The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-01
2i'l>mond Dispattlr.
Observation-Disclosures /. 1877
sE TIE CIRCULATION OF THE D.a
PATCH rs LARGER THAN THE CoMBINEp
CIRCULATION CT ALL THE OTHER DAILY
NEWSPAPERS OF THE CITY.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AND DOLLARS.
PLATO. PYTHA GoRAS, oRI0EN NFoURRIER.
AONTAIGEE, AND THE IETERHrNA-
Bile BOEdRD WILL CASE.

The Bonard will case In New York was
continued on Thursday before Surrogate
tlutchings, when DR.. Clymer, OF the Phila-
delphia Hospital, and others were exam
incd in regard to Bonard's alleged belief
in the doctrine of the transmigraton Of
souls.
Or. Clsmer testified that he was attend
ing physician to the Philadelphia Hospital.
He devoted himself to nervous diseases,
and has given much attention to the subject
Of insanity. He. is acquainted with bron-
chial pneumonia. One of the principal
symptoms Of the disease Is anxiety on the
| part OF the patient about his condition. A
| man suffering from bronchial pneumonia
would get up at night. walk about, and be-
| tray his disease by eXclamations.
Q.-What do you understand by an in
sane deiusion? A.-A false illusion.
| Q.-Gire an illustration OF q delusion.
| Al will mention the Gaze Of lady who
was Of unSound mind. She had an impress
sion that her daughter was possessed by
| the devil, who took the form of various
young men.
| Q.-Would the expression Of belief by
any adult Of the human species at variance
with that commonly entertained by his fel-
low-beings be an indication Of irraton-
ality? A.-Not necessarily.
Q.--Suppose man over sixty years Of
age should express an opinion that the soul
| OF man alter death passes into the body Of
an animal, without, however, referring to
his own soul; and suppose that the opinion
was expressed by him ten years previous to
his Geath, and not within those ten years,
would you consider that that belief, assum-
ing it to be delusion. would continue to
the time Of his death! A.-There Is a
strong probability.
| Q.-Have you studied the subject Of me.
tempsychoSis? Al have.
Q.-Give your views on the subject. A.
The doctrine Of the transmigration Of souls
|uppears to have been very common at one
time. II is known as the doctrine OF Py-
tnagoras. 1t wa, first expressed by the
Egyptians, and was their view Of the i'm
mortality of the soul. The doctrine was
held by the Druids, both In France and
Britain. 1t was supposed that Pythagoras
derived the doctrine from the Druids, but
it is likely that he got it in Egypt. 1t is
| found among some OF the early fathers ofthe
Chu1ch. Among others, Origen, who pro-
!essed to find 1t in the New Testament-the
ninth chapter Of John, think. 1t Is now
held by Fourier.
Q.--Would you consider person who
entertained such belief irrational? A.
Hot necessarily. 1t Is belief which has
been entertained by some OF the tirst minds
Of the world.
| Q.-Name some Of the prominent men
r,'o entertain this belief, and who were
oiu,,-S considered rational? A.-Pytha-
a,ros an I thousands of his followers. Plato
sl.n hold ne belief. Ovid, too, alludes to
if ~ his bel!,ef; and Montaigne, in his
. Essay on Cruel.. TO ANIMALS, expressed
| his belief in the do"trlne .nat me'eHisy- E
chosi, originated with 'he ooctIl1e u Tue
soul, and 10 be an expires: So'' " ''''' "'''
| trlne. ,c,,,,a
| Iross-cxamincd by Mr.. Condert u lound
no evidence of insanity in Plato aut' o'nct
| authors who have. in their works, ~
pressed belief in this doctrine.
| O.-ls it not ut times difficult to draw
the line between belief and delusion! &.
! The question j. Il somewhat general one; .;
it is so much OF q relative, and not OF posi-
tive. character that | cannot answer IL.
| It is not the number of rotarles TO ocliel
that would make me consider 1t deluslon.
| Q.-Do you believe In the tranSln'gratlon
Of souls: Al do not.
Q.-What is your belief? Al am a
| Christian.
O.-Iiave YOU. in your experience, ever
known ii person who believed that the
soul OF an adult OF the human species, as
my learned friend expressed il, passed into
the body OF Il dog, monkey, or cat
A.-No.
| O-SuDDose a man of large estate living
in Il cheap boarding-hou>e in the poorest
quarter of the city, in the habit OF uttering
lunintellipibIe cXclamationS at night, and
who made two wills within short time
before his death would you consider such
n man rational? A.--Thcre would be no.
thing necessarily in those circumstances TO
prove irrationality.
Q.-Suppo>e a person under such a be-
| ltei as metempsychosis, and possessed of n
large estate, should leave his property to
society for the prevention of cruelty TO
animals, would you consider him IRA
tional? A.-No.
| r rho yyilt was SnstainoQ,1