Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-12-26

ING 10 The roar OF The tempest.
For the Chronicle
REVIEW OF LEO. HILLER'S Lee
TURES At EMPIRE HALL.
"HUMBUG ExPosED"--was the head
ing OF handbill thrown into our midst
but a short time since, by one Leo. Mil
Ter, of Rochester, n. Y, who professed
to demonstrate to the good people of War
ren, that Spiritualism. Mesmerism, Psy-
chology and Clairvoyance, We're all hum
bugs.
The Hall was tolerably filed, and all
classes represented. The Progressiyes
came out to see what new thing had been
developed. Fogies to be confirmed in
an old opinion; and wags 10 see he la
dies; to laugh at all hazards. and have a
good time generally.
The tone OF the Lecturer was lively,
and to the last degree humorous, and the
incidental remarks were many of them
too good to be lost. But as to the speak
er's positions, 1 purpose, in this, to look
after them a little. In word, the audi.
ence generally we've tickled, dazzLed, huns-
/ JUgged! From the moment caught a
glimpse of his ever smiling phiz, l trem-
bled for the cause of truth. Buifocnery
and ridicule, hung out like a Quack Doc
tors "shingle." And so it proved; for
blessed with wonderful gift CAB. and
conscious that an ounce of ridicule out
weighs pound of facts. with popular
audience, he applied stroke after stroke,
they responding with peals of mirih and
enthusiastic cheering.
The Science of Psycoology was duly
handled, but failed to perceive the diff
ference between the facts and theories
advanced by him TO make it humbug,
and those advanced by its friends to
prove it science.
Will those who were present, please
10 bring his remarks upon this point to
mind, and compare them with the fol-
lowing (as believe, correctly present
ed epitome of the science?
Psychology from Psyc1a and Logis)
Logic of the Soul, simply signifies, in
common plain English, Metaphysics. L
wish to discriminate between the sci
ence itself, and the experiments intended
10 illustrate it. 1t is generally believed
that man is possessed of two principles,
the active and the passive: the volunta-
ry and involuntary. The former is i'm
pressive, the latter aulomatoinc-ihat
the superior impression is imperative, be-
ing the fulcrum of a will force, without
which the mind has no power to act. In
the normal state, the involuntary is train
ed to act with the voluntary In the alb
normal, when its natural impreSsor is
dormant, it inslinctively connects itself
with the next impressing cause.
In order to illustrate the natural ope
ration of this principle, by a mechanical
method, the operator institutes a series
of ingenius experiments. He reduces
the subject by degrees, from many ideas
to one, and from that to one of his own.
There is such thing as consciousness
OF existence, without positive thought.
He then acts upon the conscious autom-
atom, presenting idea after idea in quick
succession; thus launching him into a
new sphere of existence, until he lives,
sees and acts only in the miniature world
thrown around him by the operator
Dods remarks that many persons are
so constituted as to pass to and from this
state naturally, and that in the absence
Of a more immediate impressing cause,
the involuntary daguerreoiypes some ru-
ling idea. Hope, fear or desire, acts
with it. In this manner he accounts for
Salem Witchcraft, mania potu, dancing
mania, Kentucky jerks, and last. though
not least, the writings and other involun-
tary phenomena of Spiritual mediumship.
He further cites many examples to show
that those involuntary freaks, do in ma
ny instances, assume the form of men
tai epidemic.
The speaker used all these facts aud
theories, to account for the same class of
phenomena, and thus admitted all its
friends claim for it. Hence he explained
nothing but the tallacy of bis own hum
bugging pretensions. HIS efforts upon
this point, were failure, and his bur
lesquing experiments decidedly fiat. In
The midst OF the cackle Of laughter which
followed his clownish jokes and griman-
ces, Though carried upon The tide, ]
could not but stop and consider how easy
it WAS to mislead upon topics so little un
derstood, and to manufacture witlicisms
to float upon the popular current.
1t is proper TO remark 10 this connec-
ton, that all, except two or three of the
sound leading features of the three en-
tire Lectures. may be found embodied