CHAPTER XIV.

ASTARTE THE GODDESS.

There is an influence abroad in the world which plays upon the nerve centers of man— as if an unseen hand were to reach down into a telephone switchboard and disturb the connections.

Delicately poised, if let alone, the intricate machinery of the nerve center works smoothly and harmoniously, perfectly connecting the will with the act, the ideal with the conduct and the thought with the speech.

When the hand of the INFLUENCE pulls out a plug or disconnects a wire, of man's perfect mechanism, it seems as if he were doing it himself, so terribly near this INFLUENCE seems. And indeed, when he dreams, and this INFLUENCE robs him of the connection between nerve and imagery, so near it is, that

he will swear that it is he, himself, and will hardly at all believe that it is the oldest known of all the INFLUENCES that is victimizing him.

In the earliest dawn of history Astarte or Astoreth was the name given to the INFLUENCE that was conceived of as the queen of hell; also called "Babylon." This INFLUENCE was at all times felt as a disconnecting force. A man would stand speechless at the very moment when he would have given his life to be able to say the right thing or would not be able to move his hand at the instant when such movement was vital-or would lose control over any part of himself—then he would say he was afflicted of Astarte.

To-day this INFLUENCE is stronger than ever before, and while we know better now that to call it a goddess, it is certainly just as real as if it actually had the sex and majesty of one. And with what goddess beauty it can fraudulently clothe its foul visions, and with what silvery voices it can call men to destruction!

There is no defense against this INFLUENCE except the CHRISTPOWER. Purity, prayer,

fasting, or high resolves are all useless, because this INFLUENCE disturbs the connection between your purity, prayer, fasting and high resolves on the one hand, and your nerves on the other.

Purity is good for its own sake, but it is not a defense against this INFLUENCE. Prayer and fasting and high resolves have carried men past many a dangerous milestone, but not past this one.

Young and old are victimized and often goaded into suicide by this terribly distracting, disconnecting and disturbing INFLUENCE. The brightest and bravest men and women, in the flower of their youth and strength, are perverted, disconnected, distracted and driven into madness, despair and suicide by this INFLUENCE. It comes first in dreams, in which the victim sees himself perhaps the helpless victim of a vampire or the raging pursuer of a helpless one. One, who, in waking hours, is the mildest and gentlest of men, will see himself committing a foul crime-perhaps murder and on awakening will feel a sense of guilt. But he is not at fault or to blame. There is not necessarily any evil in him that

he should have such a dream. It is the IN

FLUENCE.

Do not, my brother, my sister, believe that you are responsible, morally, for your dreams, or feel that there is any foul spot in you because you have foul dreams. You have no more to do with it than the battery has to do with the bell after the wire is cut. All that is the matter is that the Astarte INFLUENCE has commenced an attack upon you. Though I say, that is all, it is surely terrible enough. For this INFLUENCE never leaves its victim except for a season. It will leave you, it will return and still return, again and again, oftener and oftener, until it has you completely in its power.

CHAPTER XV.

THIRTEEN ADVERSE SPIRITS.

The thirteen kinds of INFLUENCES adverse to the human race have many variations; or, as our ancestors felt those INFLUENCES, it would be more correct to say that each prince of darkness has many and differing imps in his train.

Some people now call them "earth spirits, because they attack us here and now, on this earth, and because they do not inhabit some far distant hell, but work to make hell on earth.

All primitive peoples feel the INFLUENCES and call them demons. Natives of the farthest distant lands have similar rites and similar beliefs about demons. For instance in Tibet, and in West Africa, and in Siam, and