Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-07-08

The explanation of "table moyings we have
rom the first suggested, has, been this week
strengthened by reprint in the Journal des De-
oats, oil an article written twenty years ago by NJ
Chevreul, theceebrateds chemist, an anal siso
which had already been giveniby Longet, IN his
Traite de Physologie." We will reproduce its
| leading points. Nlf M M II
| In 1888, Paris was immused by the, oscillations
oil pendulum, as recently Londoniwas by the
oscillations ofagold rings under tile pretended
magnetoscope of Mr.. Rutter. "EleCtrcity'' of
course, wasthe explanation of the following fact:
III an ironring were suspended b. thread over
murcury, and held there by the right hand, 1t be-
4 gan to osciate;. onintrcducing some other sub
stance between the mnrcury and the suspended
ring the Oscillations ceased. TO rccommence ,oith
the withdrawal of The foreign substance. But
Chevreul showed that this was the result of in
sensible muscular action, by various experiments,
OF whichitis enough 10 sa that on supporting his
arm by a wooden rest, the oscillations decreased in
| proportion as the, wooden rest approached the
wrist; and disappeared when placed under the
fingers which held the thread. The curious part
OF TINS experiment, however, was this: He fan
cied that while his eyes followed the oscillations
OF the pendulum, he detected in himself DISPOSE
ton or tendency to movement, which, perfectly
Involuntary, was always the more satisfied the
larger the oscillations were; but, on bdnddging his
eyes, the RAPIDLY deased, and then the
inerpoSion of foreign substances bettveen the
curry and The pendulum exercised no sort influence
on the oscillation! His Interpretation OF the phe.
nomena is simple and satisfactory. In holding the
| pendulum, an insensible muscular movement of
the arm set the pendulum slightly oscillating, and
when once the oscillations commenced they were
augmented by the influence exercised by vision,
which caused him TO assume that "tendency TO
movement before mentioned; this tendency, how
ever is so delicate, and so conscious, that the
mere thought of arrestrng it does arrest it. The
two necessary conditions for successful result
| he found to be-lst, belief that the pendulum
will move ofitself without muscular aid; I'd, To
see the oscillations, which become greater by the
influence OF yision in Greeting the muscles.
| t. We Shou Id he p1 10 ita
examples of this unconscious tendance more
ment referred to by NJ. Chevreul; but every one
will remember how, in fixing attention NOV
ing object, inyoluntarily lean in the direction
OF the movement; and many have doubtless anus
ed themselves with the experiment OF suspending a
book by means OF key, and willing the book to
turn in particular direction-an experiment we
have proved over and over again to depend on
the muscular action induced by "expectant at
| tention." The reader is referred 10 DR.. Carpen-
ter's .sHuman Physiology" fourth edition, 923
So, for interesting matter we have no room here
to reproduce.
With the light thus afforded, let us examine the
phenomenon of hat-moving and table-moving;
and IN relating our own experience shall at
tempt 10 give the nationals in perfect conformity
with what has been said OF tue necessity of the
.'expectant attention." or "failh," for success
full result, we have 70 declare that, although the
table has moved lin our presence, it has never NOV
ed when we formed link of the chain, althoug h
we were really waiting with strong Cesire to ana
lyze the sensations which accompany the phe-
nomenon. The objection that we are can't mag
netic,' and that our scepticism produces "cross
current" is too frivious for RECITATION. The main
reason of the failure has been the knowledge oil
our sceptcirm on the part of the Others, and their
want of full conviction that it will succeed with
U.S. another reason is this-we have placed them
on their guard against the sources of fallacy, and
told them how they moved the table unconscious
lily.
A negative resultwe are aware, cannot deter
mine this question. But We have positive results
N halt.
ent person and the .sterrbe sceptic" who writes
this-stood round table, with hands lightly rest
ing OH q hat. Alter about twelve minutes the
sceptics hands Fwere trembling slightly from ten
sion of the muscles. and his legs becoming ia
tigued, he rested tie main weight of his body on
the right leg. Presently the hat began to move.
We all asked each other, care you moving it?''
and received conscientious negative, neyerthe-
less, the hat continued moving, with occasional
pauseS The idea occurred to the sceptic that, as
the hat was moving in the direction in which he
leaned, perhaps the slight stress SO produced
might cause the moving; to test this, he changed
from right to left leg. The hat stopped, presently
it resumed its motion, but this time from left 10
Ltght-f e., the reverse way! He was still per-
tectly unconscious of any effort to move the hat,
although he felt convinced it was occasioned by
the slight stress of his body; he suddenly stood
erect on both legs, and the motion ceased. Itney.
er moved agnn during that evening.
Att house of a gentleman who has made fire.
quent expt rlmentS, and who for fortnight was n
hrm believer in the electrical theory, but whose
confidence became shaken by the suggestion of
certain doubts, the "sceptic" stood with five
other persons round table which moved with ex-
treme facility on pivot. This time we waited
forty minutes without the slightest result,
yet the five persons had been eminently success
full on all previous oc asons in less than fifteen
minutes. VIII nee failure2 Because we were all
on our guard. We determined to remain entirely
paSsiue; to stand erect on both legs; watch our
sensations; TO be viglant in neither aiding nor
preventing the II ovement. Yet these very per-
sons, only the day elore, had made the table
move with considerable velocity in the direction
any one toilledit; the will of the enc person, and
the expectant attention of the others, producing
result impossible in the sceptical passive state oil
the mind.
We now ask whether the phenomenon of table,
moving is not more probable when clasSed with
| known phenomena of unconscious muscular nc
ton following expectant attention, than when
classed with "mysteries' and ''magic?' Ofelec-
trical action, in this sense, we havesno proof no
evidence, anaogies; of muscular action we
have abundant analoges.
/ That all believers will 1enounce their belief,
and accept this explanation, we do not expect
After the stoid mass of credulity which resisted
our exposure ofthe trick on which spirit piping
deperds-after the peryerse ingenuity OF the ar
guments brought forward in reply to that exposure
we can have little hope that the foregoing ex-
PLANTATION will find much favor. But if our expo-
sition has been ineligible, it will make every
wstchful investigator capable of testngits truth.