New-York tribune., 1875-03-05

bvsierical woman and the clairvoyant achievements
of one of the illuminate" OF Ike descent, and
even ''the wonderful mastery OF morbid psychol-
ogy exhibited by writers like Scott Dickens, Poe,
Hawthorne, Hayne, and Freytag, Bandelaire'
and Victor Hugo and Of morbid impulse
in its various aspects, thus presents Itself
as q kind of larvated form of nervous
perversion liable always to transformation into the
acute, and often coexsting with it," And by lar
waited form Of mental perversion" Mr. Fairfield means
species of epilepsy the existence OF which is en-
trely assumed but Of which every person differing
little from the common run Of mankind is the
subject Against such unwarranted assertions those
who have the interests of positive science at heart
cannot be too emphatic in protesting.
In the view that .ths sO-caled "nerye-aura" Is
identical with nerve force Mr.. Fairfield again ven
lures upOn the ground OF assumption without
deignIng to supply Que single point Of proof. He
asserts that it is capable of being transmitted
through conducting media and of acting at consider
able distances through tho medium Of the atmos-
pbere and this he says is proven by the facts of mes
mersm and large classes of facts collected by med
ical psychologists. But the facts ofmesmerisn, upon
which he relies. have been repeatedly shown to be
facts at all. and not single one has ever been
made the subject Of scientific demonstration. AS TO
the facts collected by medical psychologists" they
are beneath contempt. Let us, under proper scientific
conditions establish the facts, and then 1T will De
| time enough to construct ihypotheses by which to
| explain them. When any mcsmerizcr or medium or
medical psychologists will, to the satisfaction
| of Two or three gentlemen we could name, cause
| print to be read through an Opaque envelope
or tell what is passing in another room
in the house, or cause tables to be overturned or
lifted up without material agencies or tell Of events
which have passed but which not yet known, or
materalize" spirit it win be proper to inquire into
| the value of Mr.. Faigeld's hypothesis of nerve
aura" But till then do not care to enter at any
greater length into the task OF disproving doctrine
for which the proposer does not deem it necessary to
| offer us a title of evidence. As to the cases he
brings forward if they in the nature of evidence
we have read Groenleaf and other legal authorities
| in vain.
| One point more and we shall let Mr. Fairfelds
book rest with the many others of similar character
| which incumber scicnce-or rather which would IN
| cumber it if the world had not pretty much ceased
| TO regard them rs Of value. BY implication page
l2 lie appears to wish us to understand that Helm
holz has investigated the properties of the nerve
| aura" lie has done no such thing; he has never
written one line about it, and probably has never
heard of it as Mr.. Fairfield describes it,.
Helmholtz has written insregard to the rapidity of
but that a very different thing, and it is scarcely
fair to lug the great German physicist as q sup
porter of hypothesis for which, if ho had ever
| heard Of its existence, he would aSsuredly express
any feeling but of respect. He knows nothing
whatever of "ncrvc-aura" surrounding an indi-
| vidual as emanating atmosphere having the
molecular properties, motor and usory, of nervous
tissue ITSELF" aud it is not at all likely that Mr..
| Fairfield with his vagueness and credulity, will
ever give him the knowledge without which
| his belief would certainly not be obtained.
Books like the before US calculated to DO n
| great deal of HARM and hence we have noticed a
| few Of its absurd features at greater length
than We should have done if it had been
| of somewhat different character Spirit
| uaism, puro and simple, does not appeal
| to science, and hence science kicks it overheard
without scruple but Mr.. Fairfield processes in the
outset to be actuated by sincere desire to get at
tho truth he shows the weak points Of other theo-
res and exposes their failure to respond to the de-
mands of scientific inGuirers such as he
| into our confidence he springs upon us
| an unphysologlcal hypothesis compared with which
spiritualisrn and mesmersm are demonstrated sys-
| tens. Such BOOKS impose upon the ignorant. who,
being just as incapable is Mr.. Fairfield of perceiv-
ing how things are to be proven and not knowing
that assertions and theories not facts till they
arc demonstrated, swallow the trash which set
before them. and congratulate themselves that they
are lmbbng science. w.AH.