The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-05-31
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Homily on the Widespread Curse
of Modern Spiritualism.
The Birth and Progress of the Heresy In
America and the Baneful Influence 1t
Has Exerted in Many Homes
A Christian Seance.

A Christian Seance.
"Modern Spiritualism" was the subject
chosen by Rev. T. Dewitt Tt mage for a
recent sermon at the Brooklyn Tab
ernacle. His text was:
DR.. Talmage announced his subJect:
tModern Spiritualism." He took for his
text:
Behold there is woman that hath familiar
spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself
and put on other raiment, and he went, and
two men with him, and they came to the
woman by night; and he said, pray thee, d.
vine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring
me him up. whom I shall name unto thee
l. Samuel, xviii, 7,s.
have recently become Spiritualist.
At least so some of the journals of that
belief declare. This, together with the
fact that mediums" are now being tried
in the criminal courts, setting millions
of people to make inquiry in regard to
communications between this world and
the next, leads me to preach this sermon.
Trouble to the right Of him and trouble
to the left of him, Saul knew not what to
do. AS last resort, he concluded to
seek out spiritual medium, or witch,
or any thing that you please to call it-at
any rate, woman who had commun1ca-
ton with the spirits of the eternal world.
1t was very difficult thing to do, for Saul
had either slain all the witches or COM
peeled them to stop business. A servant
one day said to King Saul
81 know of a spiritual medium down at
the village Of Endor."
"Do your" said the King. Night falls.
Saul, putting off his kingly robes and put
ting on the dress of a plain citizen, with
two servants, goes out to hunt up this
spiritual medium. It was no easy thing
for Saul to disguise himself, for the tall
est people in the country only came up to
his shoulder, and think from the strength
of the man and the way he bore himself,
he must have been well proportioned. II
must have been frightful thing to see a
man walking along in the night eight OF
nine feet high. 1 suppose, as the people
saw him pass, they said: ''Who is that!
He is as tall as the King"-having no idea
that in such plain dress there really was
passing the King.
Saul and his servants after awhile reach
the village, and they say: 81 wonder if
this is the house?" and they look in and
bu6y SSS tII6 IdSRdIu, WClIu duu hIlNOlCu
spiritual medium sitting by the light, and
on the table sculptured images, and divin'
ing rods, and poisonous herbs, and bot
ties, and vases. They say: eyes, this
must be the place." One loud rap brings
the woman to the door, and as she stands
there, holding the candle or lamp above
her head, and peering out into the dark
ness, she says: "Who is here?" The tall
King informs her that he has come to
have his fortune told. When she hears
that she trembles and almost drops the
light, for she knows there is no chance fol
a fortune-teller or spiritual medium in ali
the land. But Saul having sworn that nc
harm shall come to her, she says:
"Well, who shall bring up from the
dead?"
Saul says: "Bring up Samuel"
That was the prophet who had died 6
little while before. l see her waving 6
wand, or stirring up some poisonous
herbs in a cauldron, or hear her mutter.
ing over some incantations, or stamping
with her foot, as she cries out to the realm
of the dead: samuel! Samuel" Lo, the
freezing horror! The floor of the tene.
ment opens, and the gray hairs float up
and the forehead, the eyes, the lips, the
shoulders, the arms, the feet, the entire
body of dead Samuel, wrapped in sepul
chral robe, appear to the astonished group
who stagger back and hold fast, and catcl
their breath, and SILVER with terror. The
dead prophet, white and awful from tn,
tomb, begins to move his ashen lips. ant
he glares upon King Saul and cries out:
"What did you bring me up for? VIII!
did you break my long sleep? What d.
you mean, King Saul?"
Saul, trying to compose and contro
himself, makes this stammering and af
frightened utterance, as he says to tn
dead prophet:
1.-THE Lord is against me, and l hav
come to you for help. What shall do?'
The dead prophet stretched forth hi
finger to King Saul and said:
'Die tomorrow! Come with me int
the sepulchre. am going now. Come
come with mew
Spiritualism in America was born il
l47 in Hydesville, Wayne County, N. Y.
when one night there was loud ra
heard against the door of Michael Week
man; a rap second time, rap thir
time; and all three times, when the doc
was opened, there was nothing foun,
there, the knocking having been mad
seemingly by invisible knuckles. In tina
same house there was young woman
who had cold hand passed over her face
and, there being seemingly no arm at
tached to it, ghostly suspicious were ex
cited. After awhile Mr.. Fox and hi
family moved into that house, and the
every night there was banging at tn
door, and one night Mr.. Fox said:
"Are you spirit?" Two raps, answer
ing in the affirmative.
''Are you an injured spirit?" Two raps
answering in the affirmative. And so the
found out as they say, that it was tn
ghost or spirit of a peddler who had bee
murdered in that house, many year
before, for his five hundred dollars
Whether the ghost Of the dead peddle
had come there to collect his five hundre
dollars or his bones l can not say, nc
being Spiritualist, but there was a grea
racket at the door, so Mr.. Weekman de
clared, and Mrs. Weekman and Mr.. Fo.
and Mrs. Fox, and all the little Foxes
The excitement spread. There was a
universal rumpus. The Hon. Judge Ed
wards declared in book that he ha
actually seen bell start from the to
shelf OF a closet, heard it ring over tn
people that were standing in the closet