The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-08-23
Mesmerism,


H., .i;....s r,. -. .,,,;..,,;. 49,, ,s,; /
i"e ''''o' VI p'''A"oou III Ie'''""S II" al
Gle III The July No. OF the Magazine, entitled,
what is Mesmcrsmf says:
We have no faith in those dear creatures with !
,p, ,,,p.,u,s we have no f,ifL in animal mac.
nc,I.m either in rs lesser or in it, larger preta1
sio,,.. Int We have an upbopndpd flitL in the i'm,
b,cllty. inf,tuaton. vanity, credulity and kuaye.
ry of which human nature /. capable. Aud We
ale Of opinion that there Is not u single wcll.au
tnrrtlcared mc,meric phenomenon which is not
fIIy cxpllcablr by the operation Of one or more
ofthe-. causes. or of the whole of them taken III
conjunction.
The question in regard TO mesmeri,m is two
fold: ffst how is the mesmeric prostration to be
accounted for and sctordlQ, how Is it to be dis
po-ed of It NAV be accounted for. We conceive,
by the natural tendencies lust recitcd without
u, Lcine necessary to postula,e any new or uu-
known agency; it may be disposed Of By the in
nueuce Of public opinion which would very soon
put stop to these pitlable exhibitions, and very
soon cNtInsuish the mpguetl,crs power and the
patruts su,ccptibltv, If it were but to visit the
performers with the contempt and rcpruba,iou
ilcy deserve. A few words on each Of these
heads may not be out Of place. as qualifying
postscript TO the foregoing letter, which, IN oui
tNtl, treats Tue ltrlLtllE super 0lltINu " llll lil
nIughtoo indulgence.
!. The existence Of any physical force or fluid
| IN man on in nature by which the mc-marc phc
uumcua are induced has been distinctly di-proy
rd ~ every carefully conducted experiment. No
person iros 1er mogHet,.td uiyD totui,y UD0fpj
c,o,S of the operation ot vhich Il, vdS tie Ntj'ci.
. This ls.conCu,ivc; because a physical agent,
which never does, ot t',pf and uuhcaldcd, pro
duce any effect, l. 40 ply seal Ggentat all Then,
again, let certain persons be prepared ior the
m"sE,,' V''u','u'' an """,' :" '' :,
=" VI ".''', ''' '"' g., - l'',"''Il vs. y"
N"e'',' wv I''''"''" ,'",'"'' - Nv, ''" W
y,.. I,,, .I,,lI II. ,,,I,. c,,,,oI ,,;,r ,I, ,i
,;s,,; - I,. ,,.,r, l,,;I -, ,,,,,,,, ,.,r ,l,.r
r,o,,, ,,L,,L show h,n.rIycn inst os con.,irr
orsI,, uL,r ma such Huil i ar cam lac in onrrn
,;a,
Hr, 4 j. orgrol Lv sor,c If tl,a olv,c,tcs nj
,,c.,,,c,i, irdT,,,c ib,t ,I.ir ,,,r, ,b,,,rh r,r
han. r,t ,,Ly.i.I !, NJ ,,,, r,t, mor,l-tbnt III,
viii a., soma .riri,,I c,,.r,,y m, fin, r,rt nr tL,
r,n.,psrst !. tbr n,yrr Ly NLirh his victims m,
|n,,,r,,,cd and ,,IL.r,I obsli,,t in M. IilIir,
TJsrr foo MI Tho wrlI authrn,i,ntcd r,.cs pstn6
|Eh , t,,,llv different conclusion Thpy rroy,
,bat tLr will ar sniritpol nnvcr nj tbo rursrnrri.
has ,J ;t,,J ma o.rendrnry or control wLatsocy
..r ,;cr Do I,,I,, or mimi ,r his victim, I,v.r>
.wclI Guarded series Of cyperimcuts has exhibited
tbe nc.mqri.t onJ his nati,nt ot eros, purposc,
with oorL o,ber--tbc notient Gcnuprtlv doiu.
those thinrs which the mesmcri,t was dcsirou
In, .boplJ NOT do and NOT DOING those ,bnr
which thc orcr,tor was dc.irous lie should do
Az for tho bu0oonrry Lcgottcn by mesmerism O,
Inlrrrolnoy tLis eybiLition can scarcely be ey
Incrtpd te nroyoke much astonishmcn,. or Gre
Idcnce or comment, EXCEPT among professional ar
lists thcmselycs.
. .,..,-.
Like ha,,erlrno wllh ln'lr ialr on rnd' .,,
Al '',,r "M' "o"O'''-- "'N'h"'"' ~" I"L''
'"'N'
The true explanation Of mesmersm is to b
found, as we have said, in the weakness or lnt't
uaion of human nature itself No other cause