find in the sacred scriptures a solemn declaration respecting the last days thus introduced:"SAITH GOD, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." And again we have another inspired penman recording the plain, unmistakeable words, "Where there is no vision the people perish;" perish not merely in the darkness of ignorance, but in the deeper gloom of unbelief. We have seen that dreams were, in olden times, employed by God to convey intimations of his will to man-that prophecy speaks of their being still so employed in the future; and the question naturally arises, Are they ever so honoured now? We maintain that they are. It may be objected that, since the canon of scripture has been completed, man needs no further revelation of spiritual truths. But we would remind the objector that few, if any, of the dreams noticed in the scriptures had reference to spiritual matters; we cannot, therefore, say that dreams have been discontinued for spiritual reasons, nor that we need them less than our forefathers. It has been well said by a living biblical critic, "The state of man may often require intimations more distinct than can be conveyed by impressions upon the mind. These more distinct intimations can only be conveyed by words or signs. ... There is nothing which man can learn in a waking state but may be imparted to him in a dream. It seems probable, or more than probable, that God still speaketh once, yea twice, in dreams, yet man 'perceiveth it not.'"* Numerous cases might be brought forward in evidence of the * Dr. Kitto, "Daily Bible Illustrations," Vol. II. truth of this position; but two must suffice. Some of our older readers will remember a case that attracted great attention some years ago. A young woman was murdered in a barn and buried under the floor. She was thought by her friends to be still alive in another place; and the murderer remained not only undiscovered, but unsuspected for a time; but the young woman's mother was warned repeatedly in a dream to search the barn. She did so. The murder was thus discovered, and the murderer (Corder) condemned and executed. The writer we have just quoted very properly asks, “Now, but from what other cause than a supernatural action upon the mind of the mother, could this dream have been produced? But men would not perceive or acknowledge this. The counsel on both sides, the judge, the jury, the reporters, the editors-all, with one consent, pushed this most prominent feature of the case aside. It did not elicit one serious reflection-one pious remark. It was to them only a dream. To us it was the voice of God responding to the cry of innocent blood." The other instance which we would adduce was first recorded in an American religious publication of high respectability, the Watchman and Reflector. The writer is a minister of high position, and, according to the journal, deserving entire credit. The story runs thus: "In the summer of 1848, the Rev. of New York, sailed for England, on board one of the packet-ships belonging to the Collins Dramatic line, a short time before the introduction of ocean steamers on the Atlantic. After a short residence of a few weeks in England, he returned to New York by the same vessel. The voyage home was protracted, and far from pleasant. The winds were, for the greater part of the time, contrary, and the passengers, among whom were several ladies, were dejected and weary. One morning as they assembled at breakfast they seemed to be more than usually desponding, and one lady in particular, the wife of the captain, was more so than any of the others. Mr. rallied her upon her dejected appearance, and asked her why she was so very desponding. She said her spirits were unusually depressed owing to a dream she had had the previous night, and which made a very deep impression upon her mind; so much so, that she believed it was a reality, and not a mere imagination. She was urged by the company to tell her dream. She said that her son, whom they had left on their farm in Connecticut, appeared to her in her dream, and, pointing to his side, in which there seemed to be a deep wound, said, 'Mother, I am dead,' and immediately vanished from her sight. "All present at table sympathized with the lady, and the dream was immediately entered in the log-book of the vessel. After buffeting the winds for a number of days, at last they made the Hook, when they were boarded by a pilot. On stepping on board, instead of the usual cheerful salutation, he quickly inquired for Captain —, whom, coming upon deck, he immediately addressed, saying he was sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings; but the letter which he handed him, he said, would inform him particularly of the event. Without a word in reply, the captain went below and opened the letter, which was from the agents of the vessel. It informed him that, on a certain day, his son had gone out a gunning, and that, in crossing a fence, his gun went off and lodged its contents in his side, killing him instantly. The log-book was called for, and it was found that his death corresponded exactly with the date of the dream." What say W. G. D. and his materialistic friend "Halket" to this? Here is something the rationale of which is not found in their philosophy. Space permits us to do little more than refer to the popular belief in apparitions and ghosts, which, like all others, doubtless has some amount of truth for its foundation. Who has not heard or read the narrative of the appearance of the ghost of "old Jeffrey" at the house of Wesley's father, at Epworth? a narrative which staggered even the credulity of Dr. Priestly, and of which Southey remarks, in the Life of Wesley, such things may be supernatural and yet not miraculous; they may not be the ordinary course of nature, and yet imply no alteration in its laws." Of course in treating upon a subject like this, it is to be expected that we should refer to that greatest marvel of modern times, spirit-rapping and table-talking. We might crowd the pages of this magazine with the testimonies of witnesses of these wonderful phenomena; but we give the fol lowing specimen from the pen of the Hon. N. P. Tallmadge, a gentleman occupying a high position in the New World:-" The following physical manifestation was made in the presence of General Hamilton, General Waddy Thompson, of South Carolina, and myself: "We were directed to place the Bible on a drawer under the table. I placed it there completely closed. It was a small pocket Bible, with very fine print. Numerous raps were then heard, beating time to 'Hail Columbia,' which had been called for. Soon the sounds began to recede, and grew fainter and fainter, till, like the music of the guitar, they died away in the distance. The alphabet was then called for, and it was spelled out, 'Look.' I looked on the drawer and found the Bible open. I took it up and carefully kept it open at the place as I found it. On bringing it to the light, I found it open at St. John's Gospel, Chapter II. being on the left side, and Chapter III. being on the right side. I said, 'Do you wish us to look at Chapter II.?' Ans.-'No.' 'Do you wish us to look at Chapter III.?' Ans.'Yes.' And it was then said, 'Read.' commenced reading the chapter, and significant and emphatic raps were given at many verses; and at verses 8, 11, 19, 34, most vehement raps were given. By looking at these verses, you will appreciate the significancy and intelligence of this emphatic demonstration. This manifestation purported to come from Calhoun, who had previously invited us three gentlemen to be present at a particular hour. I "In reflecting on the preceding manifestations, one cannot but marvel at the power by which they are made, and the intelligence by which that power is directed. And it would seem impossible for one to doubt the source of that intelligence." Now, few we presume will have the hardihood to assert either that these gentlemen were deceivers or deceived, especially when it is remembered that there are thousands who would bear a similar testimony. The spread of the belief in these manifestations has no parallel in history, either in regard to the numbers or the intelligence of the individuals by whom it has been received. Upon this point Judge Edmonds, of New York, says: "Scarcely more than four years have elapsed since the 'Rochester Knock W. G. D. nor his colleague "Halket" attempt to deny the reality of these phenomena; they only oppose "Benjamin's" theory of accounting for them, and seek thereby to draw attention from the phenomena themselves. But this will not do; we must press them to an honest avowal of their belief or disbelief in these matters; for, to use the words of an adverse critic in the Eclectic Review, "According to the laws of evidence, an absolute refusal of credit would in this case be misplaced. ings' were first known among us. Then mediums could be counted by units, but now by thousands; then believers could be numbered by hundreds, now by tens of thousands. It is believed by the best informed, that the whole number in the United States must be several hundred thousands, and that in this city and its vicinity there must be from twenty-five to thirty thousand. There are ten or twelve newspapers and periodicals devoted to the cause, and the spiritual library embraces more than one hundred different publications, some of which have already attained a circulation of more than ten thousand copies. Besides the undistinguished multitude, there are many men of high standing and talent ranked among them; doctors, lawyers, and clergymen, in great numbers, a Protestant bishop, the learned and reverend president of a college, judges of our higher courts, members of Congress, foreign ambassadors, and ex-mem-origin and import of which we are so deeply bers of the United States Senate." concerned. It is worthy of remark that neither Tacit admission we cannot withhold." If our opponents go as far as this in their admissions, as we feel sure they must, we respectfully but earnestly ask them how they will account for these phenomena except on the supposition that they are communications from the spiritual world? It is not enough to discuss the existence of Hades, we need not leave terra firma, for here our senses convey to us "sights and sounds" about the NEGATIVE ARTICLE.-III. A. R. OUR theme is dangerous to sober thought. | and discourse of the "charms" of bygone After reading the articles of "Benjamin" and his alter ego of the hieroglyphic arrow, we feel so perfectly bewildered that we yearn for relaxation and relief. The terrible "hard words," the gigantic sentences, the inexplicable "postulates," which we may not deny under pain of becoming either idolatrous or atheistical (p. 12, col. 2), and the extraordinary reasoning, flit before our minds like gigantic spectres; boding evil, but yet so unreal, so untangible, and so utterly beyond our comprehension, that we feel strongly inclined to rush into an opposite extreme. Our ordinary weapons will surely be vain. We would fain try some cunningly devised scheme. Our foes are too vague and shadowy for the bayonet; perhaps their garments may be fired by a squib. We are strongly tempted to invite our readers to a friendly gossip; to admit all that has been said and sung of spiritual existences, and to pour forth all our gleanings of legendary lore. We might then speak of the whole round of that "Mystic learning, wondrous able days; of the ibis and scarabæus; of Solo- |