The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-03-03
RELIGION OF GHOSTS.
Dr.. Talmage Warns People Against
Modern Spiritualism.
The witch OF Endor n Type of the
FaIIncIes of the Present Day
Denounces II ms WItchcrRft
and SOrcery.

Copyright, 1900. by Louis Klopsch.1
Washington.
In this discourse DR.. Talmage dis
cusses "a theme never more under eX-
ploration than at this time and warns
people against what he calls religion
of ghosts; text. Samuel 1871: 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 to seek out 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 very difficult
thing to do, for Saul had either slain
all the witches or compelled them to
stop business. A servant one day said
to King SAUL 81 know of spiritual
medium down at the village of Endor."
do you?" 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.
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 shriveled 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: "Who is here?"
The tall king informs her that he has
come to have his fortune told. When
she hears that she tYembles and al
most drops the light, for she knows
there is no chance for fortune teller
OF spiritual medium in all the land.
But Saul having sworn that no harm
shall come to her, she says: swell,
who shall l bring up from the dead?"
Saul says: Bring up Samuel" That
was the prophet who had died little
while before.
see her waving wand, or stirring
up some poisonous herbs in caldron,
or hear her muttering over some mean
tations, 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 en-
ire body of the dead Samuel-wrapped
n sepulchral robe, appearing to the
lstonished group, who stagger back
md hold fast and catch their breath |
and SILVER with terror.
The dead prophet, white and awful |
rom the tomb, begins to move his
tshen lips, and he glares upon King
saul and cries out: "What did you |
,ring me up for? What do you mean,
King Saul?" Saul, trying to compose
md control himself, makes this STAN
nering and affrighted utterance as he
Jays to the dead prophet: "The Lord
S against me, and have come to you
or help. What shall do?" The dead
prophet stretched forth his finger to
King Saul and said: "Die tomorrow!
,ome with me into the sepulcher. lam
DING now. Come, come with mel"
And, 10, the floor again opens, and the
eet of the dead prophet disappear and
he arms and the shoulders and the
orehead! The floor closes. Oh, that
7as an awful seance!
We are surrounded by mystery-be-
ore us, behind us, to the right of US, to
he left of us, mystery. There is vast
calm unexplored that science, have
o doubt, will yet map out. He who ex-
lores that realm will do the world
1ore service than ever did a Columbus
r an Amerigo Vespucci. There are so
1any things that cannot be accounted
Or, so many sounds and appearances
'hich defy acoustics and investigation,
D many things approximating to the
pectral, so many effects which do not
aem to have sufficient cause.
To unlatch the door between the
resent state and the future state all
ne fingers of superstition have been
usy. We have books entitled Foot
ais on the Boundaries of Other
1orlds," '"The Debatable Land Be-
ween This World and the Next" ere
9arches Into the Phenomena of Spirit
alism" and whole libraries of hocus
ocus, enough to deceive the very elect.
shall not take time to rehearse the
lstory of divination, Delphic oracle,
byl or palmistry or the whole CEN
lries of imposture.
Modern spiritualism proposes to
pen the door between this world and ,
lie next and put us into communica- {
on with the dead. 1t has never yet I
fered one reasonable credential
When l find Saul in my text con- /;
lifting familiar spirit, learn that I
is very old religion. Z
Spiritualism in America was born in I
e year 1S47, in Hydesville, Wayne '
'unty, N. Y, when one night there $
as loud rap heard against the door +
Michael Weekman; rap a second a
me, a rap third time, and all three I
mes, when the door was opened, p
ERE was nothing found there, the +
locking having been made seeming g
by invisible knuckles. In that same =
'use there was a young woman who
I'd a cold hand passed over her face,
id, there being seemingly no arm at
ched to it, ghostly suspicious were j
cited. a
After awhile Mr.. Fox with his family S
owed into that house, and then they t
Il hanU1OUc af Tho 1n,,r o,,on. u.-l4 !.