The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-27
DR.. Talmage DenOunces 1t as
a Curse and a Lie.
DESTROYER OF BODY AND MIND
Quotes Saars Visit to the Witch of En.dor-
Mysteries surround Us that We Are For
hidden to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. L. a u
Old Tbing-Despair Drives People TO sPir
iiualism-N Mediums Eveke spirits Who
Use Bad Grammar and Cannot spell.

Claiming that the nervous tension to
which believers In spirituaIism are re-
dUced is destruction Of bodily and mental
health. and taking from the Bible quota
tions Of Gods curse on those who al
tempt to intermeddle with the super
natural, Dr. TaImage yesterday launched
into an earnest and extended denunciation
Of the practices Of so-called spirituallstic
mediums and OF all those who deal with
them. He took for his text I Samuel
XXviii:7: Behold, there is a woman that
hath a familiar spirit AT En-dor. And Saul
disguised himself, and put on other raj
nent, and he went. and two men with
him, and they came 10 the woman by
night" DR.. Talmage said:
Trouble to the right OF him, trouble TO the
left OF him. Saul knew not what 10 do. As d
last resort, he concluded to seek out a
spiritual medium. or a witch, or anything
that you please 10 call her-a woman who
had communication with the spirits Of the
eternal world II was a very difficult
thing TO do for Saul had either slain all
the witches, or compelled them 10 stop
business. \ servant one day said to King
Saul: 1 know OF a spiritual medium down
a. the village Of En-dor.' DO you" said
the King Night falls Saul, putting OF
his kingly robes, and putting on the dress
OF a plain citizen, with two servants, goes
out 10 hunt up this medium.
saul and his servants after a while
reached the village, and they say: / Won
der If this is the hOuseT And they look
in and they see the haggard weird, and
ShTiveled-up spiritual medium sitting hy
the light, and on the table sculptuTed
images. and divining-Tods, and poisonous
herbs, and bottles, and vases. They say:
Yes, this must be the place One loud
rap brings the woman 10 the door; and as
she stands there. holding The candle or
lamp above her head, and peeTing out
into the darkness, she says: Who is here?
The tall King informs her that he mas
come 10 have his fortune told. When she
hears that, she tTembles and almost
drops the light, for she knows there is no
chance FOR a fOrtune-teiler or spiritual
medium in all the land. But Saul having
sworn ~ no harm shall come TO her.
she says! Well who shall / bring up
from rhe dead?' Saul says: Bring up
Samuel That was the prophet who had
died little while before. ! see her way-
ing wand, or stirring up some poisonous
herbs IN caldrOn, or hear her mutteT-
ing over some incantatiOns, or stamping
with her foot, as she cries out TO the
realm of the dead: Samuel. Samuel Lo,
the freezing hOrrOri 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 aston
ished group, who stagger back. and hold
fast, and catch their breath, and shiyer
with terror.
Mysteries Surrounds.
''The dead prophet, white and awful
from the tomb, begins to move his ashen
lips, and he giaTes upon King Saul and
cries out. What did you bring me I'D for
What do you mean, King Saul% saul, try
ing to compose and control himself. makes
TINS stammeIing and affrighted utterance.
as . says TO the dead prophet: The Lord
Is against me, and | have come to YOU
Tor help. What shall | COP The dead
prophet stretched forth his finger to King
Saul and said: Die tomorrow; come with
me into the seDalcher / am geing now
Come, come with mer Ard, lc! 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 seancei
But the day of miracles has passed and no
suSa occurrence can in our time be Wit
Messed
We are surrounded by mystery. There
Is vast realm unexplored that science I
have no doubt, will yet map out. He who
explores that realm will 90 the world
more service than did ever a Columbus
or an Amerigo Vespucci. There are so
many things that cannot be accounted
Tor, 50 many sounds and appearances
WHich defy acoustics and Investigation
so many things approximating TO the
spectral so many effects which do NOT
seem 10 have a sufficient cause. To nm.
iatch the door between the present state
and the future state all the fingers NJ
5uptTstition have been busy. We have
books entitled Footballs on The Rounda
rlcS OF Other Worlds The DahoToLIa
Lana Between This World and the NexrS
researches into the Phenomena of Snjr-
ltualis n, and whole libraries of bacus
pocus, enough 10 deceive the very aIect'
shaH not take time to rehearse rbe bisforr
OF OlFlndilon, Delphic oracle sibvl or
palnistry, or the whole centuries of i'm
posture VA 4H4
Modern spiritualism proposes to open
the door between this world and the neX+
ana put Us into communicate win m
IL. L .
dTdu. Il has never yet offered one reason
apIt cFeientlal When | find Saul i'm my
ttAt consulting a familiar spirit | learn
'i4@l si'i! iualism Is d very old religion.
Birth OF Modern SpiriIualism.
Spirituallsm in America was born IL
the year 1871, in Hydesviile. Wavne Conn
" y. Y, when one night there was \ loud
fsp Eeard against the door of Michael
Nreknan; a rap a second time. a ran a
thlrd uIne; and ali three times. when The
Cou- was opened, there was nothing found
tAere, the knocking having been mada
seemingly by invisible knuckles In tba+
same house there was a Young warnan
who had cold hand passed ovrr ber
face, q / there being seemingly no arm
attachti 10 ii. ghostly suspicious were ey-
cited
a. r. awhile, Mr., Fox, with his family
NOV. into that house. and than thav bsd
bar KS al The door every night One
nlSat Mr. Fox cried out, Are Won a snirita,
Two raPs-ansWer in the affirmative .Ara
you an injured spiTitT Two rans-answer
in the affirmative. Then they knew rigbt
away that il was the. spirit OF a ned.IIer
who had been murdered in that bousa
years before. and who had been rnhhaS
OF his S09. Whethe. the spirit of the ned-
uteE came Ddck 10 collect his $3.50 or his
bones / do not know The excitarenr
spread There was universal runDUs
The Hon, Judge Edmunds declared IN a
book, that he had actually seen a Laii
start from the top shelf of closet. heard
II ring over the people that We're STANDING
IN The closet; that. swung by iDVisihIs
hands, il rang over the people IL the hack
paTlor; and hoated through the folding
doors 10 the front parlor, rung over ne
people there, and then dropped on the
floor. 4 Senator Of the United States. ar
terwerd governor OF Wisconsin. rad his
head quite turned with spiriiualistic denr
onstrations. The tables tipped aud ne
stools tilted and the bedsteads raised
and the chairs upset. and IL seemed as III
the spirits everywhere had gone into The
furniture business, Well, the people said
We have got something new III this caun-
try; IL is a new religion" Oh no. nv
friend, thousands of Years ago Ne md Ia
our text a spiritualistic seance.
Nothing New in Neeromaney.
Nothing in the sDiritualistic circles OF
our day has been more strange, mysteri-
GUS and wonderful than things which