Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-02-26
RELIGION OF GHOSTS.
THE REV. DR.. TALMAGE DENOuNCES
SPlRITUALlSM.

Such Beliefs as NecrOmoncy and
DeIusion Their Disciples Are
Doomed-Cause Insanity.
Copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopsch.l
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-In this dis
course Dr.. TalmaGe discusses a theme
never more under exploration than at
this time and warns people against
what he calls a religion of ghosts;
text, | Samuel xviii, 7: Behold, there
is a woman that hath familiar spirit
at En-dor And Saul disguised him
self and put ON other raiment, and he
went, and two men with him, and they
came to the woman by night"
Trouble to the right of him and trou-
BILE to the left of him, Saul knew not
what to do. AS last resort he con-
cluded to seek out a spiritual medium
OF a witch or anything that you please
to call her-a woman who had COM
munication with the spirits of the eter
nal world 1t was very difficult thing
to do. for Saul had either slain all the
witches or compelled them to stop
business. 4 servant one day said to
King Saul, Il know of a spiritual me-
dunn down at the village of En-dor."
do youE' said the king Night falls.
Saul. putting off his kingly robes and
putting on the dress of plain citizen,
with two servants, goes out to hunt up
this medium
l Saul and his servants after awhile
reached the village, and they say, Il
wonder if this is the house" and they
look in, and they see the haggard,
weird and shriveled up spiritual me-
dunn sitting by the light and on the
table sculptured images and divining
rods and poisonous herbs and bottles
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 darkness, 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 for fortune teller
or spiritual medium in all the land.
But Saul having sworn that no harm
shall come to her, she says, tWell,
who shall 1 bring up from the dead?'
Saul says, Bring up Samuel" That
was the prophet who had died a little
while before. I see her waving wand,
or stirring up some poisonous herbs in
a caldrCn. or hear her muttering over
some incantatfonS, 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
tenement opens. and the gray hairs
float up and the forehead, the eyes, the
lips, the shoulders, the arms, the feet
the entire body of the dead Samuel
wrapped in sepulchral robe, appearing
to the astonished group, who stagger
back and hold fast and catch their
breath and SILVER with terror.
An Awful Sennce.
The dead prophet, white and awful
from the tomb, begins to move his
ashen lips, and he glares upon King
Saul and cries out: What did you
bring me up for? What do you mean.
King SauI?' Saul, trying to compose
and control himself, makes this STAN
mering and affrighted utterance as he
says to the dead phophet: THE Lord
is against me, and have come to you
for help. What shall l do2" The dead
prophet stretched forth his finger to
Come with me into the sepulcher. i
am going now. Come, come with me-"
And, 10. the floor again opens, and the
feet of the dead prophet disappear and
the arms and the shoulders and the
forehead. The floor closes. Oh, that
was an awful seance!
To unlatch the door between the
present state and the future state al
the fingers Of superstition have been
busy. We have books entitled Foot
falls on the Boundaries of Other
Worlds" 1.-The Debatable Land Be
tween This World and the Next RE
searches Into the Phenomena of Spir-
itualism" and whole libraries OF hocus
pOcuS, enough TO deceive the very elect.
l shall not take time to rehearse the
history of divination, Delphic oracle,
sibyl or palmfstry or the whole cen
turtles of impoSture.
Modern spiritualism proposes to open
the door between this world and the
next and put US into communication
with the dead. 1t has never yet Of
fered one reasonable credential
When l find Saul in my text consult
ing familiar spirit. learn that spir-
itualism is very old religion.
Spiritualism in America was born in
the year 1917. in Hydesville. Wayne
county. \. Y. when one night there
was loud rap heard against the door
of Michael Weekman; a rap second
time. rap third time, and all three
times. When the door was opened,
there was nothing found there, the
knocking having been made seemingly
by invisible knuckleS.
After awhile Mr.. Fox with his fami-
ly moved into that house, and then
fhnr had hnI ho