Western union. (City of Hannibal, Mo.) 1850-1851, 1850-10-10
Lecture on Psychology.

were delvere! on lat Monday and Tuesday
evenings. The first lecture, attended Ivy o
very full house, was merely introductory, and
intended to show something Of the nature Of the
influence which the mind is capable OF eNer,ing
upon the ph, steal system.
Not willing to condemn anything without
good reason, and not believing that the essence
OF wisdom is disbelief. we attended the second
lecture with a resolution to hear inpariially.
Pref RyAs stated that the object Of thi, lee
turc would Ie TO show the nature of tho mind
itself, and the character OF The ogcnt it employs
to produce physical mo.on. This agent he
took to be ,Icciriciy. Effects could be produced
artilcially on dead body, by a galvanic bat.
terry, which bear close resemblance TO the
muscular action Of breathing lic such as
moving the limbs, rolling the eyes, SC.
Electricity has been commonly supposed 10
be q fluid but, in truth, we know but lI'tlc Of
lis nalurc-wc have only been able 80 observe
some Of lis effects. The first step taken to
wards All investigation Of its properties, was
by ThAles, TIC philosopher, VINO lived Abou!
six hundred years before Christ. His observa
lions do not appear tc have extended much be
! You'd the mere noting Of the fact, that amber,
rubbed in the dark, will produce sparks. For
II long time this property was though, TO be con
fined to that substance all error 10 which c!cc
lr;c;ty owes is name, being derived from t
Greek word, relating TO amber.
'Tl!s nr,,-i,r;,n, t,r,,Joe al! IA,
1t, aJ,euoo from our earth would Lo fullowoo
BY 'le drlary ana undi,puted reign Of senc,
and death.
The lecturer boldly attacked question, that,
after supplying food for violent metaphysical
disputes, Cor mary centuries, has been though'
at last, quietly and immovably to have settled
down in opposition to the views advanced b.!
him. We nilude to maierniiSm. Prof. RSAA
thought it impossible TO conceive the existence
of an imma,erial thing. That whatever exists
at all, is Somtihmg i. G., it must have parts,
it MUS, have length, breadth and thickness, or il
is n,thing.
Electricity has ocen supposed immaieral. A
microscope, magnifying 10000 600 times, has
failed TO bring particle Of electricity into view
balances so nicely adjusted, that the lo,000l
part of grain would turn the scale, have beef
used without detecting weight. All this mere
~ proves that electricity is highly a,'enui,ed
Ii electricity were imna,erial it could occup,
the same space with air at The same time bu
when stream Of electricity leaves a cloud, |
divides the air and it is he rushing tcgc,hc
: again Of the walls If tho divided a,mos phcie
. that produces ;he report we call thunder.
No man can assign limit to the minutenes
o! particles.
The lecturer surposes llm action is given T.
u the MUSCLES by currents Of electricity put il
u motion by the will. In exorling power owe
others, the cum onls Of electricity go on, from til
operator, by command Of his will. ana conmu
: nicaing with the electric fluid in the magnet
: lied subject, acts upon thu physical organizo
ton, Independently Of tho will, Of the latter.
Tho above is the substance Of the Lecture
Ga Tuesday evening, there were six or scys
/ subjects. The experiments were oStremel
. amusing as well as exciting, They wer
=, charged with electricity -as Professor Ryan in
formed us--by small battery hcll in one hand
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