The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-08
FRIDAY .....NovEMBER 8. 1872.
EsPlaincd--Hkew Pro-
fcssor Faratsay came IL Over the
Tipsy Tables.

! many OF you remember that epidemic which
preceded spiritualism; in fact, the spiritu-
| alssm IN some degrees arose out of tlble.turE-
| ing. Nv friend Or. Noble and hunted in
couples. a good many years ago, with third
| friend, the late Sir John Forbes, and we
went great deal into these inquiries; and
| very we'll remember sitting at table with
HIM. suppose twenty-five years ago. wait
| ing in solemn expectation for the turning Of
the table and the table went round. This
was simply the result Of one of the party,
who was not influenced by the PHI
| lo>opbi,ai SkcpttC!Sn that we had on The
subject, having strong belief that the
phenomenon would occur; and when he
bad sat for some time with bis hands press
ed down upon the table, IN involuntary
muscular molten, of the kind | mentioned
in my last lecture, took place, when sent
the table turning. There was nothing to
the psychologist at all difficult In the un-
derstanding OF this. Professor taratay
was called upon to explain the taole-tuih'
Ing, which many persons set down 10 ciec-
tricity but be wuS perfectly satisfied that
this was most untrue account of Ii. ana
that the explanation was that the move
m nts took place in obedience to ideas;
! Movements Of this class are what l call
|
and the occurrence Of these movements III
obedience to the idea entertained Is the en-
y anutiou OF oil the phenomana Of table
turning. Professor Falnday constructed
very simple tcsting.apmfatus, merely
two boards, ono over the ether, and con-
fined by elastic bands; but the upper
board rolling readily upon couple Of PEN
els or small rollers, pnd resting on the lower
| n n tk1f
small motion of this upper board would
manifest itself In the movement of the index
through large arc. He went about this iu-
vcS;Igltion in thoroughly scientific spirit.
He first tied together the boards so that they
could not move one upon the other, the OIL.
iect being TO test whether the mere interposl'
tion of the instrument would prevent the ac-
ton. lie had three or four Of these indicators
prepared, and he put them down on the table
so fixed that they would not move. He then
put the bands of the tabe-turners Oh these
and it was found. As llc itily expected, that
the interpostion Of this indicator under thoil
hands did not at all prevent the movement
of the table. The hands were resting or
the indicator, and when their involuntary
pressure was eXerted the friction of the hand.
upon the indicators, and otthe indicators upo1
the table, carried round the table Just it haG
done before. Now, il there hud been any
thing IN tho construction of the instrument
to prevent it that would not have happened
Then he looScncd the upper board and put
the index on, so that the smallest motion o
tho bands upon the board would manifest
Itself, before it would aut on the table, In tho
: movement Of the Index. and II was found
that when the PARTIES looked at the index
aud watched its indications, they were pulled
up, as it We're. at the very FIRST involuntary
action of their bands, by the knowledge tha!
they were cxerting this power, and the table
then never " mt round.
ONE or THE sTRANGEsT FARTs
Of this popular dclusion vas that even aft
this complete exposure of it by Fui1duy
there were great many persons, including
many who were elnincnty sensible and r.
tionll in the ordinary affairs Of life, wbc
said, 40, but this has nothing mt ali to dc
with it. 1t is al! very we'll for Professor Fa
raday to talk in this manner, but it has no
thing at all to do with 1t, We kn0,o that We
are not cNcrtng amy pressure. His cxpla
nation does not apply to oar case" Bu!
Their Professor Farlday's ttbe-turnerS were
equally satisfied that hey did not move the
fable until the mfNlliblc index proved that
they did. And il any one Of these parties
were to sit down In the same manner
with those indicators it would have beer
at once shown that they did not move
the table. Nothing was more curiou:
than the possession OF the minds of sensible
men and women by this idea that the table:
went round by IN action quite independent
of their own hands /; and not only that, bu'
that really like the people in the dancing na
ni,, they must follow the table. have seer
sober and sensible people running around
with table, and with their hands placed OIL
il, and asserting that they could not hel[
thcmsulycS--tlIat they were obliged &c &C
with the table Now, this Is just simply tht
same kind of possession by Il dominant idea
that possessed the dancing fnaniacS of the
middle ages. Then the
TABLE-TlLTING
came up. It was found that the table would
tilt IN obedience to the directions Of some
spirit, who was Ia the first instance & speak
now Of about twenty years ago. always be'
ieyed TO be IN evil spirit. The table-ti!tinG
first developed itself in Bath. under The
guidance of some c!crGylnen there, who
4 were quite satisfied that the fittings of the
table were due to the presence Of evil spirits
And one of these clergymeD went further
and said that 1t was Satan himSelf. But II
was very curious that the answers obtained
/. by the rappings and fittings of the tables
always followed the notions Of the person:
who put the questions. Thee clergynel
always got these answers as from evil spirit:
by the answers they got. But, on the Other
hand, other persons got answers OF very
different kind. An innocent girl, for III
stance, asked the table If 1t loved her, and
the table Jumped up and kissed her. \ gen
tlelnan who put a question to one OF these
tables got IN extremely curious answer
which affords Il very remarkable Illus
tlution of the principle was developing Il
! YOU in the last lccture-thc UNCONSCIOUS ac-
ton of the brain. He had been studying
the life of Edward Young, the poet--at least
had been thinking Of writing it, and the splrl
of Edward Young announced himself ono
evening, Us he was sitting with his sister-ln
|aw-the Young lady who asked the table Il
il loved her. Edward Young announced
himself by the raps, spelling out the words
in accordance with directions that the table
received. lie asked, care you Young, the
Thoughts =" eyes" "If you are, repeat
liue OF his poetry" Aud the table spelled
out, according to the system OF teieSlaphy
which had been agreed upon, this line;
Man Is not formed 10 question, but adore.
uasaid. is this in the Night Thoughts ~
" No.O "Where is itT' - 0 b." Ht
co,,ld not tell what this meant. lie wen,
nome. bought copy of Youps's works, ano
found that in the volume containing 1ouDe>s
noems there was poetical commentary on
P foh which ended Will, this line. lie was
os,tr.mo,v puZzIed at this; but two or three