Edgefield advertiser. (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, April 07, 1920, Image 2
BAPTIST SPEAKS
OF SPIRITUALISM
Dr. John E. White Discusses
Timely Topic.
Special to The State.
. Anderson, April 4.-Asserting
that "evidence from the scriptures
certainly supports the possibility of
.communication between the spirits
absent from the body and the spirits
present in the body," but that this
communication is of a "spiritual"
rather than of a "material" nature,
Dr. John E. White, brilliant pastor
of the First Baptist church, presi
dent of Anderson College, and one of
the most widely known ministers in
the Southern Baptist convention, de
livered here a sermon on "The New
Interests in the Dead."
Synopsis of Sermon.
A synopsis of Dr. White's sermon
follows :
Tljere is a new interest in the dead.
You do not have to go to the haunts
of spiritualism to find it. The dupes
of the seance and the devotees of the
ouija board are a small company be
side the multitude of people who are
thinking of their dead in terms of
life as they never did before. In fact,
few of those who feel this quickened
sense of their?, dead will ever have
anything to do with mediums or the
cult of spiritualism. I do not think
these people deserve to be rebuked or
lectured. They are in no danger of
conceiving less of their living Lord
heoause they are realizing more of
th?ur living loved ones. By the ??ame
faculty of spirit with which they feel
that He lives forever more, they un
derstand that their loved ones who
are with Him are alive forevermore.
This is why the arguments in con
troversy against spiritualism and the
sermons renouncing Saul and the
Witch of Endor for disturbing Sam
uel, seem to me inadequate and some
what unsympathetic in dealing with
this new intedest in the dead which is
abroad in the land. The connection
-between it and the renewed activity
of spiritualism is, of course, obvious,
but it is not vital. The better to pro
tect and fortify against spiritualism,
is to soundly include this keen turn
ing toward the living dead as within
the proper range of the spiritual ex
perience which belongs to the Chris
tian.
The writers who are disposed to
discredit the present extension of in
terest in the dead usually begin by
explaining that it is something abnor
mal, morbid and unnatural. They say
that it is a reaction of bereavement,
of sorrow and brokenness from the
war. The explanation does not cover
hte facts. We are in no great mourn
ing in this country on account of the
war. Sixty years ago the Confederate
war swept away our young men like
a flood, but there was no such intens
ification of interest in the dead as the
result. The interpretation of what we
find in other people's minds lies deep
ly in another direction, not in mor
bid mourning. It is a general expe
rience coming out of the war, certain
ly, but of its illumination, not its la
mentation.
One of the unexpected develop
ments of the war was the sudden in
tense and practically unanimous as- j
sertion of immortality in the con
sciousness of millions of men stand
ing in the presence of death. The
sense of life as continuous and of dy
ing as a movement of life dominated
the armies. It was not the hope of im
mortality, but the faith of it, the cer
tainty of it that unexpectedly sound
ed out like a grand chorus on the bat
tlefields. The testimony was proclaim
ed through letters to the home folks,
trench talk, farewells of the wound
ed, and even in the banter of death,
from men who were dead the next
hour. Their witness made an impact
on the world's mind of a new convic
tion of immortality.
The new interest in the dead, there
fore, is not as the critics explain, a
selfish grief staggering under a load
j>r sorrow, crying in the lonely dark
ness". It r love following faith, pur
suing spiritual certainty, love en
lightened and assured, in a degree
never known before that its dead
are actually living. It is love acting
as love is bound to act with such a
light in its eyes. What a difference
it makes in our thoughts and feelings
about our dead when we pass from
the faith of our survival as a doctine
to the faith of it as a fact. This is the
experience many people are coming
into these days.
Revolt Against Materialism.
The new interest in the dead is on
the side of Christianity in its age
long conflict with materialism. It is
a revolt against the crass philosophy
of matter which has dominated us for
a century. No one will rebuke it who
reflects carefully on the loss religion
and life have sustained under the de
pression of modern mateliaristic
science. Granted that such spiritual
.adventures are not without peril, and
may even result disastrously as in the
case of morbid spiritualism, the evil
results are not comparable to the in
juries of the soul inflicted by the
common, everyday materialistic lusts
for money, properties and the satis
factions of the flesh.
New interest in the dead is justice
to the dead. Those who meant so
much to us when they were in the
body ought to mean more to us out
of the body than we have allowed.
We have been getting rid of our dead
too easily. An hour of intense weep
ing, a week of private grief, a month
of public mourning, and a year of
semi-retirement from society are not
enough. With a decent burial, a block
of marble and an occasional visit to
the cemetery, we have dimly sought
to square the loyalty of a lifetime
with our sense of obligation to the
dead. It is not Christian to cemeter
ize love as most do. Christ gave the
world a very vivid illustration of
God's contempt for sepulchres and
tombs. The cemetery in our town is
the emptiest place 'in our town, yet
we bestow tae utmost attention upon
it with the idea that our dead are
there and we ai-e paying tribute to
them. "Hie jacet-John Smith."
What a lie. The pagan Socrates knew
better than that.
The new- interest in the dead en
counters criticism, of course, when
ever it becomes identified with the
professional cult of the medium and
the seance and other devices of al
leged communication with spirits,
When Sir Oliver Lodge sincerely af
firms that he had cdmmunication
with his son, Raymond through a me
dium in London, and then again in
forms us that members of his family
had clear and unmistakable commu
nication with Raymond in their home
without a medium, I am disposed
very much to advise him to let the
mediums alone since they are expen
sive and not necessary. But I do not
want him to let Raymond alone. This
is to say, that an active, earnest spir
itual communion with the dead is not
essentially involved in the question
of spiritualism. The competency of
spirit with spirit to meet is the fun
damental of Christian experience. As
a matter of reason, the logic that de
nies the intelligent accessibility of
my mother, who is with Christ, rises
a doubt the accessibility of Christ
Himself. I knew Him by my spirit
only. I talk with Him and I walk with
Him through my spirit only. My ca
pacity to communicate with Him and
to receive communication from Him
is the nerve of my Christian experi
ence. There is no law of God or of
common sense known to me that pro
claims our incapacity for fellowship
with our glorious dead which would
not deny also our capacity for fel
lowship with our more glorious Lord.
The evidences from the scriptures
certainly support the possibility of
communication between spirits ab
sent from the body and spirits pres
ent in the body.
The new interest in the dead would
lead us to enlarge the range of our
souls, and to take in a fuller sweep
of faith with Christ as the center.
Whatever evil men may try to make
of it, it will be like the evil which Si
mon, the sorcerer, sought to make of
the holy spirit. It will be no greater
or of different odium from the per
versions which men have made of
evei-y great truth and every good
thing. It is to me a matter of too tre
mendous fact that our dead are still
within the scheme of our lives and
we are within the scheme of their
lives to deal with cavalierly.
'All For Edgefield; Edgefield
For AH."
g From the Cn
I to the Grave
i SOMETHING TO
Carriage for baby.
&
^ ' Victrola to take the
$ ing pin.
fi Soft, comfortable I
? papa.
g Violins and guitars 1
% Art squares and rug?
g the carpet with.
0 And if these don't pl
o
g We have a full line
send yourself where yo
g P. S.-We also sup]
j B. B. ,
fi Edgefiei
Merchant Marine 18,000,000
Tons.
Washington, April 3.-The mer
chant marine of the United States is
nearing the striking total of about 18
000,000 gross tons. The enormous
growth of American merchant fleets
is at once seen by a comparison with
the figures of our shipping before
the outbreak of the world war.
These facts are set forth in a com
prehensive study of America's mer
chant marine published today by the
Banker's Trust Company in volume
form, entitled "America's Merchant
Marine."
On June 30 1914, American ship
ping comprised 7,928,688 gross tons.
But of this total only 1,076,151 gross
tons were in foreign trade. There
were 2,882,992 gross tons on the
Great Lakes and 3,969,614 gross tons
in sea and river trade.
By June 30, 1919, American ship-'
ping had increased to 12,907,300
gross tons. Of this total 6,669,726
gross tons were in foreign trade, 2,
635,680 gross tons on the Great
Lakes and the remainder in sea and
river trade.
"Of the nearly 13,000,000 gross
tons of shipping under the American
flag on June 30, 1919, says this study
further, "there were 7,300,000 gross
tons of sea going ships of over 1,000
tons gross. From June 30, 1919 to
November 1919, there were docu
mented about 1,500,000 gross tons of
American shipping, both government
owned and private owned. In addition
the United Skates shipping board had
on its program (allowing for cancel
lations) about 4,000,000 gross tons
incomplete.
"Including the private contracts
for ships recently placed in American
shipyards, present indications, there
fqre point to a total American mer
chant marine, in the near future, of
about 18,000,000 gross tons. This es
timate makes a certain allowance for
ships sold for foreign account."
No country in the world except
Great Britain has ever had a mer
chant marine anywhere near the
present and prospective size of
America's. In 1914, before the world
war, Great Britain's merchant steam
fleet of 100 tons and over was 18,
892,000 gross tons, and that of the
British dominions 1,632,000 gross
I tons.
During the world war the mer
chant marine of the United Kingdom
lost in war operations 7,753,311
gross tons and 1,032,779 gross tons
in marine losses, leaving (allowing
for new construction) a deficit under
the 1914 figures of 2,547,000 actual
gross tonnage, while the British do
minions gained only 231,000 tons.
Of the European countries stand
ing.next to. Gpeat Britain before the
world war, Germany led, with 5,135,
000 gross tons of steam vessels 100
tons or over. But the war reduced
Germany's merchant marine to a
mere shadow.
I Something New for Ed ge held.
We have installed an electric clip
per, which enables us to do faster
and better work, and in order to ren
der satisfactory service to the Edge
fi?ld public, we have increased our
force of barbers to three regularly
during the week, and four on Satur
day. Our patrons will not have to
wait hereafter to be served. Mr. L.
W. Smith is at first chair; Mr. C. E.
Hall, the second; Mr. Ed Corley, the
third and Mr. John H. Miller, the
fourth.
PALACE BARBER SHOP.
To the rear of Bank of Edgefield.
TT?.Ff?TR?fl Tno jaest Tonic,
T?P?Q M? LAXATIVE
M1 i JJ HO Family Medicine.
idle
SUIT THEM ALL
place of mama's roll
>ed for hard-working
for sister's serenade,
s to finally put her on
ease
of guns and rifles to
u can get pleased.
ply the coffins.
JONES
W, S. C.
C. N. BRADSHAW
SANITARY
PLUMBING
WHAT IS HOME WITHOUT
PLUMBING
The installation of water works for the town i& now under way. There
has been gradual increase in the cost of plumbing material and fixtures for
the past two years or more, and we see no prospect for a decrease for
months to come. Supply houses cannot guarantee delivery at any specified
time. I cannot give an estimate and guarantee prices for more than four
or five days. If the estimate is accepted I can guarantee the pnces whether
the work will be done at once or in the next thirty days. In any case there
will probably be some delay. The wise man will install his plumping now
and connect with the town water works later.
aaa
ms
mm
mi
Hr
SF
Wi*
si
Your Orders Solicited.
When in need of any of the fol
lowing, remember us:
Corn, Corn-chops, oats, hay,' alfal
!fa, feeds, wheat bran, wheat shorts,
J mix feeds, corn or cotton seed meal,
dairy feeds, chicken feed, both the
'scratch and lay mash, or most any
thing in heavy feeds.
Also remember we carry a com
plete line of fancy and heavy gro
ceries.
Will appreciate small as well as
large orders.
J. D. KEMP & CO.
i We are macing a runion SPRING
' -FIELD PUMPS, come in and get one
while they last at ?3.00.
YONCE & MOONEY.
T. B. GRENEKER
Attorney at Law
Office in the
ADDISON LAW BUILDING
Or King's New Eiscwan
KIW THE COUGH. M'-cp TKH l.UNfi*
Now that we have had day current
established in town, it has been pos
sible for me to install a complete,
electrically driven plant for cutting
edging and finishing all lenses used
in my optomctrical wojk. In nearly
all cases, it is possible for me to de
liver the most complicated glasses
within an hour or so after examina
tion i's made.
The public is cordially invited to
call and see this machinery.
GEO. F. MIMS,
Optometrist-Optician,
Edgefield, S. C.
FOR SALE: One set of Goodyear
Ford inner tubes, never been used.
Price $10.00.
F. F. RAINSFORD,
Penn & Holstein
Prescription
Druggists
Pure Drur/s and Chemicals
Our prices are reasonable.
Our 75 years of service to the
people insure efficiency and
We Solicit Your Continued
Patronage
For Quick. Acceptance.
Galvanized Roofing at $8.50 per
square, except 10 and 12 feet lengths
which are 10 cents higher. This is
cheaper than factory prices. Galvan
ized shingles on hand. A car of press
ed bick to arrive this week.
E. S. JOHNSON.
FARMERS, ATTENTION!
YvTe invite the farmers to come
in and see
MNAGE
Cotton and Corn Planters
They lay off furrow, distribute fertilizer, ridge, bed, plant and cover seed
all in one operation.
One and team can prepare and plant 12 acres per day. This will relieve
the acute labor situation. Absolutely guaranteed to do the work.
STEWART & KERNAGHAN