The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-06-22


that it was the spirit of peddler who
had been murdered in that house years
before and who had been robbed OF his
$500. Whether the spirit of the peddler
came back to collect his $500 or his
bones j do not know.
The excitement spread. There was
a universal rumpus. Hon. Judge Ed
monds declared in a book that he had
actually seen a bell start from the
top shelf of a closet, heard IL ring over
the people that were standing in the
closet; then, swung by invisible hands,
it rang over the people in the back par
lor and foated through the folding
doors to the front parlor, rang over
the people there and then dropped on
the floor. A senator of the United
States. afterward governor of Wiscon-
sin, had his head quite turned with
spiritualistic demonstrations. The ta-
bles tipped, and the stools tilted. and
the bedsteads raised, and the chairs
upset, and 10 seemed as il the spirits
everywhere had gone into the furni-
ture business! Wen, the people said:
I've have got something new in this
country. 1t is new religion." Oh.
no, my friend. thousands of years ago,
we find in our text, a spiritualistic
seancel
Nothing in the spiritualistic circles
of our day has been more strange,
mysterious and wonderful than things
which have been seen in past centuries
of the world. In all ages there have
been necromancers, those who consult
with the spirits of the departed;
charmers, those who put their subjects
in a mesmeric state; sorcerers, those
who by taking poisonous drugs see
everything and hear everything and
tell everything; dreamers, people who
in their sleeping moments can see the
future world and hold consultation
with spirits. Yes, before the time of
Christ, the Brahmans went through all
the table moving, all the furniture ex-
citement, which the spirits have ex-
plotted in our day, precisely the same
thing over and over again. under the
manipulation Of the Brahmans. Now,
do you say that spiritualism is differ
ent from these? / answer, all these
delusions have mentioned belong TO
the same family. They arc exhuma-
tions from the unseen world.
What does God think of all these de-
lusions? He thinks so severely of them
that lie never speaks of them but with
liyid thunders Of Indignation. lie says:
81 will be a swift witness against the
sorcerer." He says: Thou shalt not
suffer a witch 10 live" And, lest you
might make some important distinc-
tion between spiritualism and witch
craft, God says, in so many words;
"There shall not be among you con-
sulter Of familiar spirits, OF wizard, OF
necromancer, for they that do these
things are an abomination unto the
Lord" The Lord God Almighty in
score Of passages which have not now
time to quote utters His indignation
against all this great family Of delu-
sions. After that be a spiritualist II
you darel
Still further, We learn from this text
how il is that people come to fall into
spiritualism. Saul had enough trouble
TO kill ten men. He did not know where
10 20 for relief. After awhile he re-
solved TO go and see the witch Of En-
dor. He expected that somehow she
would afford him relief. II was his
trouble drove him there. And have
to tell you now that spiritualism finds
its victims in the troubled the bank
rupt. the sick, the bereft. You lose
your watch, and you go to the fortune
teller to find where il is.
You lose a friend; you want the spir-
itual world opened, so that you may
have communication with him. In
higblv wrought, nervous and diseased
state Of mind you go and put yourself
in that communication That is why
Z hate spiritualism. II takes advan-
tace of one in a moment of weakness
which may come upon us at any time.
We lose a friend. The trial Is keen,
sharp, suffocating, almost maddening'
II we could marshal a host and storm
the eternal world and recapture our
loved one, the host would soon be mar
shaled. The house is so lonely. The
world is so dark. The separation is 50
insufferable. But spiritualism says;
eve will open the future world, and
vour loved one can come back and talk
10 YOU" Though we may not hear his
voice. we may hear the rap Of his hand.
so clear the table. Sit down. Put
your hands on the table. BE very quiet.
Five minutes gone. Ten minutes. No
motion OF the table No response from
the future world. Twenty minutes.
Thirty minutes. Nervous excitement
all the time increasing. Forty min
utes. The table shivers Two raps
from the future world. The letters OF
the alphabet are called over. The de-
parted friends name is John. At the
pronunciation Of the letter j, two raps.
At the pronunciation of the letter u,
two raps At the pronunciation OF the
letter II. two raps. At the pronuncia-
ton of the letter Y, two raps. There
YOU have the whole name spelled out
John, John. Now, the spirit being
present, you say; John. are you hap
py?" Two raps give an affirmative an
swer.
Pretty soon the hand of the medium