The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-12-27
Superstition in High Places.
New York Correspondent Hartford Times.

Scott Lord, chief counsel for the
Vanderbilt will contestants, is trying to
make out that the tougholdC Commodore,
as hard-hearted a man as eve lived,
believed in the moonshine of clairvoy-
ance, and was consequently non connpos.
1t will probably be decidedly difficult to
convince the jury on the latter point,
and as to the first, if belief in the power
of so-called, ~clairvoyants to see and
know things that are hidden from all
others is evidence of insanity, then an
immense number of jewellers in Gotham
need watching. For the c~lairvoyants
have a large clientage, as the lawyers
anddo a thriving business. Twenty
years ago or more, Q. 7. Philander Doe
sticks, P. B., raked 'em up in a way that
gave 'em a good deal of notoriety, but if
his object was to break up their business
he certainly did not succeed. They are
more numerous now they they were in
those times, and their business is as
profitable as it ever was. The whole
number of professional clairvoyants in
New York is PROBABLY about forty.
Some of them keep standing advertise
ments before the public, but the majority
do not need to solicit custom in this
way, their business being almost as well
established as that of a irst-class physi-
clan. Men and women who wish to
consult them know just where to find
them, SO the cost of advertising is saved,
and this, at forty cents a line in the
Herald, is no small item.
Two-thirds, or more Of the clairvoy-
ants are women, and most of their
patrons are also women. The most
profitable patrons of the clairvoyants
are the wives and daughters of rich
men, who always have plenty of pocket
money and very little to do. There are
many fashionable matrons and bellies
who visit them almost as often as they
give orders to their dressmakers. 1t
may seem strange, but it is a recognized
truth that scores of educated, intelli-
gent, w~ide-awake ladies have as firm a
faith in the reality of clairvoyance as
they have in their religion. There are
some in Fifth Avenue who would not do
any important act without first ascer-
tanning from some c~lairvoyant or fer
tune-telling source its probable result.
| It is not uncommon for such persons to
disguise themselves as servants or work
ingmen, and thus visit the purveyor of
mystic knowledge to have solved some
matter, that, mayhap, has worried them
day and night. The ~clairvoyants patron
lied by this class are the elite of the pro-
f%ession, SO to speak. They have a
private and select line of business,
occupy handsome furnished apartments,
generally in French fats, and require a
reference and an introduction from all
persons soliciting their service. They
make. a good deal of money and can
afford to live comfortably, as they
usually do. One woman, whose resi-
dence is not far from the Stewart man
sion on Fifth Avenue, charges five dol
lars for every consultation, and has
such business, it is said, as she can at
tend to. A few others also live in that
neighborhood and enjoy a liberal patron
age from the fashionable world, but
this particular one has the cream of the
trade.
The business men of New York are
noted for shrewdness and hard sense,
and would be the last persons to be
suspected ofsuperstitious weakness; yet,
unless they are wrongly accused, many
of them consult the fortune-tellers and
~clairvoyants quite regularly. If such a
man as Commodore Vanderbilt had ever
the smallest particle of faith in the
female seer, there need be but little
difficulty in accepting the talk that put:
many less noted men in the sam
category. AT all events, it is frequently
said of this man or that one that he
habitually calls upon n or another o.
our modern weird sisters for informa
ton and advice about his business
Also, that there are tradesmen 'ant
others of that class among us who neve
begin an enterprise till it has beef
approved by some one who pretend
that he or she can read the future. No
long since, 1 was a listenerto aconversa
ton that bore directly on this subject
I The persons between whom it passet
were two gentleman of considerable
shrewdness.
az wonder" remarked one, "if vii
!, liams has been to see a f~ortune-telle
lateiy"
"That is a singular question. VIII,
do you ask"
We'll, l hear he is making prepare
! ton to enlarge his business"
! "And what of thatW
. "Why, don't you know that he neye
does anything of that sort without intsl
viewing some old woman before he be
|. gins"
"You don't mean that Williams i
, fool enough to believe in the nonsens
!, of the fortune-tellers%
, Certainly he is, and l supposed tina
every one knew it."
!. "Does he follow their adviceq ?"
81 guess he does, about as closely a
: he can. He has full faith in what the,
! ! tell hing
, "Andhow oesitgenerally come out :?
| Well, he gets along pretty much a
others do; none the better for tn
fortune-tellers, of course, and possibl,
none the worse. Why, there are score
of fellows in New York who would no
t put ten dollars in a new venture til
| they had first consulted some clairvoy
, ant or fortune-teller about it."
! The enlightened nineteenth centur,
has some dark spots after all. But SC
the scientists say, has the sun. TIL
/ same scientist, though, would probabl,
: smile very significantly, if one aske'
their opinion of c~lairvoyants.