(1898.)
I. What is Superstition?--Popular Beliefs about the Significance
of Signs, Lucky and Unlucky Numbers, Days, Accidents, Jewels,
etc.--Eclipses, Earthquakes, and Cyclones as Omens--Signs and Wonders
of the Heavens--Efficacy of Bones and Rags of Saints--Diseases and
Devils--II. Witchcraft--Necromancers--What is a Miracle?--The Uniformity
of Nature--III. Belief in the Existence of Good Spirits or Angels--God
and the Devil--When Everything was done by the Supernatural--IV. All
these Beliefs now Rejected by Men of Intelligence--The Devil's Success
Made the Coming of Christ a Necessity--"Thou shalt not Suffer a Witch
to Live"--Some Biblical Angels--Vanished Visions--V. Where are Heaven
and Hell?--Prayers Never Answered--The Doctrine of Design--Why Worship
our Ignorance?--Would God Lead us into Temptation?--President McKinley's
Thanks giving for the Santiago Victory--VI. What Harm Does Superstition
Do?--The Heart Hardens and the Brain Softens--What Superstition has Done
and Taught--Fate of Spain--Of Portugal, Austria, Germany--VII. Inspired
Books--Mysteries added to by the Explanations of Theologians--The
Inspired Bible the Greatest Curse of Christendom--VIII. Modifications
of Jehovah--Changing the Bible--IX. Centuries of Darkness--The Church
Triumphant--When Men began to Think--X. Possibly these Superstitions are
True, but We have no Evidence--We Believe in the Natural--Science is the
Real Redeemer.