The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-05-01


day, took strong grounds against spirit
ualism, denouncing the entire system as
q deIusIOn and q snare, and ex-
posing the frauds which had been
employed iu disseminating that doc
trlne. We publish the following ex-
tracts from his sermon:
We are surrounded on all sides by
mystery. Before US, behind as TO the
right OF US, 10 the LETT Of US, mystery.
There Is an unexplored world that
science, 1 believe, will yet map out.
Strange things that haYe not been &C
counted tor; sounds and Appearances
that confound ali acoustics and all in
vestigaiIon, approximations to the spec
trail; effects that seem 70 have no snffi-
cItnt cause. The wall between this
world and the spiritual, think, is very
thin. That there is communication be-
tween this world and another world -
certain. Spirits depart from this to that,
and the Bible says minlstering spirits
come from that to this. Il may be that
complete and constant and unmistakable
lines OF communication between these
two worlds may yet be opened. To un-
latch the door between the present state
and the future state all the f1ngers OF su-
persSiIion have been busy. We have
had books writiel entitled "FOotfals on
the Boundaries OF Other Worlds, % The
Detachable Land Bet Heen this World
and the Next" '' Researches
into the Phenomena Of Spiritual
ISM" and whole libraries Of hOcus pocus
enough TO deceive the very elect have
no time to Teht arse the stUrY OF divina-
ton and Delpbic oracle and planchetts
and sibyls aud palmistry and whole CEN
turtles of impos,ure. Modern spiritual
ism comes In proposing TO OPEN the
door between this world and the next,
and afford Us communication with the
dead. But II has not one responsible
credentiAl. There Is nothing In the in
teliigence or moral character of its found
ers TO commend IL. All the wonderful
things done by it have been shown to be
slight of hand and rank deception. Mr..
Carpenter, Robert Roudin, Mr.. Waite
and others have expo. ed the fraud by
dramatizing upon the stage in presence
OF many auditors the mysteries of spirit
ualism by their fruits ye shall know
Them" said Christ, and judging this tree
of spir:tualism from its fruits, which
have been bad, and only hal, and bad
continually, conclude that IL is one OF
the worst trees in all the orchard of nee
Tomancy. This pOstoffice which they
propose TO set up between the living and
the dead, IS star route pOStnffice that
has never yet delivered one letter from
the other world to this.
In ali the ages there have been nj cTo-
mancers, those who consult with the
spirits of the departed; charmers, those
who put their subjects in a mCsmeEic
state; sorcereFs, those who by taking
poisonous drugs see everything and hear
everything and tell everything; DIRE am-
ers, people who in their sleeping mo-
menis can see the future world and hold
consultation with spirits; astrolbgers,
who could read new dispensation in
the start; experts In palmistry, who can
tell by the lines IN the palms of Your
hands your origin and your history.
From a cave on Mount Parnassus, we
are told, there was an sxhalation that in
toxicated the sheep and the goats that
came anywhere near it, and shepherd
approaching IL was thrown by that ex-
halation into an excitement in which he
could furelell future events and hold
COZ sultalion with the spiritual world l..
Yes, before the time of Christ. the Brah-
minis went through all the table-moVing,
all the furniture excitement. which the
spirits have exploited in our day; pre-
cisely the same thing over and oyer
| again, under the manipulatiOns of the
Brahmins. Now. do you say that spirit
ualism is different from these? / an.
swer, all these decisions l have men.
toned belong 10 the same family
They are exhumations from the unseen
world. What does God think of all
these delusionsg He thinks so severely
of them that He never speaks of them
but with livid thunders OF indignation
| He says; IL will be q swift witness
against The sorcerer" He says: Thou
shalt not suffer a witch TO live" AnC
lest you might make some importan
distinction between spirilualism anC
| wItchcratt God says in so many words
| There shalt not be among you con
suffer of familiar spirits, a wizard or
| necrUmancer, for all that do these thing
are an abomination unto the Lord" Ant
he says again: "The soul that turnetl
after such as have familiar spirits anC
have wizards 70 go whoring after them
will ever set my face against that sou
and will cast him off from among hi
people" The Lord Almighty in scOr
OF passages, which have not now tim
10 quote, utters HIS indignation agains
nll this great family of decisions. Atte
that, be q spirituanst If YOU dare.
Another remark: People are captured
by spiritualism when they are weak ant
morbid from trouble. You lose a friend
you want the spiritual world opened 81
that you may have communication witt
him. In highly wrought, nervous an,
diseased state OF mind you 90 and pu
yourself in that communication. Tha
is why ! hate spIrltualism. 1t takes &C
vantage of one In a moment of weakness
which may come upon US at any time
J We lose a friend, the trial Is keen, shaTI
suffocating, almost maddeniog. II W
could marshal a host and storm th
eternal world and recaptnre our loYe
one the host would soon be marshaleG
The house is so lsnely, the world is 6
; dark, the separation Is so insufferabl
r but sDirItualism says: awe will ope
the future world aud your loved one ca
) come back and talk to you" Thong
we may not hear his voice, we may hes
the rap of his hand on table.
Now, Just think of spirits the Bib
represents as enthroned in CORY comm
down to crawl under the table and brea
! crockery and ring tea-bells before SUI
per is ready and rap the window shuttle
, on a gusiy night! Is there auy cOnsol;
ton In such poor, miserable work col
pared with the thought that our depaE
s cd Christian friends, rid of pain al
- languishing, are in the radiant society
. heaven, and that we shall join the
: there, not in a stifled aid mYsterioI
j half uttcrarce, which makes the ha
i stand on end and the cold chIlls cree
4 up the back, but in al unhindersI an
. ill!mitable delight.
Another remark: Spiriiualism
7 doom and death to lis Disciples. II ruiI
II the body. Look in upon aa audience
n spirituallsts; caddverous, weak, ner
Gus, exhausted. Hands clammY al
cold. Nothing prospers but long hair
soft marshes yielding rank grass. Spi
s itualism destroys the physical heali
Its disciples are ever hearing startlii
N news from .he other world; strange
ings crossing the room in white; tai
ldgety, wanting to get its feet loose, as
r TO dance; voices sepulchral and OmI
Gus; bewildered with raps.
e never knew q confirmed spiritual
e who had healthy nervous system.
is incipIent epilepsy and cataleps
IS Destroy your nervous system, and "
e might as we'll be dead. have motto
a that people who are hearing Taps fro
G the future world have but little streng
e left to bear the hard raps of Il
e world 1t is an awful thing to tri
D with ones nervous system it Is so de
Y cate, il is SO far-reachlng; its derang
/
K system a-jangle, and so far as your DO
1 and soul are concerned the whG
d universe lie a-iangle. Better in our ign
IF rance experiment with a chemists ret
e that may smite us dead, or with
II engineers steam boiler that may BIZ
lie US to atoms, than experiment with
10 nervous system. A man can live vi
In only one lung or with no eyes and
D. happy, as men have been under so
u Affections; but woe be 20 the man VIII
" nerves are shattered. Spiritualil
4 smites first of all and nightly agail
ID the nervous system, and so makes
n miserable.
&c Another remark: SpiTitualism is
I'd social marital cnrae. The wOrst deeds
~ licentionsness and tie worst orgies
mt obscenity have been IN acted under
he patronage. The story is too vile for
ed TO tell l will not pullute
n tongue nor your ears with