The New York herald., 1878-12-21
MISS FANCHER.
WHAT s'spEcULUM' HAS TO SAY IN REPLY TO
PROFESSOR PARKHURsr AND OTHERS ON THE

WHAT s'sPEcULUM' HAS TO SAY IN REPLY TO
PROFESSOR PARKHURsr AND OTHERS ON THE
SUBJECT OF cIAIRvoYAScE.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
Having investigated such subjects for many years.
and having read with much interest your narrative
OF the phenomena occurring through Miss fancner
and the subsequent correspondence, desire your
permission to discuss the questions involved Miss
fancher's may serve a text for many ser
Her is marvellous, but only in degree
Hundreds similar in many respects are recorded ana
rs well authenticated facts in pathology The
recent evidence in Vanderbilt viii case, and sew
eral cases of similar nature show that the ques-
ton of clarvoyance Of considerable Importance to
wealthy believers
Is man sane who believes in clairvoyancef Can
he make a valid wil2 These are medico-legal ques-
hons urgently requiring discussion by the medical
profession; but the whole subject is so tabooed as
60 it almost impossible to discuss the matter in
. medical journal.
The manner which this is treated by several
socaed experts is. in my opinion most uncharita-
BILE and unscientihc, and savors more of the police
detective than the physician. Miss Fancher and her
friends ought certainly to be treated honest till
they proven otherwise. Every scrap of evidence
have read tends this out of the cate
CORY of the professional medium or advertising
rlairvoyant class The intense sefsatisfacton and
arrogance of of the critics is amazing. The
physicians and others who have publicly tes
the be astonished to discover how
dreadfuly blind and stupid they have been without
knowing it. Here they cave been trusted for years
with the lives of thousands, and it seems they are
not TO be trusted regards simple, paipabe physi-
ral facts which they have observed for years
As specimen of the sublime ~ seir-conceit take
the following literal quotations from article ON
lnis question By Or. =. NJ Beard, III the Aedtcdt
Record
According TO the primes Piles of evidence Taught
tn the best universities ami authorities logic and
law in the world All the eknms of Miss fancher must
be accepted and without question: for better and
more unanimous non-expsrt testimony could not well
be obtained any scientific problem.
1--WE have not III our D rofes ion more honorable
hble body OF than some OF the Brooklyn physi-
who have been directly Indirectly connected
with the case OF MoIbe Fanoher' ANY
expert by half an hours experimenting with this or
with any similar case could easily show that her
claims these respects were tine result Of Intentional
uniutentionJ4 deception"
DIR. Beard knows that the whole thing is piece of
deception, although he has never seen the case. 1t is
beyond the laws of rriture; he has been specially
privileged wi tn complete edition Of them. must
that it rs hard to keep cool in discussing with
such writers. He ack1lo wedges in this article that
there are other two experts besides hlnself-a
wondrous trinity, who have sadly neglected their
duty, such questions would not perplex SO many
of the students of to-day
Professor Parkhursts letter, in your issue of the
18th inst, though not from physician is the most
philosophical contribution | have yet seen on this
case. He shows that phenomena of this kind
cannot be ''tnrned on at pleasure This is
where most inSul get asray. The Inerest scIen
tihc tyro knows that. given the same conditions,
similar results viii always follow. But can we ever
depend on getting the human body twice in exactly
the same conslition Assuredly not Rare patho-
logical psychological phenomena have to be taken
rs they come We must wait nature But this
plan does satisfy great many. They cannot un-
aerstand why B shoulu not see the same wonders
that A beheid on some previous occasion. Ii the
programme is not fulfilled it must be because the
hexperts' thwarted tne game they fancy.
This seaed envelope test has been source OF great
patisfaction to many scientists, seemed to be
terroly afraid the t1dng might be true. Ii
called clairvoyant read letter Of course he
can read another they think But it Is not logical
sequence; he may be in the peculiar
rond tion necessary for such feat. and any number
OF failures TO read called letters could not dsprove
one wel-attested case where he had succeeded No
amount or negatives can disprove an affirmative in
such matters. The frishman who tried prove
that he did not steal tae pig by getting his neighbors
to they did HIM do it just about
logical as some OF on selt-appointed experts.
some years ago had young servant girl, about
ten years OF age In whom clarvoyance could be pro-
duced by what is usually designated mes,nerism.
The best experiments were Those conducted without
any warning to tire patient and when strangers
were present. Outsiders always acted as damper
till they became uuaInted If appointed special
evening and invi ted some one was anxious 70 i'm
press was very apt to be disappointed When no
outside the fsn niy present have bandaged
her eyes most calrely and opened a book picked up
ut random and the would read the page / desig
mated. As she was very ignorant and iterate
this hard work Ton her. II l thought
poor igno rant girl like this could fool
me in such matter. under conditions OF my own
making, wQu Al burn my diplomas and "go West"
Although this httle girl on Numerous occasions de-
scribed what going through solid walls and
tas Dr. Hammond thinks it, Of putting bank note in
scaled envelope she failed miserably And know from
other exreri ments that such set tests usually fail.
The money element is a disturbing force in these
occult experiments. If our experts would try TO
solve how this they would be fulfilling their
function be1ter than by denying the indisputabie
facts which have been proven hundreds Of times.
And then supposing MISS Fanchers friends
cepted this bet 1t little better ana she read the
enclosure correctly, how much would the be
altered Thousands thank themselves smarter than
DIR. Hammond or DIR. Beard, and would require the
test repeated with their envelopes. The celebrated
Professor Gregory, OF Edinburgh University teacher
and writer OF acknowledged merit investigated the
subject OF clarvoyance tDr years and thoroughly
convinced OF its TRUTH but does DIR. Hammond or Dr.
Beard believe Il that account Does the fact that
the late Professor Eliouson. OF London Zone OF the
best psychologists and physicians of his day. after
years OF experiment, thorough believer settle
the question: Certainly not. And the conversion of
DR. Hammond or DR. Beard could not settle the ques
tion orethan the belief their least equally
gifted fellow physicians just named
could narrate many experiences in this line
fraordinary those of Miss tancher but space for
bids tor the present. II you think the subject worthy
OF more ventilation can help you.
As l an man OF family and may possibly die rich
do not care to run the risk of having my viii con-
tested account of my belief in this matter; So till
the legal status OF clarvoyance is better defined.
beg TO subscribe myself sPECULCM.
BRooRLYN, y. u, Dec. 19, 1878.
A CORRECTION FROM M Ii"