Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-03
SPIRIT POSSESSION,

ton; of psychological phenomena. seems
to have arrived attic conclusion that
spirit possession is a reality, In some
Instances. This Is not the view OF
some modern philosophers who refuse
to believe, or accept as facts anything
but what they think they can nc-
count for, or explain.
f Prof. Hyslop, according to New
York dispatch. relates a story Of an
artist Who after his death, took pos
session of the body, or mind. Of a
8 friend and inspired him TO execute
paintings with Il Skill entirely foreign.
to his ability.
Robert Swain Clifford, the artist In
question, died III 1905, at his SUMMER
home near New Bedford. Mass. Fred
z5 erek L. Thompson, q goldsmith, had
met Mr.. Clifford only twice and knew
him but slightly. Thompson had never
indicated any ability as an artist until
six months after the death of Clifford.
when he did not even know that Clifford
+, had died. He was suddenly seized with
animpulse to paint a picture, and go-
IS Ing to work on 1t, he was surprised at
his ability. While he was painting the
voice 81 Clifford seemed TO tell him to
continue the work he had started.
} Thompson continued painting pie
lures, always obsessed by the spirit
OF clifford. and found ready market
5, for them. Many purchasers commented
on their similarity to Gifford's paint
ings.
That is the curious story. One would
lie,
agnosticism and Indifference. EXPECT to-
find the doctrine of demons revived In
this strange form But it is in accord
with tho prophetic atterances of the
Scriptures concerning the last dnys.
For it is written: Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that III the latter:
times some shall depart from the faith.
giving heed to scducirig rpirits, md and
doctrines of demonsn Il Tim. 4 40 FS;
According to ancient writer's demons
we're mediators or middle beings be-
tween God and man. So Plato defines
them The old pagan idea was that
Deity could not be approached direct-
y2by sinful man. wherefore the de-
Fl mons were mediators through which
such interconmunication was carried
on Demons, they thought were
.'reporters ana carriers from, mon to
the gods, and again from the gods to
55s the men
They recognize various kinds Of de-
mons Some We're the souls Of good
men. These We're generally called
heroes and were raised to the dignity
of demons and then gods. Others,
believed to become evil demons. The.
existence of demons that have never
inhabited human bodies was also, ac-
cepted as a fact
In the pagan view some demons We're
wicked and malignant. They envled
gopd men and sought 10 prevent them
from becoming virtuous and happy.
"A They sent disease. upon men and cattle,
ard they might even be present In the
courts of justice in order to influence
witnesses to injustice. Josephus de-
clares that demons. are no other than
the spirit OF the wicked that enter in
to.men and Kill them, unless they can
obtain some help against them" and
Christian writers hold that those
K persons who are seized and thrown
down by the souls of the deceased are
such as ali men agree in calling de-
~ moniacs, or mad"
TO one who believes in the Scrip
lures. Or who knows something about
the experiences of the Elders OF the
Church who, in the early days went
out with the Gospel message to a hos
tile world, the reality Of demoniacal
I no, p,ft of
late years wise mon have asserted
that the phenomena OF possession must
be accounted for on some other ground.
In fact, they want the entire Scrip
lures explained away. They say that
81 hypochondry, insanity, or epilepsy, are
the natural diseases referred to as
demoniacal
But this does not account for the
status of the persons that have been
described as possessed. The New
Tetament cases do not admit of the
explanation that they We're AMY cpl
leptic The case OF Newell Knight in
the early days of the Church, is mat
ter of history. The addiction came
upon him when he refused to hearken
to the voice Of the Spirit calling him
to pray. When the Prophet Joseph
came to him, he found MIN suffering
Very much in his mind and his bod,
acted upon in very strange manner
5H His visage and limbs ne-; distorted
and twisted in every shape and ap,
pearance possible to imagine. and final
lyshe was caught UP Off the floor OF TIL
apartment and tossed about most fenr'
fully" 1t is evident that no natura
sickness could produce these symptoms
The Prophet caught the suffered b,
the hard. rebukcd the evil spirit and
In the name of Jesus, commanded hin
to depart. Then:
81, The scene was now entirel
changed, for. as soon as the devil ha
departed from our friend, his counter
ance became natural his distortions Q
the body ceased, aud almost immedi
ately the Spirit OF the Lord descende,
upon him, and the visions of eternit
We're opened to his View
There are numerous instances of pos
sc ssion by evil pirits 1t seems tina
the evil one at sundry times, has at
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