Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-11-28

face to the Black Mass of the middle
ages and of today-a protest against
the sovereignty of Christianity. Satan
| ism or diabolism or the religion of Sa
tan had not, however, reached its fun
growth at that time. 1t was not unt,l
the twelfth or thirteenth centuries, at
the time when mysticism had its apoth-
costs, that Satanism in extreme form
was introduced and practiced in Eu-
rope
The first devotees were dissatisfied
priests who worshipped Satan because
they found no profit in worshiping Coz.
| TIE documents of the times tell is
| that whole French provinces worship
ped the devil, and in the seventeenth
century thousands of Albigeoise We're
burnt for thos reason. In the DE OPP
eratione Daemonium" of Psellus we are
told that the principal rites of these
worshippers consisted in def1ling the
sacred wafer and in cutting the threats
of infants, mingling the blood with
cinders, diluting the paste SO formed
with water, and thus forming "Euch-
artistic wine. AS to the mental atti-
tude of the people who then and now
iIluulSe III tllIS NVtSiiPs OiAN OPAAAAc--
is that of Huysmans who states that
THE worship of the devil is no more
insane than the worship of God. The
worshippers of Satan are mystics:
mystics of an unclean sort. 1T is true,
but mystics none the less.
1t was chiefly during the sanguinary
days of the inquisition that God Was
crucified and satan worshipped. In
Flanders at the time of the conquest
of the Duke of Alva the most violent
manifestations against religion took
place, entire cities cursing God because
OF hatred for the Christ in whose name
| the Spaniards, with the crucifix in their
hands, burnt, pillaged, and outraged.
In France at this time Abbes Marietta
Lesage, and Davot celebrated the
Black Mass regularly with number
Of court ladies, among whom we find
Madame de Montespan, the duchesses
of Angouleme and of Vivonne, Madame
de Vitry, Madame de Polignac. and
many others. Madame de Montespan
had particular object in imploring
1.-THE aid OF Satan, for she wished to
keep the love and favor OF the king.
Frequently at this period national call
antilles were made the subject of ex-
IRENE propaganda on the part of Satan
worshippers, and there were so many
misfortunes in those days and so much
mourning that 1t was easy to believe
that the religion of Christ had little ef-
ficacy, and it was natural for the poor
| people to call upon Satan.
| Coming to modern times, we are told
by Huysmans that there existed in
/ = -,.s tt.,x, ,r,v, cd
| for the most part Of women who were
| Satan worshipers." Again in 1874 we
| have the same fact we'll authenticated,
| but there were a great many associa-
| tions at the time these two cases are
| given of which we know nothing, and
today, Notwithstanding the prevalence
| of skeptscism, there is no doubt OF the
| wide existence Of Satan worship. II
| Is true that the rites today do not In
/ clude the cutting Of infants threats a;
the altar and the black mass Is cele-
brated more rarely and in secre'
\ places, but it is celebrated beyond
question. During the last exposition
myself was asked one June evening t.
| a black mass. an adventure I owe t.
my very skepticism at the time, since
l had stated In the press that all the
so-calied black masses were merely
| imaginings of religious writers, or the
| delirium OF journalists who were short
| of copy. Two days after the appear
4 ance of my article l was asked to visit
| 2 black mass at 10 o'clock in the even
ing.
In a sort OF painters studio, entirely
/ cd q
ceremony which at first did not Inn
press me. Religious objects and a plas-
ter figv-e OF Christ fixed to the wal
| were aIihat first saw but a sudden
! flash OF electric light showed me al
the altar the head Of priest. This
man was likewise clothed in red-the
! dark red Of the walls-and was pray
/ ing, the eyes raised toward the glass
roof the hands franttcally clasped. He
! did not move upon my entrance, nox
| when other spectators of the ceremony
entered, his face being that Of an an
chorite. the mouth bitter. the eye
CLASSY. and the nose sharp. I was
soon surrounded by large number OF
men and women. all with their faces
painted and dauhed: in truth I have
never seen such remarkable collec-
| ton Of human beings.
The chorisrer boys-outrageously
painted - now arrived. informing the
commencement Of the mass, and draw
| ing the officiating priest from his
prayer This thin, frail creature turn
ed toward the Christ and upbraided
| the figure In the most horrible manner
| apostophizing him in language that
! clutched me by the throat did not
| hear the eloquence OF Canon Docre
but an avalanche Of bowls and obscen-
| tiles that the spectators echoed in
chorus. felt the perspiration flow
down my face and my knees trembled;
but suddenly all was silent, absolutely
/ silent, silence in which I could hear
myself breathe. With his face drawn
| with fury. the priest now lifted his
chasuble, beat the air with his arms