The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-11-25
How People Can be Deceived.

How People Can be Deceived
A late number Of the New York TimEt
contains q lecture delivered BY Dr.. GEO,
NJ BEARD before the Long Island His
toricll Society, in Brooklyn, N. Y, on
1.-THE Counterieiu Of Science, and How to
Detect them" that Is very interesting
production, and one that should be read
by all persons who are ready to accept
whatever is mysterious in their expert
ence as something supernatural in lie
character. he boldly lays down the
proposition that al truly scientific men
reject the element Of supernGturalism in
these mysterious performances, first, be-
cause the probabilities are wholly against
such q supposiuon, and, secSnd, be-
cause experience has proved that when
once these performances are cub
lected 10 searching scientific tests, they
fail 10 convince those who are best quail.
fed to Judge Of their supernatural char.
acter. His proposition is that
when any one comes along protesting
10 have mind-resding, clair-voyAnI,
spiriiuslistic, or physic force powers, the
presumption that he does not possess any
Of these powers in any degee is SO great
that II We have no opportunity for ex-
animation We have right, IN private, al
least, to pronounce against them. Those,
therefore, who hastily declare that all
these things are a delusion; that there 10
nothing In them al all; th1tir beginning
10 end they are frauds and follies, are
nearer the truth, are more scientific and
more wise than those who also hastily
declare that there IL something in them,
and that new force has appeared in the
world"
In regard ton called "spirituslisn" he
says that It Is las old as human ignor-
ance" and that there never was q time in
the history Of the world when, in proper.
ton to the population, there vas SO little
spiritualism as now. he maintains that
The contest between spiritualism and
spirituslism Is q contest between
reason and passion, between snimAlism
and humanity, between bArbarism land
civilization, between the fourteenth cen
fury and the twentieth. II abounds to-
day isr more in savage Lhsn In civilized
lands, and was more potent and more
universal In the earlier than in the later
civilizations. Like many other delusions
it exists 70 dsy-a species Of barbarian in
Civilizations projection oisntiquity and
The medieval sges into the twentieth cen
tury. Il is Africa innOculsted into
America.
Dr.. BEARD clsims that all the phe-
uonena embraced under clairvoysnce,
mindreadlpg and Spirituslism may be
accounted Tor by one or more Of the FOL.
lowing six facts:
First-Trickery. Most Of the trickery
is oil cheap, vulgar and transparent
character; in no way to be compared
with that OF Houdin or other great ma.
giCisbs.
Second-Guess work or condolences.
CROSSWORD is both science and an art,
aud much OF the success Of clairVoysnts
depends upon the mastery Of this art,
and the skillful use which they make Of
condolences which happen TO us all in
everyday life.
Third-Unconscious mental action.
FOurth-Unconscious muscular action
These two facts, either singly or In com
bination, explain the marvels OF plan
Ghetto, tahle-tipping, mlndreadiDg, as
pfACticed by Brown, spiritualistic trick
sters .Gud many amateurs. Those who
have not looked into this subject will be
surprised 10 find how many Of these mar
wells can be explained BY unconscious
muscular action and unconscious mental
action.
Filth - Physiological idiosyncracies.
Under thla head comes the peculiar hexi-
biliiy oil many persons, as the Davenport
brothers, tho Eddys and their imitAtors,
who can make their hands smaller than
their wrists, and thus slip out oil handouts
and ropes.
SiXth-Phenomena Of trance, erron-
cously called animal magnetism. A pas
siVe state Of the mind very easily excited
in some persons and closely allied tosom'
nambulism and certain types Of bysteria,
In this state there may be great exAlts-
ton Of special faculties; but no new fac
ultes appear any more than they appear
IN insanity, or sleep, or hysteria.
The mysterious performances ascribed
to spirit power" are no greater mysteries
than the ieats performed in India by The
J1gglers. When the late WILLIAM Il.
SEWARD wAsi In that country on his jour-
ney round the world he witnessed some
Of these performances that were very
wonderful indeed. For instance he saw
man climb bare pole sixty feet high
standing in the open air, and when he
reached the top he mysteriously disHp-
peared. After while, his feet reap
peared, then his legs and body, and be
came down. he claimed no supernatural
powers. How did he do itH
The New York Herald, abiding 10 this
experience Of Mr.. SEWARD in India, re-
calls the case OF an Indian juggler who
used TO live in a little den in tho Bow
cry" some years ago. BE could perform
ttick like this:
"a gentleman told the writer that,
moved by curiosity once, he went In.
The juggler made him eft on the floor.
In q moment two figures, apparently hu-
man, rose ont Of the floor in obedience 10
the wand Of the conjuror. They grew 10
the ordinary height Of q human being.
Tho visitor made motion to rise, when
the figures sank through the floor in
stantly. An examination Of the place be-
trSyed no visible solution TO tho ingeni-
GUS performance a.....'.
The tricks Of ROBERT HouDN, the
great magician, have never been sur.
passed by any Of the so-called spiritual
phenomena; On ono occasion, when he