The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-23

better Of myself aud thee. during my life:
lot Valiant Ion. md ,thou for true prince"
suys Dr.. Beard. we know deduHiv,ly by the
INV OF biology that no mgmbcrof the human
species can have any quality different in kind
from those that belong tn the race"
II anything Wpr' needed to SHOW the shall
loWnrss OF DR.. Boards protcusions To- hc an TX
u'lt III regard 70 cihirVnNau'r u!l c1 -nutc pl'-
homcna. this on" s"nt nee would sufli'c What
real expert denies that cluirvUyHnrc b. iHcuty
rrul ably Tat ut I'm All human lrin 8. Int drVrl-
opcd only under rrlinin conditions alnormnl
or inlr"uutnt2 B'rl'u-r an adult man may not
Oe 9i,ir To- tn one tune in music from another.
ana lttlr MUHtt ut i've years ui Nt.n shows rlrt-
N'nous powers 10th in rNroutiny aud come
posing music. 80 W. infer that Mozart had "a
Iunlly different ~ Kind from tIuso that be-
DIR. Beard takes certain facts Cleaned
from his cNncrience ~ a medical ndvsrr I'm
nervous discusses, and rJects. simply hecnusc
they do not harmonic wit his fore gone theory,
large clas- of otl"r lac;s CLEANED by comp"-
tent persons giving special attention To- The
mental phenomena manifested. How. thrn.
o. n We ulucr any reliance upon the deductions
made hy him from laws cr rulrs derived. not
those perhaps, purely physical in thcir uaturc2
In what possib" way hus h. qualified himself
To- pronounce feninsl facts which he has not
Witnessed, but which are amply nttcstod by
oth9r persons Including physicians
Why Ivy mydrduntiye reason The will reply.
whilr the truth is that there ~ no reason in hs
deduction. since no has accepted but portion
OF tno, FACTS. and arbitrarily excluded others
Wanl"s ho claims 70 know. without .xnmina.
calls his drdurtiVo reasoning has no moro sci
.ntllle value than tho nstincts' which ho
ic,i.,tnt's himself on. NJ having led some Of his
prolesslunM brethren 10 charge Miss Fanchcr
with fraud.
Unlcss the Fauchcr casc Is overturned by
something worry different from tho impotent and
unscicntitc aniagonism OF Dr. Beard. i's we'll
attcstrd incts must be u valuable contribution
10 that enlarged science Of psychology. tho ma
tcriHls Tor which have been fast nccumulating
during the last hundred years. and never moro
rapidly than during the last ten.
BosToN. Dee. II. 1878
PSI have lust learnt that DR.. Hammond
proposes To- test Miss Fanchcr by placing in an
envelope n check for a sum Of money over
thrcc scientific examiners. two Of them hris
competent nruro!ogists. the amount number.
gate. ON whom drawn. signature. ~. she To
hayc the money in the event OF her success.
Ever since Puystgur's experiments in 1884.
offers like this have been repeatedly made, Ms
l)r. llnnniond must be aware. AMI declined
generally in cases whore some experienced
person had charge az the sensitive subject And
why declined Because you might as we'll on
poet the needle to point true while you are ngi-
tning the compass, as expect to elicit clairNoy-
ancn under tho stress and excitement Of an
anxious motive. or under the disturbance pro-
duced 10y the simple presence Of an uncOngcnial
person. ageressivcly disposed;
Hammond and say. Here Is a certified check
Tor ten thousand dollars and now you shall
nave IL II you VIII mention right on within
| hirty seconds the names ot six classmates with
whom Nou went To school when n boy Would
not the Doctor OF he were in need of the SlO.OUu.
little trcmor and doubt which would paray2e
the effort Of memory And yct in familiar
conversation where nothing wis eNacted and
nothing at stake, and he was not limited as to
time. how readily might he mention the six
nnmcs in the thirty secondsl
tlnlrNoynnce Is n phenomenon as delicate and
uncertain ~ that manifested in the cHpriccs-
thr sudden flashes and sudden eclipscs-of
memory. subjects lucidiiy II always i'm
paired or spoiled by anything that eNcit"s
anxiety or irritation. OF. appeals 10 cupdity.
Nay. the very presence 81 person convinced
That thrrc il imposturc and eagerly bent on
detecting II. would, without any external mani
icsinton, he felt by SeasH,re Us readily as she
might feel IN her normal state. freezing cur
rent of air.
Every patient investigator knows all this
md u was the reason why such physicians Us
DIR. Gregory and DR.. Haddock having the COM
nhnd OF clairvoynnts. always refused 10 sub
lcct them To tho money test. such negative
proofs of indisposition 10 act. under conditions
that would Introduce all these adverse inllu-
rn.rs; go not reach the r.nl truth. for. as Mr..
\. IL. wallace remarks; How can any number
OF individual failures Affect tho question OF the
comparatively rare succcsscsY As well deny
that any riii'man can hit tho hull'S-oyc at one
thousand yards because none can be- sure OF
hitting II always and AZ u moments notice"
or course, 10y the skeptical and ignorant the
answer u these reasons Will be- an incredulous
shrug. The reasons are good and true. never
thcless. and all emlrcnt students Of the subject
Of somnambulism. whether Spontaneous or in
durrd by mcsmcrism. have come 10 this con-
-lu-ion.
" think we NAV now regard IL as estnb-
lished." says DR.. Gregory, that lin clairvoy-
Huccl the subject often possesses u new power
! OF perception. the nature Of which is unknown.
| but 10y means OF which he can see objects or
| persons, near or distant. without the use of eN-
! tcrnul organs Of vision and my own pro-
| lOnged experience amply confirms Cll this.
The over-conillent attacks OF Drs Hammond
| aud Beard are merely rrp"titlonS of what has
been going on tho past hundred years; and
! when the money test has been proposed and re-
| Iected the ignorant have cried out. Hs perhaps
| they will cry now, This settles tho thing. "
| Bnt. no; the thing has been many times settled
| in that way. and has not stayed settled. Who're
| there were ten believers IN clnirVoyaneo thirty
| years ago, there are ten thousand now IL is
| useless for US IN point to the interminable ac-
cumulntious Of oVer-rccurring testimony in he
| hall Of the great phenomenon; for these sol
| d'SdN experts take the ground that the testi-
| mouy Of the whole human race would be ~ No
| avail AKA INST their own "deductivc reasoning. "
OF what use Is II. then. to dispute with such per
| sons. since they substantially tell US that facts
| OF nature. abundantly attest"d and proved. must
| give way To their own individual prcconcrp-
lions Of what IL is proper for nature 10 permit
! But. as Lord Bacon well remarks: 90 The voice
| II mature Will consent. whether that Of man do
| or no." instincts and deductiye reasoning.
| nreposhessions and metaphysical crotchcts 10
| the contrary Notwithstanding.