Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-07
DR.. s. M. MARTIN EXPOSES THE
'cREEp's START
DECLARES THE BIBLE PROHIBITS
PRACTICES
pWork of Devil, as Believers Them
selves Assert" Says Minister.
chiIdren's Cracking Toes
Were Beginnings

cate with the loved ones left behind To
support his argument he quoted copiously
from the Bible and from numerous publi-
cations Of the Spiritualist organization. Il
DR.. Martin prefaced his remarks with
the statement that prior to 1891 he had
known little or nothing of spooks. In
thinking the matter over at that time ne
concluded that he could not attend a
seance to learn their trickery, for It was
expressly prohibited by the Bible.
''But soon the thought came to me that
no more needed to go to their meetings
to learn the falsity of their doctrine, II
they really have a doctrine, than l needed
to go into a saloon and get drunk In order
to know what curse liquor is, or to com
init murder to know that the taking of
human life is wrong and in violation of
the laws of God" he explained.
''I came to the coast about that time.
and found spookology, or whatever 1t Is,
along with other denominations. l said
nothing to anyone of my views on the
subject but spent two years investigating
It. First I found that in the word of
God, spirits like good many other things.
are both commended and condemned. 1t
required considerable time before saw
the things in the true light.
CIoaked with DARKNESS
'I soon came to the conclusion that one
did not require the spirit of even dead
Indian to communicate with what they
are pleased to call the other world. No
more do we need dark rooms and sub
dued voices The whole scheme is en-
shrouded in darkness, and If the spirits
return to us let them come in the broad
daylight of Gods sunshine. What's the
use of spooking around at night?
Before go farther into the subject
want to give you little history of
spiritualism, when and where 1t started.
1t was at the house of j. d. Fox, near
Hydesville N. Y, on the night of Friday
March 81, 1S4S. There the first of the
Rochester knockings were heard. In writ
ing of the incident. Mrs Fox says:
1--WE concluded to go to bed early and
get some rest from the knockings which
had been disturbing our rest for some
time prior to the night of which write.
We had moved into the house on Decem-
ber H. 1S47. and almost from the first we
were disturbed by. the repeated knockinSs.
1t was hardly dark when we retired, and
scarcely had We got into bed when the
rapping began"
Here DR.. Martin digressed to explain the
cause of the knocking. which he claimed
was done by two little girls, Hattie and
Kate Fox, who had knack of disjointins
the bed.
.Hattie started it, he declared ''by
commanding Mr.. Splitfoot to rap three
times. She always called him Splitfoot,
and guess that 1t was he all right" he
concluded amid the laughter of the con-
gregation.
Exhibited Toe
"Then Kate would take a turn at 1t,
and as their beds were separated from
that of their parents by only thin cur
tain the noise was easily audible to them.
How do l know the girls could wiggle
their toes in that matter? Why, because
Kate Fox travelled all over this country
and Europe and exhibited her foot, for the
edihcation, and incidentally for the dol
lars of the mossbacks and numskulls who
went to see her. She even went before
some of the crowned heads of Europe, SO
I am told.
Now, if her parents had only thought of
the girls toes spiritualism would have
ended then and there. When the girls
found they had mystihed their parents
little Hattie called out that she thought
it was some one trying to fool them be-
cause the next day was April FOOLS day.
Even then the old folks didn't get wise,
but the mother called on the spirit to
identify himself, and to prove that he
really came from another world she made
him tell the ages of the whole family.
"Of course the girls knew that and 1t
was no trouble at all. By some esoteric
means Mrs Fox interpreted the knock
ings to mean that they came from the
snjrit of a former tenant of the house
who had been murdered there, and when
she asked him If he would walt until her
husband called in some of the neighbors
Mr.. Spook very accommodatingly raped
out an affirmative reply"
Quotes Letter
He subjected the whole narrative to a
scathing sarcasm and referred to a letter
written by Mrs. Fox, which he held in
his hand.
"And the last thing the spook told
them" he added impressively, was three
slow raps, the age of the youngest child.
who was dead. Now, of course. the girls
knew very well the age OF the napy ana
when she died, and from this child's play
was startel the most colossal fraud the
world has ever seen.
s.It is a fraud that has disrupted more
families than anything else ever heard Of
How many of you here tonight have
known of husbands and wives who have
been parted through its infamous prac-
tices? Hold up your hands.
Many hands were raised all over the
church.
ain law" the speaker resumed in his
most convincing tones, 1.-The admission of
the accused is always the best evidence OF
his guilt, and l am now going to quote for
you from the writings of Andrew jackson
Davis, whom the spookists claim as their
prophet and guide.
'eWriting in the Light of Truth, the
official organ of the Spiritualists, he says:
Christ is not true leader; more credit
really belongs to Swedenborg Jesus has
given us nothing, and is not fit to lead
Another of their leadings lights Andrew
jackson Weaver, said that Davis was
more fit to lead than Christ himself
.'Christians do not know that spook-
oligists have repudiated the Bible, but
here is undisputable proof of 1T. Why
then do you church members go to these
takers to find a fortune through the
communication of the spirits of your de-
parted friends or loved ones?''
Cites Bible
Here the speaker quoted from Leviticus.
ls:1o-12 and 1881, to show that the Bible
expressly prohibited anyone from SEEK
ing the aid of witches or fortune tellers
of any kind.
sAnd,v he thundered in stentorian
tones, modern spiritualism is only new
edition of the old-fashioned witchcraft
80 ,,,orox,,o,, nov of ancient times that /