While the work of our pioneer
teachers was keenly
appreciated by their associates, their value was not realized until
they
had passed from the earthly scene. Such is the case of Cora Richmond,
whose
silver tongued oratory and whose remarkable Trance Mediumship has never
been equaled. Her keen appreciation for the need of a National
Organization
resulted in the formation of that Organization in 1893. Her soul
teachings
brought many masterminds into Spiritualism at the turn of the
nineteenth
century; her missionary work was of measureless value. The sweetness of
her nature and the spirituality she expressed personally, were
qualities
never to be forgotten by her associates.
Cora Scott was born on April 21, 1840 near
Cuba, New York
and was the daughter of David W. and Lodencia Butterfield Scott.
The interesting background of this marvelous
child medium
prepared the way for her mediumship and the naturalness of its
acceptance.
Her father was an independent in religious views, and in his younger
days,
had read the works of Thomas Paine, which left a lasting impression
upon
his mind. He was a searcher for truth in all directions, and was
willing
to receive it from any and all sources.
The mother was of a religious turn of mind,
her parents
being strict Presbyterians, but she too, was a truth seeker and her
religious
opinions had been materially modified when Cora's wonderful mediumship
was first discovered. Therefore, she was prepared to receive the
teachings
of the Spirit World and made no opposition to the manifestation when
they
appeared in their home. The atmosphere of the Scott home was entirely
free
from the teachings of orthodoxy before Spiritualism came to it;
therefore
Cora's mind had not been biased by dogmatic theology.
Mr. Scott was delighted to be the father of
a daughter
and wanted her named for her mother, Lodencia Veronica, a name which
the
mother disliked and one over which Cora maintained a silence during her
lifetime. Finally the attending physician, a Dr. Washborne, took a hand
in the matter. Since the baby girl was born with a "veil" and such
physical
attribute was believed to confer special powers, why not call the baby
Cora; which translated means poetess, priestess and counselor, a woman
of wisdom with powers as a SEERESS.
The father allowed the name Cora to precede
the names
he had chosen, but insisted that the child be christened Cora Lodencia
Veronica Scott. Thus she was known from childhood as Cora L. V., a name
she was known by all through her long lifetime and which identified her
work to her thousands of listeners as well as in the affection of her
closest
friends.
Mr. Scott endeavored to keep pace with the
leading reforms
of the times. An avid reader, he had spent the long evenings prior to
Cora's
birth reading aloud to his wife. Through the writings of the Rev. Hosea
Ballou, he became interested in the Universalist religion. Through this
process he became interested in the "Hopedale Colony" which had been
founded
in 1841 by the Rev. Adin Ballou, a close relative of Hosea Ballou. The
Colony was located at Milford, Mass. and its teachings were directly
connected
with the ethical and religious teachings of Modern Spiritualism.
The interest, which David Scott had
developed in the Ballou
Movement, caused the Scott family to move to Hopedale in the winter of
1851. The life at Hopedale was fraught with many new experiences. Many
other families had joined with Mr. Ballou on his farm and the
co-operative
plan of economic security waned, rather than grew, because of the
limited
space. Mr. Scott was a firm believer in the activities of Mr. Ballou,
but
he determined to move to another place because he could see there was
insufficient
living space for the growing colony. In the late autumn of 1851, the
Scott
family moved to Waterloo, Wisconsin, there, to form a branch of the
Hopedale
Colony.
During that winter an event occurred, that
was to make
a complete change in their lives. This event was the advent of Cora's
Mediumship.
From the very first, Mr. Scott accepted the wonderful teachings that
fell
from his daughter's lips. The first eleven years of Cora's life had
been
quite uneventful. Sensitive in nature, she spent much of her time
alone,
reading such children's books as were available. The outstanding
feature
of her earlier years was the fact that there were no spiritual nor
psychic
experiences in her life, nor is there any evidence to show that her
parents
were aware of the psychic experiences of the Fox children, living some
hundred miles away.
If she knew of the Fox sisters, it could
only have been
as a casual reference. She had no idea that she was exemplifying
Spiritualism
by her demonstration. Her mediumship had developed quite simply. She
had
not studied nor sought it. She was bewildered by it, as were her
parents
and she had no conception of its meaning to the world. The first
visitation
came in the early Fall while she was sitting in the garden arbor
preparing
a composition for school. She apparently fell asleep and upon waking,
noted
that her slate was covered with writing in an unknown hand. Laughingly,
she accused her schoolmates of writing on her slate while she slept,
which
they of course denied. A few days later the same phenomena occurred
while
she was alone. Her schoolmates came to accept the strange happenings as
children will and finally made a game of it and asked Cora to do their
schoolwork for them while she slept. When her parents heard of this
strange
happening, they could scarcely believe their ears.
One day, the mother sat sewing while Cora
sat on a stool
at her feet. Suddenly the child fainted and the mother applied
restoratives,
but to no avail. The poor mother was distracted, but noticing that the
child's right hand and arm were twitching, and remembering the slate
and
the game played by the children, she brought a slate and pencil and
immediately
Cora began to write out messages from family and friends, many of whom
Cora had never heard of and who had been in Spirit many years. From
then
on, her development was rapid and instead of writing her messages, she
began to deliver them in a low guttural voice. Her platform appearance
followed and she became the wonder of the country around.
Before this time, the Scott family had no
interest in
Spiritualism. Its rapid growth had not attracted their attention. David
Scott had attended a "Spiritual" meeting while he was in Hopedale, but
it did not impress him and was soon forgotten. When the remarkable
gifts
of his daughter were demonstrated to him so conclusively, he wrote Rev.
Ballou that he had at last found something of "Good foundation" and
that
he would return to his former home at Cuba, New York and devote his
life
to this "New Revelation".
Here, we must set out an incident which
occurred at Hopedale
and which had a lasting effect upon Cora's life. Rev. Ballou had a son,
Adin Augustus, a brilliant student at Harvard. His father had hopes
that
he too, would become a Clergyman. Some eight years older than Cora, he
was visiting his father in the Autumn of 1850 and while walking through
the woods came upon a small girl picking late berries. He spoke to the
child but she became terrified and ran screaming to her mother. She
said
that his eyes had a strange effect upon her and seemed to look right
through
her. Neither Cora nor her parents could fathom this strange effect he
had
upon her, but she purposely avoided young Adin Ballou and never saw him
again. But what a strange part he was to play in the life of the "Child
Wonder".
Mediumship was developed by other members of
Cora's family;
her mother became a medium as well as her aunts Olive, Catherine and
Cordelia
and her Uncle Edwin. The whole family was converted to Spiritualism by
her teachings. Her grandmother Scott had been a medium, but her powers
had not been understood in her time. She would be told in dreams what
to
do and would awaken her husband in the night and many times traveled
great
distances to heal the sick.
A cousin Eliza Butterfield and her husband
John Hammond
had ten children and when the Fox knockings occurred and excitement ran
high over this event; they were only one of the families who sat in
circles
and prayed for manifestations to occur. The family moved to
Pennsylvania
where there was no known psychic phenomena but interest was fanned into
flame by a visit to the home by a cousin Lodencia, Cora's mother.
During her stay, the family and a few
friends organized
a spiritual circle and through patience and love, two young mediums
were
developed. The little circle of faithful souls was named by the spirit
guides "Rose of the Wilderness." This name was appropriate as the
Hammond
family was the only one within a radius of hundreds of miles who had
any
interest in Spiritualism or who had openly continued their
investigations
despite the growing unpopularity caused by the orthodox clergy.
The greatest sorrow that came to Adin Ballou
was the death
of his son Augustus. The son was in Boston studying for the Ministry so
that he might aid his father in the Hopedale Colony, when he passed
into
spirit. But while the father grieved for the loss of his son, a strange
and wonderful thing was happening in far away Wisconsin. Four days
after
the passing of Augustus and long before the tidings could have reached
Wisconsin; Cora Scott was entranced by Augustus Ballou. He had been
deeply
interested in the reforms of the day and was an enthusiastic
Spiritualist;
after passing to the Spirit World, he desired to continue his work from
that side of life. He was taken to the Scott home in Wisconsin, by a
spirit
guide, who told him he was to control the daughter. He said; "I was
requested
by friends and relatives, who were in spirit life to give my aid in
developing
her powers and shielding her from the throng of spirit influences that
were so anxious to communicate that they perhaps might do her some
injury,
as they did not know much of the power of control."
"I soon discovered that these were higher
guides, guardian
spirits of the medium, who knew her power, and had requested my
presence
there to be their spirit instrument in controlling this child. I very
reluctantly
undertook this task. I had been in spirit life but a few days, when
this
request came to me and it was undertaking a most solemn responsibility.
I knew, it is true, of this method of communication between the spirit
world and yours; I knew somewhat of the import it conveyed to humanity,
but I had very little knowledge of the laws of psychology, and of the
influence
necessary to be adapted to the frail instrumentality that I was called
upon to control. However, I was told that I would not be alone in my
control,
but that there were others in command and that I would be enabled to
gain
knowledge of spirit life, and to impart knowledge to others. I hailed
with
delight the idea of being useful to my fellow beings; I hailed with
delight
the idea of receiving additional knowledge of spirit life, but I shrank
from controlling an organism, from taking possession of a human life,
in
any way whatever to be its guiding power. I was admonished, however by
spirits above me, that it was not in my power to alter the destiny of a
human being, that I might avail myself of the organism for the facility
of acquiring knowledge and imparting it, but that I could not, in any
way,
alter her life course, for that was in higher hands than my own."
Commenting on the above paragraph, and the
reason it has
been quoted, is that the lesson it contains is invaluable as it conveys
the thought of the naturalness of the Spirit World, responsibilities,
duties
and work on the Other Side of Life. The seriousness of guiding a human
life, at the same time, having no control of shaping the destiny of
that
life. This brings a great lesson to us, that we may accept the
teachings
of the Spirit World and be influence by them, insofar as we wish to be,
but not constantly under the influence of spirits, as some individuals
claim to be. We, as individuals, have the right and should deem it our
responsibility to make our own decisions, and develop our own faculties
and improve our lives, to be influenced by our own judgment, but at the
same time, listen and learn from those who have greater 'vision' than
we,
then draw our own conclusions. What if we do err? If the experience is
worth it, we learn through each experience, which makes life and its
lessons
invaluable.
Spirit Ballou controlled Cora, using her
brain and vocal
organs for the purpose of speaking, instead of controlling the hand, as
had been done. He controlled her first experimentally, and later as a
teacher;
then by advice of spirits beyond him, formed a circle of a certain
number
of persons; no strangers were admitted. He acted as the medium on the
spirit
side of life, connecting the higher spheres of thought and action with
the mortals yet in form. That there was no misunderstanding, the guides
always stated whether they were giving their own personal views or
merely
stating the thoughts of others.
Cora had a German Physician with her for
about four years,
during which period many remarkable cures were made, through her
organism.
Great care had been exercised by the spirit guides through the years of
growth and in order that there would be no interference in their work,
they directed Cora to cease attending school when she was only twelve
years
of age. Another helper from spirit who came to assist Cora was a little
Indian girl known as "Shenandoah" but later called "Quina." Shenandoah
was her father's name as well as the tribe to which they belonged and
the
valley where they live. She became known as "Shannie" and she said that
Ouina was the name given to her by her mother when she entered her
sphere
of spirit life. Spirit Ballou said that her work was greater than his,
as she was far above him in the scale of progression.
Cora's public platform work began when she
was eleven
years of age, but it was not until she was fifteen that her actual
spiritual
teaching before large audiences began. It was announced that there were
twelve spirits, having different gifts or phases of knowledge, who
would
speak as the occasion demanded on scientific, philosophical,
historical,
political or other topics chosen by or adapted to the audiences. The
great
variety and range of topics called forth very often the combined
knowledge
of the entire band around her. In nearly all of the large cities, the
committees
chosen were always composed of the most scholarly men known to the
public.
They generally selected a topic which they deemed most difficult for
any
speaker to discuss, with which to confound the young girl to whom it
was
given. Many interesting incidents are told of how those who came would
chuckle over their great skill and ingenuity in devising difficult
questions;
and to their great chagrin when they listened to the ease with which
she
treated their problems. Many topics were presented which were so
profoundly
discussed through her instrumentality, that even those professional
persons
admitted they could do no better; many with tears in their eyes humbly
confessed their astonishment in hearing such amazing lectures through
the
lips of a child.
She spent nearly all of 1852 in Wisconsin,
but the year
of 1853 brought a great change in her life; her beloved father passed
away
and for a period of a year she was quite inactive, except for
occasional
appearances in Fredonia and Dunkirk, New York. Finally she was invited
to lecture exclusively in Buffalo N.Y. where she shared the platform
with
Thomas Gales Foster, one of the most gifted orators in Spiritualism. It
must have been quite a sight to see a child of fourteen years acting in
the capacity of Pastor of a large and constantly increasing Society.
She
remained in Buffalo for two years and the interest created did much to
cement the growing popularity of Spiritualism in that city, which
became
one of the largest Spiritualist centers, per capita, in the world.
The Test of Tests
When Cora was only 14 in 1854, Professor J. J.
Mapes
of New York City came to Buffalo to pursue his investigations of the
Spiritual
phenomena. He attended the morning circle, and later was asked by Ouina
if he would speak at the afternoon meeting, to which he replied, "Yes,
if you will control your medium, and let me give the subject that she
shall
speak upon." He fell into the very trap that Ouina desired, since it
was
the tests of tests that the spirits wanted to give him. The hall was
packed;
Cora took the platform and after the choir had sung, came forward with
her countenance so illuminated by the light of the spirit that all
beholders
were struck with admiration. Prof. Mapes spoke the two words,
"Primary
Rocks." After the lecture, the control called upon the professor to
speak upon the same subject. He came to the platform and with tears in
his eyes, said, "I am a college educated man, and have been all my life
an investigator of scientific subjects and associated with scientific
men,
but I stand here this afternoon dumb before this young girl."
Demands upon her time made it imperative
that she leave
Buffalo and go on tour. Finally Horace H. Day, Editor of "The Christian
Spiritualist," a popular periodical of the day, arranged for her to
come
to New York City. It was in the rooms of The Christian Spiritualist
that
she met Katie Fox who had been engaged by the year to give sittings and
messages to all who came, free of charge. Here also, she met Emma
Hardinge
Britten who had a music conservatory in the same building. With Cora as
her inspiration, she soon began her own brilliant career in
Spiritualism.
Cora stayed in New York for more than two
years. Meetings
were held in Union Hall, near Wall Street and attracted huge throngs of
people. In her audiences were such people as Judge Edmonds, Horace
Greely,
Prof. Mapes and Robert Hare.
It was in this period of her life that one
of Cora's dear
friends, Mrs. C. A. Coleman of Mount Vernon, New York, states that Cora
was directed to her by the spirit guides who had persuaded her that she
needed a change in home relations. She was ill and the Doctors were
concerned
that she might have an abscess on the lungs. She cared for her until
Cora
recovered her health. This would be also the period in her life that
Emma
Hardinge Britten writes of Cora: "She was a young country girl who, at
fifteen years of age, had been discovered by Prof. Mapes of New York,
to
be one of the finest trance mediums of the day. By aid of some other
distinguished
scientists, this young girl was introduced to the public of New York,
where
her wonderful trance addresses astonished and delighted all that heard
them. Pretty soon this young and beautiful girl being, of course, a
highly
susceptible psychological subject, was found by an old, crafty and
experienced
magnetiser over fifty years old and was coaxed into becoming his wife
by
promising to manage her affairs so that she could become wealthy. This
man took her from place to place, charging exorbitant prices for the
"show",
but keeping her so hard at work that the poor girl was frequently
compelled
to appear in public when she was fairly sinking with fatigue and
illness.
She could not have been more than sixteen at this time.
Whether this man had any legal right or not
to the title
of Doctor which he assumed, certain it was known in New York that he
was
a man of notoriously bad character. Soon after her unfortunate
marriage,
reports began to be circulated of his brutal treatment of the young
wife.
While Dr. William Britten, who later became the husband of Emma
Hardinge,
was in the reading room of a hotel in New Haven, Conn., he heard a
female
voice pleading for help. Upon enquiry, he found a young girl pleading
for
permission to stay that night and for protection against a brutal
husband
from whom she had just escaped, and from whose violence she feared that
her life was in danger. He found this lovely young girl to be Mrs. Cora
Hatch, the wife of the 'Spiritualist Showman,' as he was called. He
urged
that she be given the protection and shelter asked for.
The wrongs, cruelty and privations to which
the young
wife had been subjected, aroused public indignation to such an extent
that
Prof. Mapes, Judge Edmonds, Drs. Gray and Hallock and several other
leading
Spiritualists, insisted that she be placed under proper protection and
then summoned the husband to appear in the Divorce Court. There were so
many witnesses of ill usage, that a divorce was granted instantly, and
Hatch was branded for a brute and charlatan.
He was still in possession of many thousands
of dollars
that Cora had earned and he tried to get revenge on all of Spiritualism
by writing, publishing and sending all over the world, pamphlets that
defamed
the whole phenomena of Spiritualism.
This could account for the spirit guides
sending her to
Mrs. Coleman. It must have been a sad thing for one so young to be
placed
in the position of a celebrity; missing the guiding hand of her wise
and
loving father, it is not hard to see how Mr. Hatch could so easily
influence
her as to get control of her affairs by promising her guidance and
direction.
After more than two years in New York City,
she accepted
a call to Baltimore, Maryland. Her audience there consisted of Judges,
Lawyers, Teachers, Scientists and also many Naval Officers. They were
not
Spiritualists but they were forced to admit that they had no one who
could
cope with this young girl of sixteen. She parried their every question
with intellectual brilliance, lecturing upon such subjects as
Astronomy,
Political Science, Religion, Philosophy, History and especially upon
the
burning question of Slavery, with an intelligence which astounded
leaders
and teachers in such fields.
During her stay in Baltimore, she visited
Boston and interested
William Lloyd Garrison, who became her staunch admirer and friend, in
the
subject of Spiritualism. She visited Philadelphia and surrounding
cities
with increasing success. One subject was entitled, "The Antiquity of
the
World As Proved by the Discoveries of Geology; its Consistence as a
Science,
with Biblical History."
Cora Scott was the close friend of Nettie
Colburn Maynard,
the author of "Was Abraham Lincoln A Spiritualist?" In fulfillment of a
friendship of over thirty years and a long existing pledge, she was
called
upon to officiate at funeral services for Mrs. Maynard on June 30,
1892.
Here she said that Mrs. Maynard had understated rather than overstated
the facts in her book concerning the interviews that President Lincoln
had with the Spirit World through Nettie Colburn.
Answering a call from the Spiritualists of
England, she
made her first trip to that country in 1873, arriving on a beautiful
Spring
day. Any feeling of loneliness in a strange new country was quickly
dispelled;
although she had no personal acquaintance with English Spiritualists,
she
found she was no stranger to them. Dr. J. M. Peebles had praised her
work
during his tour of Britain and Emma Hardinge Britten had described the
wonderful Psychic ability that she possessed.
Spiritualism was comparatively new in
England and there
was much prejudice and criticism emanating from the Orthodox Church.
Her
first lecture, "The Link Between Science and Spiritualism," created a
furor
of excitement. Her experiences had always been to see her audiences
grow
in size and this experience was repeated in her new field. Soon some of
England's finest thinkers were in attendance, among them Stainton
Moses,
William Oxley, George Thompson and John Bright, whose friendship for
America
in the dark days of the rebellion is a matter of history. Also in
attendance
was one American, the distinguished Robert Dale Owen, holder of many
positions
in the United States Government. His great service to our cause is well
known wherever Spiritualism is mentioned. His great book, "Footfalls on
the Boundary of Another World," is a living monument to his memory. The
inspiration back of this book is his many experiences with Cora L. V.,
of whom he wrote, "We have not among the women of America any more
enlightened,
or more judicial, or more eloquent of the principles of what, in modern
phrase, is termed Spiritualism, than this lady and I am sure that those
who have thought deeply upon this subject will be much gratified in
studying
her marvelous psychic attributes.
The original tour was scheduled to last six
months, but
because of the interest and enthusiasm aroused, Cora stayed for two
full
years. During this time she visited every city in England and Scotland;
while she met with uniform success in her work yet she had some adverse
experiences. For instance, while in Leeds, a worthy Presbyterian Divine
accused her of memorizing her lectures. She allowed him to choose a
lecture
subject after the audience had gathered and he chose "Sight, the
Relationship
of the Optic Nerve upon the Retina of the Eye and the Human Brain." The
lecture that followed lasted for an hour. Of perfect scientific
content,
with no hesitancy and in exemplary English, her oratory brought the
audience
to its feet, cheering wildly. The abashed clergyman hastily left the
hall.
In Manchester, a young boy presented himself
to Cora and
made the startling statement that he was able to talk while he was
asleep
and begged for the chance to prove his claim. The privilege was
granted;
thus was Wilberforce Juvenal Colville introduced to the world of
Spiritualism.
His tremendous contribution to our movement remains in effect to this
day.
For many years Cora L. V. Richmond and W. J. Colville were contemporary
laborers in Spiritualism and their work supplemented each other on many
occasions.
Cora's remarkable work did much to establish
the excellent
organization for Spiritualism in the United Kingdom today. Her personal
popularity and the respect that her inspiration demanded, her power to
hear, her occasional startling physical phenomena, all placed her in
the
foreground of Spiritualist leaders and her position is still
unchallenged.
She made three trips to Britain, all with equal success. In 1873 to
1878
she was principally engaged in her Spirit work, but her last visit was
in the nature of a honeymoon for she had met and married William
Richmond.
Mr. Richmond was a well-balanced, honest,
earnest and
sincere individual. He became a very important factor in Cora's life
and
her work. He stood between her and the shafts of malice, envy and other
unpleasant things that come into a worker's life. He understood and
entered
into the spirit of the work of her guides and teachers.
Cora entered the field of literature early,
being but
eighteen years of age when she published her first volume comprising
some
twenty-five class lectures and their accompanying poems. After her
marriage
to Mr. Richmond, he became so interested in her work that he gave up
his
lucrative business life, became proficient in shorthand and the art of
printing and proceeded to print and publish her weekly class lessons so
that all of her students might have the benefit of her lessons in
printed
form. Valuable literature was thus given to the world, much of it still
extant. Modes of travel were much slower in those days and the many who
could be reached through the printed word far outreached the
comparative
few that could sit with her in person.
Her first volume, published in 1858,
contained a dissertation
on the Gyroscope, and almost unknown and certainly not easily
understood
principle of the mechanical world. Her second, published in 1859,
contained
a lecture on the "Sciences and their Philosophy." This book reveals
that
the Spirit Guides were versed in all the Sciences and the History of
the
Christian Religion, Ancient History, mental and moral Philosophy. Her
literary
style was terse and vigorous, abounding in rare epigrams; she makes her
readers "think."
In 1871 her famous poem, "Hesperia" was
published. This
poem, a book of some 250 pages, was dedicated to the future world
Republic
and the future Brotherhood of the World. It attracted the attention of
the scholars and statesmen of the nation and it became very popular. It
was allegorical in content, the characters presented in the style of
Greek
Mythology. It describes the coming Federation of the World, with the
ultimate
universality of people and the positive application of the "Golden
Rule."
In it were predictions of world wars and the ultimate fall of European
Governments; the apparent loss of culture and morality; the growth of
materialism
and finally the corrective method for recovery by the growth of
understanding
of Spirit. In reading the book, one would almost think that the author
was describing the trend of the present times from observation.
Hesperia,
a beautiful woman, (in reality the Spirit of Liberty) having traveled
over
the World, unites with Justice to find a Haven of Hope in America.
These
are some of the lines written in 1871:
Cora
in 1857 Age 17.
