The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-02

III 20, We 6hOutd nave as one result OF brain |
action an undulation or wave in the crcum-
AMBIENT all-embraoing ether--we thould |
have. what L osll Brain Waves proceeding
from every brain when in action.
Each acting, thinking brain then would be- |
come centre Of undulations transmitted |
from all directions through space. Such un-
duations would vary in character and in
tensity in accordance with the varying nature
and force OF brain actions, e. a., the thoughts |
of love or hate, of life or death, of murder or
rescue, OF consent or REFUSAL would each have
It's corresponding tone or intensity of brain
action, and consequently of brain-wave Gust
as each passion has its corresponding tone Of
voice..
Why might not such undulations, when
meeting with and falling upon duly sensitive
substances, as If upon the senstized paper
OF the photographer, produce impressions,
dim portraits OF thoughts, as undAlations OF
light produce portraits of objects
The sound-wave passes on through myriads
of bodies, and among q million makes but
ono thing shake, or sound to it; a sympathy
Of structure makes it sensitive, and it alone.
voice or tone may pass unnoticed by ten
thousand ears, but strike and vibrate into a
madness of recollection.
In the same way the brain-wave of Damon
passing through space, producing no per-
ceptible effect, meets somewhere with the
sensitized and sympathetic brain of Pythias,
movement. The brain Of Pythias is affected
as by tone, a perfume, color, with which
he has been accustomed to associate his friend;
he knew not how or why, but Damon comes
into his thoughts, and the things concerning
him by association live again. If the last
brain-waves of life be frequently intensest-
oonvulsive in their energy, as the firehy's
dying flash is its brightest, and as oftentimes
the Gig ghtning before death" would seem to
show-we may perhaps seem to see how it is
| that apparitons at the hour of death are far
more numerous and clear than any other
ghost stories.
There surely are brains so susceptible, and
so ready to move to the slightest sympathetic
touch that
'Thought leaps out to wed with Thought
Ere Thought could wed itself with speech"
Such exceptionally sensitive and suscepti-
BILE brains-open to the minutest Influences
would be the ghost-seers, the 'mediums". of
all ages and countries, The wizards and
magicians-true or false-the mesmerists and
biologizers would be the men who have dis
covered that their brains can and do (some-
times even without specify predispose and
compel the brains of these sensitive ones, so
| as to fill them with emotions or impressions
| more or less at will.
1t will be but vague, dim way, at the best,
OF communicating thought, or the sense of
human presence, and prOp0rti0nally so as the
receiving brain is less and less highly sensi-
tive. Yet, though it can nevA- Jake the
place of rudest articulation may have its
own place and Office other than and beyond
speech. 1t may convey sympathies of feeling
beyond all words to tell-groanings of the
spirit which cannot be uttered, visions of
Influences and impressions not elsewhere
communicated, may carry ones living human
presence to another by more subtle and ex-
cellent way of sympathy.
"star to star vibrates light: may soul to soul
Strike LhrO' q finer element OF her own?
SO, from afar, touch us at once? ?"
The application of such theory to such
narratives as have given above is obvious.
In Mr.. Browning's case, his brain, full of the
murder thought, and overlooking with its cor
respondent brain-wave, floods the sensitive
brain of the Count, who feels it directly. His
attempt to read the second transfer of owner
ship is almost as illustrative as his closer
success with the first. The death-bed thought,
and it's correspondent brain-wave, were sufi-
ciently strong and striking in Mr.. Browning 3
mind to have a character of their own; the
rest of the complicated picture was too minute
and ordinary, did not burn itself into or
out of his brain with enough distinctness.
The prominent notes of the music were alone
caught by the listener.
In Mr.. Woolner's case the death -convul-
sion of the emigrant's brain, aud the corres-
pondent brain wave, flooded space with the
intensity and swiftness of flash of actual
uQAt or mdRI6LlSlu, auu Wu0I6sO0VoT IL nap
pened to find the sympathetic substance, the
substance accustomed to vibrate to it, and
not too violently preoccupied with other
action to be insensible to such fine impress.
} sions, shook it with the terrible vague subtle
force of association described. The interven-
ing space and matter need be no more an OBJ.
staole than the 5000 miles Of Atlantic wire are
to the galvanic current, or the countless dis
! tances Of its travel to the light from Sirius.
similar explanation holds good for Mr.. Tenny.
sons story, in which the loss distances seem
somehow less staggering at first sight.
7 In such a manner, too the answers giveI
by the so-oalled "spirit-rapping" (when mo-
2 imposture) seem explicable. These are made
by the spelling out OF words letter by letter
the questioner alone knowing the reply, anG
t the letter which would be right to help it
3 The character of his thought, and consequent
brain-wav changes from denial to consent
! when, letter after letter being pointed to il
' vain, the right letter is reached at last. Tha
Q change of thought-state is reflected in
change of brain action and wave movement
t which the sensitive medium feels and at ono
!, acts upon.
8 Many ghost and dream stories seem to yielc
q also to some such mode of Interpretation, AM
II much might be added in illustration and ex
: pansion of it, as touching rumors, present.
Q ments, panios, revivals, epidemic manias, an
30 forth; but have said enough to put tn
d suggestion before better minds, whether 70
d correction or disprocf.
n am, sir, etc., J.T.K.
. WALL PAPER.