Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-04
MO EAVESDROPPLNG OF
~ THE SPIRITUAL WORLD
BY BISHOP w. A. cANDLBR.

through the medium, and he kindly &C
coded to my request. But I was greatly
disappointed when l saw what was writ
ten The General in the brief space of
a haIf-dozen sentences mis-stated a fact
of history. advised course of conduct
which ought to shame ward-heeler, and
violated some grammatical rule in every
one of the sentences on the paper.
could not honestly disguise my disap-
pointment, and I said to the interviewer
of the General that the old man had
fearfully failed I'm his head since he left
the earth, and that I could not take ad-
vice from any such a dullard as he now
appeared to have become. / charged him
to say to the General on the occasion Of
his next interview that as one of his
admirers from my youth, I was deeply
grieved to see how his powers had fail
ed, and 1 said to him Furthermore that.
If the General showed any sort of i'm
patience with my message, to tell him
that l dared him to come back to the
United States in his evident decrepitude
and decay, and run for the presidency
the third time, and that If he accepted
my dare I would undertake myself to
beat him to a FRAGILE" The confidant
of General Washington did not like what
said and was cold towards me for many
the General what I said, and 1 have
never heard if the General made me any
reply, or showed any. disposition to ac-
cept my challenge. 1t has been a good
while since the challenge was sent to
him, and since he has given no indi-
cation that he is minded to run for a
third term, l withdraw the proposition
A man can not be expected to keep
that sort of a proposition standing al
he nj of a
ghost. But 1 am reasonably sure that if
he makes up his mind to run, T. r. will
teach him a few things about new ma
tionalism" before the race is over. Our
live Colonel has no more fear of dead
Generals than he has respect for the
old Constitution.
But TESTING aside: This spiritualism is
harmful as we'll as deceitful. 1t is the
old witch-craft which the scriptures de-
nounce, and it brings to bear on credu-
lous minds the weight of the unseen
world for selfish and pernicious ends
Sensible people deride it, but it harms
many upon whom it imposes.
That there is world of spirits is a
fact not to be denied; but even if depart
ed souls could talk back to us from
their places in the spiritual world, they
could not tell us anything that God
has not already revealed about our duty
and our destiny. If men do not find in
Gods word a sufficient rule of faith
and practice, perfect and sufficient light
on the pathway of life, they surely can
find nothing in spiritism to help them
IF they hear not Moses and the proph
cts, neither will they hear one, though
he rose from the dead
Prebendary Row puts the case against
spiritualism strongly in these words:
What l ask has the whole mass of ghost
stories, marvels, and current spiritual
ism done to reform the world? We have
heard much in these modern days of spir-
itualism and its wonders; has there any
great institution been erected on its
basis. or is there any probability thai
there ever will be? Are mankind, or
any portion of them, the better or wiser
for it's disclosures? To these questions
there can be only one answer Spirit
ualism with all it's alleged powers of
penetrating into the secrets of the UNI
seen world, and all similar marvels, have
achieved nothing; they have made man
neither holier nor wiser; nay, they have
not effected a discovery which has en-
larged the knowledge, or even made the
fortune, of any of it's votaries.'
This indictment of spiritualism for
moral sterility is true, and it might
violence to facts. Spiritualism has not
only not reformed men, il has democrat
lied men by the thousand. 1t proceeds
on the idea that the revelation which
the All-wise God has seen At to give to
the world is inadequate, and that disem-
bodied spirits, more generous or more
wise that He, can be called up to give
needed information which He stlngily
if not cruelty, with-holds. If sincere
men proceeded on any such belief, they
would be demoralized by the theory; but
what shall be said of men who use de-
ceitful arts to delude the credulous and
superstitious?
The prophets of God always denounced
wltch-craft on the one side and idolatry
on the other, and ours is the same age
long contest of light with darkness. We
too must contend with rationalism on
the one side and superstition on the
other, while we defend the faith once
for all delivered to the saints"
No man can eavesdrop the spiritual
world through mediums and seances The
tattlings of spiritualists are something
worse than idle tales.