Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-10-10
NO. g..


The second experiment. WINS upon
an equally worthy citizen, who had
devised test ut some distance from
The hall the drawing out from his
locked iron safe something there
deposited, TO the reaching Of which,
by the W, the procuring of u key
from the pocket of a third person,
somH distance oil, was necessary.
The same use of varying muscular
plmhlity, according rs the export
mcntcr was hot or "eoldN tto
use the terms of the juvenile playl,
was hcc employed fast hold
hcing kept OF the stretched cut arm
and hand of the subject, whose
nerves were by the rush Of the pro.
cceding necessarily not little dis
concerted, The article hid (ntter
much tedious hunting) was tr-
mphantly brought before the eyes
OF the audience nothing said, of
course, about the subtle instru-
mentality hy means Of which tho
result had hccn attained. The
triumph, however, to the minds of
not u few, was Of charlatanism,
pure and simple.
For the third experiment tho op.
orators showed hcsitancy rs to the
selection of u subject. They cx-
pressed desire that some lady
might be chosen. In thus discrim-
mating they certainly lent confirm
alton to tho theory herein given,
that the condition as to steadiness
of the nerves of the arm of the
subject was MI important to success.
Our worthy postmaster was finally
determined upon, The trial was To
sec il the right letters upon nh al.
phabct chart, which hung conspic-
uously against the wall, would be
touched, If the hand Of tho subject
were pushed towards them. The
name of some person the subject
had previously written upon
pnprr unknown to the operator,
and the paper laid nway. Truth
to say, the hidden word was cor
rectlv spelled out. But IL was ten
Atlrcly, by the skillIni nutioins, 80
before, Of the varying pliability of
the muscles of tho subjects arm
and hand, Of which variation, how
ever, the latter was doubtless quite
unconscious. Again, il was illus
trated how cxpcctant attention is
able 70 give impulse TO the mus
cles, SO ns to determine motion in-
voluntarily, The like has been wit
messed the world over IN the extra
ordinary phenomena Of tablcmoy-
ing, "spirit'-writing. and spirit
inspiration of various sorts, 10 which
should be added probably rhnbdo-
nancy. The parallel should not
have been allowed 10 20 unnoticed.
In keeping with all this, by way
Of intcrlude, experiments IN mes-
mcrism, Of the kind with which
audiences were familiar years ago,
were thrown in. We had had ex-
hibition of how muscle could be
brought to be exertcd involuntar-
lily now, we were shown how
muscle, under certain hypnotic
conditions, could be arrested from
being oxcrted and all apparently
without the concurrence Of tho
subject. There was thus II classical
unity about the proceedings Of tho
evening, which II was perhaps the
modcsty Of the performers that
! they made no mention of.
The writer makes no doubt that
there was n basis Of physiological
truth throughout the whole. The
human nervous system, hardy ns
il il, in some respects, Is most sen.
sitivc and delicate in Others even
To the extent, under certain pecu-
liar conditions, Of allowing the
overthrow Of d mans sclf-mastery.
This was fairly shown on this occa-
sion, presuming, as oil had a right
to do, that there was no collusion.
The chief moral to be drawn from
it all, the writer thinks, is a lesson
Of humility for those who make the
1 haagf FIR humnp natlirp that ia IL