The Use and Need of the Life of Carrie A. Nation [17]
No one understood me so well as my darling aunt Hope Hill,
my mother's sister. She seemed to read me and would talk to me of persons
and things, answering the very cry of my heart. My mother would
often let me stay with her for months. She had five sons, but no daughters
and she was very fond of me. This lesson she taught me: A party
of ladies came out from Independence to spend the day with her. Mrs.
Woodson and a Mrs. Porter, wife of Dr. Porter, I remember the latter, one
of the handsomest women I ever saw, beautiful feet, hands, hair, and a
woman who knew it, and, it was a mater of the greatest pride with her,
these charms. I was very much captivated by her splendid appearance
and could not keep my eyes from her. Next day Mrs. John Staton, a
country neighbor of my aunts, came in to make a visit, She was very
plain, wore a calico dress, waist-apron, and she was knitting a sock.
After she left aunt said to me: "Carry, you did not seem to like Mrs.
Staton's society as you did Mrs. Porter's; but one sentence of Mrs.
Staton's is worth all Mrs. Porter said. Mrs. Porter lives for this world,
Mrs. Staton lives for God." This Lesson I did not learn then, but have
since. Oh! for the old-fashioned women.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH SPIRITUALISM.
Just at the close of the war when we were on a farm in Cass County,
Missouri, a colony of spiritualists were near us, Mrs. Hawkins, the
medium was about 60 years old, very peculiar, and finely educated.
My father had some farms he was selling for other people. He took
Mrs. Hawkins and several of her company to look at a farm with a view
of selling it. When she saw it from a hill some distance off she said:
"That is the place I saw in Connecticut." She bought it for a town site.
In writing to Washington to give it a name, the word "Peculiar" was
selected, and so it has ever been called. Mrs. Hawkins took a great
fancy to me. She would tell me of great things she had done, then say:
"Could Jesus Christ have done more?" I had never heard of Spiritualism
that I knew of, up to this time. This colony brought mechanics, merchants
and musicians with them. I was in great confusion about this matter, not
knowing what to think, for she did some superhuman things. Up stairs
we had a large safe full of old books. I was looking over them one day,
came to a little book called "Spiritualism Exposed". I immediately went
to the orchard, sat under a tree, as my custom was, when I wished to read,
for there I could be quiet. I read the little book through, before I stopped.
This blessed lesson showed me to my entire satisfaction, that modern
spiritualism is witchcraft. The writer took the instances in the Bible.
God told Moses: "You must not suffer a witch to live;" see it at the
court of Pharoah, and that they have "superhuman power." There are
two kingdoms. One of darkness, and one of light. God rules in the latter;
The Devil in the former. Both have powers above the power of man.
The magicians at Pharoah's court were wizards; and the woman of Endor
was a witch. The Bible speaks of dealing with "familiar spirits." Manasseh,
Saul, and other Kings, were cursed for such. Gal. 5th has it as
one of the "mortal sins." The Devil can do lying miracles to deceive. He
will heal the body, or appear to do it, to damn the soul. I find this in
"Christian Science." This is the mark of the "Beast" or carnal mind. Man
is but a beast without the new birth, or spirit of God. Carnality always
seeks to elevate itself. Grace is humble, and sees nothing good outside of
God. The mark of the beast, is the number, or mark of a man; that is
carnality or the Beast. Rev. 13:18.
CHAPTER IV.
MY FIRST MARRIAGE.--A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT.--MOTHER GLOYD.--MY
DRUGGED AND WHISKEY MURDERED HUSBAND.--LOSING MY POSITION AS
TEACHER.--SECOND MARRIAGE.--LOSS OF PROPERTY.--KEEPING HOTEL.--
STRUGGLES FOR DAILY FOOD.--THE AFFLICTIONS OF MY CHILD.--ANSWER
TO PRAYER.
In the fall of 1865, Dr. Gloyd, a young physician, called to see my
father to secure the country school, saying he wished
my mother's sister. She seemed to read me and would talk to me of persons
and things, answering the very cry of my heart. My mother would
often let me stay with her for months. She had five sons, but no daughters
and she was very fond of me. This lesson she taught me: A party
of ladies came out from Independence to spend the day with her. Mrs.
Woodson and a Mrs. Porter, wife of Dr. Porter, I remember the latter, one
of the handsomest women I ever saw, beautiful feet, hands, hair, and a
woman who knew it, and, it was a mater of the greatest pride with her,
these charms. I was very much captivated by her splendid appearance
and could not keep my eyes from her. Next day Mrs. John Staton, a
country neighbor of my aunts, came in to make a visit, She was very
plain, wore a calico dress, waist-apron, and she was knitting a sock.
After she left aunt said to me: "Carry, you did not seem to like Mrs.
Staton's society as you did Mrs. Porter's; but one sentence of Mrs.
Staton's is worth all Mrs. Porter said. Mrs. Porter lives for this world,
Mrs. Staton lives for God." This Lesson I did not learn then, but have
since. Oh! for the old-fashioned women.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH SPIRITUALISM.
Just at the close of the war when we were on a farm in Cass County,
Missouri, a colony of spiritualists were near us, Mrs. Hawkins, the
medium was about 60 years old, very peculiar, and finely educated.
My father had some farms he was selling for other people. He took
Mrs. Hawkins and several of her company to look at a farm with a view
of selling it. When she saw it from a hill some distance off she said:
"That is the place I saw in Connecticut." She bought it for a town site.
In writing to Washington to give it a name, the word "Peculiar" was
selected, and so it has ever been called. Mrs. Hawkins took a great
fancy to me. She would tell me of great things she had done, then say:
"Could Jesus Christ have done more?" I had never heard of Spiritualism
that I knew of, up to this time. This colony brought mechanics, merchants
and musicians with them. I was in great confusion about this matter, not
knowing what to think, for she did some superhuman things. Up stairs
we had a large safe full of old books. I was looking over them one day,
came to a little book called "Spiritualism Exposed". I immediately went
to the orchard, sat under a tree, as my custom was, when I wished to read,
for there I could be quiet. I read the little book through, before I stopped.
This blessed lesson showed me to my entire satisfaction, that modern
spiritualism is witchcraft. The writer took the instances in the Bible.
God told Moses: "You must not suffer a witch to live;" see it at the
court of Pharoah, and that they have "superhuman power." There are
two kingdoms. One of darkness, and one of light. God rules in the latter;
The Devil in the former. Both have powers above the power of man.
The magicians at Pharoah's court were wizards; and the woman of Endor
was a witch. The Bible speaks of dealing with "familiar spirits." Manasseh,
Saul, and other Kings, were cursed for such. Gal. 5th has it as
one of the "mortal sins." The Devil can do lying miracles to deceive. He
will heal the body, or appear to do it, to damn the soul. I find this in
"Christian Science." This is the mark of the "Beast" or carnal mind. Man
is but a beast without the new birth, or spirit of God. Carnality always
seeks to elevate itself. Grace is humble, and sees nothing good outside of
God. The mark of the beast, is the number, or mark of a man; that is
carnality or the Beast. Rev. 13:18.
CHAPTER IV.
MY FIRST MARRIAGE.--A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT.--MOTHER GLOYD.--MY
DRUGGED AND WHISKEY MURDERED HUSBAND.--LOSING MY POSITION AS
TEACHER.--SECOND MARRIAGE.--LOSS OF PROPERTY.--KEEPING HOTEL.--
STRUGGLES FOR DAILY FOOD.--THE AFFLICTIONS OF MY CHILD.--ANSWER
TO PRAYER.
In the fall of 1865, Dr. Gloyd, a young physician, called to see my
father to secure the country school, saying he wished