The appearance of these Catacombs about the middle of the fourth century, has been described by St. Jerome. He says: "When I was at Rome, still a youth, and employed in literary pursuits, I was accustomed, in company with others of my own age, and actuated by the same feelings, to visit, on Sundays, the sepulchres of the apostles and martyrs; and often to go down into the crypts dug in the heart of the earth, where the walls on either side are lined with the dead; and so intense is the darkness, that we almost realize the words of the prophet,- They go down alive into hell,' (or Hades ;) and here and there a scanty aperture, ill deserving the name of window, admits scarcely light enough to mitigate the gloom which reigns below; and, as we advance through the shades with cautious steps, we are forcibly reminded of the words of Virgil,- Horror on all sides; even the silence terrifies the mind."" These subterranean galleries were nearly lost sight of during the disorder occasioned by barbarian invasions. As the knowledge of their windings could be preserved only by constant use, the principal entrances alone remained accessible; and even these were gradually neglected, and blocked up by rubbish, with the exception of two or three, which were still resorted to, and decorated afresh from time to time. In the sixteenth century the whole range of Catacombs was re-opened, and the entire contents, which had remained absolutely untouched during more than a thousand years, were restored to the world at a time when the recent revival of letters enabled the learned to profit by the discovery. It is difficult now to realize the impression which must have been made upon the first explorers of this subterranean city. A vast metropolis, rich in the bones of saints and martyrs; a stupendous testimony to the truth of Christian history, and consequently, to that of Christianity itself; a faithful record of the trials of a persecuted Church-such were the objects presented to their view. From the removal of everything portable to a place of greater security and more easy access, as well as from the difficulty of personally examining these dangerous galleries, beyond the mere entrance left open to general inspection, we are no longer able to share the feelings of those who beheld the cemeteries and chapels of a past age, completely furnished with their proper contents. Before we proceed to notice the contents of the Catacombs, it may be well to add a few more details respecting them. In the greater number of galleries, the height is about eight or ten feet, and the width from four to six. The graves are cut in the walls, either in a straggling line, or in tiers, occasionally amounting to six in height. The galleries often run in stories, two or three deep, communicating with each other by flights of steps. Many of the perpendicular shafts, noticed by Jerome and others, by which the vaults were lighted, appear to be of a more recent date than the times of persecution, and would have been fatal to the safety of the refugees. Many of these holes still exist in the Campagna, near Rome, and prove dangerous to the incautious rider. The number of graves contained in the Catacombs is very great. In order to form a general estimate of them, we must remember that from the year 98 A. D. to some time after the year 400, (of both which periods consular dates have been found in the cemeteries,) the whole Christian population of Rome was interred there. As this time includes nearly a century after the establishment of Christianity under Constantine, the numbers latterly must have been very considerable. A city peopled by more than a million of inhabitants, so far Christianized as to give rise to a general complaint that the altars and temples of the gods were deserted, must have required cemeteries of no ordinary dimensions. The number of Christians in the time of Decius has been estimated by historians at between forty and fifty thousand. Added to this, a horror of disturbing the graves already occupied, would effectually prevent the custom of employing the same ground for fresh interments after the lapse of a few years. The treasures of the Catacombs, we have said, were removed to museums and places where they could be seen and studied to advantage. The richest collection is in the Vatican. There is, first, the Christian Museum, properly so called, containing a number of sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, inscriptions, and medals; besides this, at the entrance to the Vatican Museum, is a long corridor, the sides of which are completely lined with inscriptions, plastered into the wall. On the right hand are This arranged the epitaphs of Pagans, votive tablets, dedications of altars, fragments of edicts and public documents, collected from the neighborhood of the city; and, opposite to them, classed under the heads of Greek, Latin, and Consular monuments, appear the inscriptions of the ancient Christians. These have been collected indiscriminately from the Catacombs round Rome. is called the Lapidarian Gallery. Ever since the discovery of these inestimable monuments in the sixteenth century, Romanist writers have been suffered to claim identity in discipline and doctrine with the Church that occupied the Catacombs; while an attempt has scarcely been made to show from these remains the more striking resemblance existing between the Reformed Church and that of primitive Rome. It will be more particularly shown in another article. THE LOSS OF THE "HENRY CLAY." "There is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet." Sorrow upon the calm blue deep, But no sorrow in the eternal home, No breaking hearts in the mansions on high, But the souls that have won that holy rest Forever a smile shall wear. NEW-YORK. THE SYMPATHY FOR THE POOR. HE delicacies of food and clothing are enjoyed with little concern for those to whom the necessaries of life are scarcely attainable; and it has thus passed into a proverb, that one half of the world knows not what becomes of the other. One of our first moral writers has been pleased to speak in a manner somewhat disrespectful of those moralists and poets, like Thompson, who have noticed and lamented this disposition in the human mind to enjoy its own blessings rather than disquiet itself with the calamities of others. I allude to Adam Smith. But was he well employed on this occasion? There was peace in the smiling summer heaven, It is the province of sympathy to render Like a blessing hung on high; And a soothing song in the forest's shade, But a requiem pass'd on the wind's soft wing, Placidly flow'd the blue waves on, And aye to themselves they sang; But a shadow fell on their quietness, And a shriek through their melody rang; And they bore on their breast full many a form That had fallen in death asleep: O joyfully shone the summer sun, The infant clasp'd an angel hand, And pass'd from earth away; And childhood heard the Shepherd's voice, And manhood's strength was weakness there, O! weary was the restless wave To an anthem sighing low; While the last heart-throb of terror there, Sorrow was on the burden'd deep, Nor sorrow only there; But the hearts that live after all are gone, And in desolate homes where the very light And the summer breeze, as it fleets along, us alive to the evils of those around us. This he would admit. So is it equally the province of reason and good sense to save the mind from too deep an interest in afflictions which we can neither prevent nor remedy. This we concede on our part. No doubt, therefore, it is the perfection of the human character to be at once equal to its own happiness, and yet sensible to those miseries of our fellowcreatures which its exertions can alleviate. But surely it remains to be remarked, that it is not in any deficiency to ourselves that human nature offends. This is not the weakness of mankind, or the aspect under which they need be regarded by a moralist with any pain. If there be sometimes found those who are formed of a finer clay, so as really to have the comforts of their own existence diminished and interrupted by sympathizing too long and too quickly with the calamities of those around them, such may surely be considered as exceptions, to be set apart from their fellow-mortals, as those more amiable beings, who are not likely by their example to injure the general cause of reasonable enjoyment in the world, and whom the more natural prevalence of careless selfishness renders it not easy often to find, and surely not very possible long to 1 censure. LITERATURE AND LOGIC OF "THE In tracing it from its origin to its present A INTERIOR." LITTLE while ago, the heading of this article would have conveyed no definite idea to the mind of the reader. By "the interior" he might have understood that department of the general government now in charge of Mr. Stewart, of Virginia; if of a bilious habit, "the interior" would have suggested thoughts of the digestive organs; and if sanguine in temperament, it might have indicated the space within the crust of our globe, as demonstrated in the theory of the half-crazy Symmes. Now, however, the phraseology is well understood. "The interior" is the expressive phrase by which is designated the abode of departed spirits. Its localities have been described, its boundaries marked out, its various "spheres" explained. In fact, there is more dogmatic teaching relative to "the interior," and those who believe have more positive information about it than can possibly be gathered from the pages of geographers relative to the surface of this little planet on which we dwell. We have, moreover, abundant specimens of the literature of that well-described realm. Its logic is transferred to material types. Not only prose, but poetry, professedly therefrom, may be had in quantities equal to the demand. There are papers and periodicals devoted to nothing else, weekly, semi-weekly, and quarterly, terms two to three dollars per annum, payable in advance. For those whose appetites cannot be satisfied with less than a full meal at once, there are also bound volumes, goodly in size, and closely printed. The price, of course, is considerably more than you pay for books of the same size on mere mundane topics, and the typographical errors are rather more numer ous. The growth of this species of literature has been rapid in the extreme. We know nothing in the natural world with which to compare it. The Victoria regia, which, by its amazing developments, drove the Duke of Devonshire's gardener to the invention which resulted in the Crystal Palace, grew at a snail's pace in comparison. Indeed, by those who forget the Millerite excitement, and are ignorant of Mormon statistics, the extension of this species of literature, and the greediness with which it is swallowed, will appear almost incredible. gigantic developments, we confine ourselves to the publications of professed "mediums,"—a word employed to designate individuals who are used by the spirits to convey their sentiments, their poetry and prose, to those yet in the body. About four years ago, in the house of a Mr. Michael Weekman, in the town of | Arcadia, in Wayne County, New-York, were heard, at intervals, sundry mysterious noises. Mr. Weekman was at first terribly frightened. He and his family, however, soon became accustomed to the rappings, which were followed by sundry fantastic tricks, such as the moving of tables, the displacing of chairs, and the breaking of crockery by some invisible power. This was the germ from which has grown this gigantic tree. Other accounts of its origin have been given, but they are entitled to no credit. A work entitled "Explanation and History of Mysterious Communion with Spirits," by E. W. Capron and H. D. Barrow, published at Auburn, establishes this fact, and will satisfy the reader that the thing did really emanate from Mr. Weekman. In process of time, this same house was occupied by a Mr. J. D. Fox, who had two daughters, cunning girls, just verging upon womanhood. Their names were Catharine and Margaretta. To them belongs the glory of making the knockings available. Weekman, in his weakness, never dreamed of turning them to personal or pecuniary profit; but the Foxes discovered the method of rendering intelligible the knockings which had hitherto been "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." By raps, made of course only in their presence, questions were answered on subjects of which the girls were ignorant. These answers were frequently incorrect; but then they were sometimes right, which of course was deemed conclusive evidence that a communication with "the interior" had been opened. In a short time other persons, in different parts of the country, entered upon the same line of business; in fact, mediums sprang up like mushrooms. The old freaks of making pokers dance, and smashing looking glasses, and frightening children, a very mean employment for denizens of any sphere,—went out of fashion. The letters of the alphabet-our English alphabet; for all the spirits, Greek, German, and Hindoo, seem to understand English-came into use. The "medium," beginning with A, points to the letters successively. When the right one is touched, a rap is heard, and so on until the word is complete, and thus information from the interior is communicated. As in the method of the Fox girls, however, erroneous answers are frequently given even by the alphabetic process. The faith of the true disciple is not at all shaken thereby, for nothing is easier than to account for mistakes; as, for instance, the spirit who gave the reply was an ignoramus from a lower sphere, or his rap was not rightly interpreted, or he did not understand the question. A Mr. A. Munson published at Auburn what he entitled, with admirable propriety, a" Simple Narration." He visited a Mrs. Cooper, and after witnessing several strange sights, such as the poising of a table on two castors at an elevation of fifteen or twenty degrees, the moving of that table toward him, the said Munson, and its moving back again, of course by spiritual agency, for he says, "Mrs. Cooper and myself were the only persons in the room that tabernacled in the flesh," a call for the alphabet was made. It was accordingly produced, and Mr. Munson informs us, “Among other questions asked and responded to were the following:-Be you my guardian spirit? Answered affirmatively. How long have you been my guardian spirit? Answer. Five years. Are you the spirit of my mother? Answered in the affirmative by a single rap, which was the sign agreed upon for an affirmative response to my questions." Now Mr. Munson's mother had not been dead one year. Of course there was a mistake somewhere. It might have been accounted for by supposing they measure time differently in "the interior;" but Mr. Munson says that although “it was beyond controversy that a falsehood had been communicated," and he told Mrs. Cooper that it was a falsehood, "I returned to my home under a strong impression that the dark side of this investigation would be made luminous, and that the apparent jargon would be made plain." And so it was. Some months afterward, Mr. Munson, as a reward for his desperate docility, was favored with another interview with a medium. After a few preliminary questions, "I said," continues this simple narrative, "I understood you to say you had been my guardian spirit five years. She replied: I did not answer that question. It was answered by a spirit in the second sphere. He did it to deceive you and prevent you from believing in spirit manifestations." Mr. Munson was of course abundantly satisfied. The mode of communicating by "rappings" was found, at length, to be liable to many objections, especially on the part of those more skeptical than Mr. Munson. A Mr. H. R. Park, of the town of Scott, in Cortland County, N. Y., undertook to answer these objections. We give the whole of his reply to the assertion that the Bible nowhere talks of this knocking. "It says," Mr. Park tells us, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock;" and "whosoever cometh and knocketh, open to him immediately." This latter "quotation” appears to have been manufactured for the purpose; the former savors of blasphemy in this connection. The residents in "the interior" were ashamed of their apologist, and by the better informed among them rapping has been voted vulgar. Now the new era dawns upon us. It was not a very great stretch of intellectual capacity that revealed the fact that by the same power by which spirits can rap and cause material things to dance at their pleasure, they might be able to take a man's hand and write. The invention, however, is attributed to Dr. Franklin, who, it seems, pursues his philosophical inquiries in "the interior." Thus it is written in the "New Leaf" for February, 1852, a periodical published in the city of New-York:-" Franklin seems to have had much to do in the work of originating and operating the new Spiritual Telegraph. He still appears to exercise the functions of his old office, (Postmaster General,) having, however, instead of assistants and deputies, numerous friends, who conform to his wishes so far as their wills and perceptions coincide with his— such being the basis of all spiritual co-operation." Well, according to this we shall never know how much the world is yet to be indebted to the good old doctor. is now, according to the last advices, only in the third sphere. If he ever reaches the seventh, of which there is no more reason to doubt than that he is now in the third, there is absolutely no telling wha He he will do, for it must be observed that progression from a lower to a higher sphere gives an immense accession of knowledge and power. It is only fair to tell the reader, however, that the reports relative to Franklin's locale are somewhat contradictory. Which sphere he is really in is a disputed point. From the periodical already quoted we make an extract, which gives an insight into the geography of "the interior," and explains the reason why the old philosopher may have contradicted himself in the numerous revelations he has made. The editor says, "This article was dictated by a spirit, Feb. 8, 1852." "When we tell you that yet very few who once inhabited earth have attained the third sphere-undergone the third phenomenon of birth-you may think that the inhabitants of this sphere are most of them either ignorant in regard to sphereognostics, or have willfully deceived you in regard to this matter. There are many here who know little or nothing respecting spheres, and who suppose, from no promptings of vanity, that they have attained the highest or nearly the highest human elevation possible the spheres which they so minutely have depicted being a distinction of grades, or classes in this sphere, which possess no more distinct lines of demarkation than do the different societies of your sphere. "Reflection and every-day experience can but evince to your minds, that in your sphere there is no absolute number of societies. A certain number may, perhaps, seem to delineate the number of societies which would be most readily and generally perceptible. One may make forty or a hundred classifications or societies in one sphere, and be as much right as he who makes but three or seven. A diagram will illustrate to you more fully and forcibly this idea. This ought to satisfy a reasonable inquirer, and is as conclusive as anything could be that the contradictory statements to which we have alluded must have come from persons "ignorant in regard to sphereognostics," which seems to be a very difficult science. In fact, these circles are so "intromultiplied” that very few of the inhabitants of "the interior" can describe their "plane of development," which, in our vernacular, means - they don't know where they are. come The process whereby individuals bemediums,"-by which, in this advanced stage of progress, you are not to understand mere rappers, but links in Franklin's Spiritual Telegraph,—is very simple. It is described in the books with minute accuracy. Even a fool may comprehend and practice the directions, as has been made manifest in all parts of the country, there being now "not less than a thousand mediums in these United States," some of them of the first water. A man by the name of Hammond ranks among the most highly favored. We incline to give him the first place; at any rate, he has made most money by publications to which he has the shrewdness to give most startling and ad captandum titles. Of course everybody would like to see, when satisfied of its being the real thing, "The Pilgrimage of THOMAS PAINE to the Sixth Circle in the Spirit-World, by Rev. Charles Hammond, Medium.-Written by the Spirit of Thomas Paine." The price, "bound in muslin, is seventy-five cents." It is a dingy, shabbily-printed little volume; dear, were it on mere mundane topics, at a quarter of a dollar. It had a most extensive sale, and was soon followed by another book, similar in size and appearance, price also seventy-five cents in muslin." We copy the titlepage entire" LIGHT FROM THE SPIRITWORLD, comprising a series of articles on the Condition of Spirits, and the Development of Mind in the Rudimental and Second Spheres. Written wholly by the control of Spirits, without any volition or will by the medium, or any thought or care in regard to the matter presented by his hand.-C. HAMMOND, Medium." In his introduction, bearing date Rochester, October 31st, 1851, he advises the reader 66 |