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

uc lines supulu Dt ufuWn. InOught
fui men IN science and out of scieuc,
should understand the nature of these dc
lusions, and ON one side or the other shoult
enlist. The contest between SpirituaIlsu
and antispiritualism in contest between
reason and passion, between anirnaiisu
and humanity. between barbarism ant
civilization. between the fourteenth centu
| ry anc the twentieth. Ii abuunds TO-DAY
| TAR more in savage than in civilized lands
anu was more potent and more universal il
the earlier than in the later civ ilization
Like many other delusions it exists TO-DAY
| "A species Of barbarism in civilization,
a projection OF antiquity and the medieva
ages into the twentieth century. II Is Al
rica inoculated into America.
Fourth-Avail yourselves, as much ~
possible, of preliminary practice bcior,
| joining Issue in the final contest with thes,
| characters.
| These men. or some of them. represent
the accumulated trickery and humsuu.ery
| OF history. 10 contend with them without
special preparation by reading, by study,
aud by experiment. is as absurd and un.
scientific "a II would be to attempt TO con
tend with great artist without knowing
the elements OF art. or to attempt to cal.
culate the eclipse without having learned
mathematics. Partly 1t Is Tor lack of thi
| pfecautlon That nearly all the tests that
are made between scientific men and real
| or suspected frauds ia t.iese departments.
result Is victory for the fraud or else |,
drawn battle. In other and allied physi.
| ologicai researches we feel the necessity of
time. leisure. opportunity and frequently
| oi force OF trained and Trustworthy as
slstants. and the experiments must often
, be made under various conditions and
win various co-operaiion, 50 that every
conceivable or supposhble source of error
may De eliminated. Investigations in thi 4.
realm must be conducted la the same spir.
IT, III oider that The results may convince
scnoiafiy and truth-loylng men II Il be
diiiicult IN the calmne>s OF the laboratory
ior trained Psychologists to rightly inter
pref, or 10 agree on any INTERPRETATION of
some apparently simple physiological ques-
tiohs, from experiments on lyn. or dead
animals, how vastly more difficult must IL
oc lot unframed men who are not ph, siol-
"-i>ts, "hp have had little or no practical
experience in eliminating errors and in ar
INl"- Al truth III ply sioiogical questions
10 settle. Ia the presence OF an angry and
uharp'rciatiYc aud npaticuce audience
the most complex and intricate problem,
relating To The ph! sioiogy OF aud the nerve,
oi highly cNilz man, especially when.
li' addition To the errors that are liable to
come IA allied invest. .atiu.s, i aided the
error That Is liable 10 enter through the
iedl or supposed fraud OF the performer or
hi, operator.
fgH-AlwayS act on the assumption
that the burden OF proof rests with those
"ho make these stupcuduus claims The
presumption Is that there i no such force
as p>4chIc torcc; no Ciairvuy ant mind
r 1T a,
The spirlt> OF the departed do not rrappear
on The earth or make themselves known To
u through any means thai can be apprC-
ciattd by our senses. The burden of proof
Is with those who claim Ihal such things
90 exist. The evidence that i needed to
overcome thi> presumption must be of The
uiost oNtr"ht iinIDg character m. .xn..r
incifis Of Wallace aud Crookes, even II
lu">" men were authorities. In the special
department OF neuro-phy ,ioIogy could new
ei DC accepted 10y ply y>ioio2i-ts until they
had oeen confirmed again aud again bv din
ercht observer. in different countries. and
until they were iorcedto accept Them by A
shulcieht evidence to overcome the pre-
sumption against their truth. This same
pflncipie applies to all scientific investi.a-
lions. In the study of spirituaH-tic phe-
homeha, ciairvoyants or mInd-readin., or
oI second-sIght power, we Apply no new
principles, but study them us We 10 our
physiological subjects. For these reasons
thcn, would advise those who are looAin.
INTO THIS matter not to publish, lor To al
low To be published, the results that occur
10 tiSm IN the various stage, of ftIcir trn9-
Tess, but To follow the example OF physiol-
oslsts and eXperimenters in theraprurlc.
every"h here, who keep silent concerning
the results of their studies unIil they have
convinced themselves by overwhelming
EVIDENCE. II Is hardly just or scholarly.
or IN accordance with the true scientific
spirit, 10 publicly express an outside
opinion IN regard to any OF these questions
without long and careful study; hut If one
must declare huSelT on one side or the
oiher. II l. more consistent with science To
TAKE the side which mas presumption in its
favor.
Sirth-Let your courage be absolute
II any man wants to know what il is To be
thoroughly sDuDbed. let him make some
scientific research, and then bring the re-
search To the attention of those " no are To
ue most benefited by it. While this i true
enough 10 the world of science, il Is pre-
eminehtly true IN that realm where science
never enters, that is in all our cxnerjenc,.
with the ignorant mass Of mauhind. No
man who Is afraid of abuse ought ever To
attempt 10 impress unpopular truth on un-
wiIiinS hearts. Any attempt TO expose,
by scientific methods the fulies and crimes
oi ciairVoJance, mind reading, or Spiritu-
aiisn. at once rouses all the demon of hui
manlty everywhere. The vast body of un-
derdone young men. who know Just enough
To stumble into every novelty that arises
class that specially abounds in this land
of the free and home of the brave: semi
mental girls that weep over dime novels
ana make the New York Ledger their BIZ
Die, hali-h'eacd iconocla>ts that would
mast the world IN their own image; dried
VI natrons In whose hearts a silly super-
stitIoh matches every wrinkle in theft
faces: tfavellng lecturer, ON phreuoluuy
and biology, whose very existence il "A
monument of divine mercy; simple-soulrd
fossils who have never matur.d whose
chhuhoou Is but continuance of their
nrst, hystefcai somnambulsts whose
| orains are on hre with foolish fincie~ Bo.
hcinians OF every race and grade: waits of
ci'iiization, cast up around the shores of
the modern newspapers; half-tedged sci
ehtists III various departments, who per
chance know something about something,
and therefore are supposed to know every
| thihS ABOUT everything; all this impedi-
mehta III the army of civilization. strong
IN nun nbers, strong in influence, strong In
everything except Intelligence ami virtue,
ana ever hshtlng among themselves over
| tribes Is light rs their own intelectS, unite
| IN hrn phalanx 10 resist the march of all
who could wrest from them one inch of
theterrtory OF ignorance which is common
| to them all.
All the phenomena embraced under
cialrvoyance. mind-readng. and Spiritual
ism, so called. mas be accounted for by
one or several OF the following six facts:
Ftrst-rrickery. Most of the trickery is
cheap. vulgar. and transparent charac-
ter; in no way to be compared with that of
HoudiIl or other great magicans.
SecoHd-Guess-work or condolences.
Guess-work is both science and an art.
and much of the success of clairvoyants
depends upon the mastery of this art, and
the skillful use which they make of ooinci-
dences which happen to US all in everyday
| life.
| 1hrd-Unconscious mental action.
| F0urh-Unconscious muscular action.
These two facts. either singly or In CON-
blnation, explain the maryels of plan