October 30: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1852, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Monday next is the first of November, and the evening previous is observed as a festival among the peasantry of most of the countries of Europe. It is also regarded as a time when spirits of another world are permitted to be abroad on the earth, and fairies, witches and other creations of popular fancy exercise a potent influence over the future destiny of mortals. The desire to pry into futurity, which is a strong element in human nature, has invested the last day of October with a supernatural character, as a time when people may, by the performance of certain rites and ceremonies, obtain a view of their future condition. These mysterious ceremonies, however, are principally confined to the discovery of what shall be the future matrimonial relations of young people, and of course that is a subject on which both sexes would be willing to exercise a little conjuration, provided it would lead to a knowledge of how their lot in this respect is to be cast. Little attention is paid to the occasion in this country, save in some of the New England states, where it is partially observed. It is becoming neglected, however, everywhere, and in the course of time will be entirely forgotten.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1904, the Eagle reported, “Former Judge Abram H. Dailey addressed the members of the Urban Club and a large company of invited guests last night at the home of Mrs. Andrew J. Perry, First place, on the subject of ‘Occult Science.’ One of the guests of the evening was the Rev. May S. Pepper, pastor of the First Spiritualist Church of Brooklyn. Ex-Judge Dailey spoke, not as a professed spiritualist, although he stated during his discourse his belief in the manifestations of the spirit world; but as a seeker after truth. He reviewed briefly the wide field of science and showed where, in many instances, the natural phenomena perceptible by the senses merged into other phenomena more elusive and fleeting in character, and how manifestations of this latter class required the assumption of other hypotheses than those of natural science. The speaker mentioned the names of eminent men who have devoted a great part of their study to the solution of the difficulties which these unclassified phenomena present, and discussed the various theories which have been advanced to account for them. Recognizing the existence of the subconscious self, Judge Dailey asserted that, no matter how wide the powers given to this strange personality, it failed to account for many of the phenomena of clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, astral projections and spirit manifestations. At the close of Judge Dailey’s remarks, Mrs. Pepper spoke briefly.”