Excerpt from A Treatise on Turning Tables, Vol. 1: The Supernatural in General, and Spirits Count Agénor De Gasparin, the author of the following work, is one of the most distinguished French Protestants of our times. His family is of Italian origin, as the name sufficiently indicates, and came, if we have been rightly informed, into France from the Island of Corsica, more than a century ago. His father was a member of the Chamber of Peers in the reign of Louis Philippe, and for some years was Prefect of the Department of the Rhone. At one period he held the post of Minister of the Interior. He was also a member of one of the five "Academies" which constitute the "Institute of France," and reckoned to be a man of highly respectable talents, and of extensive and solid attainments. Both father and son were warm supporters of the throne of Louis Philippe, and cherished for that monarch a very strong personal regard, which partook, we might say, of the nature of sincere friendship. Count Gasparin spent the earlier part of his life at Paris, where he received an education corresponding with the distinguished rank of his family. He is a scholar, in the highest and best sense of the word - his acquirements being at once various and profound. He is the author of several interesting and important works, of which we may mention his Intéréts Généraux du Protestantisme Français, in one volume 8 vo., and Christianisme et Paganisme, in 2 vols. 8vo., as possessing far more than ordinary value for intelligent Christian readers of all countries. To great advantages of personal appearance, Count Gasparin unites the grace of most refined and elegant manners. Few men, in any country, have associated more constantly or more intimately with elevated and cultivated society, than he has done from early childhood. And it has been justly remarked of him, that "he unites the accomplishments of the courtier with the sincerity and benevolence of the Christian." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.