The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-10-23
CASTING OUT DEVILS.
TESTIMONY THAT ExORciSM HAS
REASONS FOR EXISTENCE.

Signs Through Which One Who Is Pos
sessed Is Recognized-The COMPUTATION
and Other Strange Formulas Employed
BY the Good Monks.
The possessed of Gift is cured
now not by the doctors. who We're un-
lble to do anything for ler. but by the
theological science OF tie cure of the
parish and the fr,nness Of Mgr. Goux,
bishop Of Versailles. witch shows that
exorcism has its reasons for existence
and that possession as real as hvs-
terra. As a matter Of fact, the church
mas never laid down her arms in the
presence of the devils.
There are four principal signs through
which the possessed Il is recognized:
l. No known remedy relieves him. ..
He speaks of incidents and facts beyond
his natural reach and which nobody has
revealed to him. 3. He !oretells events
ard speaks several languages unknown
to him before his affliction. 4. In the
presence of a priest and at sacred cere-
monies he trembles. suffers pain, writAes
and blasphelnes.
The Catholic priests. and especially
the D~ominicans, have from away baci:
practiced exorcism. According TO the
canons. the exorcist belongs to one of the
minor orders which precede the priest
hood. He must be humble of heart in
his ministry. and if he operates with
n though of display he risks for him.
self the contagion of the evil spirits that
still remain to be cast out.
Ordinarily the ceremony takes place
in the church in the presence of the
faithful assembled at prayer. particular
" at the feasts of the Nativity, of the
Resurrection. Of the Ascension. Of Per.-
tecost. of the Virgin Mary and of the
Apostles. After the morning mass. to
which the possessed one assists. the ez-
orcist puts on the surIlice and assists
the priest who puts on the violet colored
cope, the symbol of the pains OF purga-
tory. The patient who has confessed
then approaches. y stole is passed
around his neck to tie the devils that
haye become the masters of his body.
Then the sign Of the cross is made upon
him. and he is sprinkled with holy wa
ter. In Latin thu devil is commended
to tell his name, u say whether or not
he is alone and why he is there. Finally
he is ordered to depart. The conjura-
tion in any other language and espe-
cially in Hebrew is useless. Hebrew is
reserved for satan himself.
The Flagellum damonum contains
b most complete formula of exorcism,
consisting of well known prayers min
gled with the most ancient and strangest
appellations of God. such as ..Oh, Ado
mai Tetragrammaton' and others, which
come in part from Chaldea, from Php-
necia and from Greece. The words are
supposed to possess in themselves a GER
tain power OF evocation of celestial yir-
tues which terrify the Internal legions. |
Certain words of Christ, according to ,
st. Matthew. are used to drive out evil
spirits.
II the demon does not retire imme-
diately, the exorcist takes a painted i'm
age representing him and throws it into
the consecrated fire along with incense,
rue and sulphur, with strong mystic
sdors, intending to prove by this act
that he will SEND the evil spirit back into
his natural element-hell. This done,
he places upon the head Of the possessed
one the book, the relics, the crucitix and
sometimes even the host-the last and
invincible remedy. According to tine
authority of certain demonographs, the
devil then comes out through the nose
of the patient.
In the ancient monasteries they made
the exorcist carry upe his person Ger
tain amulets containing protective
formulas. Sometimes these formulas.
written upon pieces Of parchment. were
swallowed. In the process of digestion
the exorcism was accomplished without
fatigue. j
In our days exorcism has taken ref
uge in La Trappn. The CLERGY are
somewhat aver7e 10 it. willie ~ the
same time they do rot refuse 70 admit
Il. Tho man who breaks the spells Is
vo9y old. But the Gevils cast ont b.
the good monks are reduced 10 the tor
mentin2 of animals. Pigs aze their
fAvogites. Then tine old spell s,aaslier
whips them with beads and sprinkles
them with holy water, and the pigs re-
cover and become happy. because the
dsvils 60 away.
Mr.. J. < Huysmans has been able to
spsak Do visu Of the power Of demons
and the slhcacity Of exorcisms. More
-. IT, eminent writer was well 20