The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1876-04-13
WHAT WAS TIP

Br. HILBERT has shown that spectres
src nothing more than ideas or Feoollected
images Of the mind. (which in certain
states Of bodily indisposition have been
rendered u,ono vivid than actual impress
sion, and that the picturesof the minds
eyen ave more vivid than the pictures Of
the body's eve. Sir David Brewster, in
his Natural Magic, goes further than
this, and shows that the "mind's eye "
is actually the bOdy's eye, and that the
retina Is tue common tablet on which
both classes of impressions are painted,
and by means Of which they receive their
visual existence under the same optical
laws. He thinks that this is not only
true IN the case Of spectral illusions, but
that It holds good Of oil ideas recalled
By the memory or created by the imag-
ination, aud that Il may be regarded as
the fundamental law In the science OF
PneumRtolOgy.
Robert Dale Owen, In his FOOTBALLS
on the, Boundary Of Another World, "
tells a marvellous story Of coincidence
that one can hardly believe were brought
about by no other agency than chance.
Mr.. owen says that the story was COM
municated to him in July, 1859, by Capt.
J. S. Clarke Of the sChooner John Hal
lock, then lying in Rutgers ship, who, had
il direct from Mr.. Bruce himself. He
adds that the John Hallock was then
trading between New York and Santiago.
Mr.. Robert Bmce,- born at Torbay, in
the south Of England, and there bred up
to a seafaring life, in -l828, when about
thirty years old, was iiTst mate on bark
trading between Liverpool and st. John,
n. +. On one OF her voyages bound
westward, being then five or six weeks
out and having neared the eastern POr-
ton Of the banks Of Newfoundland, the
captain and mate had been on deck at
noon, taking an observation Of the sun
after which they both descended to cal
culase their days work. The cabin, q
small one, was Immediately at the stern
Of the vessel, and the short stairway de-
scending TO il ran athWartships, Imme-
diately opposite 70 this stairway, just be-
yond a small square handing, was the
mates state room and from that land
ing there we're two doors, close to each
other, the one opening aft into the cabin,
the other fronting the stairway into the
state room.
The desk was In the forward part of
the room, close 10 the door 80 that any
one sitting Al 1t and looking over his
shoulder could zoe into the cabin. The
mate, absorbed In bis calculations, which
did not result a. be expected, varying
considerably from the dead reckoning,
had rot noticed the captains motions.
Having completed iiis calculations, he
called out, without looking around, II
make our latitude and longitude 20 and
q. Can that be right Howis yours"
AZ there was no reply, be repeated his
question, CHANGING over his shoulder and
seeing, n hp thought che captain busy
writing on bis slate. Still no answer,
Thereupon he arose; and, M he frOnted
the cabin door, che figure he had mis-
taken for The captain. raised rs head and
disclosed To the aaipniahed mate the
features Of an entire stranger Bruce
was not coward bat, A. he met that
fixed gaze looking upon him IN grave
silence, and became assured that II was
no enc whom he had ever seen, Il waa
too much foF him; be rushed up 70 the
deck in such evident alarm that Il in.
stantly attracted tho captains attention.
why, MI Bruce" said the latter,
what n tie world i the matter with |
your
fThe matter, sir? Who Is that At
your desk?9
4 No one, that know Of
aBut there Is, sir there's stranger
there"
g A stranger Why, man, you must
10 dreaming. You must have seen the
steward there 81 the second mate. Who