The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-18
TABLR-TIPPINa EXPLAINED.
How Professor Earaday Game It Over
the Tfpsy Tables. ,,.

says: 49,
Take the case OF table.turning. I dare say
many OF you remember that epidemic which
preceded sprltuallsm; IN fact, the splrituallsm
In s0ue degrees arUse out OF table turning
Ny friend DR.. Noble and hunted In couples, q
good many years ago, with third friend, the
late Sir John Forbes, and we went great deal
Into these iniq titles; and very we'll remem-
ber slttinE al q table with him, / suppose
expectation fer the turning OF the table,
and the table went round. This was simply the
result of one Of Tue p .rLy, who Was not influ-
enced by the philosophical soepticlsm that Va
had on the sunjrcL, having q slr0ng belief that
the phenomena would occur. aud when he
had sal tor some time With his hands pressed
down upon the tsbls, al Involuntary muscular
% Itlon, Of the klud mentioned In my last
lecture, took place, which sent the table turn
all difficult 10 the unders' apding Of this. Fro
lessor Faraday waa called upon to explain the
tabla-Lurning, which many pereUns set down
to elpolrlcty; hut he was perfectly sstisfrd
that this was q most untrus account Of 1t, and
that the explanation was that the moVemenls
took place In obedience to ideas. Movements
VI this class are what Call '.ideonotor." or
Of these movements In obedience TO
the Idea entertained Ia the explana-
tion Of all Tho phenomena of table,
turning. Professor FAraday constructed
very simple testing apparatus, merely TWO
bnards, one over the other, and confined
by elastic bands; but the upper board
rolling readily upon Q couple OF pencils or
small rollers, and resting on the lower board
was an index 30 arranged that very small
motion Of tniH upper board would manifest IL
self In the movement OF the index through q
large arc. He went about this investigation
In d thoroughly scientific spirit. he first tied
together the boards 80 that they could not
move one upon the other, the object oolng to
test whether the mrrr interpretation Of the In.
slrurnent would prevent the cotton. He had
three or four OF These Indicators prepared, and
he put them down on the table so hxed
that they would not move. he then put
the hands Of the lsble-turners on these
and 1t was found. ss he fully expected, that
the interpositlon Of this Indicator under theil
hands did not &c all prevent the movement
Of the table. The hands were resting on thu
indicator, and when their involuntary pres
sure was exerted the friction OF the hands
upon the Indicators aud OF the Indicator
upon the table carried round the table just a.
IL had done before. Nav, II there haa brer
anything In the construction OF the instru
ment to prevent 1t that would not have hap
pened. Then ha loosened the upper board
and put the index on, 80 that the smallest mo
tion Of the hands upon the board would mani
fest itself before IL would act on the table IL
the movement Of the index. and It was fount
that when tho parties looked at the index and
watched Its Indications they were pulled up
a8 IL We're, at the very frst Involuntary actor
of their hands, by The knowledge that the!
we're exertlng Lhis power, and the table ther
never went round.
ONE oE THE sTRANaEsT PARTS
80 ao1t ar
this complete exposure OF it by Faraday, Their
were great many persons, including man!
who we're emihently sensible and rational Il
the ordinary affairs OF life, who said, 20, bu
this has nothing at all to do with 1t. 1t is al
very well for Professor Fdraday TO talk In thl
manner, but II has nothing at all to do with II
We know that We are not exerttng any pres
sure. His explanation does not apply to Gu
case" But then Professor Faradsy's tao
turner's we're equally satisfied that they on
not move the table until the infalliole inde.
proved that they did. And II any one OF tnss'
| psrties who know that they did NOT move tns
| table were to eIt down In the same manne!
| with those indicators 1t would have Deen q
| onos SHOWN that they. did not move the table
| Nothing was more curious than the possesslol
| of the minds OF sensible men and women b!
This RI I idea that the tables weot round by an &C
tlon quite independent of their own hands
and not only that, but that really like the pee
nle In the dauciag mania, they must follow
| the table. I have seen sober and sensible
people running around with table, and Will
| their hands placed on 1t, and asserting tina
they could not help themselves-that the.
we're obliged TO 60 with the table. NOW, tnl
is inst simply the same kind OF possession o.
dominant idea that possessed tne dancing
maniacs of the middle ages. Then the
TABLE TnTNa
i r1,od fl,ot tho foh1o vuNu1
tilt In obedience to the directions OF som
spirit, who was in the hrst instance Il spea
now of aDout twenty years ago} always DC
lleved to % an evil spirit. The ta0le-llltln
rirst developed itself In Bath, under the guild
ance of some clergymen there, who were quit
Satisfied that the IilIings OF The table were du
to the presence OF evil spirits. And one Q
these clergymen went further, and said that
was Satan himself. But 1t Was very curlou
tina: the answers obtained by The rapping an
| Ill logs of the tables always followed tue nc
| tions Of the p rsJns who put the questions
These clergymen always got Ihrse answers 9
| from evil spirlts by the answers they got. But
| on tho other hand, oLner persons got answer
of very different kind. An innocent cir
for instance, asked the table II it4oved hel
and the table jumped up and kissed ber:
gentleman who put q question to one OF Ines
tables got an extremely curious answer, wn'S ~
| aff. .rIs very remarkahle illustration oi w
principle I was developing TO you 10 ING ass ,ao
lecture The uncCn .rivls acLlon OF tnt 9Iaiu
| Hs had been studylI g the lle VI ,h1,,.S'.'
7 ung, he puet-at least had .d 9ssu W,nn,
uf sr.,ing It, ami the spirit nl Eo"a,a ~. u,.
| announced himself on evening, as nt "a
siItinu wi. h bi. sster-in la"-ins 5ouaS I'.u
| Who ssked the table u It ioVe9 ner .,n..' Ema.'
Young announced himsen W snn ,,,i,h Gi,reoI1on