The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-05-22

and move with ease material things.
Some forms of spirituahsm teach the
healing of all manner of diseases.
Origin-The first spiritualist of which
we have any history was one Alragus,
a Prince of Odessa, in Mesopotamia, of
about the last of the first century.
This man claimed to have received
writings from Jesus Christ Himself,
the record of which was kept in the
book Eusebius, copied from the records
of Odessa.
During the next ten centuries there
is little record of Spiritualism. A few
sects called ''heretics" developed some
of the doctrines of spiritualism but not
sufficient to be worthy of further note.
About the year 1900 we have a very
distinct sect of spiritualists known as
ultra-spiritual or spirituals. These
claimed to have a divine revelation
under the name Eternal Gospel.
1t was founded on the text, 81 saw an
other angel flying in the midst of
heaven, having the Everlasting Gospel
to preach to them that dwelt on the
earth. - REV.
The author of Everlasting Gospel is
unknown. 1t had many followers and
in 1850 it was revised and the angel
mentioned was st. Francis. The
gospel of Christ was Immediately to
give way to this new everlasting scrip
ture. The book was suppressed the
year after. The work has been gener,
ally ascribed to John of Parma, general
of Franciscans.
About the end of the thirteenth cen
fury Pierre Jean d'Oliver, native of
Serignan, in LanguedOc, acquired some
reputation as leader of the spirituals,
a disciple of Abbot Jachim and fore
runner of eccleastical iniquities, He
published a work called "PostilIa, &"
which was mixture of wild speculation
and senseless superstition.
Modern Spiritualsm- In the year 1913
at HYdes, a small town in New York,
spirits seem to have appeared in a house
occupied by family of Germans whose
original name was Voss, a name angli-
cized into Fox. Many wonderful things
are told of the messages received
through the two daughters, mediums,
in spirit rappings, and wonderful
wave of spiritualism sprung up, which
has since existed and made rapid
progress. 1t has at the present time
about 200, 600 followers and two million
dollars in properties.
In the year 1898 Mrs. Margaret Kane,
Originally Margaret Voss or Fox,
came before the public with a confes-
sion that she and her sister had made
the spirits sounds with her toes. How
ever she afterwards repudIcated the
confession. See Universal Encyclo-
pedia.
Faith Healing Has about 100, 600
followers and teaches that faith is an
antidote for all sickness. 1t is more
effective than drugs" See Retrospect
ton and Introspection, by Mary Baker
Eddy.
The Bible is spiritual phenomena
and consists of the revelation of the
laws of God to man including the plan
of salvation. 1t was given to man
through spiritual communication, in
visions, in dreams, in voices. from seen
and unseen spirits; its authenticity is
established by miracles and marvellous
works.
Spiritual communication is a miracle
whether by visions or trumpet and is a
direct communication from God who is
a spirit and the Great Ruler of the
spirit world. A communication from
God is His word, His law and is fit to be
and should be sacred and holy as the
Bible itself and a part of the Holy
Writ. You may consider that | am
taking too serious a view of this mat
ter and explain the spiritualism of to-
day as a kind of agnosticism. A schism
of sthe second century, which sect or
schism believed that God was at an in
measurable distance from man and
that it was therefore necessary for the
creation of vast number of super
human beings as agents between God
and man, This sect denies the human
nature of Christ
| do not like to compare the religion
of today with the schisms of the second
century but for the sake of argument
we will suppose that the spirits of today
are not directly from God 5 kingdom of
spirits, some sort of a superhuman
spirit, yet are able to bring messages,
prophesy, heal the sick, etc, in the
name of Christ. If it is possible for
spirits of the nature to do and perform
these miracles is it not also possible
that this same lot Of super human spirits
performed their same tricks in the
miracles which stamped the authenticity
of the Bible? | ask to know, If the
spiritualists of today are not getting
sacred revelations from God they are
then throwing reflections on the author
ity of the Bible. Do we need any
further revelation? For testify unto
every man that heareth these words of
the prophet of this book, if any man
shall add unto these things in this book
God shall add unto him the plaques that
are written in this Book" Rev. 22:l8.
Would the returning of Spirits from
the dead accomplish any good? eff
they hear not Moses and the prophets
neither will thnu he nersuaded thnunh