The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-05-31
furniture business! Well, the people

|
said:
"We have got something new in this
country; it is a new religion"
Oh, no, my friends. Thousands of
years ago we find in our text spiritual
istic seance.
Nothing in the spiritualistic circles of
our day has been more strange, mys-
terious and wonderful than things which
have been seen in the past centuries of
the world. In all the ages there have been
necromancers, those who consult with the
spirits of the departed charmers; those
who put their subjects in a mesmeric
state; sorcerers, those who, by taking
poisonous drugs, see every thing and hear
every thing and tell every thing ;dreamers,
people who in their sleeping moments can
see the future world and hold consultation
with spirits; astrologers, who could read
a new dispensation in the stars; experts
in palmistry, who can tell by the lines in
the palm of your hand your origin and
history. From a cave on Mount Pal mas
sus, we are told, there was an exhalation
that intoxicated the sheep and the goats
that came anywhere near it, and a shep-
herd approaching it was thrown by that
exhalation into an excitement in which he
could foretell future events and hold con-
sultation with the spiritual world. Yea,
before the time of Christ the Brahmins
went through all the table moving, all the
furniture excitement, which the spirits
have exploited in our day; precisely the
same thing over and over again, under
the manipulations of the Brahmins Now
do you say that Spiritualism is different
from these? l answer, all these delusions
have mentioned belong to the same fam
lily. They are examinations from the I'M
seen world.
What does God think of all these delu-
sions? He thinks SO severely of them that
he never speaks of them but with livid
thunders of indignation. He says:
will be swift witness against the sorcerer.
He says:
Thou shalt not suffer witch to live.
And lest you might make some impor-
tant distinction between Spiritualism and
witchcraft, God says, in so many words
There shall not be among you a conSulter OF
familiar spirits, or wizard, necromancer; for
they that do these things are an abomination
unto The Lord.
The Lord Almighty, in a score of pas
sages, which have not now time to quote,
utters his Indignation against all this
great family of decisions. After that be
a Spiritualist if you dare!
But Spiritualism says:
"We will open the future world, and
your loved one can come back and talk to
you."
Though we may not hear his voice, we
may hear the rap of his hands on the ia
BILE. So, clear the table. Sit down. Put
your hands on the table. Be very quiet
Five minutes gone. Ten minutes gone
No motion of the table. No response from
the future world. Twenty minutes. Thir.
ty minutes. Nervous excitement all the
time increasing. Forty minutes. The table
shivers. Two raps from the future world
The letters of the alphabet are called
over. The departed friends name is John
At the pronunciation of the letter "J,'
two raps. At the pronunciation of the let
ter so" two raps. At the pronunciation
| of the letter "H," two raps. At the pro.
| nunciation of the letter en-" two raps
There you have the whole name spelled
| out John, John. Now, the spirit be-
ing present, you say:
"John, are you happy"
Two raps give an affirmative answer
Pretty soon the hand of the medium be.
| gins to twitch and toss and begins to write
| out, after paper and ink are furnished, 6
message from the eternal world. What is
remarkable, the departed spirit, although
| it has been amid the Examinations Of
Heaven, can not spell as well as it used to
1t has lost all grammatical accuracy and
can not write as distinctly. received 6
| letter through q medium once. sent i
back. I said:
sJust please to tell those ghosts they
had better go to school and get improved
in their photography"
| Now, just think Of spirits, that the Bible
represents as enthroned in glory, coming
down to crawl under the table, and breal
| crockery, and ring tea bells before supper
is ready, and rap the window shutter on
| gusty night. Is there any consolation il
such poor, miserable work compared
with the thought that our departed Chris
tian friends, got rid of pain and languish
ing, are in the radiant society Of Heaven
and that we shall Join them there, not il
a stifled aud mysterious half utterance
which makes the hair stand on end ant
the cold chills creep the back, but in al
unhindered and illimitable delight?
And none shall murmur or misdoubt,
When Gods great sunrise finds US out
Yes, my friends, Spiritualism comes I,
those who are in trouble and sweeps then
into its delusions. Saul, in the midst Of
his disaster, went to the Witch of Endor
The vast majority of those who have gone
to spiritual mediums have been sent Their
through their misfortunes.
I learn still farther from this subjec
that Spiritualism and necromancy are af
fairs of the darkness. Why did not Sau
go in the day? He was ashamed to go
Besides that, he knew that this spiritual
medium, like all her successors, per.
formed her exploits in the night. Tht
Davenports, the Fowlers, the Foxes, tn
spiritual mediums of all ages, have chosen
the night or darkened room. Why,
The majority of their wonders have beer
swindles, and deception prospers best il
the night.
You have all seen strange and unac
countable things in the night. Almos
every man has at some time had toucl
OF hallucination. Some time ago. after
had been over tempted to eat somethin,
indigestible before retiring at night, afte
retiring saw the president of one of tn
prominent colleges astride the foot of tn
bed, while he demanded Of me a loan o
fifty cents When I awakened had NJ