770 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



en, however healthy, are, from the very nature of their sex, sub- 

 ject to various bodily indispositions from which men are wholly 

 free, and are therefore more liable to demoniac affections ; hence 

 the vast number of unfortunate women who have suffered as 

 witches in times past, not necessarily because they were wicked 

 or morally corrupt, but because they were weak, the devil taking 

 advantage of their physical infirmities to get possession of their 

 persons and to make them the agents of his will. 



The theory that " sin is the source of demoniac infestations " 

 is accepted by Dr. Bischofberger only in its general application to 

 the human race ; if applied to individuals and families, he thinks 

 it often works great injustice. He censures the conduct of many 

 guardians of souls, who say to those afflicted by demons: "It 

 serves you right ; you ought to lead a different life ; Satan has 

 power only over bad people." Such remarks betray a lamen- 

 table ignorance of the devil's devious ways and cunning devices. 

 Equally reprehensible is it to tell mothers who seek help from 

 the Church for their suffering children: "Your child has been 

 baptized and is in a state of saving and sanctifying grace and 

 inaccessible to devils. You must consult a physician." The 

 truth is, adds our author, little children are very frequently 

 demoniacally possessed for the same reason that women are; 

 on this account the old diocesan benedictionals contained a spe- 

 cial exorcismus parvulorum a dczmone infeslatorum, which has 

 now been in a great measure superseded by the equally effective 

 formula benedictio puerorum cegroiantium of the Romish bene- 

 dictional. 



In illustration of his views on this subject Dr. Bischofberger 

 asserts that a place where a murder or other heinous crime has 

 been committed, if the offense remains undetected and unexpiated, 

 is sure to become the haunt of evil spirits and the scene of all 

 sorts of diabolic orgies, such as are so frequently described in the 

 annals of witchcraft. This state of things may continue for cen- 

 turies, and a house or barn built upon such a spot will be demo- 

 niacally infested, to the great annoyance of the indwellers, whether 

 men or cattle. The samp is true of houses whose inhabitants 

 have been guilty of gross iniquities, murder, brutality, blasphemy, 

 caricature of sacred rites, mockery of holy things, necromancy, 

 etc. Satan, having once got possession, is a tenacious tenant and 

 can not be easily dislodged ; and a subsequent proprietor, however 

 pure and pious he may be, will have to suffer the consequences of 

 these sins. Indeed, it is a noteworthy fact that, so long as such a 

 dwelling is occupied by godless persons, the demons are compara- 

 tively quiet, the devil recognizing them as his allies and letting 

 them alone ; but no sooner does it pass into the possession of a 

 good Christian than " the long-repressed flame of demoniac inf es- 



