Washington telegraph., 1853-07-13

! y
more pounds exerted, according 10 the
amount Of strength required. although the
medium stated positively that the hands
barely rested on the table. This NAV Be 4
| rude experiment where ladies are the medi-
uns a. they mostly are, but still it il 4 very
useful and conclusive one to such as choose
4 t. try il. But very little power. however,
I IS required TO move the tables generally
used, as light pine. card, or qnartette tables;
and when in motion still less The phenUmc-
ma which may be produced in that state of
natural and artificial rcvcric and abstraction
absurdly called biological state, may posi-
bly, throw some light on this subject The
actions incurring in this state are essentially
automatic; the movements are independent
OF yolition or motion, depending On ideas
which are suggested to and which occupy
the mind At tin time, and which some ply
siologists call iIco motOr-.he result Of the
rei2e-c action Of the cCrebrum and 50 the
automatic. Involuntary movements i'll the
table.moving. occurring IN state of ab-
straction OF partial reveric, are equally taco-
aeot0r, the result Of the reflex action of
! the brain. and flow from the ideas possessing
| it at the time.
This peculiar mental condition, or abb
straction may. a9tcr while W voluntarily
induced; and have known females who at
first required lialf an hour III more of silence
and concentration to bring the mind into
this State of abs;racton-wIen muscular
movements would 5e either Independent Of
the will, or e1crted with Inconsistencies of
yolitiou--Th0 w practice could induce it
almost Immediately, and the table would
begin To move almost as soon a. the hands
were Placed Oh it. just SO some Of the fc-
males can by practice induce syncope, the
hysterical condition, W artificial sonnambu-
ism, at viii. That the movements are de-
tefmined BY the dominant il3a il evident
from the fact that il the persons whose hands
rest cn the table occupy their time in con
versation, or story telling, or to the reading
Of some interesting book, the table Will not
bulge HI inch. The mind must ~ occupied
with the idea that the table IS about to move,
or with tabic-moring. Or II will 10. move
bat then the yOlitiolal power may be direct
ed to other objects; il may even be ezorted
30 prevent tie movements of the table, but
still il will move. And thus the muscular
action il wholly anLumaticll aud involuntary
aud the medium" is neither conscious at
the time nDr aiterward OF having had the
slightest fundamentally in causing the
movements. Many are satisfied that they
move tile tables, but are wholly unable to
give any explanation as to how il is done.
Some, however, are wholly incrciuious,
and stoutly deny that they have any agency
in the matter and being persons Of veracity,
others take them Ut their word, and then re-
solve The whole business into the work Of
spirits, 0r electrical action, instead Of seek
an explanation in accorlance With the known
LAWS Nj mind Some persons have habit Of
.Etl.k.lag dE0HI as II il called. who are
just n unwilling to believe what they are
tUll to have uttered Us table moyers to BE-
lcye thas they moved the tables. IL the
one caie k-sl.Lay u Involuntary, and there
is 10 remembered consciousness Ok thc act,
and in thc other N1HSrHlRr egertl0R. 10
show tie influences Of a predominant IDEA
over an individual, take the case Of per-
son who stands Cd dangerous height or
precipice his mind is occupied with the
idea III tile consequences of his Eall and he
either throws himself down, or hastons from
the spot, fur fear liz will DID -. AT one
! time it became 81 common for persons to
throw themselves from the monument IN
London. ana tie Napoleon column in the
! Place Vendome, in Paris. that the public
authorities caused access To them to be clos
! cd
| shall be gratiiel to find the above e1-
plantations satisfactory to rejecting and "a
tional minds, (there are some whom We
may hot hope to satisfy, as Of spirlt-rap-
pings.) and serve to dispel some Of the su-
| perstitiun to which the table moving phe-
nomena have given rise RIO.
! Geneva May 20. 1888.