The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-06-22
RELIGION OF GHOSTS.
DR.. Talmage Warns People Against
Modern Spiritualism.
The witch of EndOr n Type OF the
Fallacies of the Present Dny--
DenOunces IL nS Witchcrnft
and SOrcery.

B''nt' trhtiAot NiAt ut thlto IL ltliNiou
of ghosts; text, / Samuel 2s:7: BE
hold, there is a woman that hath IA
miliar spirit at Endor. And Saul dis
guised himself and put on other raj
ment, and he went, and two men with
him, and they came TO the woman by
night"
Trouble to the right of him and
trouble TO the left of him, Saul knew
not what to do. As last resort he
concluded 10 seek out a spiritual medi-
um or a witch or anything that you
please to call her-a woman who had
communication with the spirits Of the
eternal world. 1t was a very difficult
thing to do. for Saul had either slain
all the witches or compelled them TO
stop business. A servant one day said
10 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 kngly robes and
putting on the dress of plain citizen,
with two servants, goes out TO hunt up
this medium.
Saul and his servants after awhile
reached the village, and they say: 81
wonder if this is the house." and they
lookin, and they see the haggard. weird
and shriyeled up spiritual medium sit
ting 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: "Nho is hereY
The tall king informs her that he has
come to have his fortune told. When
she hears that she trembles and al
most 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: well,
who shall bring up from the dead"
Saul says: "Bring up Samuel" That
was the prophet who had died little
while before.
/ see her waving a wand, or stirring
up some poisonous herbs in a caldron,
or hear her muttering over some mean
tations, or stamping with her foot as
she cries ont to the realm Of the dead:
Samuel. Samuel" 10, the freezing
horrorl 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 en-
tire body of the dead Samuel-wrapped
In sepulchral robe, appearing to the
Rstonished group, who stagger back
and hold fast and catch their breath
and shiver with terror.
The dead prophet, white and awful
from the tomb, begins 10 move his
nshen lips, and he glares upon King
Saul and cries out: "What did you
bring me up for? What do you mean'
King Saul2" Saul. trying TO compose
and control himself, makes this STAN
mering and affrighted utterance as he
saws to the dead prophet: "Ihe Lord
Is against me. and have come to you
for help. What shall ] do?" The dead
propbet stretched forth his finger to
King Saul and said: "Die tomorrow
Come with me into the sepulcher. l am
voinq 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!
We are surrounded by mystery-be-
fore us. behind us to the right OF us 10
the left of us, mystery. There is vast
realm unexplored that science have
10 doubt, will yet map out. He who eX-
plores that realm will do the world
more service than ever did Columbus
or an Amerigo Vespucci. There are so
many things that cannot be accounted
for. so many sounds and appearances
which defy acoustics and investigation
so many things approXimating TO the
spectral. so many effects which do not
seem to have a sufficient cause.
To unlatch the door between the
present state and the future state all
the fingers of superstition have been
busy. We have books entitled Foot
falls on the Boundaries Of Other
Worlds" "The Debatable Land Be
tween This World and the Next. "Re-
searches Into the Phenomena Of Spirit
ualism" and whole libraries Of hocus
pocus. enough to deceive the very elect.
/ shall not take time to rehearse the
history of divination, Delphic oracle,
sibyl or palmistry or the whole cen
turics of imposture.
Modern spiritualism proposes 10
open the door between this wofld and
the next and put us into communica-
tion with the dead. 1t has never yet
offered one reasonable credential
When l find Saul in my text con-
sulting a familiar spirit. learn that
spiritualism is very old religion.
spiritualism in America was born in
the year 1s47, in Hydesville, Wayne
county. n. Y, when one night there
was a loud rap heard against the door
of Michael Weekman; a rap a second
time. a rap third time, and all three
times. when the door was opened,
there was nothing found there, the
knocking having been made seeming
lv bv invisible knuckles. in that same
house there was a young woman who
- oold bord ,oceod over her face.