Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-02-15
SPEAK FOR THE RIGHT.
DR.. Talmage Calls For a More
Vociferous Religion.
DIABoLIoAL AGENCIES ACTIVE.


Are Evils TO Denounce-De Ready
With Tongue when Christianity Ia
Assaulted - Lift Up the. Voice I'm
Prayer and Song.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-In this dis
course d.. Talmage calls for a more
demonstrative religion and a hearty
speaking out on the right side of every
thing; text. Mark tx, %. Thou dumb
and deaf spirit, charge thee. come out
Of him."
Here was a case of great domestic
anguish. The son of the household
was possessed of an evil spirit, which
among other things paralyzed his
tongue and made him speechless. When
the influence was ON the patient, he
could not say Observation-Disclosures was
impossible. The spirit that captured
this member of the household was a
dumb splrit-so called by Christ-a
spirit abroad today and as lively aud
potent as In New Testament times.
Yet, in all the realms of sermonology.
i cannot find a discourse concerning
In my text, saying, Come out Of him."
There has been much destructive
superstition abroad In the world con-
corning possession by evil spirits. I'm
der the form of belief in withcraft this
delusion swept the continents. Per-
sous were supposed to be possessed
with some evil spirit which made them
able TO destroy others. In the sixteenth
century in Geneva 1,500 persons were
burned to death as witches. Under
one judge, in Lorraine 500 persons
were burned to death as witches. In
one neighborhood of France LOCO per-
sons were burned. In two centuries
100000 persons were slain as witches.
So. mighty was the delusion that II in
cluded among It's victims some of the
greatest iDtellects of all time. such as
Chief Justice Matthew Hale and Sir
Edward Coke. and such renowned min
listers OF religion as Cotton Mather. one
of whose books Benjamin Franklin
said shaped his life-and Richard Bax-
ter and Archbishop Cranmer and Mar.
tin Luther, and among writer's and
philosophers Lord Bacon. That belief
which has become the laughing stock of
all sensible people counted it's disciples
among the wisest and best people of
Sweden, Germany, England, France.
Spain and New England But while
we reject witchcraft. any man who be-
heyes the Bible must believe that there
are diabolical agencies abroad I'm the
world While there are ministering
spirits to bless there are Internal spir-
Its TO hinder. TO poison and to destroy.
Christ was speaking TO spiritual ex-
istence when standing before the af-
hicted one of the text he said. Thou
dumb and deaf spirit. come out OF
him."
blight OF Evil
Against this dumb devil of the text
put you on your guard. Do not think
that this agent of evil has put his
blight on those who by omission OF the
vocal organs have had the golden gates
OF speech bolted and barred. Among
those who have never spoken word
are the most gracious and lovely aud
talented souls that were ever incarnat-
ed The chaplains OF the asylums for
the dumb can tell you enchanting sto-
ries or those who never called the
name OF father or mother or child. and
many OF the most devout and prayerful
souls Will never In this world speak the
name OF God or Christ.
Many n deaf mute have seen with
the angel OF Intelligence seated nj the
window OF the eye. who never came
forth from the door OF the mouth. What
n miracle OF loneliness and knowledge
was Laura Bridgman OF New Hamp.
shire. not only without faculty of
speech, but without hearing and with.
out sight, all these faculties removed
by sickness when 2 years OF age. yet
becoming wonder at neediework.r at
the piano. ut the sewing machine and
an Intelligent student OF the Scriptures
and confounding philosophers, who
came from all parts OF the world to
study the phenomenon. Thanks to
Christianity for what IL has done for
the amelioration OF the condition OF
the deaf and the dumb. Back I'm the
ages they were put to death as having
no right, with such paucity OF equip
ment. TO live. and for centuries they
were classed among the ldiotic and un
safe. But in the sixteenth century
came Pedro Ponce. the Spanish monk.
and In the seventeenth century came
Juan Pablo Bonet. another Spanish
monk. with dactylology. or the finger
alphabet. and In our own century we
have had John. Braidwood and Drs.
Mitchell and Ackerly and Peet and Gal
iaudet. who have given 10 uncounted
thousaeds OF those whose tongues were
forever silent the power to spell out on
the air by manual alphabet their
thoughts about this world and their
hopes for the next. We rejoice in the
brilliant Inventions In behalf OF those
who We're born dumb. One OF the most
impressive audiences | ever addressed
was In the far west. an audience OF
ABOUT QUO persons. who had never
nearu sound or spoken word, an
interpreter standing beside me while
addressed them. l congratulated that
audience ON two advantages they had
over the most of us-the one that they
escaped hearing great many disa,
greeable things and on the other fact
That they escaped saying things they
were sorry for afterward Yet after
all the alleviations shacklcd tongue
is an appalling limitation. Rrt we are
not this morning speaking OF con-
genitai mutes. We mean those who
are born with all the faculties of vo
caiization and yet have been struck
1.-The evil one mentioned In the text
the dumb devil to whom Christ called.
when he said, Thou dumb and deaf
spirit, l charge thee. come out OF him."
silence Is Crime.
There has been apotheosization of
silence. Some one has said silence is
golden, and sometimes the greatest tri- |
umph Is to keep your mouth shut. But
sometimes silence is a crime and the
direct result of the baleful influence
OF the dumb devil OF our text. There
Is hardly man or woman who has
not been present on some occasion |
when the Christian religion hncnraa q