The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-09
THE WITCH OF EN-D0R.
A TYPE OF THE FALLAGIES OF MODERN
SPlRITUAlISM.
Rev. DIR. TaImag Warns People
Against What He Terms the Relf-
gion of Ghosts - Denounced as
witchcraft and Sorcery.

NOSPJ @S
In this discourse DR.. Talmage dis
cusses a theme never more under ex-
p~loration thar at this time n warns
PEOPLE against what he calls a religion
of ghosts; text, l Samuel xviii, Z:
Behold, there is a woman that hath
a familiar spirit at En-dor. And Saul
disguised himself and put on other raj
ment, and he went, n 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 a last resort he con-
cluded to seek out a spiritual medium
or a witch or anything that you hoose
to call her-a woman who had commu-
nication 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 bust
ness. A servant n day said to King
Saul. Il know of a spiritual medium
down at the village of Endor." DO
yOu?" said the king. Night falls. Saul,
putting off his kingly robes, and put
ting on the dress of a plain citizen,
with two servants, goes u to hunt
up this medium.
800 @HA A-0 -
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 n on the
table sculptured images and divfning
rods and poisonous herbs and bottles
and vases. They say, Yes, 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 tells her that he has come
to have his fortune told. When
hears that she trembles and almost
drops the light, for h knows there is
no chance for a fortune teller or spir-
itual medium in all the land. But Saul
having sworn that no harm shal come
to her, she says, We'll, who shall l
bring up from the dead?" saul says,
Bring up Samuel" That was the
prophet who had died a little while be-
fore.
1 see her waving a wand, or stirring
up some poisonous herbs in a caldron,
or hear her muttering over some in
carnations, or stamping with her foot
as she cries out to the realm Of the
dead: Samuel, Samuel" Lo, the freeZ-
ing horror! The floor of the tenement
opens, and the gray hairs float up n
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 as
tonished group, who stagger back n
hold fast and catch their breath n
SILVER with terror.
The dead prophet. white and awful
from the tomb, begins to move his
ashen lips, and he glares upon King
Saul and cries out: VIVA did you
fo-O TUhof 6n ri moan
King Saul?" Saul, trying to compose
and control himself, makes this SIAM
mering and affrighted utterance as ne
says to the dead prophet: 1.-THE Lord is
against me, and / have come to you
for help. What shall l do?" The dead
prophet stretched forth his finger to
King Saul and said: Die tomorrow!
Come with me into the sepulcher- L
am going now. Come, come with mel
And, 10, the floor again opens, and the
feet of the dead prophet disappear n
the arms and the shoulders and the
forehead The floor closes. Oh, that
was an awful seancei
We are surrounded by mystery-be-
fore us, behind us, to the right of us,
to the left of us, mystery. There is a
vast realm UNEMPLOYED that science, l.
have no doubt, Will yet map out. He
who explores that realm will do the
world more service than did ever a
Columbus or an Amerigo Vespuccl.
There are so lar things that cannot
be accounted for, so many sounds and
appearances which defy acoustics and
investigation, so many things approx
imating to the spectral, so many effects
which do not seem to have a Sufnclent
cause
THE FINGERS OF SUPERSTITION.
To unlatch the door between the pres
@-% -N.Ao nn6 tho frlfIrra Ctafn all fhR
fingers of superstition have been
busy. We have books entitled
titled Footballs on the Boundaries of
Other Worlds" 1.-The Debatable Land
Between This World and the Next"
Researches Into the Phenomena of
Spiritualism." and whole libraries of
hocus pocus, enough to deceive the
very elect. I shall not take time to re-
hearse the history of divination, Delphi
ic oracle, sibyl or palmistry or the
whole centuries 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 offered
one reasonable c~redential-
When 1 find Saul in my text consult
ing a familiar spirit, 1 learn that spir-
itualism is a very old religion.
Spiritualism in America was born in
the year 1S47, in Hydesville. Wayne
county, New York. when one night
there was a loud rap heard against the
door of Michael Weekman; a rap a
second time, a rap a third time, and
all three times, when the door was
opened, there was nothing found there,
the knocking having been made seem
ingly by invisible knuckles- In that
same house there was a young woman
who had a old hand passed over her
face, and, there being seemingly nc
arm attached to it, ghostly suspicious
were excited.
After awhile Mr.. Fox with his family
moved into that house, and then they
had bangings at the doo every night.
One night Mr.. Fox cried out, Are you
a spirit?" Two raps-answer in the ar.
firmative. care you ar injured SPIRIT"
Two raps-answer in the affirmative.
Then they knew right away that II
was the spirit OF q peddler who mao
haeu murdered in that house years be-
fore and who had been robbed Of his
ssoS whether the spirit Of b peddler
came back to collect his $500 or his
bones I do not know.
--- r,,rnus The Hon. Judge Ed