Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-12-03

'pNNs VI tuey uttttupt " ueCctNt
and deiraud, and strive TO bring us back
to barbarism. then the Government aud
all social forces should interfere.
SUGGESTIONS BY TIE LECTURER.
To those who propose to investigate
these phenomena in their various phases
clairvoyants. mind reading, second sight,
| Spiritualism in all It's varied maniiesta-
items, &c.-I may be allowed to offer these
| suggestions:
FirSt-Do not trust your senses. No
one who wishes to find the truth should
trust to his senses to lead him to the truth.
| The senses in scientific Investigations,
and especially in investigations of this
| kind. are to be used as servants of reason.
| Any man who relies on what he sees or
thinks he sees, is incapable of studying
with any satisfaction phenomena OF this
| kind. OF all the senses the sight Is the
one which is most valued in the study of
this sort of phenomena. 1t is of more i'm
portance than any one sense. or of all the
others combined. Without sight. the other
senses are indeed OF but little value.
bec0ad-Become masters in ply siology.
especially in the physiology of the ner-
vous system, before giving an opinion on
this subject. The majority of the Ques-
| tions that are raised in the study OF the
phenomena here referred to are qnes-
tions of physiology, and pre-eminently of
neuro-physiology. They can therefore be
best studied by those who are. and are ac-
| knowledged to be, experts in the depart
ments OF physiology and neuro-physiolo-
~ and neuro-therapeuiics.
The lecturer. In alluding to the writings
of scientific men on this subject said /:
There is no creduliry that is SO credulous
a the credulity OF scientific men when
they step out of their own special depart
mcnts. II i said that we'll known pro-
lessor OF physics recently declared that
he would stake his reputation that Brown
could read minds. \ remark made 10 me
a few years ago by one OF the honorrd
Professors of Yale has had a vast influence
Oh my life. | was talking with him of
Prof Huxley's pamphlet on The Ply
sical Basis of I.iie." that was lust then
making much noise, The Professor AL
mtred that Prof Huxley was a very ac-
compli>hed man. bat that he was terribly
faulty IN his logic aud metaphysics,
Yes. replied |; but P.of Huxley does
not profess 10 be authority on mctapy-
sicS''
Then he ought not TO write about it,"
was the reply, which the Professor has, |
suppose, long since forgotten, but which
rings in my ears to this hour.
Iird-Do not ordinarily attempt to
deal with those who prufrs, TO have these
marvellous powers honestly or openly
Next to the blunder of undertaking this
study without any knowledge OF the sub
jrCt comes the blundcr of treating those
who are frauds. or at least supposed to he
frauds. n though they were honest and
truthful men; even admitting that they
are truthful. 10 get the research To be OF
any value IN science il must be conducted
a> though they were >coundrcls. IfthIs
source of error, which yitiatcs nearly
every Investigation OF this kind. Is not
eliminated the conclusions obtained from
the investigation will not usually be- ac-
ccpted. The men that make these claims
must first be deceived.
FRAUD Al FIRST HAS THE ADVANTAGE.
In all contests of this Kind humbuggery
and crime have the advantage Fraud
holds the best hand. and AT the arst OF the
gam" appears To be victorious. When |
reiurned from my visit To Chittrndcn /
WAS handed Il Slip of paper which inform
ed me that an unknown man from the
West, without education, without inilu-
ence, but Who claimed to have powers of
miud-reading that have never been CON
ierred on any human being. had marched
Oh the city OF my Alma Mater, Yale, cap
Il u
throat, enlisted the press in his behalf
and nearly all the population were rally.
ins around him. an army of sixty thou
sand strong. When a travelling perform
cr of this Kind, however unknown. igno-
rant, or obscure. enters upon his career
he has the advantage that ALWAYS comes
from love of mystery. which i, part Of
the human mind, and that in the average
man is dominant, and even dan. erou.
Entisting at once in his behalf the organs
OF public opinion-those who have the
first. readiest. most powerful and infueu-
tia! access u the public-he for while
carries the day. The history of our coun-
try gives Illustrations OF this without mum
Der. and recently We have seen instances
that to the next generation will seem ill-
credible. Browns mind-reading aud the
materialzaiions Of the Eddy family Will
pass into the permanent history Of delu
sons. and the twentieth century will read
with wonder and disbelief that any intelli-
gent human being could have been car
ried away by their absnrditie>. They sue
ceed for Il time like Perkins tractors, tor
the devil always has the innings.
TIE ELECTRICAL HYPOTHESIS.
Any one who has mingled with Spiritu-
alisTs. travelling phrenologists. clairvoy-
ants. and mind readers, has observed
prolusion of slang terms. derived mainly
from electricity and magnetism. When
any science Is in its infancy or is Just be-
ginning to grow into vigorous life it i
apt TO be appropriated by those who wish
10 coGnterfeit science aud deceive the
race. At the present time electricity i
the city of refuge to which all forms OF
deluson run. Spirituali>m and ,lairvoy-
ance. mind-reading and second sight be-
Ing driven from the comparatively open
country. the realms of light heat. anu
gravity. and other wrll-Studied forces,
rush behind the ramparts of electricity,
and are safe. But very unfortunately for
them, science i already making breaches
even in the thick walls of their citadel
animal rlectricity-aud they will soon BE-
compelled 10 surrender or find some
other refuge il they can.
| am now in Il position to sav-speaking
as lifelong investigator and experiment
ter in electricity in lis relations 10 physics,
physiology. and therapeuics-that all this
Wild and woDderous story about posi-
tives' and negatives" as applied TO tn
Interpretation of strange phenomena. aud
all this talk about excess or deficiency Of
electricity in this one or that one. or all
this assumption that the strange perform
ances of hysterical medium come from ell
ectrlcal or magnetic action or reaction-all
Of this slang, in all that it says and in all
that il suggests. is undemonstrated and
undemonstrable bosh. On the cOntary.
all the facts, experiments, and suggestions
of modern research in the departments of
animal electricity. as far as they have at
tanned any degree of accuracy. show that
all these theories. hypotheses. and conject-
ures about positive and negatives. by which
the counterfeiters of science SO amuse
themselves and deceive the world, have no
basis in truth. The theory that nerve-force
and electricity are identical has been over
thrown. and is only held by these who
stopped thinking and reading fifteen years
ago.
sPIRIrUALISM NOTHING NEW.
Spitualism. clairvOy ance, and mind-read-
ing are not new claims; they are as old as
human ignorance. and their early history
can never be written. The Spiritualists
of this country count their followers BY
millions. and, although they Overestimate
by several hundred per cent, yet the num-
Der is probably quite large, and yet there
W. in,