, 1877-05-09

ton, and that being done, the mind acted
upon that perception precisely ns it did when
we were dreaming ourselves, and c~Onstrue-
ted upon that perception a perfect dream,
which was really acted. Il, for example, it
we're suggested to the mesmeric sleeper
that be was a preacher, he would, perhaps,
although b. I'll i.literato boy, stand up and
preach an eloquent sermon, provided he had
ever heard one. fit were suggested he was a
singer, he would siag. The curious part of it
was that if he were told to sing a
comic song, he would sing one, Ond if
stopped 10 the middle Of it, and a hymn
were suggested to hims he would leave
of the song in an instant and sing a hymn aud
if some time were allowed to eiapsB before be
was operated upon again, aud a comic song was
suggested to him a second time, he would COM
mence the song at the very note at which he
previously broke of, and so with the hymn.
During all that action of the miod The patient
had no memory whatever of what occurred
during his sleep.-not the faintest. Another
remarkable fact was that if long intervals
he had known it as long as 10 months-were
allowed to elapse after a mesmeIic operation
before a patient was mesmerized a second time,
he would remember everything that occurred in
his somnambulous condition before. Mr.. SERGEANT
Cox said he preferred the term somnambulis1n
to mesmerism, which means nothing. 1t was a
physiological, ard not a physical condition at
all. Tue condition Was Simply that OF will
paralysis, leaving TIC mind without it's |vo.uion-
airy power. The brain vas tbrowu into a semi.
paraiyz:d condition, ia which it hid uo5 the
power Of exercising control over be body, and
the brain was set ia acton by he will or by
som Influence which another person might aaye,
and ia that oonii'ion the patient fell into 4
curious state Of sleep, Alter Il good deal Of
study, ,ho speaker said, he came to the coz.
clu>io1 that he cau;. fsach excessive oxaIta-
tion OF the mental f,c,ties was Tat tho whole
of he nerve force Of the brain was directed
through pletiealar & rs, coace4.ra Ell ia
par~cu ar flcu ties. Il our " .kng STATE the
nervous force ortAe brain, or wa7loyer might ba
the force that moved tue mind, was distributed
about al our faculties il a St4'e Of somuaubu-
lin only a few faculties were excited, and it
seemed as if The Who'll. Of the nerve tJrce was ex.
atted through them, ald therefore mag lifed by
that concentration in hn manner be described,
Prof P,umptre asked by wu1. process Mr..
Cox aroused s)uinambais tio patients to par.
tMI c2asci,usneso 10: The purp3,e Of experiment.
lar. G.r. rjcant Cox sad he always lid it
by taking 10 them. Tho organ Of hearing
seemed b ba the only faculty that WAS awake.
1t was very extraordinary that they a ways
heard the oporator's voice, although they would
NNN ~" "iJ Ob'lOt o"'fi 1 III luO IOUll-u0L
even the sound Of a pis.3j being fred off in.
deed, the lower nc spike to them, the better
they seemed to uelr it. Mr.. Oven said, &C.
coFding to his theory it was he viii taat acted
on the patients. NJ. 6.sj4ant Cox said it was
difficult to say whether they heard tho opo
rator'5 voice or were moved by his viii.
Of course he cou.d Mt use he b1Iiy words
without having mental IDEAS OF theig meaning.
Ihe chronological asqe3ts Of he question were
remarkable. and it was di6cuit 10 say when tho
operator touched he patiel:s' head, Whether it
was his viii or nos that induencel tuea. H.
was Inclined 10 thiuSl t WIS the ton IA 4nd not tho
viii. He ouco tried to touch the organ Of
benevolcnce on q patent, who moved his head
on one i'd accidentally ana caused him to touch
that of combatiyeuess instead, whereupon lie
Immediately became pugnacjoua. thus throwing
sons doubt on the vii, theory. Mr.. S3rgealo
Cox concluded by observing that if people
who were skeptieat on the subject would only
inquire for themselves they would enlarge
their views on what must be admitted to be a
most intereeting ana Important su1jact.-M
T. Times.
ENDORSED BY WN IT N