The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-01-24


of all ages, have chosen the night or
darkened room. Why? The ma
jority of their wonders have been
swindles, and deception prospers best
in the night.
l indict spiritualism also because it
is social and marital curse. The
worst deeds of icentiousness and the
worst orgies of uncleanliness have
been enacted under it's patronage. The
story is too vile for me to tell. 1 will
not pollute my tongue or your ears
with the recital. Sometimes the civil
law has been invoked to stop the
outrage. Families innumera BILE have
been broken up by it. 1t has pushed
off hundreds of young women into a
life of profigacy. 1t talks about "elec-
tive affinities'' and "affinital relations"
and spiritual matches and adopts
the whole vocabulary of free loveism.
In one of its journals it declares mar
riage is the monster curse of civiliza-
ton" ''It is a source of debauchery
and intemperance." If spiritualism
could have it's full swing, it would
turn this world into pendemonium
of carnality. 1t is an unclean, adulter-
Gus, damnable religion, and the sooner
it drops into hell from which it rose
the better both for earth and Heaven.
For the sake of mans honor and wom-
ans purity 1 say let the last vestige
of it perish forever. l wish l could
gather up all the raps it has ever
heard from spirits blest or damned and
gather them all on it's own head in
laundering raps of annihilation!
If God is ever slapped in the face
it is when spiritual medium puts
down her hand on the table, invoking
spirits departed to make a revelation.
| God has told you all you ought to
know, and how dare you be prying
into that which is none of your busi-
ness. You cannot keep the Bible in
one hand and spiritualism in the other.
One or the other will slip out of your
grasp, depend upon it. Spiritualism is
adverse to the Bible, in the fact that
it has in these last days called from
the future world Christian men to
testify against Christianity. It's medi-
ums call back Lorenzo Dow, the cele-
brated evangelist, and Lorenzo Dow
testifies that Christians are idolators.
Spiritualism calls back Tom Paine, and
he testifies that he is stopping in the
some house in Heaven with John
Bunyan. They call back John Wes-
ley, and he testifies against the CHS
tan religion, which he all his life
gloriously preached. Andrew Jack
son Davis, the greatest of all the spirit
ualists, comes to the front and de-
clares that the New Testament is but
''the dismal echo of barbaric age"
and the Bible only lone of the pen
and ink relics of Christianity
I have in my house a book used in
spiritualistic service. 1t contains a
catechism and hymn book. The
catechism has these questions and an
swers:
O. What is our chief baptism? A. Fre-
quent ablution in water.
@. What is our inspiration? 4. Fresh
air and sunshine.
@. What is our love feast? A. Clear con-
science and sound sleep.
ercise.
And then it goes on to show that a
great proportion of their religious
service is a system of calisthenics.
Then when they want to arouse the
devotion of the people to the highest
pitch, they give out the hymn on the
siXty-fifth page:
The night hath gathered up her silken
fringes.
Or, on the fifteenth page:
Come to the woods, heigh no!
"But," says some one, wouldn't it
be of advantage to hear from the fu-
ture world? Don't you think it would
strengthen Christians? There are a
great many materialists who do not
believe there are souls, but if spirits
from the future world should knock
and talk over to us they would be
persuaded" TO that l answer in the
ringing words of the Son of God: IF
they believe not Moses and the proph-
cts, neither will they be persuaded
though one rose from the dead"
Teach your children there are no
S0OStS 10 DS Stcu VI ItSdI u ia Ulllo w VI III
save those which walk on two feet or
four-human or bestial. Remember
that spiritualism at the best is use.
less thing, for if it tells what the Bible
reveals it is a superfluity, and if it tells
what the Bible does not reveal it is a
lie. Instead of going out to get other
people to tell your fortune, tell your
own fortune by putting your trust in
God and doing the best you can. l will
tell your fortune: "All things work
together for good to them that love
God" Insult not your departed friends
by asking them to come down and
scrabble under an extension table. Re-
member that there is only one spirit
whose dictation you have right to in
woke, and that is the holy, blessed and
omnipotent spirit of God. Hark! He
is rapping now, not on a table or the
floor, but rapping on the door of your
heart, and every rap is an invitation
to Christ and a warning of Judgment
to come. Oh, grieye Him not away!
Quench Him not. He has been all
around you this morning. He was all
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